Archive for the ‘Blogs & Blogging’ Category

SBB Small Spark Contest 2010: Networking

By Vera Raposo On March 8, 2010 No Comments

Networking Opportunities Made Possible by Guest Blogging

Just like in the offline world, sometimes it is “who you know” that counts. In online business, there are many ways to network with other business owners. One way is through guest blogging.

You are building your business and making your mark in cyberspace. As a complement to your business, you start a blog. It is a place where readers and customers can interact with you, find out about new product offerings and get business information.

Networking is important for business owners. You can find new partners for business ventures, resources for upcoming product launches and ways to increase your visibility. Those who you give a chance to may turn around and offer you a helping hand one day.

There are two facets to networking through guest blogging:

• You as guest blogger
• Guest bloggers on your blog

You as Guest Blogger

Through your work, you make contact with suppliers, clients and other business people. Everyone that they know is a potential new contact for you. One of your clients or those in your business circle may ask you to guest blog for them. If you know the person and their reputation, this may be a no-brainer.

With their influence, you are opening yourself up to a new audience of business owners and other readers who can be of use to you. Always bring your best work to a guest spot just as you would on your own site. You want to be remembered (in a good way).

• Interact with your audience. Ask questions in your posts that they can respond to via comments. Answer comments with advice and a friendly voice.
• Add a website or blog link to our bio box so interested readers can find you.
• Post links to the guest blog posts on your website to interest your readership. This builds trust and expert status.

Guest Bloggers on Your Blog

Finding the right guest blogger is not easy. Getting the cream of the crop is even harder, especially if you are not well-known. Even so, only extend the invitation to those that you trust and have read their work.

• Ask friends who have blogs or online businesses and clients with expertise to blog for you. They can give your readers a new insight into what you do. Besides, you are also bringing their readers to your place for a look see.
• Set down ground rules: No foul language in posts or comments. Stick to the topic assigned. All work is to be reviewed before publishing. A bad incident could get you labeled and cause the larger, more influential bloggers to shy away from you.

Networking is needed to get your name on everyone’s screen. Use both sides of guest blogging to make your own networking opportunities with those who can benefit from a reciprocal relationship.


How to Customize your PLR Articles the Right Way

By Nicole On November 14, 2009 12 Comments

Hey there, we’re interrupting our regular scheduled programming (Brand Booster 21) for this important questions and answers about private label rights, or should I say PLR.

Nicole Dean is a super friend of mine and when she offered to write a free article for my blog outlining some questions from me I couldn’t refuse. why?

Mostly because it’s original content that I don’t have to create and it’s an opportunity to share a resource that I even use myself. :-)

So with that, here’s Nicole…

nicoledeanHi and thanks to Vera for inviting me to be a contributing author here at Small Business Branding. She’s asked me to talk about Private Label Rights Content and how to use it the right way to grow your online business.

First of all, I’d like to give a bit of background as to why anyone should care what I have to say.

I’ve been providing PLR content to Internet Marketers since 2006 and run one of the most respected PLR sites online. All of the PLR articles and reports are written by my staff, as opposed to some other PLR sellers who simply resell PLR that they’ve purchased with unlimited rights. We create all of the content for our customers. It’s all 100% ours and we limit the content so that we sell limited quantities of each pack. I’ve also been a featured expert on several highly reputable blogs from Lynn Terry’s Clicknewz.com to JimmyBrown.com and now yours. Thank you for the honor of being here today.

If you’re new to PLR articles and What you Can do with PLR articles, here’s another post to learn more:
How Should I Use PLR Articles?

Website ContentI asked Vera to put together some questions that she thought her readers might be asking. Here are those questions and my answers.

Why should you customize your PLR? What’s the benefit?

I always highly encourage our customers to customize the PLR that they purchase. If you’re referring to articles that you plan to post on your website or blog, then the biggest reasons, in my opinion, to do so are:

1. SEO.
While it is not a requirement to edit the PLR articles that you purchase, smart marketers do so. At the very least, I would encourage you to change the title of the article to reflect the keywords that you’re aiming for, and to make the page a touch different than others who purchased the same article. I’ll get into that a bit more in the next question.

2. Branding.
I would also consider branding your business as another reason to alter the articles. Including positive customer quotes and examples specific to your company will certainly benefit your customers’ image of your brand.

3. Niching them Down.
Always niche down the articles, whenever possible. If you’re into the Fitness for Pet Owners market – if there is such a thing, then tweak your PLR articles to include mention of Fido wherever possible. Or, if you’re in the Beagle niche and you purchase a set of puppy PLR articles, then edit them to be specifically about the Beagle breed, including photos, of course.

