Small Business Blogging Blueprint eBook

Small Business Blogging Blueprint e-book
by: Kelly Watson

I’d like to create a business blog, but I don’t know where to start.”
“I don’t have the technical skills to build a blog.”
“I have a business blog, but it doesn’t get any traffic!”

Sound familiar? As an online marketing consultant, I’ve heard countless versions of these statements. Each week I meet more small business owners who want to start a business blog, but something gets in their way:

• Lack of time
• Lack of technical expertise
• Lack of a plan

I, too, struggled with these problems when starting my first business blog in 2007. I had to focus not just on blog creation and maintenance, but on generating targeted traffic, capturing leads and making sales … all within the unique blog format.

I read every blog book I could get my hands on. But most were outdated, and none addressed how blogging could grow my business. So I spent two long years in trial and error, testing out one technique and abandoning it for another until I discovered exactly what worked.

(And let me tell you: you’d be amazed by all the blogging advice that’s just plain wrong. Hiding keywords at the bottom of every page, for example – while that may have gotten you search traffic in 1997, it could get you blacklisted from Google today.)

As my blog’s popularity grew, people began asking me:

What blogging software should I use?
How do I customize my blog design without spending a fortune?
How do I integrate a new blog with my existing web site?
How can I get more traffic, and how do I turn that traffic into sales?

I started wishing I had a book with all the answers – a step-by-step guide to successful business blogging, so I wouldn’t have to keep responding to the same questions.

Then, after spending yet another afternoon talking with a small business owner about the benefits of blogging, I realized I needed to hurry up and write it myself.

What I thought would be a three- or four-page report eventually turned into a 68-page e-book filled with:

• Tips on outsourcing the writing, design and setup affordably (pg. 14—15)
• Easy search engine optimization strategies for targeted blog traffic (pg. 27—30)
• Ways you can use your business blog to grow your mailing list (pg. 31—32)
• A fill-in-the-blank workbook with 36 questions to help you set goals, avoid problems and streamline the blogging process (pg. 61—68)

But following written instructions can be confusing, you may be thinking. I know. That’s why I also created six step-by-step videos to help you set up a hosted blog on Wordpress and Blogger. You even get written transcripts of each video, so you don’t have to take notes.

Each time I thought I was done writing, I remembered one more tip or resource that would further simplify blogging for small business owners. Then I sent the e-book to friends and colleagues, who wrote back with more helpful tips and resources of their own.

I also sent out several review copies of the e-book. Here’s what readers had to say:

“The Small Business Blogging Blueprint is a mega-hit! I just finished your e-book and am quite impressed. I’ve been referencing “The New Rules of Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott as my blogging bible. Your book is easier to understand. I especially liked your step-by-step guides and links throughout.”
—Mark Zinda, Owner of ZAP and Co. Marketing

“Kelly has put together a comprehensive resource that’s also super easy for anyone to follow. If you’re thinking of starting a blog – or even if you already have one – this guide will steer you clear of common blunders and help set you up for blogging success.”
—Lisa Banks, Marketing Director at SEO Advantage

“You’ve done an amazing job pulling this all together. I think it is presented very comprehensively, yet the info is manageable. You get the sense of being able to pull it off because things are presented in such a clear, step-by-step fashion – almost like a workbook. There’s so many resources presented that can help any blogger.”
—Lori Baer, freelance writer and blogger

Worried the e-book in will go out-of-date? Don’t be. When you purchase the Small Business Blogging Blueprint, you get free access to updates and revisions for the life of the product. That means if I come across a great new resource for business bloggers, or receive questions about a particular topic that warrant an addition to the material, you’ll get a copy of the new “Small Business Blogging Blueprint” absolutely free. You’ll also receive exclusive discounts on future e-books and online classes.

The Small Business Blogging Blueprint also comes with a 30 day, 100-percent satisfaction guarantee. If you purchase the Small Business Blogging Blueprint and it doesn’t help you build a successful business blog, contact me for a full refund. No questions asked.

By now, you may be wondering how much the e-book costs. Ask yourself: How much would it cost you to hire a marketing consultant for an hour? How much money would you save if you could knock a few months, or even just a few days off the normal blogging learning curve?

