REVIEWED BY: Marguerite Zelle
MY RECOMMENDATION: YES
AMAZON SUBSCRIPTION LINK: The Magalog Guy's MagaBlog , by Mike Klassen
WEB ADDRESS: http://magalogguy.com/blog/
BLOG DESCRIPTION: Right now your hungriest competitors are going after your customers and prospects. So not only do you need to keep current customers happy, you must also put more effective efforts into generating qualified leads and stand out from your competition.
My goal is to help you build those deeper connections so customers and prospects look to you first when they have a need.
MY REVIEW: In this day and age, businesses large and small, need as much of an edge as they can get. Marketing blogs like The Magalog Guy's MagaBlog can help businesses get that edge.
Check it out!
Sample post:
Finding Your Inner Blog Rockstar
Posted on February 28, 2011 by The Magalog Guy
When I speak to groups about content marketing and content repurposing, I recommend making a blog the starting point and hub for your content. A blog is like your very own printing press (without the ink and paper costs).
But I haven’t talked a lot about the art of blogging. So I’m happy to have my Neaderthal Marketing partner-in-crime take the stage today to help you find your inner blog rockstar.
Blogging is not only a powerful promotional tool, but it has also become a popular pastime. Whether you are writing for creativity, personal catharsis or business, it’s important to know what you can do with your blog, and how best to attract readership. Following these four tips will set you on the path to finding your own inner blog rockstar, and attracting a throng of loyal fans.
Don’t Ditch the Niche
Make sure to stick with the niche you’ve chosen to blog about. Downloading an editorial calendar plugin can help you plan and maintain a posting schedule – and it’s easy to drag and drop posts if you want to quickly rearrange them. You may also want to consider posting a list of “Coming Soon” topics to keep your readers engaged, and encourage subscriptions.
For example, if you are posting about underwater basketweaving on Friday, a visible announcement in your sidebar can attract basket-weaving enthusiasts to start following your blog in order to discover your tips and shared resources. For those who are blogging for and about business, keep your posts focused on your central topic.
Regardless of your niche, endeavor to be creative, and find ways to write about your chosen topics with an interesting twist. Keep your blog posts fresh, and maintain a pulse on what’s new within your niche market. The most successful blogs are those that find a way to convey content in a new and interesting way.
Limit Your Wardrobe Changes
Particularly if you’re new to blogging, it can be fun and exciting to swap out your theme in favor of a new one – but this strategy could work against you. Your goal is to be a blog rockstar, but you need to limit your wardrobe changes. In order to build brand awareness, continuity is crucial. If you change your blog look too often, you’ll wind up diluting your brand and confusing your readers.
Instead, focus on branding your blog with a theme that visitors will easily recognize. Repeat the use of colors and fonts in your social networking profiles to reinforce your branding. If you must make a change, preserve as many of the same aspects of the previous theme as you can in order to preserve your brand equity.
Merchandise Your Own Brand
If you are blogging as a revenue generator, you’ve no doubt considered placing ads on your blog. The siren song of problogging has led many a blogger to over-merchandising their blogs with advertisements. This can backfire in two ways – first, it can direct readers away from your blog; and second, it can create so much clutter that it drives your readers away. You can still merchandise and monetize your blog, but do it in more subtle ways.
Things like text links within a blog post are far less obtrusive, and in many cases they have been proven to have a better click-through rate than banner ads. The best road to merchandising your blog is to offer your own products for sale. This not only builds your brand, but enables you to keep all of the profits, rather than receiving a small percentage of a sale as an affiliate.
Keep the Fans Happy
A popular blog is one that is updated on a consistent basis, and one in which the fans voices are heard. Let your readers know how much you value them by keeping in touch and making sure you reply to comments and feedback.
Consider implementing a plugin such as Comment Luv that will reward your readers with a link to their website, and features their most recent post. Fans that feel that they are valued and appreciated will become your most enthusiastic brand evangelists – and you just can’t buy that kind of loyalty.
Blogging can be intensely rewarding – both creatively and financially, but it requires work, patience and a genuine interest in both the content and the audience. If you can convey your personality and point of view in an authentic and interesting way, the fans will follow.
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--Finding YOur Inner Blog Rockstar (Feb 28, 2011)
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