Articles - Blogging en-us http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article N/A http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article melanie@ducttapemarketing.com 20 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1344/1/Increase-Blog-Subscribers-in-7-Easy-Steps/Page1.html Now that you have gone live with your blog, what’s next? How will you know if it is successful; how will you know if you are delivering the content your readers, your prospects and your clients are after? You will definitely want to monitor your pageviews, traffic, clickthroughs, search engine rankings and other overall indicators of website success. Your number of blog subscribers, however, may be the most accurate and reliable measurement you have for determining the success of your blog. Karen@ModernImage.com (Karen Scharf) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1342/1/Four-Easy-Twitter-Tools-to-Supplement-Your-Marketing/Page1.html The great thing about Twitter is that it helps create a conversation with your clients and prospects and joint venture partners and other interested parties in a quick and fast-paced manner. Thanks to the 140-character limit, you've got to get to the point and move on very quickly. Karen@ModernImage.com (Karen Scharf) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1287/1/Twitter-Etiquette---8-Best-Practices-to-Improve-Business-Relations/Page1.html The marketing methods used today are far different than what we have seen in years past.  The reason for this is due to the massive increase in social media networks; Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  Twitter, especially has been gaining recognition for its ability to send real time information and opinions to a mass audience.  Reaching out to large businesses is now possible, with a quick search and a short 'tweet'. info@vbsondemand.com (Serena Carcasole) Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1278/1/Three-Must-Follow-Rules-to-a-Successful-Blog/Page1.html In the current age of Web 2.0 marketing strategies, business owners must be available to their customers.  Gone are the days of the untouchable CEO, especially if you're trying to do business online.  You've probably heard it before, but here it is again: People do business with people they like. And one of the easiest ways to make yourself accessible to current and potential clients is to set up and regularly maintain a blog for your business. info@vbsondemand.com (Serena Carcasole) Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1279/1/Tweet-Yourself-to-Success----Why-Twitter-is-Valuable-to-your-Business-Marketing-Plan/Page1.html Some people refer to it as a micro blogging platform and others refer it to a mass public instant messaging tool, regardless, while social networking has been expanding and becoming a popular business tool with the likes of Facebook and LinkedIn, Twitter has seemingly been looked upon as the distant not so admired sibling of the three popular sites.  While many people question whether this social networking tool is a waste of valuable time and energy, the truth is that it is quite beneficial once businesses and professionals learn how to use it. info@vbsondemand.com (Serena Carcasole) Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1272/1/Get-the-Most-Out-Of-Your-Blog-9-Steps/Page1.html Blogs are an excellent online platform to provide valuable industry news and tips to your target market, but they are also an integral part of marketing and promoting your business online. Blog posts that provide value to your readers help position you as an expert in your field and a credible source for viable information.   If you want a successful blog—one with a large readership and one that brings you customers—simply posting regularly isn’t enough. You need to market and promote your business blog. Setting aside an hour or two each week to market and promote your blog will help increase readership, position you as an expert, and grow your client base. If you’re not using your blog properly and to its full potential, you are missing out on increasing website traffic and boosting sales.   Below are 9 steps to effectively market and promote your business blog:   Step 1: Attach the RSS feed widget to your blog: RSS feed stands for Really Simple Syndication, which is a file containing a brief amount of information—a headline and synopsis—and a link to the full content on the blog. Voluntary subscribers to specific blog RSS feed will receive this information through their RSS readers. Search engines can detect if your blog is high quality based on how many people subscribe to your blog's RSS feed. In addition, search engines can detect how many people visit your blog from their RSS readers and how many times they click through to your blog.   Step 2: Import blog posts into your social media sites: With a large concentration of companies and individuals using social media sites to communicate, it’s important to import your blog into social media sites. Nearly all social media sites allow you to import your blog into your profile, including some of the most popular social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Importing your blog allows your target market to post comments and share posts with friends. Whenever a comment is posted on your blog from a reader via Facebook, the comment is visible on the reader’s minifeed, which can be seen by all of the reader’s friends.   Step 3: Create a blog marketing and promotion schedule: Creating a strict blog marketing and promotion schedule ensures you will stay organized and current with its promotion. Each week, set aside time to comment on like-minded blogs, ask other bloggers if you can be a guest blogger, or ask others to guest blog for you, and request to be on like-minded blogrolls. Don’t forget to set aside time to track your blog posts and recycle posts into articles.     Step 4: Comment on like-minded blogs: One thing many bloggers don’t realize is the importance of commenting on other blogs. Commenting on like-minded blogs is a powerful networking tool and works to increase inbound links to your own blog. Your comments should be relevant to the blog topic, add value and your expertise to what is being said in the blog, give positive feedback, peak the interest of the author and other viewers, provide links to similar pieces you may have written about the subject, and have a link to your email and website below each comment.     Step 5: Approach popular, like-minded bloggers, and ask if you could be a guest blogger: Search engines look highly upon blogs mentioned on other blogs because it illustrates that your blog provides intellectual material that ignites curiosity and discussion in the online community. Aside from other blogs, if search engines find your blog's URL on social media sites and social bookmarking sites, these social media sites consider this a positive indicator that your blog is high quality.   Step 6: Approach popular, like-minded bloggers, and ask if they would be a guest blogger on your blog: Requesting like-minded bloggers to be guest bloggers is the perfect way to build relationships online and increase exposure. The more people you can touch and build working relationships with, the more likely you are to successfully market and promote your blog. Having guest bloggers also shows you are interested in what others have to say and are striving to find the best possible industry information available.     