How To Promote Blog Content

Ever since writing my latest book, Blogging Made Simple, I continue to get inundated with questions on how to promote individual blog posts and any new content that you or your company may produce.  As is always the case with new content or digital assets, you should publish to your website or blog first.  I would also advise you to use the "rel=author" tag to claim content as your own.

Once you've created your content, the next step is to promote it for maximum exposure and search engine optimization value.  Where do you start?  Thanks to Launch Grow Joy, you no longer have to guess.  They've provided this fantastic infographic (click image to view) which details 30 ways to promote your blog posts or any other digital asset for that matter.

The best place to start is by leveraging your social media accounts.  Start by developing accounts on all of the major social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google +.  Once the accounts have been established, let your clients know, post your social media icons on your website, and share them with your potential audience.  As you build a network, you'll continue to increase your reach and exposure.

After publishing to social media accounts, focus on bookmarking.  Stumble Upon, Digg, Reddit, Delicious, and Technorati are all effective platforms to link to your content.  In addition to publishing to social and bookmarking websites, don't neglect all of the other resources at your disposal.  This includes leveraging existing contacts in your database to spread the word.

Whether you maintain a client list or have emails for customers, pushing content out that's relevant to their wants and needs can pay huge dividends.  Not only will your customers appreciate this information, but they can share with others who are seeking similar types or resources.  The last piece is syndication.

Launch Grow Joy was smart to cover Syndication in their fabulous infographic.  Syndication is the process of taking your content and distributing it to other audiences who can benefit from your content.  Syndication is one of the ways that sites always seem to have a fresh source of daily content.  Repurposing content that adds value to a particular audience provides benefit to publishers and those seeking valuable information.

Don't just publish new content, promote it.  This is how to optimize the value of what you have to offer and continually improve your brand, reach, and revenue!

Using Video to Promote Your Product

I'm fairly new to video.  I've done Webex presentations out the wazoo and even used Gotomeeting on a seeming daily basis, but never video for promotion.  In fact, it took me about 40 minutes to realize that I couldn't use Camtasia to film a full picture video.

Not having a clue on how to kick things off, I decided to use my smartphone.  Overall, the quality wasn't exceptional but Youtube provides a variety of tools to clean up your video in terms of appearance - good enough from my perspective.  Hence, the Blogging Made Simple promotional video was born.

Once I shot the video on my smartphone I was thrilled to discover the ease by which you can upload videos to YouTube.  This was an embedded feature associated with my sharing options.  Once I uploaded my video, I simply accessed my Youtube account and fixed the video's color and other dimensions.  There were also options for creating captions and callouts.  Although I didn't use these features, I image they'd come in handy for instructional type videos or lessons.

If you've been thinking about shooting your own video, give it a try.  It was a lot less challenging than I thought and can give you/your business a new way to tell others about your products or services. Be sure to share your video stores by leaving a comment beneath this post.

Make Money Blogging - Blogging Made Simple

It's finally done. If you want to make money blogging then Blogging Made Simple, the next book in the ".. Made Simple" series is for you.  Now available, Blogging Made Simple shows you how to grow your blog popularity and start making money.  Check out Blogging Made Simple on Amazon.com.

In addition to my previous books covering SEO, PPC, and Article Marketing, I wanted to share all of my secrets for building and managing an award-winning blog.  In this title, co-author Justin Freid and I share more than 10 years of combined blogging experience to help anyone develop a blog that gets results.

If you need help starting your first blog or making money blogging, then be sure to download your own copy of Blogging Made Simple (also available in paperback) from Amazon.com.

I'm really excited about this book.  Not only is it ideal for current bloggers, but it really takes you through a step-by-step process for developing a content rich blog quickly and easily that makes money, generates a large list of followers, and so much more.  Some of the highlights of the book include:

1. How to develop your blog from scratch using WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger.

2. Optimization strategies to ensure your blog ranks well among search engines.

3. Traffic generation strategies to grow you list of blog followers and subscribers.

4. Secrets for monetizing your blog (while you sleep).

5. Outsourcing strategies for developing content and managing your blog.

Whether you're currently blogging or interested in starting your own blog, check out this guide to elevate the quality of your content, generate followers, or simply attract more income.  These powerful blogging secrets are yours for the taking and will show you how to make money blogging.  Download here.

7 Benefits Your Business Can Gain From Blogging

Guest post from Jeremy Tan, Survivor Marketing 

The reality of starting a blog is both straightforward and low cost. Setting up a blog is virtually effortless and rather easy to manage. As a result, blogs are now part of our everyday lives. Thanks to the publicity that the Internet provides to bloggers and social media experts has led to the circulation of more than 100 million blogs online.

