Blogging

A New Perspecitive on Blog Posts

April 6, 2012 by dwellman Leave a Comment

I have been blogging now for almost two years. In the early days of my blog, I read everything that I could about what to blog and particularly how often to blog. In that reading I concluded that everyday was best because, after all, who wouldn’t want to read what I was writing about.

It wasn’t long before the busyness of life took over and I had to rethink the “everyday” thing. Just recently I determined that I will work on the schedule of one (maybe two) posts per week. It seems to work better into my work life and it seems that the posts get a much higher readership and they “last longer” online.

So, I find myself about halfway between those thought leaders who insist that, to build a community, you must blog everyday and those who insist that you should only blog when you have something “killer” to say.

As for you, the choice is yours. You have got to decide what works best for your community, for you as a writer, and for the growth and strengthening of your brand. You should certainly take the time to understand the arguments of those who have been successfully blogging for some time, but in the end you have to settle on your own blogging rhythm.

How often do you post? What do you see as the benefits of your blogging rhythm?

Filed Under: Designing Success Tagged With: Ariticles, Blogging, Blogging rhythm, How often, Posts, Work

Social Media and Baby Boom Business – 3

July 12, 2011 by Dave Wellman 8 Comments

The College Blog Network Screenshot. THIS IS N...

Image via Wikipedia

This is part three of the series Social Media and Baby Boom Business. In this post we will take a look at the tool of blogging to build interest in your second career. Enjoy and don’ t forget to comment!

Blogging …. sounds scary to most people. I hear all the excuses: I can’t write; Nobody would read my blog; What would I write about; Nobody sits around all day reading blogs; etc. and so on!

However, if you are like most people, you really do have lots to say about you, your passions, and why those passions turned into your second career! Folks do want to hear stuff like that. They have dreams and passions as well and your stories help them to breath life into theirs.

I truly believe if more people defined themselves and their passions and then lived those passions, told stories of those passions and built their lives/businesses around those passions, the world would be a much better place.

This, my boomer friend, is where blogging comes in!

Once you have determined what your second career is going to be, you need to talk about it to as many people as possible. Blogging affords you that option. Whether you use words written, video presentation, or even podcasts, the place to find these things ought to be your “home base” which is your blog. With so many blogging platforms to choose from and so many easy ways to get started, this is a free (or nearly free) way to make yourself stick out from the crowd. To provide your potential customers with the information they are looking for and to provide access to your new businesses products and services.

Three things you need to understand as you begin the blogging process:

Be yourself! I remember watching the movie Aladdin with my daughter many years ago and hearing the Genie remind Aladdin to “Be Yourself” as he sought to win the heart of the princess. In the end that is what won him the hand of his bride. Be yourself.
Tell your story! In being yourself, tell stories about what has brought you to the place of offering your products/services. Many people become very health conscious after undergoing some major health challenges. Others find a particular hobby that really brings them to life. Some “have always known” that what they are offering now is what they wanted for others. Your story is unique, tell it!
Bring good information to the forefront. Always provide information that has great value to those who will be reading your blog. Don’t just write sales letters or tech manuals. Tell people what you know and how that will help their lives/businesses just like it has yours.

When I first started my blog, I had all the questions that I listed at the top of this post, but what I have discovered is that there are lots of people in this world who are craving real, valuable content that will help them make the right choices in their lives about virtually any and every thing imaginable. All you have to do is commit to the process and you will find a niche looking to hear from you!

Filed Under: Blogging, Entrepreneurialism, Social Media Tagged With: Aladdin, Baby boom, Baby boomer, Blog, Blogging, Boomer Blogs, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social media, Twitter, YouTube

Social Media and Baby Boom Business – 2

July 9, 2011 by Dave Wellman 4 Comments

Image via Wikipedia

Today I want to talk about the five social media tools necessary to create a powerful online presence for your Baby Boom Business. These tools are ones that I use personally and can make your business “pop” as you set out in your second career.

A blog – it will become the central location for all of the information/answers that you provide your customers.
Facebook – it is like a “back yard barbecue” for your business. A place to invite people to come, talk, and create/establish relationships. (Not a place for direct sales!)
Twitter – this tool acts like your online billboard. You provide short messages, tips, new finds, and “specials” for current and prospective customers.
YouTube – this tool is your own video channel to let people see what you have been talking about. If you can provide people with “tips and tricks” to make better use of your products or training materials about your services, you are more likely to gain/retain a customer.
LinkedIn – while this tool is considered by most a business to business tool, it creates a great platform for keeping your eyes and ears open to the new and exciting things that are going on in your industry. Don’t over-look this great tool.

A word of caution here. While all of these tools can be launched at no cost and with no real difficulties, there are ways to use them the benefit of your business and to its detriment as well. You need to understand these tools and how they all fit together into a successful marketing strategy. Learn them one or two tools at a time and add others as you are comfortable with the ones you are already using. Order is also important, just be careful.

