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Blogging Like Jerome Bettis Drives

By on February 4, 2012 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 0 Comments

Blogging Like Bettis Runs - Keep DrivingThe greatest running backs in the NFL seem to have one element in common. It’s a practice rarely seen on highlight reels or still shots.

It’s not so much the fancy stuff. Not the stiff arm, the high-leg, or the spin. The one trait all the greats share is one that does NOT stand out. But it’s the one that kept moving them forward.

Even when they hit a brick wall of defense, the greatest running backs keep pumping their legs.

Short steps. Rapid pace. One after the other.

They keep their legs moving.

Jerome Bettis was one of the best at this, especially near the goal line. Legs always moving. His strides weren’t long, his legs kept moving. Even when it seemed he wasn’t going forward anymore, his legs kept moving. When he was tackled, he’d get back up and … his legs kept moving …

When it comes to your blog, bring your fingers to the keyboard like Jerome Bettis near the goal line. Your fingers keep moving.

When it seems no one is reading your blog – your fingers keep moving. When it seems you don’t have anything to write about – your fingers keep moving. If you make a mistake or someone disagrees with you – get back up and make sure your fingers keep moving.

Can you drive this thing?

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Why You Should Blog About Your Business [Guest Post]

By on February 3, 2012 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 3 Comments

Written by Joe Pawlikowski

Blog About Your BusinessSometimes simple phrasing can make a huge difference. A while back Mike asked the question, should every business blog, and concluded that no, it’s just not for all businesses. That’s a fair enough answer. But allow me to add an amendment.

Everyone should blog about his or her business.

This doesn’t necessarily mean blogging for your business. But anyone, excepting people with strict non-disclosure agreements, can blog about a business. It can provide plenty of benefits.

Blogging to learn

All fledgling bloggers stand to learn plenty from the experience. Here’s what anyone stands to learn in the first few months of blogging:

  • How to research. Specifically, this refers to reading about the industry.
  • How to structure thoughts. So many people lack argument skills. Blogging builds them.
  • How to write in English. Another skill that many inexplicably lack.
  • How to use the Web. This could be the most valuable skill in the world right now.

Blogging to connect

Blogging naturally connects us to others. Whether it’s from people leaving comments or other bloggers stopping by, there are plenty of opportunities to build relationships. And you know what they say…

It’s not what you so much as who you know.

When I first started blogging, someone advised me that you never know who’s reading. Many bloggers get invited to conferences and other events, which we’ll cover in just a tick.

Blogging to advance

Once you’ve gotten into the blogging groove, you could become influential in your field. Employers like that. So do conference organizers. A well-written blog can earn you a speaking gig. Grab a cheap flight and you’re ready to spread your influence further.

How about your boss? Think he or she might like knowing that the company employs a knowledgeable resource on an industry? Do good work, and people will notice.

No, not every business is equipped to blog. But every individual is. No matter what your industry, as long as your company doesn’t expressly forbid it you should be blogging. It can amount to writing your own career ticket.

Joe Pawlikowski edits blogs of various stripes, including his new work from home blog.

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Giving Yourself Permission to Not Listen

By on January 30, 2012 in Blog Coach, Conversations, Social Media with 3 Comments

Give Yourself Permission to Not ListenA lot of my business conversations are convened around a coffee table at my neighborhood Panera. I’ve always said, that when I’m in public – I’m accessible, otherwise I’d meet in private.

On any given day, I know at least one person at several tables. As folks I know (or simply acquainted with) walk in Panera, I give them a wave or nod – often waving them over for a quick introduction. They go about their conversation, I go about mine. Maybe we’ll gather again in a few minutes.

I don’t hear everything they say. I don’t want to. If I heard every sentence from every table that sits someone I know …

I’m confident if they say something really good, they’ll repeat it to me (or I’ll hear it from someone else).

I have a list of folks I follow as much as possible (and you can too, here’s a starter list), but there is no way I can catch every thing they say. I’d never get to Panera – or to bed.  And if they something really good, someone will retweet it.

Give Yourself Permission to Not Listen (to every word)

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Display Merchandising: Your RSS Feed

By on January 27, 2012 in Blog Coach, Marketing with 0 Comments

Do you subscribe to your own RSS feed?  You should.

Sometimes, if you could see what I can see (and what your readers-prospects-customers see). A successful retailer and the restauranteur are always looking over their displays and presentation – and so should you.

When I click on your RSS button – if it goes anywhere – I sometimes get sent to a page that looks like this:

RSS-code view

 

Feedburner gives you analytics AND a stylized, browser-friendly result when readers click on your subscribe button.

RSS View with Feedburner

Now that you’ve subscribed to your own RSS feed, you can do even more “display merchandising” from your Google Reader (or however your read your feeds).

