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Posted on Mon, 02/6/2012 - 04:30 PM by
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What makes YOU stop, read and respond to blog articles? Do you notice a pattern with articles that get re-posted and commented on the most? I do. I started this conversation here in, The Emergence and Power of Blogs, Blogging and Bloggers and wanted to continue it.
Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2011 report came out at the end of last year highlighting the who, what and how of blogs, blogging and bloggers. The growth of blogging the past year is significant. As the content space becomes more and more crowded, getting noticed, read and responded to will also become more challenging. So who is blogging? Take a look:
Effective blog and article writing is indeed a craft and it does take practice. You don’t necessarily need to be a professional writer to write effective, articles that garner attention and action, but you do need to include and follow some key elements. Articles that get my attention aren’t lengthy, get to the point and are relevant to what I might need, be interested in, or simply want more information about at that very moment. Here are 5 elements that can increase your blog opens and response: It starts with a strong headline or title: Any professional speaker will tell you it’s not always what you say but how you say it or frame it. The rule of thumb for blog titles is a 9 word title that is descriptive, specific and useful. It continues with providing a clear focused topic and a few specific solutions: The most opened, emailed and commented on articles offer up a number of specific how to’s, tips, lists, ways, reasons, secrets, benefits that people can digest easily, follow and use. For personal and small business blogs, a 300-500 word blog post is good, unless you determine it needs to be longer. Follow the content story line through, then wrap it with an open ended question to invite reader interactivity: Try to have a clear path for what you want to say and how you develop and roll out the article ideas and information. You can begin with a question or statistic and support that with examples and references along with your take on the topic. You can see examples of this here on Small Business Trends and on American Express Open, The Wall Street Journal and other key news and business blogs. Your branding and credibility definitely play into engagement: The professionals that are consistent with branding their brands in person, on social media, video, email marketing, authoring books do get more engagement, but anyone can build and grow their credibility. It takes a consistent plan of delivering relevant, solid content that helps people, offers solutions and different ways of looking at things. Be the solution and you will be seen as the solution. Acknowledge your responders and commit to reciprocal commenting: When people take the time to read and respond to your articles, make the time to respond to them in a very simple but personal way. A thoughtful, simple reply to their comment goes a long way and shows that you actually read it. Make sure you are set up with a responder platform that is built into most key blog formats. “Give people reasons to want to stop, read and respond to you and your articles and they will. Get to the point, be authentic, and bring value to their day.” Really want to be brave? Include a short video so they can see you in person. One more really important element: make sure you edit your articles for spelling and grammar before they go live, or hire a professional writer or editor to do it for you. What are some of the things that make you stop, read and respond to a blog article? Blog Photo via Shutterstock MORE NEWS FROM SMALL BUSINESS TRENDSNominations Are Open for the Small Business Influencer Awards!Does a special person or company come to mind when you think of someone or something important in the world of small business? Perhaps you think of a client of yours. Or maybe a favorite vendor or supplier, or a software app that has transformed your small business or made it more profitable. Or perhaps you think of a favorite journalist who covers issues important to small businesses. G8 Leaders Call for Growth: Six Things You Can DoLeaders the world over including those at this week’s G8 Summit are calling for economic growth, not just budget tightening, in an effort to combat world market instability and speed recovery. But for all the talk in policy circles, this growth will ultimately come from the private sector and especially here in the U.S., from small to medium sized businesses that create many of the jobs and employ many of the workers already in our economy. Here’s a look at the economic growth G8 leaders are calling for and six things you can do to promote growth in your business today. Can a Gas Tax Fuel Clean Energy Innovation?With gas prices already reaching nearing $4 per gallon in many places, most business owners don’t relish the idea of them rising even further. Yet, some people are still calling for the government to deliberately increase them – by raising the gas tax. What Job Are You Helping Your Customers Do?Marketing is often described in terms of a product life cycle. The development, the launch, continued support, and finally, discontinuation all have specific marketing efforts associated with them. From social contests to reduced prices and giveaways, the emphasis is nearly always on the product or service provided. However, this does not take into account the way that customers actually search for and find products. Small Business Loans and Small Loans to BusinessA few weeks ago, I wrote about the decline in “small loans to business” during the Great Recession and economic recovery that followed. Now I am back to tell you that data on “small business loans” paints an even worse picture of the small business credit markets. RELATED SMALL BUSINESS NEWSHow Ads on Your Site Can Affect SEO (Video)Your search rankings could be suffering if there are a number of advertisements above the content on your website. ... SBA Seeks to Boost Small-Dollar Loans With New Push (Video)The SBA is looking to increase the number of smaller loans in underserved communities with a new push. ... You’re the Boss Blog: A Start-Up Wants to Help You Cut Through the Clutter and Noise OnlineOne concern: the pitch could have done a better job of discussing the potential for competition. ... First State Bank Of Nebraska Recognized As Community Lender For 2012The First State Bank of Nebraska has been recognized as the Rural/Community Lender of the year 2012. SBA has recognized the bank for its efforts in Nebraska. State Bank Nebraska has served the community in a number of ways. Want the Right Stuff? Start With Your Help-Wanted AdA top-performing team starts with writing a thorough and accurate job description. Consider these five tips. ... |
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