You probably answered more than $29, the price for the Small Business Blogging Blueprint and step-by-step instructional videos. Purchase them now for instant access.

Just keep in mind that $29 is the introductory price, and could go up at any time. Only by purchasing now can you lock in this low rate and receive instant access to my business blogging secrets.

The 10 Web Site Resolutions You Can’t Ignore in 2010

Are you sick of “Top 10 “New Year’s Resolutions lists” yet? I sure hope not because I’ve got just one more for you here today that will make the difference in your level of online success.

I do this every year, and added to 2009’s Resolutions which still apply, you’ll have a running start ahead of your competition in 2010.

These are the issues I think are most important to your success and that I see many of my clients and clients-to-be struggling with. If you pay attention to only one “10″ list — this is the one that is critical to your program in the year ahead!

10. If you still have a static HTML site — make moving your site to WordPress — now! There is no way a static HTML site can offer you the Web 2.0 benefits and functionality you must have to compete online.
9. When did you last review your search engine rankings and SEO practices. Get in the habit of reviewing this info at least once each month. How can you possibly understand how to get where you want to be if you don’t even know where you are starting from?
8. When was the last time you reviewed your Web site’s statistical data? Links, referrers, bots, keywords — all this data provides you with a wealth of information that you need to make educated decisions moving forward. Make a point of reviewing this info once each month to gleam actionable gems of info.
7. Not Blogging yet? What the heck are you waiting for? When in history have businesses of any size had the venue and opportunity to communicate with their market in real time about the things their customers are interested in and concerned about? Never! The main excuse I hear is “I can’t write.” What? Well, you can learn, you need to learn — you need to Blog! This is a tool that any business cannot afford to ignore the potential of.
6. The Social Media train has left the station. Ignore these venues at your business’ peril. Determine where your target market hangs out and be there — or be square. Just starting out? Minimally setup a Twitter, Facebook Fan Page and LinkedIn business account so that you can have your Blog auto-post to get you started. You will need to include Social Media involvement into your time management budget.
5. Brush up on your Business E-mail Etiquette. How you type whether in response to site inquiries, on forums, Blog comments or on social media sites will lend to a perception about you that can enhance or hinder your business branding efforts. Type like a grade-schooler and don’t be surprised if you are not taken as seriously as your competitors who understand the importance of this underestimated topic.
4. Can’t have a Web site without a domain name that you own, that you ensure you keep and that you keep updated. Stop right now and review all your domain names to check they have your most current contact information and that they are set to auto-renew. Don’t rely on e-mails from your registrar to remind yo –, be proactive! This may seem trivial but I see clients lose domains or have them go off-line every week because they don’t pay attention to these details!
3. Ensure that getting in touch with you is easy — not a scavenger hunt. You must include in your navigation a Contact link/tab on every page so folks can contact you from anywhere in your site with just one click. On that page have your physcial address and utilize GoogleMaps if you need visitors to find you. Include your phone number, fax number and customer service e-mail address (coded in such a way to avoid spam harvesting) as well.
2. Update and engage, rinse and repeat. Post to your Blog at least several times each week. Post to your social media profiles on a regular basis with personal insights above and beyond your auto-posted Blog posts. Engage your target market by offering assistance and answering questions on the social media sites you frequent. Be there and be approachable. Online a hands-off approach results in most potential customers tuning you out.
1. The number one Web site resolution you can’t ignore is the fact that technology is rocking and rolling and you have to make an effort to keep up. If you are not learning; you are falling behind. Running a successful online business is all about being in the now; not the past. I know — it isn’t easy, but if you want your Web site to succeed you need to be on the edge and make an effort to be current with the latest trends and strategies. If you cannot do this yourself, choose partners you can trust to do so for you when needed.

About the Author:
Judith Kallos is a WordPress Consultant with 15 years on online business and marketing experience. She specializes in coaching business owners on how to leverage technology to their advantage.

Top 10 Online Business New Year’s Resolutions

At this time every year we review our lives and come up with resolutions to try and improve upon in the year ahead. Your Web site should not be excluded from this important effort considering online is more fluid and ever changing. Web site owners are safe to assume that there is no standing still or resting on your laurels when it comes to doing business online (That’s when your perceived competitors fly right by you!).

