Archive for the ‘Blogging’ Category

Taking the Worry Out of Vlogging

By Amanda Bala

Blogging should be a crucial component in any businesses marketing strategy. Businesses that have a blog get found easier on search engines, establish themselves as leaders in their field, and earn more respect and credibility.  However, it is not just blogging that is making waves right now. Vlogging (video blogging) is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s business world.

Many business owners are hesitant to start a video blog.  There usually are three main concerns when it comes to doing videos:

1.      It is too expensive.  This is really not the case at all anymore.  Technology has come so far that you can pick up the equipment for relatively little cost.  Even some of the smart phones that people have today, like the iPhone 4, take great video. 

2.      The technology is too complicated for me.   Again, technology has come so far, that just about anyone can become a video rock star!  The abundance of cameras and web programs really simplifies the need for a large background understanding of technology.

3.      I will look silly. This is a fear that unfortunately runs a bit more personal.  This is one that you really just have to get over.  If you have great content, no one is really going to be worrying about how you look.  Gone are the days where your video content must looking like it was done by a professional production company.  Now it is all about what you have to say.  And remember, you will get better and more comfortable with video the more you do it!

Vlogging is becoming more mainstream by the minute.  By beginning a Vlog now, you will get a jumpstart on your competition.  Check out our next blog article, The Top 5 Reasons Why Video Content Is King, and get your self vlogging today!

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Don’t Be a Blogging Boo Boo

 By Amanda Bala

Have you been thinking about starting a blog for your company?  Or do you have a blog going, but it has not really taken off? Well, there are some very simple reasons that blogs do not succeed.  Here are some things to avoid when starting a new blog for your company.

Too much of a hard sell.  Your blog should not be a sales pitch.  It’s okay to talk about your business and strategies in your blog.  However, nothing will make a reader turn away faster than, “You must act now to take advantage of this one time offer”.  Blog readers do not want to be sold.  They want to be entertained and informed.

TMPI (Too Much Personal Information).  While you want to put the “you” into your blog, you need to be careful not to put too much of the “you” into your blog.  You want your blog to reflect your personality, but you do not want it to be a diary of your every day happenings.  Take your quirks and the interesting things that are happening in your business and incorporate those into your blog.  However, steer clear of any information that is too personal in nature. 

Not enough posts.  While you do not want your blog to be a diary of day to day happenings, you must also watch the pitfall of not posting often enough.  One to two posts a week is a great guideline.  Nothing looks worse than logging onto a blog and seeing that nothing has been posted for a month.  That signals to readers that you do not have enough time or interest in keeping up your blog.  That can create a poor reflection of you and your business.  If you are at a loss for original work to post, repost another blog article that you have found insightful or interesting.  Give credit to that blogger and let them know you used their work.  They may even return the favor.

Surrendering too fast.  Blogging is not always easy.  People tend to get discouraged because they are not seeing the results they want quickly enough.  It may take three to six months before you begin to see followers or comments on a regular basis.  Even then, it may not be the amount of traffic that you were hoping for.  However, the key is sticking with it.  If you are doing everything right, people will find you. 

Boring content.  Blog readers are looking to be entertained.  There are millions of blogs out there, so you have to captivate your audience and make them want to come back for more.  You do not need to shock or be wild in your content.  However, you want to be consistent and put stuff out there that can help people or generate some buzz.

Failing to promote your blog.  So, you have a fantastic blog.  The content is great, you are posting on a weekly basis, and all the pieces are in place.  Still, you are not getting followers.  What is going on?  Maybe you have failed with the most important step… getting your blog out there!  There are many ways to do this.  You can submit your blog to RSS feed directories, submit your blog to a blog directory, join a blog carnival or submit random blog entries to sites like www.digg.com.

The ultimate goal when blogging is to get people reading and bring them and prospective clients to you.  Be sure that your blog is an extension of you and all the wonderful things that you will bring to those clients!

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Free Your Mind… And the Rest Will Follow!

By Amanda Bala

So you have been in a slump lately with your writing, your business, maybe your life?  Often we find that they day to day drudgery of our schedules can get us down.  A simple pick me up that takes little time and can really help to inspire and recharge your batteries is free writing!  Maybe you need some inspiration, maybe you have a great idea, but you need to fine tune it.  Free writing is a great way to quickly get your thoughts and ideas down on paper and give yourself a jump start.

Experts agree that a free writing session might be the best way to get your thoughts on the page and get moving in a new, creative direction.  According to Mark Levy at the Compelling blog, “Free writing helps people to create a strategic direction for their company, brainstorm ideas for a personal branding campaign, plan a product launch, think through employee engagement problems, rehearse ways of handling a negotiation, write books and blog posts.”

The key is to find a quite place, set up tools and let you mind go.  Free writing can be done in whatever manner you find easiest.  Some people enjoy pounding away on the keyboard whatever topics cross their mind.  Others enjoy the age old tradition of the written word.  A paper and a pencil can take you places you never dreamed!  The objective, however you do it, it to write down whatever comes to mind.  There is no right or wrong.  By doing this, you are able to filter out the usual constraints that keep us from coming up with come really great, risky, fun ideas.  Usually we are so worried about how our writing sounds, looks and feels that we take too much time actually writing the sentences and all those quirky, daring, original and usually effective ideas are lost. 

The best free writing sessions are those that are not forced, but are limited.  You can go for a few minutes or for longer periods of time, but the key is, when the ideas stop flowing, stop writing.  You can always come back and do more at a later time.  If you get stuck and have nothing to say, write about that.  Even if the thoughts you are writing seem off the wall, keep going.  Some of the best and most interesting topics might come to you in the midst of all that chaos. 

By taking time out of your busy, every day schedule to do a bit of free writing, you can give yourself a new outlook on so many different aspects of your life and business.  Thoughts and ideas you may not have ordinarily had will come to you.  This could be the key to taking you in a new and exciting direction both in your career and your life!  Even if that is not the case, it is a fun way to relieve a bit of stress from your every day existence!

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