Visionary Blogging » Blog Strategy http://visionaryblogging.com New Media Resources, Tools and Services Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:32:36 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Learn How to Revive Your Blog: Watch Me Revive Mine http://visionaryblogging.com/revive-your-blog/ http://visionaryblogging.com/revive-your-blog/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:06:13 +0000 Easton Ellsworth http://visionaryblogging.com/?p=1437 Your blog is needy. "Feed me! Feed me!" it cries. Ah, but you're busy. And you've been ignoring it for a while. Now you've decided to come back, dust off your business blog or professional blog and restore it to its SEO/traffic/attention/revenue-friendly ways. And you're wondering what to do.

How do you revive your business blog?

Here's how.

Learn more about our professional services.

]]> Your blog is needy.

“Feed me! Feed me!” it cries.

Ah, but you’re busy. And you’ve been ignoring it for a while.

Now you’ve decided to come back, dust off your business blog or professional blog and restore it to its SEO/traffic/attention/revenue-friendly ways. And you’re wondering what to do.

How do you revive your business blog?

Here’s how.

Solution #1: Talk to me.

Reviving blogs is part of what I do for a living. You can’t go wrong. Just call me up at 970-372-6630, leave a comment below or shoot me an email.

Solution #2: Spy on me.

Just keep an eye on this blog. I’ve left it alone for several months while I’ve been focusing on other projects, and now it’s time to return to it in style.

Watch and learn from my mistakes and successes as I work to clean up, improve and grow Visionary Blogging rapidly. I’ll post regularly on my progress right here. So sign up for updates if you haven’t.

Now let’s get your blog moving again!

image: srqpix

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]]> http://visionaryblogging.com/revive-your-blog/feed/ 1 How to Destroy Online Marketing Pointlessness http://visionaryblogging.com/pointlessness/ http://visionaryblogging.com/pointlessness/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:01:08 +0000 Easton Ellsworth http://www.visionaryblogging.com/?p=660 Cheshire Cat

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" - Alice "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." - Cheshire Cat "I don't much care where ..." - Alice "Then it doesn't matter which way you go." - Cheshire Cat

Is most of what you're doing online pointless?

I had the incredible opportunity to join several of my close friends on a group phone call today. We talked about online marketing strategy and the difference between building a blog/website and building a business. There was a special synergy that brought at least one of the participants to tears (in a good way). That call got me thinking about the relative pointlessness or meaningfulness of each marketing activity I do online to promote my consulting business.

Learn more about our professional services.

]]> Cheshire Cat

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” – Alice
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” – Cheshire Cat
“I don’t much care where …” – Alice
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” – Cheshire Cat

Is most of what you’re doing online pointless?

I had the incredible opportunity to join several of my close friends on a group phone call today. We talked about online marketing strategy and the difference between building a blog/website and building a business.

There was a special synergy that brought at least one of the participants to tears (in a good way).

That call got me thinking about the relative pointlessness or meaningfulness of each marketing activity I do online to promote my consulting business.

These three words were pounded into my brain.

What’s the point?

Do you always ask that question about every aspect of your Web marketing? I know I don’t. I should, but I’m as guilty as you probably are.

Alice in WonderlandIn other words, “Why am I doing this instead of not doing it? Why this and not something else? What is it about this activity that is meant to lead my business to success as quickly and efficiently as possible?”

If you can’t honestly think of a point to each marketing effort that clearly addresses your company’s long-term success, should you really keep doing that thing?

What’s the point of what you just spent the last minute/hour/day/week/month/year doing on the Web to promote your business/product/service/event/cause?

What’s the point of each link on your blog/website? What’s the point of your last blog post? What’s the point of all your Twittering?

If you don’t really know, then there’s not much point, is there?

How can you make sure that each online marketing activity you do has a point?

Learn more about our professional services.


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]]> http://visionaryblogging.com/pointlessness/feed/ 2 What’s in a Word? Or, Why Blogs Wield Scary Power for Businesses http://visionaryblogging.com/word-power/ http://visionaryblogging.com/word-power/#comments Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:22:07 +0000 Easton Ellsworth http://www.visionaryblogging.com/?p=641 Barack Obama. Quick! Say the first word that comes to mind. ... Was it "change?" "The change we need." "Change we can believe in." Obama owned that word in 2008. His masterful social media campaign gets a lot of the credit for that. Do you love the power of words? Do you relish them? Most blogs consist entirely, or almost entirely, of words. Words can create. Words can destroy. Words wield scary power for businesses. Your blog is going to help or hurt your business in 2009. How careful are you about the words you use or avoid on your business blog? What are you going to do this week to become more so?

