Using WordPress as a website platform, what steps should you take to get your blog articles found?

All of the retail world uses the holidays to heavily push their products and specials. So… why can’t small businesses?

Using social media, here are some things you can do to get some attention:

1. Write a blog article or Facebook note titled, “5 Great Gift Ideas”
2. Elf Yourself and send it out via e-newsletter or Facebook
3. Create a Holiday card through one of Facebook’s holiday apps
4. Create a holiday special or promotion
5. Create a YouTube video and use it as a Christmas e-card

What are YOUR ideas?

Twitter gets even better! In order to energize people to continue using Twitter.com they have given us even more ways to organize our relationships. Here are 4 updates for making lists, refreshing tweets and retweeting.

So now we know that LinkedIn is a cold, cold place. So what? Is there something we can do about it? I think so.

Help me answer the question: Why is it so hard to get people to engage using LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is probably the most widely used un-used social media tool out there! In a handful of popular tools, LinkedIn surely takes the award for being the most boring.

Is it because LinkedIn is more of a business networking tool than social? And do people like to be social above all else?

Then why are some professionals more confortable signing up for LinkedIn than Facebook?!

Help me answer the question by commenting below.

Everybody is getting on Facebook. People who don’t operate computers are getting on Facebook. My GRANDPA is on facebook!

Some people get on to catch up with friends and family. Other people get on with a strong emphasis on marketing their business. But some people get on for the sole purpose of exploiting you by trying to selling you something!

Stay away from these vultures!

Facebook Vultures. (n). People who join Facebook and add as many people as their “Friends” as they can for the sole purpose of trying to sell their product or service. Relationships are not built. Trust is not won.

There is so much hype about using social media as a marketing tool that *credibility* is often overlooked! Trust me, you WILL NOT get anywhere on Facebook or any other tool if you have the wrong motive.

If a stranger knocked on your door one evening and gave you a 3 sentence schpeel about a product you didn’t even know existed, would you give them the time of day? Some people might. But if that person came back to your door once a week to try and make you buy something… you would probably consider that harassment, right?! You would put up a “no soliciting” sign on your door!

I had a teenage girl come to my door once and tried to become instant friends with me. I saw straight through it and – although I let her ask me to buy something – I still sent her on her way without giving her a dime.

You know, I am all for supporting small businesses. But you know what else… the most business I have ever given anyone are to those that have spent the time to build a relationship with me, get to know who I am and unconditionally invest a friendship.

If you do that to me through Facebook I will send you on your way. So go ahead… ask me to buy something… ask me to get my wallet out and pay your bills… see what happens!

If you are like most people, you are going to have trouble fitting your life story into 160 characters. 

This is 160 characters right here:  Hi my name is Jen … I live in Virginia with my husband David and son Kaleb … I like teaching people about social media.

Ok… so maybe that wasn’t so hard. But, that one-line bio isn’t very exciting is it? It doesn’t show much of my personality, does it? Plus… I don’t really even like calling what I do “social media” because it gives people the wrong impression of what I really do. 

I like the phrase “public relations specialist” because I believe that public relations and advertising have evolved to include online tools like twitter and facebook… and blogging!

What about this one? A Public Relations Specialist on Social Media Optimization.

Ok… well that doesn’t really give me a personality, does it? 

Here are a couple that I love: 

@JanPhillipsMoss – Network Marketing, Social Media, MLM, HomeBusiness Entrepreneur, SEO, Blogger, Flight Attendant, Banjo Player, Wife, Homeschool Mom, Realtor, Love Football Too!

@apharmtech - Just a quirky gal living in Rockford MI. I love Xango, the internet and my hubby. And I refuse to grow up..

Not only do those descriptions give profession and background, but they also include a hint of fun and a glance into their personalities. 

So what are the elements that make a successful Twitter Bio?

1. You-ness. Unique character traits that make you who you are. What makes you different than other people? Choose a few words that describe you and work with them. 

2. Your professional title? Or maybe the company you work for? What could you say that would sum up what you do, what you want to accomplish, or bring you new clients?

3. Legibility. Make sure its easy to read and it flows well. 

Be clever. Make people want to stay and read all of your recent twitter posts! If you aren’t a creative person, use thesaurus.com and browse through other people’s twitter bios… you are bound to get some ideas. 