Step 7: Request to be on popular, like-minded bloggers’ blogrolls: After commenting on other blogs and requesting to be a guest blogger—and vice versa—it’s time to request to be on those bloggers’ blogrolls. Since you have a basis of a relationship with most of these bloggers now, you are more likely to receive a yes to be on their blogroll. Being present on other blogrolls helps increase inbound links and drive targeted traffic to your blog and website.    Step 8: Track blog posts: Tracking the popularity of specific posts helps you see what topics are of interest to your readers. Regularly tracking your blog also helps you track key phrases people use to find your blog and the amount of click-throughs you receive.    Step 9: Recycle posts into articles: Recycling past blog posts into online articles helps to increase inbound links, position you as an expert in your field, and reach thousands of potential customers. Articles are the perfect way to recycle important and valuable information and share it with thousands of individuals who have never visited your blog before.   info@writtenbysumer.com (Michelle Salater) Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1268/1/Creating-Your-Social-Media-Strategy/Page1.html Social media, and by that I’m lumping together blogs, RSS, social networking and social book marking sites, presents the marketer with a rich set of new tools to help in the effort to generate new business. But, if that’s the only way you view social media, as a set of tools to perform a set of tactics to reach the set of objectives you have always tried to reach with your marketing, then not only are you really missing the opportunity, you will probably find yourself wondering what all the fuss is about. john@ducttapemarketing.com (John Jantsch) Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1119/1/Twitter/Page1.html Twitter: It may sound like a funny word, but there is definitely nothing funny about what Twitter can do for you and your business.  info@vbsondemand.com (Serena Carcasole) Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/1095/1/10-Tips-to-Gain-Credibility-Online/Page1.html Below, are some key points that may give you a fresh perspective on how to enhance your credibility online.  cidnee@strategiesforsuccess.ca (Cidnee Stephen) Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/article/articles/982/1/Online-Success-Simplified-5-Must-Have-Tools-for-a-6-Figure-and-Beyond-Business/Page1.html In building and growing an online business, or one with a strong online component, there are several must-have tools which will allow you to not only have passive revenue, but to enjoy multiple streams of it. Here's a quick rundown of the most basic tools (there are other, more advanced tools which will be covered in a separate article): 1. A Shopping Cart. An online shopping cart allows you to sell digital products, have them automatically delivered to your clients and automate the follow-up so you're not sending emails all day and night. I use and highly recommend KickStart Cart as an all-in-one shopping cart and autoresponder service. The Pro Version is $99.00/month (U.S.). If you're not yet offering products, you can get the Starter ($34/mo) or Basic ($59/mo) versions. And in order to easily accept MasterCard, VISA, American Express and Discover Card, you'll want to link your shopping cart with a merchant account using a payment gateway. 2. An Email Marketing System/Service. An email marketing system allows you to send ezines, solo e-mails and contact your prospect list whenever you wish. While you can, and many people do, use your shopping cart for this, I prefer to use a separate system (due to deliverability issues) and use Constant Contact. I continue to test deliverability between Constant Contact and Kickstart Cart (which is one of the 1ShoppingCart brands - they all have the same issues) and, for now, remain with this choice. 3. A Website, Blogsite or Other Opt-in Page. In any online business, your primary goal is to have ideal prospects sign up to your list so they can receive your ezine and other information. The way to make this happen is by placing an opt-in box on a website, blogsite or single opt-in page. The one you choose is completely up to you as all have been proven successful. The nice thing about a blogsite is that you can get it up and running quickly and inexpensively and your hosting is usually included. If you're doing it yourself, I recommend TypePad for blogs/blogsites as it's easy-to-use and has responsive support staff. 4. An Incentive to Sign-up. People are busy. We all receive too much in our email inboxes these days and will only part with our information if there is something in it for us: a special report that we're interested in, an audio series which will give us new information, a checklist that would be handy to have. You need to have some incentive on your website/blogsite/opt-in page in order for people to part with their names and email addresses. The report/audio/checklist is WHAT you're giving them. Your ezine? It's the bonus gift they receive as a result of requesting the report. 5. A Mentor. If you're starting out or currently stuck in your online business efforts, you will want to strongly consider partnering with a mentor who can keep you focused and accountable while guiding you through the distractions (and there are MANY!). You'll want to chat with a few different people to see who you best resonate with. The time and money spent with a good mentor will save you hours and thousands of dollars in learning and mistakes, not to mention how much sooner the revenue will start coming in! The above is by no means a complete listing of everything you'll need in your business, but these 5 tools will see you WELL on your way to a 6-figure business. The next item? You'll have to wait for the next issue for that! :-) My Request to You If you've read the above and are shaking your head saying "I've done/have all of the above and STILL nothing's happening", then it's time to reevaluate: Is your Incentive something your ideal client is interested in? If you're getting lots of traffic to your site, but no one's signing up, the answer is "nope", or you're not presenting it correctly. Is your ezine providing information and content which is relevant to your ideal clients? If you're seeing a lot of unsubscribes, it's time to revisit what you're doing. Do you have a mentor (or coach) who gives you broad strokes, but doesn't provide the actual steps of what you need to do when in order to move forward? If so, you need to ask if this is the right person for you at this time. You, and only you, control your business and your level of success. What do YOU want and how much do you want it? The right tools will get you there so much faster!For the past 5 years, Sandra Martini has been showing self-employed business owners how to get more clients consistently by implementing processes and systems to put their marketing on autopilot. Visit Sandra at http://www.SandraMartini.com for details, compelling client testimonials and her free audio series “5 Simple and Easy Steps to Put Your Marketing on Autopilot”. sandy@sandramartini.com (Sandra Martini) Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500