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Creating Online Content: Where to Start?

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment
write

When marketing your business online, there seems to be a never ending need for fresh content.  Especially when you add social media to the mix!  Content is such a key component to internet marketing.   But, it can also be very intimidating and overwhelming.  You have blog posts, Twitter updates, Facebook posts, LinkedIn, forum discussions, free downloads, e-books and information products, email newsletters…and the list goes on!  Ahh!  Where in the world are you going to get all of this content?  It is enough to make you never want to start, right?

The good news is you know your industry, your customers, and your target market.  So you already have tons of information that is useful and helpful in your head!  You may already have some marketing materials that can be repurposed for online content.  It doesn’t have to be scary!  And you don’t have to write a novel (although, you can if you want to).    You just need to translate your experience into bite sized bits of information that your market can use.

Start by setting aside some time to really think about your target market.  Ask yourself:

  • What are their questions?
  • What are their problems?
  • How does my product or service solve them?
  • What are they interested in?
  • How can I help them get the most out of my product or service?
  • How can I make their life easier?

This should give you many topic ideas that you can then turn into blog posts, social networking updates, and more.  Your current and potential customers are turning to the internet to find answers.  They want solutions to a specific problem.  So you want to create content that provides those solutions.  It is as simple as that.

Creating online content really does not have to be intimidating.   Taking some time to brainstorm ideas and look at your business through the eyes of a customer is a great place to start.  You will find you have a nice list of ideas.  Then, as you write more blogs and spend more time using social media, you will start to notice what experiences will make great content!  And you will find yourself thinking – this will make a great blog post!

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Filed Under: Business, Internet Marketing Tagged With: , , ,

How a Virtual Assistant Can Help with Your Business Blog

November 18, 2009 By 5 Comments
business blog
business blog1. Blog Set-up – A blog virtual assistant can get your blog set-up on your domain, and customized for your business.  She can keep it up to date and current.  As well as, add and customize plugins.
2. Keyword Research – keywords are very important for your blog.  Optimizing your post for certain words helps the SEO tremendously.  Your virtual assistant can do the keyword research to find topics, related to your industry, which you can write about.
3. Finding images – your virtual assistant can search for relevant images for each post, as well as upload them.
4. Adding tags – Tags and categories help to keep your blog organized.  Your VA can make sure each post has the appropriate tag and categories attached.
5. Proofread and Edit – She can check for spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as edit your post.
6. Topic Research – Have a topic in mind, but need to do more research?  Your VA can do the research for you, so you have all the information you need to get the post written.
7. Comment moderation – your VA can monitor the comments on your blog, weed out spam, and alert you to comments you should respond to.
8. Blog marketing – your blog VA can assist you with marketing your blog posts, including submitting to social bookmarking sites and social media sites, such as Digg, Delicious, Twitter and Facebook.
9. Submit to directories – She can submit your blog to the popular blog directories.
10. Help you Brainstorm Topic Ideas – Having to come up with new post ideas on a regular basis can be overwhelming, and prevent you from keeping your blog updated.  Your VA can help you brainstorm topic ideas and do research to find new topics to write about.

business blogIn my previous post, I discussed the benefits of having a business blog.  Starting and maintaining your business blog, though beneficial, can be time consuming.  Hiring a virtual assistant can really help to minimize the amount of time you need to commit to your blog.  Your VA can handle all of the details, and you just need to provide the content.  Some of the tasks your VA can assist you with are:

1. Blog Set-up – A blog virtual assistant can get your blog set-up on your domain, and customized for your business.  She can keep it up to date and current.  As well as, add and customize plugins.

2. Keyword Research – keywords are very important for your blog.  Optimizing your post for certain words helps the SEO tremendously.  Your virtual assistant can do the keyword research to find topics, related to your industry, which you can write about.

3. Finding Images – your virtual assistant can search for relevant images for each post, as well as upload them.

4. Adding Tags – Tags and categories help to keep your blog organized.  Your VA can make sure each post has the appropriate tag and categories attached.

5. Proofread and Edit – She can check for spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as edit your post.

6. Topic Research – Have a topic in mind, but need to do more research?  Your VA can do the research for you, so you have all the information you need to get the post written.

7. Comment Moderation – your VA can monitor the comments on your blog, weed out spam, and alert you to comments you should respond to.

8. Blog Marketing – your blog VA can assist you with marketing your blog posts, including submitting to social bookmarking sites and social media sites, such as Digg, Delicious, Twitter and Facebook.

9. Submit to Directories – She can submit your blog to the popular blog directories.

10. Help you Brainstorm Topic Ideas – Having to come up with new post ideas on a regular basis can be overwhelming, and prevent you from keeping your blog updated.  Your VA can help you brainstorm topic ideas and do research to find new topics to write about.

So, before you give up the idea of starting a business blog because of the time involved, consider hiring a blog virtual assistant.  You can focus on providing great content, while your VA manages the rest!