4. Adding More Value for your Readers.
You’re the expert, right? You know your market inside and out, hopefully. So, adding your own insights and opinions to the articles will make them better than when the articles leave my PLR store. I believe that getting these quality articles into the hands of experts, like yourself, who can then add their own knowledge, should make the web a better place.

What is the best way to customize PLR for your own use?

Rather than saying to “edit” the content as many PLR site owners do, simply to mix up the words, but keeping the same overall value – I recommend that you add value to the PLR articles.

Honestly, I think so much time and energy is spent in rewriting PLR that it’s saddening. Instead, using the simple change in philosophy and saying “improve” the PLR and I feel we’d really be making the internet a better place for all. So, I recommend that you add some of the following:

  • Your own ideas.
  • Stories from your own life that relate to the topic.
  • Examples that add value. (See the beagle example above.)
  • Quotes – either your own, your customers, your employees, family, or even famous people.
  • The other side of the coin. Can you argue with what is presented in the PLR? Give alternate opinions.
  • Charts, Graphs, that show the theory in action.
  • Case Studies.
  • Interview Questions. Ask your readers for their opinion in a survey and add those blurbs to the content.

That’s just off the top of my head. Can you see how starting with great PLR articles can add value to your entire internet business?

Can you tell us step by step how to customize it?

Sure.

  1. Start with high-quality PLR articles. That helps. Of course, I’d recommend my site: Easy PLR, but you can certainly shop by searching Google, as well.
  2. Open the articles. Most people just leave them sitting on their hard drive.
  3. Copy & paste the articles into Blog Drafts, renaming each one as you go. This should take about 5 minutes. It will take a few more if you’re researching keywords at the same time.

At this point, you’ll be ahead of 99% of the other marketers who don’t make it this far.

Then, every time you log into your blog and think “What should I write about today?” Look through those drafts. Pick one and dive in.

The important things to note are:

  1. Start with great content. Without that, you’re going to struggle.
  2. Get it onto your blog. That’s huge. It’s much easier to start with a draft and get writing than it is a blank screen.
  3. When you tackle it, think about improving it, not rewriting it. Big difference.

What should you watch out for with PLR providers?

Ooh. That’s a loaded question. As you can probably tell, I’m pretty opinionated on the topic. So many people look at selling PLR as a quick way to make some cash and run. So, they sell crap articles, or content that they don’t have the rights to, or recycle PLR that’s already been around the net several hundred times. Most of it, I wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole.

So, that being said, I would definitely look at the following:

1. Reputation of the company.
Have they been around for a while and do they have a good reputation? Is it a fly-by-night, no-name website or is there a person who stands behind it?

2. The number of others who will have rights to the same content.
Some PLR sites sell their articles to upwards of 1000 people. That’s a lot of people who have access to use the same articles as you do. I would certainly pay less for that than I would a site that limits their sales per package.

Of course, my site, EasyPLR meets both those criteria. I would love to earn your business if you choose to try PLR articles in your online business. If you’d like to learn more about PLR, I offer a tutorial on my site that you can sign up to receive free.

Please post your comments and questions.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

My Internet Business Marketing Success Blog


One Word – Widgets

By Vera Raposo On September 21, 2009 12 Comments

You are now reading Small Business Branding on the brand new blog design.

I chose the Colormatic theme from Unique Blog Designs and went with one of their new themes.  First I must say this theme has been the easiest one I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I’m completely amazed at how easy was to get this theme loaded and going.  The main reason I chose to leave my CUSTOM theme and switch to this easier cheaper theme (it cost me about $70) in one word.. Widgets! And lots of them!

It is so easy for me to change the colors, move the widgets around and countless other things. I know playing with a blog design doesn’t pay the bills but I can tell you it’s made it tons easier for me to develop the site further and feel great about it.  Before the previous theme would go wonky on me and the sidebar would literally end up in the footer and all I was trying to do was add a simple code to the sidebar.

I installed it myself! Ok, so when you get your theme you have the license to install it on ANY site you choose and I chose to put it on my Scrapbooking Site first and it was super easy to customize.  I can’t sing it enough that I’m SO thrilled with this theme!

Now that you get the point…

This will now allow me to work on developing traffic, create a deeper relationship with my readers, and increase my income. Mostly because I’m flat out Happy! It was so darn discouraging previously and now I feel like nothing will stop me.

The biggest thing I learned about this process is that on a Custom design, you can’t use widgets. You either choose one or the other, maybe I’m mistaken but that’s what it looks like. Also, Angela was amazing at walking me through the process. To begin with the site needed an update to the newest version of WordPress, so I shot some cash over to my host (Reliable Webs) and that was done within a few hours.  Then Angela installed the site today and it all happened so quickly.  I know I’ll probably be tweaking the look of the design as we go along but at least now I can feel great about the site and bring the best information to you.

