Why I am writing a Blog and why you should too!

Sara Sentor
Monday, September 20th, 2010

I am a blog writer and compete with the other millions of bloggers online so that my voice can be heard. Actually, I do not really compete. I just write and hope somebody will find the blog interesting. I am not very active on social media-though I highly recommend it and hope I can find the time to actively participate- but all in all, I am not all that good a blogger. So you would do well to learn from my mistakes!

Blog for marketing

Marketing today has changed. Whether, you are an individual, a business owner or a home based worker-in order to success online you have to have a social presence. You need to have a blog, a facebook page, a twitter account and a linked in profile-if you can.

Blogging the right way- is the only way you will become visible online. It is the only way you will be able to market successfully in the future. Why did I start blogging, firstly for marketing and then for personal pleasure. Sometimes I write for pleasure and sometimes for marketing purposes. At times I mix both. The fact is if you are writing, you want someone to be reading. Books, articles, research anything written is for a purpose. Blogging, I believe is primarily for marketing and anyone who says different, is being delusional!

Write about What you Know

My clients at times, want me to write 1000 words for their home page, 500 words for their blog and stuff keywords in the content. They do not realize that this is spam and in the long run it is hurting their business. Never, ever write what you do not know. It is easy churning out article after article just rephrasing what you have read elsewhere.

However, nobody really reads that stuff. The blogs that are working are the ones that have original work posted. So don’t take the wrong tack, when you write a blog write for yourself and write what you know. If it can be done without visiting other websites- all the better!

You will be amazed how much faster you write when you write about what you know.

Use a style you are comfortable with

In an earlier post I wrote about knowing what to blog about, well, in this post I am going a step ahead, write in a style you are most comfortable with. If you are writing about technical stuff and know absolutely nothing about it, I can almost guarantee, your blogs will be dull and lifeless. However, choose a topic you specialize in and immediately, it has pizzazz. The style will emerge when you know what you are writing about.

Use a tone that suits your Blog Industry

If you are blogging like I am mostly for fun, then you can take a personal tone with your blogs. You can provide advice in a personal way and be informal in your tone.

However, a blog that is being used for a business should be more professional and formal. While people may come to my blog read my blogs and learn something, business blogs have to sell and create a feeling of trust. No one is going to buy from someone who is writing blogs in an unprofessional manner.

So why should you write a blog?
Blogs are the marketing media of the future.

As a mass communication major I was taught in college that people have an inherent instinct to follow the masses. If you see an advertisement on television for let’s say a wireless charger, the ad will try to appeal to your need to have the latest technology. In the past you would have bought it and been out of some hard earned cash. Today you have the Internet.

When you want to buy something, go somewhere, eat some place or just breathe in a healthy manner what do you do? You Google, yahoo! or Bing. You read reviews, blogs and opinions of people who have been there, bought that, and you do the same.

Blogging is the future of marketing! So Blog on people and see how you can make a difference to yourself and others!

Tags: blog posts, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Small Business Marketing, Starting a Blog.
Posted in Blogging Advice, Starting a Blog. | No Comments »

Choosing Topics for Blogs: Extraordinary Storm in New York

Sara Sentor
Friday, September 17th, 2010

The hardest part of blogging is finding a topic to write about. I am a search engine marketer and web content writer. Just how many tips can I give and how can the advice I give be different from the thousands of other SEM masters and web content writers in the online world?

It is all a matter of research. You have to do it every day and you have to do it well. Do not be a copycat be original that is the basis of any blogger worth his salt!

Choosing a Topic:

Look at the title of this article. It’s ‘Choosing Topics for Blogs: Extraordinary Storm in New York.’ Now what does one have to do with the other?

Well what I did was go to Google Insight and Trends and checked out what people were searching for and one of the top searches was ‘Storm in new York’. So I thought about how I could integrate this search within my blog, and I had a brainstorm why not show you all how to choose a topic for blogging! Now you know.

Advice: Use what is being searched and integrate it usefully and creatively in your blog post.

Doing your Research:
Once I chose my topic I cannot just mislead the readers about it and write nothing on the extraordinary storm that took place in New York. You have to actually be productive. Research the topic and provide useful information. The safest bet for factual information is the news sites. So type in ‘Storm New York’ in Google then look at the left menu, you will see a tab for ‘New’ go there and fish out all the information you want.

Writing the Blog
Last step is writing the blog. Now my topic is Storm in New York and I do not want to just repeat what everyone is saying in the new sites. What I have to do is accumulate the information and then summarize it so no one has to go anywhere else to read about the extraordinary storm in New York last night.

Advice:Gather the information, summarize the most important content and write the blog post.

Example of a Factual and Informational Blog Post:

A Report on the Strom in New York

On Thursday, September 16, 2010 there was an extraordinary storm in the New Jersey region of New York and the surrounding areas. There is a possibility that a Tornado actually hit the city of New York.

