Blogs are fun ways to get your expert information into the hands of others. Also, if you have a business website, blogs are useful for communicating with customers and prospects. If you don't have a blog yourself, consider lending your brain to someone else's and enhance the traffic coming your way at the same time.
When you run an online business website and/or a blog, there don't seem to be enough hours in the day. Providing quality content alone can take up several days not to mention handling the marketing and the administrative duties. For a few fortunate entrepreneurs, they have learned the benefit of outsourcing. With more time to concentrate on lead generation and traffic, guest blogging is more fun than marketing campaigns.
Blogging?
If you have written content for your site, then you can write a guest blog post. They are usually shorter and slightly less informative. That doesn't mean that the quality of the post isn't good, it just means that the surface of a topic is touched upon so that the reader will look forward to future posts for more information.
The field is wide open for you, initially, you'll want to blog on topics with which you have at least a passing familiarity. As you establish yourself as an expert in your business area (through other marketing tools), others may be beating down your door for the opportunity to have you guest blog for them.
Choosing where to Blog
Choosing the quality of your guest blogging venues is as important as choosing the quality of your backlinks. Always go forward and not backwards. Start with friends and business contacts. The super busy folks that are familiar with you won't usually pass up an offer to have someone else blog for them.
An intimate knowledge of the blog topics gives you an idea of what topics will work and which ones won't. Try to choose a topical area where you can write a series of similar articles. For instance, choosing a 4-part post on constructing email templates for your affiliates is easier to manage than four different post topics. Besides, your readers are sure to come back for more of the same.
Blogging Nuances
Ask about links in your posts. Some blog owners may say yes to contextual links or just offer you a bio box. Take either one and use it to your advantage to create quality backlinks.
Interact with those who comment. Getting to know your audience will increase their trust of you and the chances that they will click on your link and head on over to your website.
Want to increase backlinks to your site? Guest blogging for others whose sites can elevate your status swells the traffic to your site so you can make more sales.
Backlinks are an important traffic generation method. By linking to your site from other sites and blogs, visitors always know how to find you with a click of the mouse. Article marketing is one tool in your arsenal that can yield a wealth of backlinks.
Article Marketing
Many people overlook article marketing as outdated, but it gets the job done and in the simplest fashion. What you want with a website is traffic and credibility. With so many websites and blogs all clamoring for attention, having a terrific reputation goes a long way.
Article marketing lets you share quality content with other online entrepreneurs and writers. When you submit to article directories, others can view and use your content. You get the all-important resource box to lead others to your online headquarters so that they can see more of you.
If you find an article directory that allows links in the body of the content, then readers can click and immediately find themselves on your website. Or, you can use the resource box to post a direct link to your site.
Optimize Your Articles
While you are writing informative content that others will want to read, don't forget that these articles are also ranked by search engines. With each article consider using keywords to enhance your rankings.
Let's say that you were writing about baking. Well, "baking" is a common search word so you could use some other word like "bread" or "baking bread." For that two-word phrase you want to use try and rank this article high by having it appear naturally several times. For a 450-word article, you don't want your keywords to appear more than 4-6 times. Search engines frown on overstuffing with keywords.
Using Backlinks
If you get a chance to use contextual links, for goodness sake, don't use anchor text (the words that disguise the link) like "click here." That sounds just like an ad and others won't click it. Also, the service may frown on it as blatant advertising.
For your resource box, include catchy and enticing words. You will end with a link to your website, but this can be masked with anchor text as well instead of just the usual website address.
With your articles, don't give away all of your secrets. If you tell everyone all they want to know, why will they want to click and visit your website? Give them a taste of what you can offer. For the rest, they will have to make use of that link.
The written word will not be trumped no matter what anyone predicts. Article marketing has an important place in your marketing plan and adding links to all your articles (or resource boxes) multiplies your chances of success.
You may know a lot about your business niche, but does anyone else know that? If not, it's time to set yourself up as an expert.
Sometimes it is WHO you know that counts, like when you're trying to accomplish something and need help. On the path towards expert status, you will need others to reach the destination.
I know, I know - you are not the type of person to shamelessly self promote. Don't worry because there is no shame involved. To do any less, than tell others about what you have worked hard to learn, is selling yourself short and that IS shameful. Even for shy people, networking with others in the business world can only help. What makes it a bit easier is that you and those you network with are all after a common goal - increased profits.
Why Network?
Networking is important in business. Making connections with others in the online world increases your visibility which matters when you want to get noticed. Who do you rub elbows with? Begin with someone with influence in your business area like a guru of sorts. Get to know them by hanging out where they hang out - on their blog, in their social networking groups and by attending events they host or are speaking at.