Many of these blogs or websites have received hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and also earned massive amounts of revenue from advertising. This has helped them to become establish significant status online. Yet, there are still a number of people who are not convinced that blogging can provide immense benefits for your business!

As such, we at SurvivorMarketing have come up with 7 Benefits Your Business Can Gain From Blogging. We hope that you will be enlightened as to how your business may be losing out to your online competitors and better understand why you should start managing a blog to boost the growth of your business.  Here Are The 7 Benefits Your Business Can Gain From Blogging: 

1. Expose Your Business to A Wider Audience

The power of the Internet is massive and rapidly evolving with an escalating number of users who surf the web on a daily basis. Search Engines such as Google and Yahoo are immensely popular for users with queries of all kinds. Approximately 60% of all blog traffic comes from search engine results. By blogging high quality content regularly and targeting the right keywords, your blog can climb above your competitors organically, increasing online visibility, and thus exposing your business to a wider audience!

You might want to read my articles on the 3 Key SEO Strategies  or even download my free "Ultimate SEO Guide" Ebook  for more insights on how to rank even higher in search engines! 

2. Provides an Avenue To Showcase Your Knowledge
Utilizing blogs to showcase your knowledge or areas of expertise is an effective method for anyone to build their online reputation and credibility on the Internet. Blogs can be perceived as a powerful forum for all marketers to share their passions and clarify doubts. It may come in various forms -- be it a coffee enthusiast reviewing his cup of joe, or a touring agent sharing tips on what to do in various destinations! In any case, by blogging, you can position your business as the online authority for specific niche your business is in. When you are popular enough, you will generate an influx of traffic looking for your opinion! 

3. Provides an Avenue For People To Respond
Remember, blogs should never be used as a one-way communication tool. You must allow, or ENCOURAGE your customers to respond to you! Blog readers might find a particular article of yours helpful, leave a comment of appreciation, or reach out to you with questions about your content. You must be prepared to respond as well as be open to criticisms and negative feedback.

The key for your blog and your business to succeed is to always think like the customer. When you do, you’ll understand what the demands of your customers are and how you can meet them. By looking at how your customers respond, you will be able to know them better, establish a meaningful relationship and even sell them your products! If you can cater to their needs and demands, your sales will surely be soaring! 

4. Allows You to Project The Brand Of Your Business

Nobody relishes faceless corporate marketing messages or boring product catalogs -- People prefer to buy from people. This is possibly why advertisements do not focus on product attributes but rather attempt to project a brand and personality that customers can relate to and buy into. The overall tone of your blog should be an informal one. This is because you are actually expected to offer a human perspective, assume controversial positions, and showcase the uniqueness of your business to the public. 

5. Allows You To Remain Updated

In order for you to produce quality content, you have to do research and read extensively on specific areas or topics. Though it might be a tedious job, it allows you to be constantly up to date on new developments in your industry. Since the Internet is rapidly evolving, even on a daily basis, it’s vital for your business to keep in touch with shifting opinions and influential people! 

6. Provides a Platform To Convey News Regarding your Business
This is a very important point to take note of if you are managing a small or large business. Consider this: Are you aware of how many people actually read your press releases? I'm telling you now -- the numbers are truly few. This means that even your key customers might be oblivious to any new products or services that your business might be creating. This is truly a lost opportunity unless you broadcast your message through multiple channels.

Also, if your business were to face a problem, assuming you needed to issue a product batch recall for example, your blog could serve as an established platform to notify and communicate your position with your customers. While many people are blind to news conveyed through traditional media, an increasing number of people are actually seeking authoritative blogs for knowledge and advice. 

7. Allows Your Business to Stand Out From Your Rivals
Indeed, there might be more than 100 million blogs existing on the Internet. Yet, how many of them are actually company blogs, or to be more precise, how many of them are GOOD company blogs? Optimize your blog well, write good quality content, provide good customer service, and your business can achieve a valuable point of competitive advantage.


This article is written by Jeremy Tan, a Young Budding Internet Marketer and Webmaster of SurvivorMarketing. He specializes in ares of SEO as well as web marketing fundamentals. He enjoys receiving reader feedback and comments, which can be directed to support@survivormarketing.com.

Can Blogging Grow Your Business? Only if You Share!

I've been blogging now for a little over the year and have to say that blogging is one of the simplest, yet most rewarding experiences a marketer can have. As a marketer, having access to like minded individuals is invaluable (that's all of you!). Your comments, suggestions, and commentary around topics of the day are what allow us to learn and improve our marketing practices.