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Filed Under: Blogs, Virtual Assistance Tagged With: , ,

Why a Business Blog is So Beneficial

November 5, 2009 By 1 Comment
business blog
business blogYou may be new to blogging, especially blogging for your business.  Many think of blogging as just for your personal life, or for moms.  But, actually having a blog offers a new way for you to reach customers, and to communicate with them.  No matter what your business, there are people out there interested and in need of what you sell.  You, no doubt, know your business inside and out, and having a business blog allows you to share your knowledge.  Some of the benefits to creating a blog for your business are:
Search Engine Optimization – each new blog post creates one more way for a person to find you via the search engines.  You can optimize each post for specific keywords, which will help your site come up when others are searching for that term.  You are also consistently adding new content, and essentially new ways to be found.
Establishing your Expertise – Your blog gives you the opportunity to share your knowledge.  In building your business, you have learned a ton of useful information.  Sharing what you know and have learned establishes your expertise.  As you build followers, you will consistently show them why you are the best in your field.
Communicating with your Target Market – A blog is a two way conversation, since your readers can leave comments on each post.  You also have the chance to respond to questions and comments.  It is a way to start building the relationship, and to continue it.
Answering FAQ in one shot – if you have questions that are asked frequently, you can provide the answer in one post and then direct your customers to your blog.  You only have to answer the question once!  Plus, customer questions are a wonderful source for topic ideas!
A place to share news, events, and Promotions – You can also use your blog to share news from your company, promotions, or new products.  Your blog offers another stream to share your company’s information.
As you can see, starting a blog can be great for your business.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get started!  Brainstorm some ideas and topics you can write about.  Take action, so you can start to see the benefits of a business blog.

business blogYou may be new to blogging, especially blogging for your business.  Many think of blogging as just for your personal life, or for moms.  But, actually having a blog offers a new way for you to reach customers, and to communicate with them.  No matter what your business, there are people out there interested and in need of what you sell.  You, no doubt, know your business inside and out, and having a business blog allows you to share your knowledge.  Some of the benefits to creating a blog for your business are:

Search Engine Optimization – each new blog post creates one more way for a person to find you via the search engines.  You can optimize each post for specific keywords, which will help your site come up when others are searching for that term.  You are also consistently adding new content, and essentially new ways to be found.

Establishing your Expertise – Your blog gives you the opportunity to share your knowledge.  In building your business, you have learned a ton of useful information.  Sharing what you know and have learned establishes your expertise.  As you build followers, you will consistently show them why you are the best in your field.

Communicating with Your Target Market – A blog is a two way conversation, since your readers can leave comments on each post.  You also have the chance to respond to questions and comments.  It is a way to start building the relationship, and to continue it.

Answering FAQ in One Shot – if you have questions that are asked frequently, you can provide the answer in one post and then direct your customers to your blog.  You only have to answer the question once!  Plus, customer questions are a wonderful source for topic ideas!

A Place to Share News – You can also use your blog to share news from your company, promotions, or new products.  Your blog offers another stream to share your company’s information.

As you can see, starting a blog can be great for your business.  So, what are you waiting for?  Get started!  Brainstorm some ideas and topics you can write about.  Take action, so you can start to see the benefits of a business blog.

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My Google Reader is Now Organized!

September 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment

This morning I finally took the time to organize the blogs in my Google Reader!  I have been following blogs for a while now and I am constantly adding to my reader as I find new and interesting blogs.  I have many interests, both personal and business related.  So, the number of blogs I follow keeps growing and growing.  I finally created folders in my google reader to organize the blogs by subject.  If you want to know how to do this, just go to your google reader, and click on “manage my subscriptions.”  From here you can create folders, and “file” your blogs into the appropriate folder.  I am so glad I took the time to do this (it has been on my list for a while).  Now, I can check just the business blogs in the morning and I won’t be distracted by the personal blogs!  This is going to be a real time saver for me!

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Start a Design Center Blog

July 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I have previously discussed the benefits of having a blog.  Blogs can be very helpful for your customers and potential customers.  For home builders who utilize a design center, a Design Center blog  is a great way to prepare buyers for the design center experience and educate them.  Buyers can be excited and intimidated by the design center experience.  For some, it is overwhelming to have so many choices.  A blog is a great way to share information and to help buyers before they come to the design center.  As well as helping potential buyers make the decision to purchase.  Below are some ideas for design center blog posts:

1.  Maintenance Tips – Share care and maintenance tips for the products you offer, as well as standard features.

2.  New Products – use blog posts to share new product offerings, colors, and styles.

3.  Frequently Asked Questions – Answer questions that come up over and over again.  This will be very helpful for new and potential buyers.

4.  Interior Design Tips – share design ideas.  Your designers are the experts, have them offer some easy design tips.  Keep your buyers imagining their house as a home.

5.  Share benefits of the products your offer – write a blog post on the benefits of energy star appliances or an upgraded carpet.  Start the education process early!

6.  Do product spotlights – for example, write a post about tile, include advantages, disadvantages, style and usage tips, maintenance information.

A design center blog gives you the opportunity to prepare your buyers for the design center process, and to educate them on all of the products in their home.  It also gives you the chance to connect with your buyers and keep them interested and excited about their new home purchase.

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Filed Under: Blogs, Design Center, Homebuilding, Internet Tagged With: , ,

How can Builders and Contractors use the Web: Blogs

June 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
blog-image

blog-imageCreating and maintaining a blog is a great addition to your website.  A blog gives you the opportunity to establish yourself as an expert in your field, share new ideas or products, and to share a little about yourself.  Keeping your blog updated with content is a must.  This also helps with search engine optimization, as there is always new content for the search engine to find.  Here are a few tips for setting up and maintain your blog: 

1.       There are many free sites available for setting up your blog.  Some examples are wordpress.com and blogger.com.  Word Press seems to growing and becoming the most popular site.  They offer many customizable features.

2.      Determine how often you will post to your blog.  To keep content updated, try to at least post once per week.  Create a schedule and stick to it.  The most important aspect is creating that new content.  Also, you can pre-write a few posts and schedule them to be posted at a later date.

3.      Come up with a list of potential topics.  Jot down ideas that you have throughout the day and keep a running list.  Then you always have something to turn to when you are stumped for ideas.

4.      Keep a log of what you have written previously (this tip comes via Sundi, at My Office Zilla).  As your posts start to add up, this makes it easier to check on what you have already written about. 

5.      Promote your blog – add a link to your website, to your email signature, your business cards, etc. 

 A blog is another chance to show potential customers why they should choose you!

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