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Good question. If you're asking this question, then you probably already understand some of the positive benefits of blogging (it allows you to share information that only you know, it's easy to create posts and quickly publish them online, and search engines will find your content and make it easier for others to find you -- allowing you to better reach your target audience). You may also know that in your blog posts, you should try to use key words that relate to your particular area of expertise of interest, e.g., social media consulting, online marketing, small businesses, entrepreneurs -- so that search engines will more effectively capture your content.  Time So back to the question, how to find the time for blogging... As with finding time to do anything, you need to set it aside. You may need to find a babysitter one evening so you can focus on writing. You may also need to put it in your schedule and block off your calendar. For example, write a blog post the first thing in the morning or before you eat lunch. Aim for posting at least once a week. If you make the time to blog consistently, then you will reach your audience more regularly. Fresh content will catch more fish (in other words, you will be able to attract more potential customers if you provide timely information).
Also, consider doing a blog challenge. Dedicate a few evenings and weekends in one month crank out enough blog posts to cover a year (52 blog posts in 30 days). Then you can space out when you post the content onto your blog, and have more time to spend on other business-building efforts and other productive tasks throughout the year. When you focus on doing just one thing at one time, you are likely to be able to complete that task more efficiently, and get better at doing it. Schedule the time to focus on writing several blog posts in one day, and you'll find it worth your time in the long run.
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Video marketing has been a rising trend, as more and more users are going online to view streamed content. Just as a picture is worth more than words -- a video can have even more impact on the viewer. By creating strong videos that are easily accessible to users, you will be able to engage more of your clients and prospects who are searching for your business or looking for the products/services you offer. We've heard that YouTube is the second most popular search engine (after Google). If there are so many people out there looking for videos, it would benefit the growth of your business to create some that your target population will be able to find. Now, if you're asking this question about why you should get involved in YouTube, your next question will probably be "HOW can I get involved with YouTube"? First, you will want to learn how to make videos. Second, you will need to know what to do with those videos and how to get them on YouTube. A good resource is Stacia Hopkins' blog and her video training. In her guide for beginners, she explains how to outline an effective script in seven steps (from using a "hook" to closing with a call-to-action), offers recommended products and services related to video marketing, and provides a 10-step video-marketing checklist on what to do to start gaining "massive exposure." One way you can get out there, is to post a video about your small business in the My Business Story gallery. You can find an "amateur" video of Inkwhy by searching on YouTube for "Inkwhy, Inc." There are also more professional videos that provide advice on how to shoot your own videos, such as the one below. Communities are important, as small business owners understand. As you work on building your presence online and through videos, having the support of others will help you get farther, faster. Let's pool our resources, and help each other grow.
 Manta.com is a small business directory site that's tied to social media. It offers advertising options and additional resources to help businesses increase their online exposure. For more specific information about Manta, see their FAQ page: http://www.manta.com/coms2/page_faq
At this point, most small business owners are probably pulling out their hair and asking "What?! How am I supposed to know what to do with all these sites? There's not just Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn -- now you're saying there's Yelp, and Manta?!" Yes, not to mention StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit, Chime.in, Mightybell, Foursquare, Tumblr, and countless other networking sites... The short answer to the question as to whether Manta can help your business, is "Yes." However, the longer answer is that Manta and other sites can also be a distraction if you are being pulled in too many directions -- and end up lost in the forest of social media sites. As with multi-tasking, the more you do and the more you try to take on at once, the more diluted your efforts become and the less effective you become at each task or site with which you become involved. The key to your success is to learn to master each one individually, and to focus your efforts where you are seeing the most positive responses. Also, a lesson to remember is that everything takes time. You cannot expect results overnight; if you keep casting your net and then pulling it up right away, then the likelihood of your coming home with any fish is slim. Instead, begin building a strategy and focusing on how you can take advantage of the various sites out there. Do some research to find out the type of populations that use different social media sites (for example, Reddit has a higher percentage of male participants, and Manta targets business owners) -- and observe the behavior of the people in these networks before jumping in and trying to "sell" to them. Strong relationships require many conversations and actions that build trust, and this is no different online than it is in person. It may be a good idea to wet your feet in different social media sites to begin spreading the name of your business and what you have to offer. However, you will likely fall flat on your face if you try to hit the ground running. If you can afford it, seriously think about finding someone with more experience who can help you manage your online presence and social media profiles. However, if you're on a budget and looking to teach yourself how to better market your business on the Internet, make sure not to create an Information Overload roadblock for yourself. Instead, wade through each site slowly, explore the resources out there and learn at your own pace. Or if you're up for a challenge, think about going on a Social Media Diet to fast-track your way to being an online marketing guru. There are several methods to promote your business online and, with the rising population of Internet users, the impact of your efforts can have a far wider reach than traditional methods of promotion. In this post we'll share some action steps; feel free to skip over ones you've already done, or choose the ones you feel will have the most impact to your business. Before outlining our ideas to get started with online and social media promotion, we'd like to share a couple of videos that showcase the influence of social media and provide a visual description of social media. Sayitvisually.com's video highlights that the key to social media is the 1:1 relationship -- emphasizing the conversations we have at a personal level. Now that you are convinced that social media is the right way for you to promote your business, your first action step would be to set up accounts (profiles and pages) for you business on the major social networking sites that generate the most traffic:
Once you've set yourself up on the major social sites, you may want to explore other networking sites and create accounts at additional sites such as those listed here: http://www.focus.com/fyi/50-social-sites-every-business-needs-presence. Also, keep an eye out for other new or less widely publicized social media sites that may help you develop key relationships that can help you expand your business. For example, we like:
You can use other online tools to monitor, manage and grow your social media accounts. Resources include:
Once you have all your accounts set up, you can use a number of techniques to engage your audience on the various sites (we'll discuss some of these techniques in another post). We also suggest that you consider placing ads online such through popular services like Google, Yahoo, and Facebook Ads. Often you can get free "ad credit" to test out these services. For example, American Express is offering small business owners $100 in free Facebook ad credit through their page, which is creating a buzz around the upcoming "Small Business Saturday" on November 26, 2011 (see details at http://www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday). Finally, we want to remind you again that the key to social media is still the 1:1 relationship -- and the heart of your business is your relationships with your customers and partners. By building strong relationships, you will be able to establish a trusted presence online and those who know you will want to share their relationship with you with others who are in their networks. |
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 Affiliate Disclaimer: Inkwhy may receive commissions for purchases made through links on this website & blog. We thank you for your support of our content.
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