SBB Small Spark Challenge 2010: Guest Blogging May Cost You Sales
Many blogs are not written just by the owner. There are others who come in as guests to give the readers a new face to watch now and again. But, be careful about how much guest blogging you do. It may be costing you more than you think.
Why do people use guest bloggers? For one, they are having a hard time keeping their blog up to date. A guest blogger fills in the gaps that are sometimes present. Your readers get fresh content and you get a break.
Also, guest bloggers can increase your reputation. If a popular blogger agrees to work with you, then you are moving up. Their readers will follow them to the ends of the earth and, in the beginning that may be your blog. No hard feelings though, because you are getting a chance to wow them with your website.
And that is the rub, guys and gals. The second point works in favor of the host blog not your blog necessarily. To be sure that they get what they want from you, the blog owner will give you a topic or a list of titles to write on. This is okay because they don’t want any surprises showing up on their blog on Monday morning.
But, blog owners aren’t going to ask someone who doesn’t know their way around words. Your writing skills are influencing their viewers. Too bad it isn’t an equal partnership.
What You Stand to Lose
Your words are filling in gaps but also driving traffic to their site. Sure, the readers may like your words but they will credit that to the host blog who gets the majority of the traffic. As a result of the increased traffic, their potential for more sales is increased. It would be surprising if a great guest blogger doesn’t increase their revenue.
If this is a new topic for you, your own blog might not be representative of it. This means that the only place that this type of terrific content is found is you guessed it, their website. Your website may not see that traffic even though you have put in the work.
And, you can’t profit as much as you’d like from the articles you post there. If they were featured on your blog, you could spin them and post on article sites and other sites you own. As it stands, you can link to them and send traffic to the other site.
Guest blogging has benefits but there is a downside. Consider that when you decide to accept or reject a request for your awesome writing services as a guest blogger.
SBB Small Spark Contest 2010: Maximize Your Time
Maximize Your Time with Guest Bloggers
When you operate a blog, with or without the online business to go with it, it takes up a lot of your time. Readers want fresh content on a regular basis. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with their voracious appetite unless you have help.
Blogging Help
Seek out writers for your blog. Think of it as another writing project. If you are familiar with ghostwriting services, you can hire writers to write posts for you that you can then publish yourself. With this type of help, you are asking a writer or writing service, to provide you with content for your website or blog. The credit goes to you for the work.
Finding a guest blogger is different from outsourcing blog content. With guest bloggers, they are getting a chance to write for your blog but with the posts being credited to them. You’ve got a few options about how you approach a guest blogging situation.
1. You can look for an ongoing contributor who blogs on a regular basis for your blog. Some contributors will blog for free as long as you’re giving them credit and helping them with their own blog or website promotions.
2. You can hire a writer to write for your blog (this will require payment, especially if you’re looking to claim the content as your own). For a certain fee, you can assign them topics and ask that they write one or two blog posts per week. Usually one is enough unless you are truly busy and need more to fill the space.
3. You can ask other experts in your field to post occasionally to help relieve some stress from having to post yourself all the time. Most of these guest bloggers will oblige and do not require any more than a link or two to their site or products in their posts.
Benefits of Guest Bloggers
Now, you can breathe a little easier. You want to keep your blog fresh and new but there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day at times. A guest blogger can take that pressure off of you so that you can devote your time to other needs:
• Marketing
• Networking
• Administrative Duties
As long as your readers stay happy, you can rotate a guest writer in and out to provide them with interesting content. Guests can also respond to reader comments and build a relationship of trust with your audience. If they have their own traffic from their sites, you have a chance to impress their readership when they come to read the posts. They can also browse your work and take an interest.
At the beginning, you may have to review posts and schedule their publication just until you feel comfortable with the writers and their styles. Once you see they do a good job, let them publish their posts immediately or schedule them without your help. This will go a long way in saving you time.
The first time that you don’t have to write several blog posts over the weekend or in your wee spare time, you won’t want to go back. How long a writer will blog for you depends on your needs, but the extra time may lead you to make it an ongoing thing.
Besides the fact that you are benefiting, so is the guest writer. They gain a reputable forum for their work, possible networking opportunities and greater visibility.
SBB Small Spark Challenge 2010: Guest Blogging Can Sap Your Energy if You’re Not Careful
Guest blogging means that you are writing blog posts for someone else. It may be that they asked you to do it and they are paying you. Or you are living out your dream of writing for a high-profile blogger who can get you noticed. Either way, blogging for others can become a drain on the creative juices.
