Biz Tips Blog: Online Marketing, Visibility and Business Blogging Tips

Why you should be blogging

The Nielsen/Net Report on the Blogosphere

August 16, 2005

The top 50 blogging and blog-related sites grew 29.3 million unique visitors in July--a 31 percent increase from this January, according to the latest Nielsen/Net Ratings report, Understanding the Blogosphere released Monday

Why You Should Be Blogging

The size of the blogosphere has doubled every five months over the last year and a half, according to blog analysis firm Technorati

While blogs will never replace other forms of content on the Web, they do have a distinct role to play, according to Jon Gibs, senior research manager at Nielsen//NetRatings.

Fifty million Americans, or 30 percent of all American Internet users, visited a blog in the first quarter of 2005, according to a new report from Comscore, and sponsored in part by SixApart and Gawker Media. Traffic increased by 45 percent from the first quarter of 2004.

Blog readers are 11 percent more likely than the average Internet user to have incomes of or greater than $75,000. Similarly, blog readers are 11 percent more likely to visit the Web over broadband either at home or the office.

Blog readers tend to make more online purchases. In the first quarter of 2005, less than 40 percent of the total Internet population made online purchases. By contrast, 51 percent of blog readers shopped online. Blog readers also spent six percent more than the average Internet user.

Source: Sally Falkow and Adam Urbanski

Time for you to start a blog?  Learn the right, from the start: Boost Your Biz with Blogs

Online Blueprint for Success

I've been a subscriber and follower of Alexandria Brown, The Ezine Queen, for many years.  She's just released the home study version of her Online Success Blueprint.  Knowing how successful she is (Ali's been making six figures online with her business for the past few years), you may want to check it out.

Would You Like Alexandria Brown’s Blueprint Plan for Turning Your COACHING/CONSULTING Business Into an ONLINE Money Machine?

The Ezine Queen’s 2005 Online Success Blueprint Workshop SOLD OUT, but the Home Study Version is now available for a short time! You’ll learn how to use your website, email, and information products to give you more time, money, and freedom in your current business. Alexandria’s done it, and she’ll show you, step by step. But don’t take her word for it – see all the testimonials at her info page now.

Do you need some PR for your business?

Earlier this month I started a subscription with PRLeads.  The service has been referred to me by quite a few respected colleagues and since it never hurts to get media exposure, I decided to sign up and see what comes through.  Coincidentally, our Blog Squad client, Suzanne Falter-Barns, over at PainlessSelfPromotion.com also signed up at the same time and is blogging about her experience.

Back to PRLeads.  First, the owner, Dan Janal provides phenomenal customer service.  He personally helped me determine the appropriate categories from which to receive leads. Then, everyday he sends really good tips about how to respond to leads, etiquette with reporters, how to maximize your membership and more.  Plus, if you copy him on your first few responses, he will critique your email and give you constructive feedback about how to improve your emails.  If you follow his template, you'll do fine.

Copywriting 10-Point Checklist

As a solo professional you know you have to write copy from time to time...like all the time. Whether it's a sales letter for your product or service, an email to your clients, a newsletter, a blog post, a brochure, the list goes on -- you need to have basic writing skills.  It's just too expensive to hire a good copywriter every time you need something written about your business.  So what to do if you're not a good writer?

Today I read a great article on the MarketProfs site.  Jonathan Kranz, the author of Writing Copy for Dummies and the principal of Kranz Communications (www.kranzcom.com) has written an easy to understand checklist of points to remember when you're writing copy, whether it's a sales letter or a direct marketing piece.  The article is worth reviewing, maybe even printing out and referring to the next time you have to write some copy.

BusinessWeek: Best of the Web

BusinessWeek Online has a suite of articles about how the web is changing our lives and the world.  There's an article on social networks, and tagging. It's worth checking out to stay on top of what's going on out there on the world wide web.

Source: Steve Rubel