Is there a title? A byline with your name? Are the feed items formatted like your blog posts (I use the WP Plugin Align RSS Images)? Are you using Eye Rests?

Next time someone clicks on the orange button, don’t scare them. Display your RSS so its a friendly RSS.

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Seasons of Talk

By on January 25, 2012 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 2 Comments

How do you measure the conversations in a day?

Small talk at the grocery store? Debates at meetings? Brainstorming during lunch? Arguments in your own head?

How about the conversations where you listen more than talk? Or the ones you have on Twitter? Those where there is no talking going on at all?

I’ve never counted the number of conversations I have in a day. You? Yet we struggle at writing a blog or posting a thing on that social network.

If you listen to your day, you’ll never run out of things to write about.  Nobody suffers from Talker’s Block.

Start with one keystroke … and keep going …

Begin with a Single Keystroke

You’ll find things measure up just fine after awhile.

 

Ignoring the Social Media Echo Chamber Chamber

By on January 20, 2012 in Blog Coach, Conversations, Social Media with 5 Comments

Close Your Ears to the Social Media Echo ChamberYou may occasionally read about the “social media echo chamber” – maybe you even write about it.

Me? I don’t think it exists. Not really.

And you shouldn’t let it exist – because if you do, it’s all in your head. Yep, I think you’re imagining things.

Granted, there are a lot of folks that talk about social media, and as a small business owner using social media – social media is part of the conversations in your day. But it’s not your core business.

Let’s say you’re a furniture store owner, you should be more concerned about the custom wood vs particle board debates. The Google-Facebook thing? Pass. You should be engaging with folks talking about the process of  re-upholstery more than those on the practice of re-tweeting.

If you follow or connect with a lot of people talking about social, you’ll hear a lot of talk about social (even if they aren’t talking to you). If you follow a lot of people talking about food … guess what … they talk a lot about food (even if they aren’t talking with you).

SMI-SMO? Social Media In – Social Media Out. Listen to something else. If all you’re doing is following conversations about social media (social media in), you’re probably going to talk a lot about it too (social media out). And then two things might happen:

  1. You get a headache
  2. You alienate your intended audience

I’m not saying social media conversations are bad (well, some of them are), but too much of any one thing could become a burden. And when we burden ourselves, we usually point fingers elsewhere.

There is a whole lot of conversation happening around your core business. Engage in social media chatter now and again, fine. More important, find and immerse yourself in the talk around your business.

(Did I just tell myself to shutup in this post? If I did, I didn’t hear it)

Photo on Flickr by massdestraction

 

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3 Tips to Making Your Small Business Big in 2012 [Guest]

By on January 19, 2012 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 4 Comments

Guest post written by Kathleen Hubert

3 Tips to Making Your Small Business Big in 2012

Making a small business into a large success is not as challenging as it might seem. Dreaming of creating a big business from that small company that is currently running and bringing in profits is only the first step in achieving the goal. Following three simple rules can help bring in big successes in 2012 that will ultimately result in creating a big business.

List Successes

Before starting out with a new business plan, it is vital to determine what worked in 2011 and what held your small business back. List the items that sold the most or the marketing scheme that brought in new customers to your company.

Beyond listing the successes, make another list of what did not work for the business. Differentiating what works for you and what does not can help ensure you have repeat customers and maintain the current client base.

Show Expertise by Helping

Creating a blog that gives advice on how to use products or what services might be useful in which situations can not only help clients who are looking for answers; it can show expertise in your business field. By establishing yourself as a professional who is not only seeking profits but also trying to give help when clients need a hand, you are bringing in more interest and work.

Making use of blogs, social networking sites and other Internet resources is a great way to help your small business grow and start blooming into a big company. Social networks and blogs are particularly useful when you want to establish your experience and professionalism in the field.

Make a Plan

The final tip to follow is making a business plan based on the figures and information from previous years as well as customer feedback about services or products. A business plan should detail what you intend to do for growth, what you plan to avoid for the next year because it did not work previously and which areas clients would like to see improved. By working on a plan and creating a method of obtaining the goal of becoming a big business, the dream can ultimately become a reality.

Small businesses always have a hope of growing into a large corporation. Fortunately, it is possible for any business to reach for greater success with a plan of action and a few simple rules.

Kathleen Hubert is a blogger who writes on a variety of different sites. Check out more of her work at car loans.

Facebook: Kathleen Hubert
Twitter: @kathleen_h101
Google+:

RePurpose Your Content: Say it Again, Sam

By on January 17, 2012 in Blog Coach, Social Media with 5 Comments

“We don’t know what we know until we articulate it.”

One of my pet sayings. I believe in it so much so, I repeat it often. Online and offline.