There are advantages to writing blog posts for others:
• Exposure (the good kind)
• Name and brand recognition
• Business opportunity
• Chance to write on new topics
This is only a few of the reasons. But, when you decide to guest blog, be sure that there is time in your schedule to do it. As a business owner or the owner of a blog, you already have a long list of responsibilities.
If you are a parent with an online business, you are also juggling family life. Blogging can take a lot out of you. It is not easy to call up those creative urges on demand. With your own blog, you are familiar with the niche enough that you can write intelligently with minimal research if you needed to.
For guest blogging, you have to bring your “A” game. First of all, you are trying to make an impression on the owner. You do want to be invited back don’t you? Getting a sense of another’s “voice” does take practice. If they give you a list of the types of topics they would like you to talk about, you have to have time to do the preparation.
Keep Everything Balanced
While guest blogging is important for the four reasons listed at the beginning, so is your business. With so much time going into the posts for another, your own work can suffer if you’re not mindful. Your own readers and clients won’t let that slide and they shouldn’t have to either.
If you decide to endeavor into guest blogging, remember a few things:
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Keep your posts at a manageable number.
• Don’t commit to more than one blog at a time.
• Schedule time to write your posts and those for the guest blog (you may need to let your blog go for a couple of days in order to write enough posts to schedule for the weeks you will be blogging elsewhere.)
If you want to guest blog, go ahead. It’s a great way to stretch your writing muscles. But, while you are stretching, don’t overextend or your visitors may feel the pain.
SBB Small Spark Challenge 2010: Use Your Bio to Create Quality Backlinks when Guest Blogging
Search engines not only look at the keywords on your website and in your content but the types of links that are connecting you with others. Use your bio to help increase those quality links when you decide to guest blog for others.
Guest blogging gives you a chance to interact with other audiences. You have your own readership and they like your voice. But maybe others just haven’t found you because you are in a smaller niche market or you are more general and they are reading in a specific niche. Blogging for others can bring you both together.
When you blog for others, you will get a space for your bio. Now, they don’t want to draw traffic away from their website or blog so you may only be allowed to mention one website. Use that chance to the fullest.
Within that bio, what you say is just as important as the website link that you add. You have one chance to impress them enough to get them to click on the link and visit your website or blog. Mention facts about your business and yourself that will catch the reader’s attention.
What you are hoping to do is build backlinks. Backlinks are the inbound links coming into your website from other places. You don’t want just anyone linking back to you but someone who is interested in the same things.
Guest Blog for Whom?
Choose who you blog for very carefully. When you get the invitation or while looking for possible guest blogging spots don’t just do it for the money or because you are flattered to be asked. Check them out. If their website is reputable and based on a similar topic, you could have a winner.
Even money is not worth a bad association. Let’s say that you are asked to guest blog for a friend. They own a business in Internet marketing. Your blog talks about home-based Internet businesses. There is a commonality here that can work to your advantage.
When you include your website link in the bio, you know that those clicking on it are at least interested in Internet marketing. Some of them could be business owners, who visit your site and will trade links with you. Your readers who take advantage of the online business ideas will need the help of an Internet marketer to get their business growing.
Such quality backlinks help you in the networking arena and on the search engines. You are now being noticed by others who find your business worthy of their time and their name.
SBB Small Spark Contest 2010: The Naughty Blogging Guest
It is every blog owner’s nightmare that they will let the devil in the front door. Everyone who wants to blog for you is not right for your blog. But, when the naughty blogger comes to visit, you’ll have to smooth things over with your audience.
You are a blog owner who wants to find guest bloggers. It could be because you need more time to attend to the other areas of your business. Or, you are looking for ways to increase your traffic. A new voice on the blog can stimulate growth and give faithful readers new reasons to love you.
Even if you use certain measures to choose your bloggers, there are chances that a bad apple will slip through the cracks. Actually, they may have a popular blog or have come to you on the recommendation of someone else. What may spurn the naughty behavior is not the post itself but the comments that go along with it.
All guest bloggers have a chance to interact with the audience. When comments are made, they can respond back. Now, everyone is not going to like your guests, but what you are shooting for is an open mind.
Guests who post also have to watch their comments on the blog as well. These are your readers and new visitors who are posting comments. When the guest blogger gets out of line with their responses to irate comments or makes irate comments, there will be backlash – for you.
What to Do?
When readers are angry, they will let you know in no uncertain terms. If you have a suggestion area on your website or blog, they will use it. While you monitor your blog as much as you can, something may slip through.
