BUSINESS BLOGGING: A 20-Item Checklist to Pilot Your High-Flying MARKETING Machine To the Skies!
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"Feathers shall raise men even as they do birds towards heaven — That is by letters written with their quills." –Leonardo DaVinci |
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…blogging is the ULTIMATE 21st Century Marketing Tool! A blog is 100% FREE and nothing else is more effective in getting out your marketing message!
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I have now gotten to the point where 90% of my new clients find me as a direct result of reading my business blog. And something incredible has happened that I never could have foreseen when I began blogging for business one year ago: I am now turning clients and customers away; I am simply overwhelmed by how effective a blog has been!
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As my business blog reaches the official end of it’s first year, I present to you the ways I have learned to make one take off and SOAR. Here is my CHECKLIST for a Marketing High-Flying Machine!
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1) The Flight-Plan/A GREAT Marketing Message: Which airline do you typically fly? Many shop for a great bargain. But many go with the big, reliable carriers whose brand they are familiar with. Think of great commercials and ads you see…most are impacted by these. With your blog too, it’s the message; every business blog needs a great one! Decide who your target-audience is. Focus on what type of message you want to convey…and start writing!
2) A Steady Flight/GREAT Content: Enlighten. Educate. Provoke thought. Offer tips and advice. Amuse. Entertain. Promote discourse. And…be fun!
3) An Attractive Machine/A GREAT Appearance: Have you ever flown on an old, rickety plane? Have you ever flown on a great looking aircraft with a great, colorful exterior, and a beautiful shiny interior? Which was the more enjoyable ride? Present your readers with a feast for the senses! Start with a great template. Add images, video and anything else you can for a more enjoyable eye-catching experience! Add a dash of color. Stylize with fonts! Never be drab…
4) A Flight-Plan/Research/Course of Action: Every pilot must file a flight-plan and take steps so as not to deviate from course. Successful business-blogging will entail a bit of research and planning.
5) Check for Technical Errors/Check for Blog Errors: Nobody wants to think about what can happen to a $100 Million airplane if there are technical or mechanical glitches. The same is true with your blog where you are striving to present a professional image of you and your business. Proofread. Edit. Check for errors! I’m never surprised at how the most information-packed, educational and interesting posts can be clouded by errors!
6) The Flight Simulator/Learning from Mistakes and Making Adjustments: Pilots, following theoretical training, start out on a flight-simulator. This hi-tech device allows for practical learning. Your blog is the same. Tried something that doesn’t seem to be working? Make adjustments. Make corrections. Get things going just-right! Trial-and-error is your gift when blogging!
7) Frequent Fliers/Regular Readers: Had a great flight? Great service? Chances are you’ll be flying the same airline in the future and chances are they’ll be rewarding you for it. Present a great blog and watch your readers become regulars!
8) On-Time Schedule/Regular Postings: Your flight was delayed for five hours. You napped on the hard terminal floor. Will you be flying with the same airline again? With your blog, post regularly! Let your readers come to expect your regularity. And be persistent! Remember, the average blogger blogs for less than a month before stopping completely!
9) Passenger Count/View-Counter: Before every flight lifts off, there is a head-count to make sure all are accounted for. Keep track of readers too! A blog must have a view-counter! Your last post had 158 views. The one before had 620. What did you do differently? What might have been lacking? Knowing how many people stopped by will give you valuable insight!
10) Advertise/Promote Your Blog: Start an airline and don’t advertise and your flights will probably have more empty seats than full! A blog with no promotion will probably have very few readers! Don’t just post…promote! Post links on BizSugar, the center of the business Social-Media Universe! Upload the url to Facebook, Tip’d, Google, Yahoo, and every other site you can think of! And Tweet about your blog! I’ve found that on average, every Tweet I make on Twitter brings me almost 20 viewers.
11) Fuel Up/Fuel Yourself Up: An airplane needs fuel. So does your blog! What is the fuel for your blog? Ideas! Where can you find them? All around! Look to nature. Read books. Watch a bit of TV. Turn to current events. Look to your dog. Look for subjects, themes and principles. Remember, even the most seemingly mundane, innocuous idea can be turned into a great article!
12) Courteous Service/"Thanks for Flying With Us"/Thank: You know that final message from the pilot, "Thanks for flying with us. I hope you enjoyed the flight…" Thank your blog readers for stopping by. And respond to comments! If they take the trouble to visit, take the time to thank them in any way possible!
13) Sell/Make the Pitch! An airline has many, many competitors. They must take every opportunity to sell themselves. Make a sales pitch in your blog. That’s not to say you should do it blatantly in the blog post itself…that turns a posting into an advertisement instead of an article, and readers won’t like that. Use a byline at the end to tell a bit about you and your business.
14) Allow Passengers to Make Connections/Links: If your passengers are making a connection to a second flight, make it easy for them! With your blog, it’s the same! Provide links to your website, portfolio, etc. You want to turn readers into paying customers. Don’t give them an easy-out to jump from your post to CNN, FoxNews or Sports Illustrated. Provide them with a user-friendly way to find your relevant information!
15) "My Name is Captain Roberts. I’ll be Your Pilot Today…"/Personalize: Your pilot always introduces himself or herself. It establishes a sense of trust! Put a photo of yourself in your blog. It’s a great way of introducing yourself. It makes an instantaneous and lasting impression. It shows who you are!
16) Be a Bubbly Flight-Attendant/Don’t be Shy: There is a single characteristic which most flight attendants have in common. They are outgoing and never shy. When it comes to your blog, don’t you be shy! This is your chance to shine! Promote yourself! Be outgoing! Sell yourself! Tell people why you are the one for the job!
17) Co-Pilots/Guest Bloggers: A back-up or co-pilot is always in the cockpit. Taking a vacation? Out of ideas? Need a rest? Some of the best blogs I see have guest-bloggers who step in and take the controls from time to time!
18) Give Everybody a Window Seat/A Great View: Do you like a middle or aisle-seat? I sure don’t. I like a window seat where I can see clouds, mountains, the ocean, etc. A plane, unfortunately, has a limited number of window seats. Your blog is not limited! Dazzle people with the view! Make the experience of visiting an enjoyable one! Make it a feast for the mind and the senses! Make it a pleasurable experience!
19) Gain a Reputation/Set Yourself Apart: Remember Captain "Sully" Sullenberger? The pilot from the "Miracle On the Hudson?" He did the unthinkable and landed his stricken plane on the Hudson River! No casualties. Be an expert in your field through your blog. Be someone who others turn to for insight and advice. Be a thought-leader!
20) Soar!
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Image Credits: Airliner: Quantas; Pre-Flight Check: ImpactLab.com; Green CheckMark: All-Free-Dowmload.com
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I hope you enjoyed the post, and as always, "Thanks for stopping by!"
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Yonatan Maisel is a professional writer and published author. He is a history buff who enjoys long walks in the woods with his wife and Canaan dog "Halva." His business-blog, going strong for ten months now, appears here at http://www.jobshuk.com/, with updates occurring twice-a-week.
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