1. The Huffington Post reported that a tornado warning had been issued for Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island but the National Weather Service has yet to determine whether the tornado actually touched the city.

2. The damage is devastating reports the Associated Press. Almost 26000 households in New York City still are without power [Friday-September 17, 2010]. Power lines are down, trees are blocking roads, people have been killed by trees falling on their cars and the true damage in terms of life and finance has yet to be determined. Want to read more try the Daily Press site.

3. With winds at 100mph citizens are asking will this happen again and if so what is the city government doing about it.
Add some links and photos:
When you write posts that are based on events images will make a better impact. Links will make the blog post more authentic and show readers you want to provide them with the best information-you are not worried about them leaving your blog and getting the same information elsewhere. Note, I have linked to the news sites I gathered information from.

Advice: Add links, images for a better blog post.

In the end all I can say is always give more than you get. Blog posts are for the readers so give them all that you have!

Tags: blog posts, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Starting a Blog.
Posted in Blogging Advice | No Comments »

Home Page Web Content for Small Business Websites

Sara Sentor
Thursday, September 16th, 2010

The one mistake small business make while having a web design made is they tend to focus on making it beautiful. In the end, the result is a site that sucks in terms of marketing.

Then they make their second mistake, they write content that is, structurally perfect, grammatically correct and excessive. The result is again, content that their English teacher would be proud off, but content that sucks in terms of marketing.

Web content for websites has to be written very carefully. The average web user scans content, you have to grasp their attention within a five second time zone. Yup, five seconds flat. So forget the history of your company, the testimonials and the ten paragraph description. No one will stay on the site long enough to read it.

So what Makes a Marketable Home Page?

Opt to write in short sentences. It may seems grammatically incorrect but with more and more people opting to write in abbreviations when online, you can bet you they want the sentences short and sweet.
Add in the Keywords: These days to make a home page search engine friendly you have to have the keywords. Choose the three keywords you are focusing on and use synonyms as well. The result will be a search engine friendly home page.
Present the Content as an Outline. Yes, the bullets and numbers may seem an elementary form of writing but that’s what the users want. So make sure you put in your most important information in bullet or list form.
Add those headers. Headers are essential for web content readers. The visitor wants to scan information and the best way to do that is focus on the bold headers. If the header has the information they want they may read more than just the headline.
Be concise and write in inverted pyramid form. When I write for my small business clients I get a lot of complaints. They say the structure is wrong, they want more description and they want it on the home page. They are wrong. For web content you have to give the most important information first, present the facts in list form and then leave inner pages for the description. Believe me you get more attention that way.

Should the Web Content be Formal or Informal in Style?

The style really depends on the small business in question. If you have a local consignment shop or organic store, opt for informal. Your target audience is more likely to be the moms, the house wives and women who are money and health conscious. You do not want to be condescending.

However, if you are a local real estate agent you have to take a tone that is personal yet, professional. Mix the formal and informal so that while you hook the house hunters with your charm, they also see you as a professional.

If the small business is more finance or accounts related-formal is it. Do not try to be friendly. You need to show the web content reader you are professional and can be trusted with their money.

The Bottom line for Web content:

Always be clear and concise, make the content keyword rich and provide lists and headers. However, never forget your target audience. You want the people coming to your small business web site to actually stay and take action-not bounce off the site in five seconds!

Tags: Creative Writing, small business, Small Business Marketing, web content
Posted in Web Content | 1 Comment »

Want to Start a Blog?

Sara Sentor
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

Do not read this article if you have absolutely no knowledge of blogging. This information will be comprehensive only if you have a grasp of the basics.

So you want to start a blog? Well get ready to join the 50 million and counting, blogs online! Yes, there are actually that many blogs online. Some are actually making money and some have been made and forgotten in virtual space. The blogs that are making money actually belong to those people who work hard for their living.

Yes, contrary to popular opinion you have to work hard if you want to start a blog, or rather start a blog that’s destined for greatness.

First Step for Blogging: Define your goals.

There are various reasons to start a blog. These reasons can include anything from personal satisfaction and a mode to rant all day to actually having a business. If you hail from the former group have fun writing and if you are hoping to make the blog a business then get ready to work hard.

Before you even get online think about why you want a blog. My third grade teacher taught me the way to write an article-‘…always start with an outline,’ she said and that’s what you have to do.

Ask yourself what the blog will be about.
Figure out the topics and categories
Think about the target audience
How many hours can you dedicate to the blog?
Do you know how to market the blog? If yes, where would you focus the marketing?
Do you know where you will be hosting the blog? If yes,
Will it be an extension of a website or independent?
How much can you handle yourself? Can you write, design and develop?
Is it worth your while having the blog?
Finally, what do you expect of the blog-what are your goals? Sales, leads, satisfaction?

Could you answer the questions? Do you know what HTML, Tweet, Social bookmarking all refer to if yes, read on, if no you need to get some blog education before you start a blog and lead your way into frustration.