When it comes down to it, when you’re not happy with what you’re doing how could you possibly be as productive as when you are?

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Read Any Great Books Lately?

By Ed Roach On April 8, 2009 7 Comments

If you’re like me, I always have two or three books on the go. I’m always looking to improve myself. One business classic I’m reading is Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. Originally written in 1937, Carnegie’s book still resonates today. Human nature is timeless. You can see many modern self-help books echoed in this classic.

Zoom ahead to 2009 and two new books I’ve sunk my teeth into is “Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet” by Jay Conrad Levinson, Mitch Myerson, and Mary Eule Scarborough, and a terrific book on personal branding called “Me 2.0″ by Dan Schawbel.

First let’s take a look at the latter – Me 2.0. If you are fresh out of university or are soon to be, this book is for you. Schawbel nicely explains personal branding in all its depth and makes it relevant to the young professional. Following his proven processes and competent tips, you will have a keen advantage in your quest for a career, or to simply differentiate yourself in the job market. Of course, Me 2.0 is relevant to any age group, because the principles are timeless. If you are interested in personal branding, Me 2.0 is really the only book you’ll need to get started. My favorite line in the book is, “It’s not whom you know; it’s who knows you.” On-line this is key. Me 2.0 is jam-packed with tons of thought provoking techniques to make your personal brand shine.

The second book I highly recommend is Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet. Years ago I bought the original Guerrilla marketing books and LOVED them. Straight forward, down to earth, no BS tips on promoting yourself without breaking the bank. This new book successfully carries on the legacy. From the moment I started thumbing through its pages, I started smiling. If you want to market yourself online, this book will save you weeks of research. The unique experience of the authors, makes this book invaluable. They don’t speak above you or try to make eCommerce some new magic pill to riches. The authors are frank and inspirational. You will find yourself nodding as you read every page.

Understanding personal branding with Me 2.0 and marketing the result with Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet is a double-barreled strategy you should embrace.


Blog Challenge: 31 Days To A Better Blog by Darren Rowse

By Vera Raposo On March 30, 2009 7 Comments

I LOVE challenges, and if I don’t participate, I still love to see the results that people get from what they’ve accomplished.

But I have to say, this is one challenge that I will not miss! If you’re looking to improve your blog then this is the challenge for you.

From: Darren Rowse
Date: April 1st, 2009
Location: Sign Up Here (Already over 5600 people have joined to build a better blog)

Thanks Darren, I’m looking forward to it! :-)

31 Days to a Better Blog


Start A business For Beer Money!

By Ed Roach On January 30, 2009 3 Comments

Many of my peers in business are looking for ways to increase their opportunities and help others in the process. One of my fellow charter members of MOOB, (Mind Our Own Business), Marcia Hoeck has put together a telesummit featuring a dozen high profile speakers on being your own boss, throwing up that shingle and giving it a go. The fantastic thing is that they’re not charging a few thousand or even a few hundred dollars for this series of a dozen interviews. The fee is only 37 bucks USD ( a few cases of beer – at least here in Canada). They are also donating a portion to KIVA to help fund small business in developing countries.

Marcia herself has had year over year success for the last 25 years. She is engaging and a great friend. I’ve already signed up. I’ve been in business for at least as long as Marcia, and I learn new stuff all the time. The “Corporate Entrepreneurs Unplugged Teleseminar” – Check it out.

Once you’ve read the splash page, come back and tell me what you think? Marcia would love the feed-back.


The Many Applications of WordPress

By Lynette Chandler On January 8, 2009 13 Comments

The Many Applications Of WordPressIt is no secret that I like and regularly recommend WordPress to clients. Not because it is the popular software although that carries some weight. As a developer WordPress is easy to understand and easy to get your hands dirty with.

One of the biggest frustrations for any developer is having a client who uses proprietary or lesser known technology and the client expects you to ‘fix it’ to do what they want.

Problem is, because the technology is proprietary, or is lesser known, you are either limited to what you can do with it or there just isn’t enough documentation on it for you to take it further. Sure, the developer can spend time understanding it but guess who’s picking up the tab?

Another reason that closely hinges on the first – user community. A more popular software has a larger user base, more knowledgeable developers who work on it and understand it than a less popular software. So even though the technology is open source, you get to tap into a large knowledge base pool. Don’t believe me? Just ask a question about WordPress on Twitter. You’ll probably get tons of responses.

From of this large community, there naturally comes a large number of plugins. These plugins, along with some creative thinking and a skilled WordPress designer makes the system highly customizable, allowing you to literally mold it and power all kinds of web sites, not just blogs.

I was asked how many ways a small business can use WordPress. When I listed them out, I came up with close to 40 uses. There’s probably more. I’ve fleshed out the first 10 of them and packaged them as a downloadable PDF for you. You can download it here.


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