So I’ll note below the Top 10 issues, that in my experience, most Web site owners have resisted to acknowledge when it comes to their Web site program. I’ll also pepper each with links to other articles here on my site that cover each item in more detail for your convenience:

10. First I need to do a genuine self assessment to ensure I am up to the challenge that online success requires of all who do business online. The build it and come days, are years behind us. Online is now the playground of serious businessmen and women with the insatiable desire to succeed which means doing things right. Are you honestly up to this challenge?
9. I will review my e-mail and customer service practices to ensure all communications with customers are grammatically correct, professional in appearance and tone and include the information the customer desires. I will respond to e-mails as quickly as possible realizing the rabidly competitive environment online will settle for no less — only Extreme Customer Service will do! This includes using my site’s domain name for all business e-mail communications which lends to my credibility and my initial responses to inquiries being recognized instead of being misidentified as spam.
8. I will review my site at the beginning of the year, then minimally quarterly, to ensure information is current and updated at all times. This includes updating my “About” page to reflect now — not yesterday. I realize by not updating, my site is stale, offers no real value to my site visitors and hinders gaining any relevant rankings with search engines.
7. I will finally embrace the concept that to have a chance at any relevant organic (free) search engines rankings that I have to change how I view my site. Not as brochureware, but as a living, breathing interactive tool used to acquire, support and maintain customers and cater to their needs. If I don’t have a Blog to accomplish this task, I will set one up Q1 and commit to posting at least 3 times each week with new useful and relevant information my site visitors will appreciate.
6. Inline with #5 above, I will learn about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) basics and principles, so that I have a solid understanding in regard to how search engines actually work, how they rank sites, and what I need to consider when adding content to my site. Without a solid grasp of this information I am literally handicapped and working at a deficit. (Click here to view the numerous posts I’ve written on the topic of SEO so you are firmly planted in the reality of what you need to know.)
5. While content is King; promotion is Queen. After writing a new article I’ll then submit it to article repository Web sites so that it is available to be published on other sites and newsletters. I will keep a notebook with me at all times so that when I get an idea to Blog about, create a video or for an article or informative white paper, I’ll write it down and not forget to follow through. Unique helpful information is what makes Web sites popular and valuable which assists to increase ranking popularity.
4. I will sit down and create thorough and comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page for my site to include the questions I get asked most through my site and to provide the necessary information customers need to know to determine that they want to do business with me. If I already have a FAQ page, time for an update. No doubt I have been asked new questions that can be added to this Web site staple.
3. I will setup alerts through my favorite search engines to keep tabs of competitors, manage my company reputation and track my targeted keyword phrases. By tracking this criteria I am then aware of what is going on in my industry and what others are typing about. This is crucial for me to keep up or better yet — ahead of the competition. Alerts also give me the opportunity to network and comment on other Blogs that cover my area of expertise by informing me of current conversations and posts.
2. I will update my site’s visuals and functionality if my site is now more than 3 years old. Moving to WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS) will allow me to easily accomplish much of the above. I will then investigate all the social media networking opportunities and establish my site’s feeds wherever possible. Twitter, Linkedin, Technorati are just a few of the sites I need to setup profiles on and use on a regular basis to brand and market my business.

And the number one resolution that every site owner needs to embrace to succeed in the year ahead….

1. I will pledge to use interactive technology as it is now and whatever it evolves to be in the year ahead to its full potential for my business. From Blogging to Videos and everything in between, by not investigating how to best use these applications for my business is simply lost opportunity. I understand this will take some time and a bit of a learning curve to learn about using these resources effectively on a daily basis, but I’m a smartie and I know if it needs to be done for the health of my enterprise — I’m there!

Those site owners that embrace the interactivity options available to them will be found, will gain new customers and will maintain more business than those site owners who do not openly welcome these opportunities. If you do not embrace these 10 items in 2009, you can bet your competitors who do will reap the rewards.

With all the doom and gloom being fed to us in anticipation of the year ahead, I’m choosing to take a different stance and that’s why I’ve written this article for you. As one commentator I recently heard said, “Time to man up and make 2009 what you want it to be. Don’t be a passive observer but an active aggressive participant. Man up!”

And that’s exactly what I plan on doing here @ TheIStudio.com! Wishing you all the best in the year ahead!

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