Recycle Your Content for Fresh Eyes

Do you have a quip or quote, an article or post that bears repeating? I’d bet “yes” if you’re over the age of eight. But once you’ve tweeted it or blogged it, do you repeat it?

You should.

Most of the content we consume comes to us in some sort of information stream (or InfoStream). It’s a rare chance that someone will catch your repeat if spread out – and a better chance that new eyes might see your golden post for the first time.

If you have yet to meet of follow Christoper S. Penn, please do so. He will help wake up the superhero inside of you. He also provides a great example of repeating valuable content. Because Chris makes new connections fast (over 48K on Twitter, already 10K on Google+), he often re-introduces his “stream” with a welcome message (his name above is linked to that page). He’s posted that nine times in the first 17 days of 2012.

I’ve followed, conversed, retweeted, disagreed, and applauded Chris’ work for years. I’ve clicked through his welcome page a few times over that span. And to me it’s still new.  To his new connections, it’s even newer.

I was silent about this in a video a few years ago:

We don’t know what we know until we articulate it. And if it’s good, we should continue to articulate it, even if in different ways (or times, or streams).

[Disclaimer: If you get the idea to repurpose old content on a new platform in a different manner, that's your idea ... and I'm proud of you for thinking that way]

Connect with Christopher S. Penn, follow his examples and practices.

Quick Social Media: Kindle Quotes

By on January 6, 2012 in Blog Coach, Books with 2 Comments

I needed some instant social media, you know the kind where you just add water and have flavorful content, right?

This week witnessed our 2nd family/friend medical emergency in 3 weeks (and a holiday in between). Even the most resolute would be hampered by such hurdles to new habits and goals.

Yesterday, with 7+ hours of driving Midwest roads ahead of me, I had no time to read or share any feeds or write a blog post.

While choosing an audio book for the drive, I remembered my post about crowdsourced Kindle Quotes. In 20 minutes, I had queued up a dozen or so tweets from Kindle books I’ve read, trying to include the author’s Twitter name and a link to the book on Amazon.

 

Several of the tweets were shared or favorited. The two authors above each gave a word of thanks, with Todd Henry (The Accidental Creative) tweeting a resounding “Yes!” And I get a blog post on the other side of the exercise.

Quick review (in order of my importance and How I Twitter):

  1. Value for my intended audience (they shared),
  2. Tip o’ the hat to the original creator (they replied)
  3. Content inventory (created or curated), building value and page depth

Added bonus:

I got to use the new Twitter ‘Embed This Tweet’ feature.

There will be times your desired social media output will get interrupted. Tend to what’s most important, knowing that the social will be there when you get back – otherwise it probably wasn’t there in the first place. And if you can, try something new on the quick – maybe it works.

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All Write Already

By on January 2, 2012 in Blog Coach, Blogging with 5 Comments

Just Start WritingWriting a blog post each day isn’t at all difficult.

Writing a post that make sense, adds value, and provoke conversation or curation from others might.

I often suggest that you just – start – writing. Spill it. Write, don’t edit. You’ll get better at it as you do it.

Let’s take blogging for instance. Where do we begin…

Well … after a few minutes of silence (except for the cursor getting louder with each blink), we avoid the noise of silence by … by diverting our attention to things with tangible results.

We …yes that’s it, we change a color on the banner, or … we put up a new widget, and of course … we must learn how to do so, so we read up on how to do code to get the widget up and … hey, what’s that … I could use one of these too (y’know, one of those plugins that helps encourage readers to subscribe to my newsletter), oh … but I also don’t have a newsletter. Well, maybe I should do research on which newsletter service is best (and free) oh, here’s one, I should watch the tutorial video.

Hours later, after putting together widgets, colors, and watching tutorial videos, I’m almost ready to write that post. Oh, but I don’t have content for that new newsletter, I should write that first.

And we stare.

Again.

At that blasted cursor.

But hey, bright side is now we have our ducks in a row. But they just sit there. Sitting Ducks. I wonder if there’s a dot com for “sitting ducks”. Maybe a mobile app? I should do some research if there’s a mobile app for stuck writers. Oh here’s one. hey, that looks good. I should buy this to get some ideas for my mobile app. Hey, this is cool.

An hour later, I’m inspired and ready to create a mobile app for my new idea. Heh, and all this because I thought I was dry for ideas. Nonsense! This innovation stuff is a breeze.

Okay, here’s a free thing to create a mobile app. Let’s see. Connect RSS feed of the site. D’oh, I have to go get the dot.com first. Boom, there – now to design the site, Let’s see… Pour a glass of wine, some cheese and crackers, okay – now we’re getting down to business. This year is gonna be great… (and off to work we go)

But we still haven’t written a word (though now we have another site, and a mobile app – both needing words)

As Sean Connery said in Finding Forrester. Punch the keys!

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