Is there enough for all of us? One question I commonly get is, "If we all start blogging, won't the communities we create be too small to generate any value?" Believe it or not, I have found the opposite to be true. The more that marketers blog, the more awareness we are creating with regard to our craft. Each day the Internet continues to grow and the sheer volume of 'would be marketers' continues to increase. Our websites, blogs, and marketing pieces bring more and more individuals into the fold.

How big is the pie? I don't know how big the actual professional marketing pie is, but do know that the American Marketing Association says that there are a little over 750,000 marketers in the U.S. and Canada. That said, I feel like marketing affects 10 or 20Xs that. Name one person in the free world who isn't affected by this thing we call "marketing"!

Communicate, Share, Grow. As a marketer, share you ideas, your thoughts, and your approach. By doing so you not only strengthen your execution of marketing practices, but you also enhance the consumer experience. I'm always reminded of the need to do this when I receive a letter from the school I graduated from. After receiving the last one I wrote a letter to the head of Alumni marketing that went something like this, "Dear XXX, thanks for your recent note. However, as a fellow marketer I have to say that I am extremely disappointed in your approach. The letter, who's only purpose is to ask for a donation touts the benefits of the school, not the WIIFM - focus more on the value you bring to me, the alum, not what you want me to do for you!..."

The point here is that we must be open and honest communicators with one another. I hope the result of my letter (excerpt above) gets this marketing manager thinking about the value he can deliver for others and maybe even walk a mile in his shoes. Basic marketing principle, see things from the customers point of view, but an incredibly powerful one!

Why You Should Start Blogging Today!

By Michael Fleischner Marketing Expert, Search Engine Optimization Specialist

Perhaps you've heard of blogs, maybe even read a few, but haven't started blogging yourself. A weblog, which is usually shortened to blog, is a type of website where entries are made (such as in a journal or diary), displayed in a reverse chronological order.

Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Most blogs are primarily textual although many focus on photograph (photoblog), videos (vlog), or audio (podcasting).

Today blogging has become a phenomenon, and for good reason. Blogs give individuals the ability to communicate to mass audiences whenever they feel the urge in a simple manner. This ability is what makes blogging truly unique - not requiring any technical knowledge of web development, design, or management.

Maintaining or posting to a blog is very rewarding a carries a variety of benefits, here are just a few:

1. Blogs are easy to create. Unlike starting your own website, weblogs can be created in just a few minutes. Sites like Blogger allow you to register and start your own blog for free. All you need is an email and a topic to start blogging about.

2. Blogs provide a dialogue with prospects, customers, and friends. Blogs are now being used as a communication vehicle to share important information with customers. Because blogs can be updated in real time, businesses are finding weblogs to be one of the quickest and most accurate ways to distribute their message.

3. Blogs are here to stay. Blogging gives you the ability to publish your thoughts in real time, whenever and where they like. If you enjoy writing, want to share your ideas, or even learn more about a particular subject, contribute to a blog on a regular basis. Now that blogs have become popular, you can find blog directories that can help you locate weblogs by category. Find one aligned to your interests and post your comments.

4. Blogs can drive traffic to your website. Using a blog, associated with a particular topic, can drive additional traffic to your website. This is essential for anyone seeking new leads for their business or interested in generating online sales.

The benefit of using a blog to generate traffic is that weblogs attract a different type of user - one that is very focused on a particular subject. These users are more prone to take interest in what you have to offer and convert into customers.

5. Blogs give you the flexibility to post whenever, wherever, 24/7. When authoring a blog, all you need is an Internet enabled PC to post an entry. This level of flexibility removes many of the barriers associated with traditional forms of communication. Some blogs even allow you to make a post via email. Simply construct an email and send it to the blog address and the result is an instant post to your blog.

6. Establish yourself as an expert. By keeping a blog up-to-date, and contributing in an area where you have experience, you can quickly build your reputation as an expert. Once you've establish yourself as having knowledge in a particular subject area, you can begin contributing to other web sources such as news articles and interviews.

7. Generate Ad Revenue. The beauty of a blog is that you can attract those interested in a very specific subject area. This is an ideal market for online pay-per-click advertising like Google Adsense. You can easily integrate Google Adsense into your blog - many blog hosts provide it as a built in option- and generate ad revenue. This is a great way to provide value to your readers while generating revenue for your business.

These are just some of the benefits of creating and contributing to blogs. You will find that weblogs are a great way to share information with others who share similar interests. Its also a great opportunity to learn. Although I've been hosting my own blog to provide expert advice on marketing, I have learned a great deal from others who comment on my posts. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of creating your very own blog. So what are you waiting for, start blogging!

*Michael Fleischner is a marketing expert and the President of MarketingScoop.com. Visit today for free marketing information and marketing blog directory. Michael has more than 12 years of marketing experience and had appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media.