Unlike a “social” network, LinkedIn is a “business network” that I like to refer to as an online resume.

LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals.

LinkedIn is just like any other marketing tool – you have to have a goal and a strategy to get there. It can be used to make new business connections and potential leads, to apply for job positions and to build business relationships in your target geography. 

Here are some tips on using LinkedIn effectively:

1. Create a strong profile. Make sure you fill in all the fields. 

2. Make connections to people you already know. The more connections you have, the more credible you look. 

3. Get References (give referrals to get referrals!).

2. Set a goal for your LinkedIn. What do you want to accomplish from using it? What types of people would you like to make connections with and what do you want from those connections? Maybe you need to make 5 new sales in the next 30 days from small business owners. Make that your goal! 

3. Target specific companies or people. Once you set your goal you should know who you need to target. Check out your connections’ connections! See who your 2nd and 3rd degree connections are and request an introduction.

Other Helpful Resources

• Five LinkedIn Tips
• How Many Connections is too many?

Tomorrow is Lynchburg’s first ever Blog Competition at 9am @ The Muse Coffee in Wyndhurst. Our judges are each offering a small token of gratitude for participation to the winner with the most blog points! Here are the prizes:

SEO Assessment & Consultation from Phil Tucker, Tucker Consultancy 

• 1 hour
• Creating the Baseline
• Define Business Goals
• Keyword Brainstorming

FIVE Tickets to a ‘Night Out with ShoutOut!’ from Andrew Potter, ShoutOut LLC

Blog Usability Coaching and Training from Jennifer Bailey, Marketing-helper.com

• 1 hour
• Help on upgrading the look and feel of your blog
• Help on using WordPress or other blog tools
• Help on installing a customized theme

Social Media Training from Nannette Saunders, NannetteSaunders.com

• Twitter
• Facebook LinkedIn

For the Central Virginia blog owners who are submitting a blog to Friday 2.0’s first ever “Blog-Off” Competition (to win a great prize OR to get free feedback) – here is our next set of criteria:

Our judge for Blog Sexiness (Look and Feel) will be Andrew Potter of ShoutOut Marketing.

Andrew will be judging on a combination of your blog’s aesthetics and also it’s content, asking the question: is your site “sticky” (does it make people stay?).

1. Does your blog have a good color combination?

Following conventional rules of good design, your colors should be both complimentary but also contrasting. If you don’t know what good color combinations are, look it up in Google!

2. Does your blog use attractive and complimentary fonts?

Beginners should start with 1 font, playing with the sizes and the different font styles like Bold and Italics. Ideally, however, you should have two font types: one serif font and one sans serif font (look em up if you don’t know what they mean). Again,they should compliment but also contrast. 

3. Does your blog have bells and whistles? 

In other words, does it use nice pictures, videos and other forms of media?

4. Does your blog have good content?

Make sure your blog’s content is separated in a hierarchy of important information, using bolds and font sizes to break up the text. Also your text should be relevant to your target market. Is your content properly edited? 

5. Is your blog sticky?

Does it make people want to stay? Does it make people want to come back? 

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Our judge for Blog Usability will be Jennifer Bailey of Marketing-Helper.com (that’s me!).

I will be judging on the visitor’s ability to understand, comprehend and interact with the website without frustration or anxiety.

1. User’s ability to find the site’s main purpose upon first glance

Most websites only have 3 seconds to introduce themselves to a visitor before they click the “back” button. Is your logo is visible, usually upper left hand corner at all times? Do you have a slogan or website title that is visible with a short and to the point description of the site’s purpose? Do you have a description of purpose or services on home page and easily visible on the navigation bar? 

2. Does the information flows in such a way that you can find what you are looking for without having to think about it?

Do you use H1 to H3 tags, bold, different color contrast, etc? 

3. Is the navigation consistent, simple and visible?

Is it conventional? (Across the top of the site). Does it go more than 3 levels deep?
Does it stay the same on every page? Can you click on the logo to get back to the homepage?

4. Website accomplishes functional goals

What is your end goal for the user? What information do you want to take away, what action do you want them to take at the end? Do the applications work?

5. Newsletter Signup, contact, or other Convergence method

Do they work and are they easy to find and use?

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You can enter the Blog-Off competition here >