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February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Why You Should Ignore Social Media Etiquette and Promote Your Blog Posts

Here’s the “secret” to attracting more readers to your blog.  Ready for it?

Promote your blog posts.  

I am not being a smart ass and unfortunately I’m not stating the obvious either.    Most bloggers either under-promote their blog posts or refuse to tell their readers that they have something new to say.  Most of these folks will point to a sacred social media rule that says you shouldn’t promote your work and if you do, conduct your promotion discreetly.

Imagine me looking you straight in the eye and saying — bologna. 

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Marketing
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February 21, 2012 By 1 Comment

What Blog Readers Want

Your reader has a problem.

It could be a new template for their scrapbook.  It might be a different technique for dealing with a rebellious teen.  Whatever it might be, they want the answer.

Like 80% of web users they pull up a search engine and put in their question – “How to handle teenagers?”  Google offers up 10 potential resources.  After a quick scan of the headlines, they pick one (maybe your blog) and click the link.

They arrive at the blog and quickly scan for something specific.

They are looking for clues that you are going to talk about their problem. And this is where many blogs blow it.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Post Writing, Blog Strategy
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February 20, 2012 By 2 Comments

How to Find and Unleash Your Blog’s Voice

If your blog is a microphone and your posts are the lyrics then what is your voice?
I’ve been thinking about this question for three years. The answer is the key to explaining a situation that I see everyday.

It goes like this -

Two blogs start at the same time. They have similar designs, in fact except for minor differences in color they are mirror images of each other. Both blogs target the same audience. One does spectacularly well. The other fails within months.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Post Writing
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February 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Pushing Social Digest – The Good Stuff

I have a feeling that you had a busy week.  Maybe you didn’t get time to visit your crazy uncle over here on Pushing Social.  No worries, I’ve kept the light on for you and rustled up a nice list of what we’ve been up to.

Blogging Success Secrets Webinar

I’m fired up about next week’s Webinar!  I’ll be teaching you 10 success secrets that you can immediately apply to your blog.  I want you to be there.

Click here to register your spot (only 70 more available)

I look forward to meeting all of the folks that have been following Pushing Social over the last couple of years!

This Week on PS

Blogging by the Numbers – An Olympic Champion’s Approach

Now is the time to get serious about using “the numbers” to improve your blogging.  This post shows you how.

The Rise of the Content Hub and What it Means For Your Blog

Why is Pinterest, SlideShare, iTunes, YouTube critical for professional bloggers?  I think it has something to do with the growing power of  Content Hubs…

How to Use the Power of Frameworks to Write Compelling Blog Posts

All successful writing follows a formula.  Last week we talked about George Lucas’ formula for Star Wars, this week we discovered how frameworks make writing memorable posts easier.

Seth Godin, The Dip, and How to Really Succeed at Social Media

Are you caught in the Blogging Dip?  See if you need to work through the Dip or change your goal.

PS Blogging Spotlight

Every week I spotlight a blogger that is working hard to improve their blog.  Do me a favor.  Stop by their blog, read their posts, comment, and encourage them.

The spotlight is on: Diva Hound 

PS + Twitter

Filed Under: Social Media
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February 16, 2012 By 2 Comments

Blogging by the Numbers – An Olympic Champion’s Approach

One of the most demanding track and field events in the Olympics is the 400 meter hurdles.

Imagine, running a quarter of a mile, leaping over 10 three-foot hurdles in just 47.02 seconds.  Average athletes can’t pull this off.  Even world-class athletes would swallow hard before taking on this challenge.  For Edwin Moses, it was just another day in the office.

Moses’ thoroughly dominated the 400 meter event setting 4 world records during his career.  He once went nine years, nine months, and nine days without losing a single race. 

What caught my attention is how he mastered the event.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Strategy
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February 15, 2012 By 9 Comments

The Rise of the Content Hub and What it Means For Your Blog

Do you feel it?

Something has changed in the social media world but it’s hard to put your finger on it.

For me it’s a nagging feeling that the foundation of blog marketing is shifting right under our feet.

It seems that promoting blogs with Twitter, Facebook and clever email marketing isn’t good enough.  In the distance I can hear the stampede of new options that threaten to leave professional bloggers on the sidelines unless we get a handle on it right now.

Let’s take a moment to see what we’re dealing with -

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Marketing
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February 14, 2012 By 6 Comments

How to Use the Power of Frameworks to Write Compelling Blog Posts

I believe it was the first “self-help” book I ever read. 

The title promised access to hidden knowledge – “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”  I wanted to be successful and was thrilled to know that I only had to master 7 habits!

I remember ripping through the book in one day.  Every few chapters I referenced the chart you see to the right.  It was Steven Covey’s framework for elegantly describing the 7 habits.

To this day, I can quickly rattle off the 7 habits and even draw the illustration.  Covey’s framework not only stuck with me but with millions of others who lived by his book’s suggestions.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Post Writing
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February 13, 2012 By 3 Comments

Seth Godin, The Dip, and How to Really Succeed at Social Media

I am expecting a lot from you.

I suspect you already know this.  I believe content marketing (AKA Storytelling) and social media can transform you and your business.    The only thing you have to do is decide to be the best, not average, not good-enough, but the best.

There’s a widening influence gap in the social media space.  The people with the influence are quickly attracting a dominant share of their market.  Everyone else is scrambling for the influential crumbs that are left behind.

The only way to compete is to invest the time to be the best.  The top tier thinkers, executers, writers, poets are the only ones that can compete.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Social Media
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February 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

More Blogging “How-To” Stuff That Works

This week we tackled email opt-in forms, spying on your readers, The Force, and dealing with doubt.  You also stepped up and offered some incredibly insightful comments this week.  Thank you!

Ok, here’s the wrap-up.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Social Media
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February 9, 2012 By 4 Comments

7 Simple Ways to Tweak Your Blog Email Opt-in and Get More Reader Sign-ups

It’s frustrating that one of the most important blog success elements is so often ignored.

I’m talking about the email opt-in for getting blog updates or an offer.  I think deep down most people feel “icky” about asking for a person’s email address. They put it off until the last minute, then throw something up there as an afterthought.

I’m not going to go into all of the reasons why you should have an email opt-in. I’ve already written a novel’s worth of posts on the topic .  What I will tackle is how to give that lonely and forlorn email opt-in form a makeover.

I get super-specific on this in my blog reviews but here are 7 tips that you can use now: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog Marketing, Blog Strategy
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