1. When you notice the incident, make an immediate post. Let your readers know that you are handling the situation and are sorry for any comments that may have offended them.
2. Pull any scheduled posts by that blogger. You don’t want readers to feel you don’t care by letting this person continue to post.
3. Talk with the naughty guest blogger. Were they having a bad day? As a business person, you are held to different standards. They may be personally offended by something someone says in a comment but can’t let it get the better of them. The guest also can’t use their posts as an open forum for stating disagreeable positions that may offend that blog’s readership.
You can plan for most outcomes, but in the event that a guest blogger irritates your readers, damage control is important. Be proactive and go to your readers instead of waiting for them to come to you.
SBB Small Spark Contest 2010: Flex Your Writing Muscles through Guest Blogging
Writing is one of those activities that only get better with practice. Maybe you are a fair enough writer for your online content or blog, but you can always improve. Writing about a variety of topics for others gets those creative muscles working again.
Many writers have written on a number of topics and in a number of media before they decided on the one they liked. If your business is writing, then in the interest of expanding your skills, guest blogging is a great way to do that.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is when you write blog posts for others. It’s like being a guest on a late night talk show but with less name-calling and bad jokes. Blog owners won’t just choose anyone for their guest spots, so you must have done something right if they are asking you.
Now, it’s time for you to impress by writing what they need with your voice. If you are writing on a topic that you don’t have much experience with, you’ll need to start from scratch.
1. Do your homework. If you are running a general gardening website and another business owner asks you to blog for them on daffodils, you may have some work to do to become thoroughly familiar with that flower.
2. Follow any instructions to the letter. The blog owner may give you the blog post titles. Within their word count and the context of the title, deliver a product that will meet and, dare we say, exceed their expectations. If you have questions, ask them before you get started.
3. Read past blog posts for hints on style. Of course you are a fan of the blog for which you are writing. You like the posts, but now you will reread them to see how they layout their information and get to the point in such a short piece.
4. Write a rough draft. You probably stopped that a while ago for your own website. You are so acquainted with the material that you don’t have to. But, for someone else, write without editing and then go back and fix it until it is the way you want it to be.
If you are used to writing longer pieces of content or reports, a blog post is a nice change of pace. The tone is usually more conversational and fun but with an emphasis on the facts. It is a new style but one you may want to adopt to create your own blog for your business.
SBB Small Spark Contest 2010: Choose the Right Guest Blogger for Your Needs
You have worked hard to build your blog audience. It may be an extension of your online business. The blog is where customers and other visitors can pick your brain and find out about products and so forth. Maybe it’s time to branch out and ask others to post to give your readers some variety.
Variety is the spice of life they say. If you have gained a following on your blog, the readers more than likely love your voice. But, other bloggers can add another dimension to your site. Here is an example.
Let’s say that you have an online craft business. You have expertise in the field, but maybe you want to expand your knowledge base into other aspects of crafting. Having followed other blogs, you have found sites that specialize in things like doll making, miniature building and the like. Asking them to blog for you can be just what you need.
You can gain the knowledge you seek from your guest blogger. Come up with a list of possible post topics for them to write on. Each one can cover a topic you wish to learn more about. If you don’t know what topics to choose, take a poll on your blog to see what devoted readers want to learn more about themselves.
With ideas in hand, the next thing to do is choose a guest blogger. You can decide on more than one if you like. However, if this is your first time, I suggest inviting just one to see how they work out and how your audience reacts to their posts. Here are a few tips for you to proceed:
• Choose someone in a similar but non-competing position.
• Be sure they run an honest blog or business (not the antagonistic type, always causing controversy).
• Check to see if the potential guest has positive feedback from their own readers.
• Find someone whose style you are familiar with and like.
• If you’re giving them topics, they should agree to write about (and have some knowledge on) the topics you choose.
You don’t want any surprises here. Anyone blogging for you is attached to your reputation. They may be well-known in some circles, but not necessarily to your readership. By letting them post, you are telling your fans that they are okay. Remember your readers already trust you, don’t give them a reason to stop now.
Some people don’t think about that crucial point. Let’s say that your writer wants to write on their choice of topics. Something they say elicits negative comments from your readers. As a result, your readers may become leery of your judgment and leave the blog.
It won’t happen all at once like that, but it can happen. One way to head off such a potential problem is to let your guest writers upload their posts to have them published pending your administrative review. Don’t just give them free reign to go in and publish their posts immediately. Take the time to read over what they have written before you put it out there for the world to see.
Having others guest blog for you is a great way to give readers a treat. Just be sure the writers you choose are worthy of your audience.