Learn more about our professional services.

]]> Barack Obama.

Quick! Say the first word that comes to mind.

…

Was it “change?”

“The change we need.”

“Change we can believe in.”

Obama owned that word in 2008. His masterful social media campaign gets a lot of the credit for that.

Do you love the power of words? Do you relish them?

Most blogs consist entirely, or almost entirely, of words.

Words can create. Words can destroy.

Words wield scary power for businesses.

Your blog is going to help or hurt your business in 2009.

How careful are you about the words you use or avoid on your business blog?

What are you going to do this week to become more so?

Learn more about our professional services.


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]]> http://visionaryblogging.com/word-power/feed/ 4 Blog/Social Media Strategy Links: Week 3 http://visionaryblogging.com/links-3/ http://visionaryblogging.com/links-3/#comments Fri, 16 Jan 2009 23:21:10 +0000 Easton Ellsworth http://www.visionaryblogging.com/?p=622 Welcome to Week 3 of the Visionary Blogging Links series! Every Friday at Visionary Blogging, I share the best URLs I’ve discovered over the past week that have to do with business blogging or professional blogging in general and blogging/social media strategy in particular (for non-profit organizations, for-profit corporations, entrepreneurs, etc.). Over time, I'll add some of the very best links from my Links series to the Resources page (still a bit messy, but I'm working on it!). Bookmark that page and my ever-growing Blog Improvement Tips page for future reference. You’re welcome to suggest links for this series. Just leave a comment here or contact me directly.

Learn more about our professional services.

]]> Chain LinkWelcome to Week 3 of the Visionary Blogging Links series!

Every Friday at Visionary Blogging, I share the best URLs I’ve discovered over the past week that have to do with business blogging or professional blogging in general and blogging/social media strategy in particular (for non-profit organizations, for-profit corporations, entrepreneurs, etc.).

Over time, I’ll add some of the very best links from my Links series to the Resources page (still a bit messy, but I’m working on it!). Bookmark that page and my ever-growing Blog Improvement Tips page for future reference.

You’re welcome to suggest links for this series. Just leave a comment here or contact me directly.

Week 3 Links

  1. How do you tell if your social media consultant is the real deal? by Drew McLellan (@DrewMcLellan) at Drew’s Marketing Minute – Drew shares some great caveats on how to make sure you’re not getting advice from someone who’s clueless about the way social media actually works.
  2. 7 Tips on How to Write Sticky, Memorable Blog Posts by Glenn Murray at Problogger – Excellent tips to remember every time you’re about to hit publish – and even when you’re just starting to write.
  3. Perfect Blogs, 404 Errors, and Humanity by Liz Strauss at Successful Blog – Liz points out that a blog, like a person, isn’t supposed to be flawless. You’ll accomplish far more in blogging when you give up insisting on creating only complete, error-free posts.
  4. The 6 Goals of SEO: Choosing the Right Ones for Your Business by Rand Fishkin at SEOMoz – Amazing primer on why you might perform SEO for business reasons and how to choose the right emphasis for your SEO campaign.

Thanks for everyone who created these fantastic articles. Stay tuned for next Friday’s VB Links!

Which link do you like the most?

photo by slideshow bob

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]]> http://visionaryblogging.com/links-3/feed/ 0 Congratulations to Our Three $250 Blog Consulting Prize Winners http://visionaryblogging.com/help-contest-results/ http://visionaryblogging.com/help-contest-results/#comments Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:27:00 +0000 Easton Ellsworth http://www.visionaryblogging.com/?p=599 Last week I surprised you with a $750 blog consulting contest here at Visionary Blogging. The prize: a $250 blog consulting package to boost any professional blog, including:
  • A 130-point blog inspection in PDF format
  • A video screencast with blogging tips
  • A 30-minute phone consultation to discuss blogging strategy
Entry was simple. All you had to do was answer my question, "How can I help you?" Winners were to be selected randomly from among all entrants. I promised you results today. Here they are.

Learn more about our professional services.

]]> Light Bulb IdeaLast week I surprised you with a $750 blog consulting contest here at Visionary Blogging.

The prize: a $250 blog consulting package to boost any professional blog, including:

  • A 130-point blog inspection in PDF format
  • A video screencast with blogging tips
  • A 30-minute phone consultation to discuss blogging strategy

Entry was simple. All you had to do was answer my question, “How can I help you?”