Starting next week we will look briefly at each of these social media tools and how they can bring success to your Baby Boom Business!

Filed Under: Entrepreneurialism, Second Career, Social Media Tagged With: Baby boom, Blogging, Business, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social media, Social network, Twitter, YouTube

The Patience of Getting Found

April 18, 2011 by Dave Wellman 2 Comments

Ok – you have made the decision to start blogging. You have done your research and have decided on the five key categories of content that you want to create. You have dug down into those categories and found long tailed keyword phrases that your market is searching for and you have begun the process of blogging in those areas.

But … wait …. it seems that no one (or at least almost no one) is reading your blog posts or commenting on all of your great content. What’s up with this? How come nothing seems to be moving like all the ebooks, articles, and gurus said it would? Your frustration level rises and you wonder if this whole blogging thing is even worth it!

But, before you quit, before you throw in the towel, before you wash blogging’s “bad taste” out of your mouth, be patient. Take a deep breath and let your niche market find you. You have to remember that, until you have been around for a while, until you have been discovered by other successful bloggers, until you have established yourself as a thought leader in your niche, you are just part of the blogosphere “noise.”

Successful bloggers understand the patience of getting found. They know that like any form of advertising and/or marketing you have to establish yourself as someone that stands out from the crowd. To do this you must:

1. Separate yourself from all the noise. With millions of blogs and tens of thousands of “gurus” you must develop a strategy that says, “You need to listen to me!”
2. Become the “go to guy/gal” for value-added content in the areas of your expertise. Thought leadership is essential to the success of your brand.
3. Develop a thick skin and a never say die attitude that will allow you to keep going when things look bad and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

The story is told of a man who bought a gold mine during the American gold rush. He worked the mine diligently for two years to no avail. Broke and discouraged, he sold his claim and all his machinery and headed back east to sell insurance. The man who purchased his mine struck the “mother-load” just about one foot farther into the hillside. The first man lost his patience and the mother-load he had worked two years to find.

Don’t let a perceived “slow start” discourage you or even cause you to quit. Keep working, keep producing value-added content and trust in your ability to get the message out and the right people will find you in due time. Learn the patience of getting found that is a must to reach any level of success on or offline!

Filed Under: Blogging, Inbound Marketing Tagged With: Blogging, Business, getting found, Search, Small Business, Social Media, start blogging, thought leader

Any fool can write a blog post!

April 1, 2011 by Dave Wellman 4 Comments

Sitting here this morning, April 1, 2011, thinking about blogging and the power of this medium, I was struck by an interesting thought:

Any fool can write a blog post!

Knowing that a statement like this might cast aspersions on those of us who blog for a living, let me clear the air by saying that I know this to be true from personal experience! Let me explain ….

According to my trusty online dictionary, a fool is, “an ardent enthusiast who cannot resist an opportunity to indulge an enthusiasm (usually preceded by a present participle): He’s just a dancing fool.”

This definition often describes bloggers: Ardent enthusiasts – after all isn’t it our enthusiasm about something that brings us into this crazy world in the first place; Who cannot resist the opportunity to indulge an enthusiasm – most bloggers just can’t wait to get their words in print and published to the web. Often times their posts are published without a reasonable time of effort or research. They are enthusiastic, dare I say even evangelistic about their “thing,” and they want the blogosphere to know it!

Now, don’t get me wrong (remember I said I understand FROM EXPERIENCE what this kind of enthusiasm can do) I love enthusiastic people. They make the world an exciting place and bring life, and creativity to the world. However, as we enter the blogging world, we need to remember (unless we are just blogging for our own benefit) that our enthusiasm must be tempered with three thoughts:

1. Who are we blogging to/for? After all if those we are blogging to/for don’t share our enthusiasm, they will just think us a fool and move on.

2. What do they need? It is in looking to fill their needs that we will gain the greatest reward. (Thought leader status, social capital, referrals, and in the end sales!)

3. How can what we are so enthusiastic about meet their needs. This is where our enthusiasm can do a great deal of good, if it is given out in the proper proportion.

Remember, on this day of celebrating foolishness, any fool can right a blog post … but not any fool can be successful! They must bring their enthusiasm into check to do the greatest good for those to whom they blog!

Talk more later ….

PS – You didn’t think I would use anyone’s picture but mine did you?

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: April fool's day, Blog, blog post, Blogging, Social Media

Blogging for Inbound Marketing Success

March 22, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

A lot has been said over the past couple years about blogging and how it can lead to success and business growth. However, the truth is that most blogs as well as most social media strategies don’t work in bringing more sales to solo-entrepreneurs and small businesses.

I think that the biggest reason for this fact is that these very small businesses don’t think they have the time, or the resources to create solid inbound marketing success. They create a blog because they are told that they need to have one. Then after it becomes hard work keeping it up or they just get busy with meeting the day to day needs of their business, they bail on the whole “blogging thing.”