Second Step to Successfully Starting a Blog: Choose your Platform
Choose where you will host or integrate your blog. There are definitely a lot of options for you out there. You have to decide what works for you, depending on your goals and requirements.

My top three favorites blog platforms are:

1. Word Press: It’s Web-Based and Free.
Pros: Versatile, open source platform, plethora of themes, good for formal and informal blogs plus great in search engine marketing.

Cons: Not very easy to use, requires some HTML knowledge.

2. Blogger by Google: It’s Web-Based and Free.
Pros: User Friendly, instant set-up, large user support base [100 users], publishing blogs via different software’s is available.

Cons: Not very friendly in terms of search engine optimization.

3. Tumblr: It’s Web-Based and Free.
Pros: Informal, great for personal blogs, easy set-up.

Cons: Micro-blogging not a great option for business blogs, not very formal.

If you are a newbie to blogging then test the waters using Tubmlr or Blogger. Once you know what the basic blog terminology is, can manipulate HTML, and know search engine optimization etc. start a blog on wordpress.

Third Step-Divide your Topic and Focus on Research
There are millions of blogs out there and the number increases every day. You can’t just churn out articles that people have written about. You need to actually find out what people want to read about, within the realms of your own industry and topics. Check out Google Trends, check what people are searching for in Bing and Yahoo!. Then Go and write an article that may have the same title as a million others but has some new information.

Last Step: Read Other Blogs.
I am sometimes astounded by the arrogance of us bloggers. We really concentrate on ourselves and rarely accept the reality that there are other bloggers out there better than us. Sure there are the ones that are just wasting virtual space and those that spam. However, there are genuinely some great bloggers. Follow them, quote them and link to them.

Your main goal once you start a blog- is providing your readers with information that they find helpful—even if it has been written by a competitor.

Tags: Blogging, Blogging Tips, Starting a Blog.
Posted in Blogging Advice, Starting a Blog. | 2 Comments »

Make Money Blogging

Sara Sentor
Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

Can anyone Money Blogging?

Can anyone make money blogging? No.

Yes, you read that right, I said, ‘NO’.

Make Money Blogging Ads Online

The best solution in today’s work environment is work from home-or so that’s what the couple of hundred ads we see online everyday would have us think. There are ‘blog at home mom’ advertisements, ‘small fee to make millions blogging’ ads, ‘100% risk free way to blog at home’ and numerous similar advertisements that seem completely genuine but are actually misleading.
Not everybody has the ability to write. Not everybody has the perseverance, patience and diligence to write day after day and then write some more promoting the same blogs online.

Sure, you may be writing about what you love, it’s your passion, blah, blah, blah. No matter how good a writer you are and what your passion is, only someone who can write without expecting an immediate return can succeed in blogging.

How can some people make Money Blogging?

Well, they are pretty persistent. They have been blogging for some time and they follow the below given steps:

Always write for the reader. First of all if you market yourself, your product or your ads you are doomed for failure.
Always aim to give more than you get. The information on your blog should be informative and helpful and contemporary. What-ever the topic is, aim to write something useful and unique. It may not sell your blog but it will gain you visitors and followers.
Put up ads. Get appropriate affiliate programs and do not be shy promoting the, Just make sure the programs help your visitors.
Request donations. If you have a blog that provides information that is helpful and if it is really worth the while [you can tell by the number of followers, fans and tweets you have...]you will get donations either in the form of money, links, references or simple reviews.
Become web savvy. You have to get the right blog software, know how to manipulate HTML, be able to syndicate via RSS, send pings and trackbacks, use contextual advertising and know search engine marketing. Are you lost? Read about all this before launching the blog.
Become a Social Media freak. Oh yes! Facebook is not all about friends. It is a wise business investment completely free. Use twitter, facebook and for some linked in and promote your blogs there.
Have a target audience Know what you are writing and who you are writing for. Do not write about hip hop on a site with senior living ads.
Remain Focused. It’s easy to write about everything but harder to focus on a target and provide speciailized information. However, its the latter that will make you the money.
Use Google adsense. Until you start making serious money Google adsense will help you glide by with a couple of bucks every month.
Never spam The online users are very sophisticated today. they don’t want junk and hate spam so don’t make a nuisance of yourself.

Blogging has Appeal but is Misleading

The current economy has not been good to many. Companies have downsized, small businesses have gone down and the average citizen has had to face economic problems comparable to the Great Depression. No, that is not an exaggeration. The housing market is down, contractors don’t have gigs and even the medical industry is being affected. That is why people are opting to try their hand on the online market.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of opportunities here but the fact remains. Success for bloggers comes through sheer hard work. It’s not a part time job, it is a full time occupation. There are no short cuts and no easy way to making money via blogs.

Tags: Blogging, facebook, social media, Starting a Blog.
Posted in Blogging Advice, Blogging Tips | 6 Comments »