Winners were to be selected randomly from among all entrants.

I promised you results today. Here they are.

Winner #1: Doug DuCap at Hugging the Coast

Hugging the Coast Logo

Doug is enjoying a healthy amount of traffic to his coastal cuisine/travel blog, but he wants to get more people to leave comments on his posts. He’s also looking to get more links from other blogs in order to increase his readership.

Winner #2: jeff at Principled Innovation

Principled Innovation Logo

Jeff has been blogging since medieval times (2002) and for three years at Principled Innovation, which is a blog for his company, Principled Innovation LLC. He’s in the process of redesigning his website and figuring out where the blog should fit at his website and in his overall Web strategy. He also wants to make his blog more interactive.

Winner #3: Terri Ann Swallow at Ninedays Blog

Ninedays Logo

Terri Ann is a Web designer/developer and photographer who wants help moving her blog content from a subdomain on one domain to a new domain. She also wants a little feedback on an upcoming redesign.

Thank You for Participating

Thank you to all 21 people who entered. The turnout was wonderful, especially considering the contest only lasted 30 hours!

If you entered but didn’t win this time around, watch your email inbox today. I have something just for you. :)

Missed this month’s contest? Thirsty for more?

Subscribe to Visionary Blogging and follow @easton on Twitter so you can be the first to know about my next contest in February. The sooner you find out, the better. ;)

Tomorrow’s post will cover the basics of blog audience building. Then on Friday I’ll have some helpful links for you.

Any suggestions/ideas for February’s contest?

Learn more about our professional services.


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]]> http://visionaryblogging.com/help-contest-results/feed/ 1 Should You Add Facebook Connect to Your Business Blog? http://visionaryblogging.com/facebook-connect/ http://visionaryblogging.com/facebook-connect/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:33:39 +0000 Easton Ellsworth http://www.visionaryblogging.com/?p=590 Robyn Tippins (Twitter: @duzins) asked me the following question on Twitter last week:

Is Facebook Connect worth the time for a business blog?

Great question, Robyn! Here's my answer. First, for those new to this subject ...

What is Facebook Connect?

Facebook Connect is a simple way to integrate Facebook into your blog or website. For example, TechCrunch currently has a blog post comment area that looks like this (minus the cool sepia effect): Facebook Connect

Why or why not use Facebook Connect?

Some reasons to use Facebook Connect on your business blog:
  • Some people have Facebook accounts but aren't registered at your blog. If registration is something you require in order for people to be able to comment on your posts, Facebook Connect might make it more appealing for these folks to register and interact more with your blog.

    • Learn more about our professional services.

    ]]> Robyn Tippins (Twitter: @duzins) asked me the following question on Twitter last week:

    Is Facebook Connect worth the time for a business blog?

    Great question, Robyn! Here’s my answer.

    First, for those new to this subject …

    What is Facebook Connect?

    Facebook Connect is a simple way to integrate Facebook into your blog or website. For example, TechCrunch currently has a blog post comment area that looks like this (minus the cool sepia effect):

    Facebook Connect

    Why or why not use Facebook Connect?

    Some reasons to use Facebook Connect on your business blog:

    • Some people have Facebook accounts but aren’t registered at your blog. If registration is something you require in order for people to be able to comment on your posts, Facebook Connect might make it more appealing for these folks to register and interact more with your blog.
    • If many of your blog visitors and commenters use Facebook, they might enjoy seeing each other’s Facebook profile links in the comments section of your blog. Facebook Connect makes that integration seamless.
    • When you install Facebook Connect on your blog and someone leaves a comment, that action shows up in their Facebook wall so others in their network on Facebook can see it. This may get you a little more traffic and a few more subscribers in the long run.

    Some reasons NOT to use Facebook Connect with a company blog or professional blog

    • Maybe the culture of your blog is not very Facebooky. Perhaps your readers are not the social networking type, or perhaps your blog is all about how evil and ugly and useless Facebook is (in your esteemed opinion, of course).
    • Maybe you’re concerned about slow page loads. This isn’t a huge concern for most business bloggers, but if your blog is already laden down with cumbersome plugins and widgets, you might not want to lay this final straw on your poor hosting camel’s back.
    • Maybe you find Facebook distracting to the core purpose and audience of your blog. It could be that you just want people to take one kind of action after reading your posts, and that Facebook Connect tempts them to get distracted from your call to action.