Here are my thoughts about solo-entrepreneurs and small businesses blogging in order to create a solid use of social media for inbound marketing success:

1. Decide that you want to blog. If you get into blogging because someone told you that it would bring you leads and sales and not because you want to be a thought leader for your clients/customers, don’t start! You will get tired of all the work it takes and in the end you will damage your brand rather than strengthen it.

2. Decide what you want to write about. I know that most of the blogging “gurus” will tell you that you need to write about what interests your clients. While, to some degree that is true, if you are not also passionate about what you write it will show in your writing and your blog will be booring! If you don’t have a passion about helping your clients, your blog will be the least of your business woes.

3. Create original content. Even if your blog is primarily a review site, make those reviews yours. There is too much “near-plagiarism” in the blogging world. Too much warmed over content. Too many “me too” articles. Be yourself and teach what you know and what you think. Original content is like a breath of fresh air!

When you learn to blog this way, you will gain more consistent readers. These readers will comment more and answer your calls to action more, and in the end, buy more. They win with great content and you win with more sales.

Filed Under: Blogging, Inbound Marketing Tagged With: Blogging, inbound, Internet, Marketing, Marketing strategy, Small Business, Social Media, Solo-entrepreneurs, Success

Business Blogging, Branding, and Inbound Marketing

March 19, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

While having a chance to just cruse around the net today. I came across an interesting question asked on one of my normal places to visit. The question was about blogging, branding, and inbound marketing which was very cool since that what this blog is about. Basically the question was, “If I don’t want to create my own blog can I just post add to or post comments to other blogs to create traffic and communicate my ideas?”

As I sought to answer his specific question, I decided maybe a few points on business blogging, branding, and inbound marketing would be beneficial to others as well. So ….

1. I don’t think that the idea of posting on other blogs as a way of building your brand won’t really provide you with the results you are looking for. It’s kind of like selling hamburgers in the parking lot of a McDonald’s.

2. I think that if you are really serious about your content a self-hosted blog protects your brand and identity better than a “free blog.” (Read Liz Strauss’ great article on this subject.)

3. Blogging/social media is a long-term build. When websites became inexpensive propositions, businesses jumped on the “website wagon” and statistics show that more than 90% do not generate enough income to cover their costs. Blogs are now taking over these same failure rates.

4. Just getting people to your site doesn’t necessarily create leads or sales. The blog gets you in the door with people, but what you offer beyond the blog is what creates the lead and makes the sale.

My point here is that if you just “put up a blog” without considering how it fits in your overall marketing strategy, you might rank among those who leave blogging quickly and with a bad taste in your mouth.

Hope this helps and as usual any comments are appreciated!

Filed Under: Inbound Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: Blogging, Branding, Business blogging, Inbound marketing, Marketing strategies, Marketing strategy, Media marketing, Social Media

Three Basic Strategies for Successful Blogging

February 25, 2011 by Dave Wellman Leave a Comment

In order to establish a highly successful blog, every blog owner should understand three basic strategies. These strategies are not rocket science instead they are basic things that can be handled quickly and efficiently. The reason that most bloggers (especially business bloggers) don’t ever produce highly successful blogs is that they don’t make these basic strategies a priority in their overall marketing strategy.

The first basic strategy for successful blogging is to always be on the lookout for fresh and valuable content. As I look around the blogesphere, I see lots of blogs that are just re-plating the same old stuff that is found on everyone the blogs written by “the guru’s.” What the successful blogger needs to do is to make their blog their own. Do the research with your current clients, ask them what things they want to know about. Look to engage new clients with the things that seem to matter to them. If every blogger in a particular niche just reworked the same stuff everyone else was writing about, nothing new or exciting would ever come to light!

The second basic strategy for successful blogging is to be consistent. Decide how often to write (based on testing in the early days of your blog) and then discipline yourself to keep that schedule. I have been guilty of having a great idea for a blog, getting it up and running, and then letting it flounder with no new content for long stretches of time. This is not good!!!!! Successful bloggers like Chris Brogan or Seth Godin are always presenting their readers with new material. Learn from the best …. be consistent.

The third basic strategy for successful blogging is to convert readers into leads. Business blogging is about helping your business to grow and prosper. So while you are blogging great content that provides valuable content to you current and prospective clients, don’t forget to offer them more by subscribing to your blog, asking for a white paper on a particular subject, or setting up an appointment to meet. Even the greatest blogger will not be successful if they do not convert readers to leads and leads to new customers.

Like I said at the beginning, these three basic strategies for successful blogging are not rocket science, but if you will follow them faithfully, they will lead to greater success for your blog and more importantly your business!

Talk more later ….

Filed Under: Inbound Marketing Tagged With: Basic strategies, Blogging, Chris Brogan, Seth Godin, Strategies, Success, Successful blogging

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