Networking mutually benefits both parties. While you are getting to know them, don't forget to let them know who you are. When you comment on blogs, link those comments to your own blog and/or website. If you host a podcast, invite them to be a guest.
Other Ways to Network
Blogs and forums are not the only way that you can make a useful business connection to promote your expert business status. Join local and online business associations. This is not in name only. Do our part and get involved so that others see your face, hear your voice and notice your work.
Your involvement in these professional organizations is a two-way street. Use the time to give but also get. Ask questions when you need to. Sharing business tips, tricks and secrets is a part of the perks.
Don't neglect the social networking communities. Facebook and MySpace are a lot of fun for connecting with old friends, but they are also big forums for sharing business information. You can post new happenings on your website and links. You'll be surprised who sees and takes advantage of the news. Invite all of your fellow organizational members as well as clients and other business associates to be your friends so they can view posts to your Wall.
Networking can be intimidating especially for business owners who are not good at self-promotion. But, once you begin, you'll notice the benefits and get hooked.
What do some membership sites have over others? They have found a profitable niche to base their site upon. If you want to drive traffic and increase membership numbers, find a topic that people are interested in.
Finding a topic is not that hard but it does require some research. That is always the most important first step in any business venture. If you don't know what else is out there, how can you compete? How can you improve on an existing model?
Finding Your Topic
Start with what you know. English teachers always tell you to write what you know. That philosophy goes for business as well. If you are interested in fitness, begin your research there. Are there other membership sites on the topic of fitness, nutrition or both? If there is, find out what makes them stand out.
Within each topic there is room to move around. You can choose a niche within that general topic (fitness for example) to specialize your membership site. Maybe the site will offer fitness tools for women or men's fitness. One advantage that your niche membership site would have is a more focused approach to fitness for that particular gender.
Choosing Your Price
What is it about $0.95 or $0.99? It's almost as if people are saving a lot with only a few cents. Someone is more likely to pay $9.95 than $10.00. It must be a psychological thing but it works. Knock off a few cents and you are in business.
Your price will depend on two things: competitive prices and your offerings. If another fitness site offers membership for $9.99, you will have to have something spectacular if your price is higher. And, that might be possible if they offer the basics for their members. Choose membership tools that make life easier for your potential members.
Testing the Waters
If you already run a website or a blog, use that forum to gauge how much interest there is in your niche topic. Poll visitors; send survey links to customers and post engaging blog entries that beg feedback on your possible new enterprise. You don't want to sink money into a venture that won't even get off the ground.
Want to start a membership site that will make you a profit? Research topics for your site and explore niche possibilities that will bring you the traffic and the money. But, when you find a worthy niche, you will see a recurring income each month from your hard work.
Achieving expert status is not all hard work. What it takes is a mind that is open and knowledgeable about their business subject. With a little bit of creativity, you can leverage what you do already to increase sales and product variety.
The first part of any strategy you use to become an expert is visibility. Others have to know that you exist and have something important to say. Through article writing and distribution and networking with other business owners, your "sphere of influence" will begin to grow.
But you are still just scratching the surface. Wouldn't you like to take advantage of tools that help you become an expert without expert work? We figured that you might. So, here are some ways that you can do that.
The Pitch
Let's say that you have been writing articles and submitting them to article directories. You might have even written enough to be considered an expert on a certain topic on that site. Ezinearticles.com has experts who blog, answer questions, write articles and provide other multimedia content. Having that label there is a big boost for your business.
The Hit
Those articles are not just articles but pages of potential. One piece of written content can give rise to another. Look at your articles with new eyes. See them turning into:
- eBooks
- Special Reports
- Audio products
- Video products
- Course material
- Seminars
The list goes on but you get the idea. The information in the articles can morph into each one of these. Better yet, take a series of articles, bundle them to create a special report or an eBook if there is a lot of information. Take each section of the eBook and create a course that customers can buy. Add audio and video to the course and turn your course material into a study guide to accompany them.
It's Out of the Park
Instead of one solitary article that has increased your visibility through article marketing you now have leveraged that article into a variety of product offerings all of which will add to your expert status and your bottom line. Instead of the press release saying that you have written hundreds of articles, it will also say that you the author of several eBooks, business courses and a lecturer. If that doesn't say expert nothing does.
If you have a bunch of articles floating around in cyberspace or just sitting on your PC, give them a second look. Each one can bring a new product for sale and a new path to expert status for you.
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