    So … should you use Facebook Connect with your business blog?

    I recommend that you try it out for a few days and see how it affects your blog’s traffic levels, comment levels, and other interactivity on your blog/website. Most importantly, find out what your readers think of Facebook Connect.

    You can always remove Facebook Connect later if its slows down your blog too much or your blog readers don’t seem to like it. But I wouldn’t expect it to make a huge difference in most business blogs, either.

    The deeper reasoning here has to do with blog and social media strategy for businesses. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should (or shouldn’t). If you really feel that Facebook Connect will help you serve your blog’s target audience and improve conversion rates for your business, use it. If not, don’t.

    Facebook Connect Resources

    Wondering if I should give it a go here at Visionary Blogging. I think I will. Let me know what you think.

    Tomorrow, winners of last week’s $750 blog consulting contest will be announced right here.

    Do you think Facebook Connect is worth the time for business blogs?

    Learn more about our professional services.


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    ]]>     http://visionaryblogging.com/facebook-connect/feed/ 6 The 10 Worst Business Blog Mistakes http://visionaryblogging.com/business-blog-mistakes/ http://visionaryblogging.com/business-blog-mistakes/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:32:05 +0000 Easton Ellsworth http://www.visionaryblogging.com/?p=579 I hope this list saves you some grief in your professional blogging. 10. Publish sporadically. 9. Spend too much time consuming content. 8. Spend too little time creating content. 7. Fail to plan effectively or not at all. 6. Expect the world to adore your blog without any marketing effort on your part. 5. Fail to pay close attention to numbers that indicate blog growth rate. 4. Fail to produce content that serves your intended audience. 3. Fail to serve the right audience. 2. Fail to love your audience to bits.

    Learn more about our professional services.

    ]]>     Fail

    I hope this list saves you some grief in your professional blogging.

    10. Publish sporadically.

    9. Spend too much time consuming content.

    8. Spend too little time creating content.

    7. Fail to plan effectively or not at all.

    6. Expect the world to adore your blog without any marketing effort on your part.

    5. Fail to pay close attention to numbers that indicate blog growth rate.

    4. Fail to produce content that serves your intended audience.

    3. Fail to serve the right audience.

    2. Fail to love your audience to bits.

    1. Give up.

    Take the opposite of this list and you’ll have a pretty good sense of my top 10 business blog success tips. :)

    Further Reading

    Stay tuned – tomorrow I have some more blog strategy advice for you and on Wednesday I’ll announce the winners of last week’s one-question contest. Plus, later this month I’ll teach you how to avoid all of the above blog mistakes.

    What’s the worst blogging mistake you’ve ever made or seen someone else make?

    photo by dkalo

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    ]]>     http://visionaryblogging.com/business-blog-mistakes/feed/ 4     Blog Consulting Guide: How to Improve Your Blog Community http://visionaryblogging.com/blog-community-guide/ http://visionaryblogging.com/blog-community-guide/#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:26:34 +0000 Easton Ellsworth http://www.visionaryblogging.com/?p=409 Blog Consulting Guide CommunityI've just added another free guide to my growing blog consulting guides area (22 and counting). It's called How to Improve Your Blog Community. It includes my best advice from more than three years as a blog network editor, social media event organizer and new media consultant. Specifically, it covers the following:
    • What a blog community is
    • Why your blog community matters
    • 4 common aspects of all communities
    • 10 ways to measure blog community growth
    • 5 steps to building your blog community
    • How to get "unstuck" in your community-building efforts
    • 6 excellent resources for further reading
    Grab the printer-friendly PDF version (848 KB). Let me know what you think! More guides coming soon ...

    Learn more about our professional services.

    ]]>     Blog Consulting Guide CommunityI’ve just added another free guide to my growing blog consulting guides area (22 and counting).

    It’s called How to Improve Your Blog Community. It includes my best advice from more than three years as a blog network editor, social media event organizer and new media consultant.

    Specifically, it covers the following:

    • What a blog community is
    • Why your blog community matters
    • 4 common aspects of all communities
    • 10 ways to measure blog community growth
    • 5 steps to building your blog community
    • How to get “unstuck” in your community-building efforts
    • 6 excellent resources for further reading

    Grab the printer-friendly PDF version (848 KB).

    Let me know what you think! More guides coming soon …

    Learn more about our professional services.


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    ]]>     http://visionaryblogging.com/blog-community-guide/feed/ 3