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

Writing on the Web Makes Top 42 List

Congratulations go out to my partner, Patsi Krakoff and her blog, Writing on the Web, from coming in at #25 on Junta42's list of the Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs.

Junta42 is a content marketing and custom publishing search engine community for marketing and association professionals.

What is content marketing? Check out Joe Pulizzi's excellent and detailed article with Junta42's definition of content marketing aka custom publishing, custom media, customer media, customer publishing, member media, private media, branded content, corporate media, corporate publishing, corporate journalism and branded media.

The list of blogs is impressive and well worth studying, reading, and then subscribing to the ones that resonate with you.  You can even vote for your favorite content marketing blog by clicking on the "Hitch" button on the left next to the blog.  Why don't you show Patsi some luv by "hitching" her blog!

Related Posts:
Writing Great Blog Content

How to Boost Your Business Blog

Free Teleclass: How You Can Prevent Business Blog Failure
Mike Jay interviews The Blog Squad
January 24, 2008 at 3 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. PT)
Dial-in: 218-486-1300 PIN 792414#
No registration required.

In this conversation Mike Jay, Founder of Leadership University, asks The Blog Squad to reveal why they claim blogs are the best darn business marketing tool on the planet. There's a lot to love about blogging: it's fun, inexpensive, and satisfying to see your thoughts and words published on the Web.

But if you aren't seeing tangible results for your business, you could be on the verge blog failure.

In this info-packed interview you will learn:

• Why every business needs a blog
• What every professional must do BEFORE starting a business blog
• 3 things to do if you're new to blogging
• 5 reasons a business blog fails
• 4 key elements essential to business blogging success

This is a preview call to their teleseminar program in February:

Better Business Blogging: Boost Your Blog for Better Results
Presented by The Blog Squad: Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman
Tuesdays: February 5, 12, 19, and 26
5 p.m. ET - 70 minutes
More info about this program to take your blog to new heights >>>

David Meerman Scott continued...

To follow up my last post about David Meerman Scott's use of video to promote himself as a speaker, I also recommend you listen to the interview we had with DMS on our Blogging and Beyond show last June: You Are What You Publish.

The reason: Scott's book The New Rules of Marketing and PR is widely touted as one of the best business books in 2007 and we discuss the topic in the interview. David Meerman Scott practices what he preaches about using the new social marketing tools to gain massive visibility on the web.  You see it in action with the video and his use of sites like Facebook and YouTube.

Maybe you wonder if you can do what he has done with this particular video. Yes you can! The tools available today are simple and inexpensive. All you need is a Flip Video and a friend to shoot the video while you speak about your expertise. If you have a tripod, you don't even need the friend! There is free video editing on your computer -- on a PC with Windows, it is Windows Movie Maker (under Accessories in your Program list), and iMovie on Macs.

Then set up an account on YouTube, upload your video and share it with your network. Post it on all your social networking sites as well. Trust me, you don't need much in the way of tech skills to do any of this. Go ahead and try it. Then post a link to your video in the comments so we can all check out what you're doing. 

Want to see The Blog Squad's videos? Check out some of our videos, both professional and, well, not so professional! :-)

David Meerman Scott Uses Video to Promote His Speaking Gigs

On Facebook today, I ran across an excellent example of using video to promote one's services without being overly promotional.  David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR, has posted a video, also on YouTube, that gives a great example of how he engages audiences, the topics he speaks about, and valuable content so you don't go away thinking you only saw a commercial.  Check it out...

Scott's goal is to provide education, entertainment and motivation. Watch the video and let know if you think he achieved that in this 3 minute spot.

The Trust Factor: 7 Ways to Build It

How do you build trust over the Internet with visitors to your sites? If you're selling anything over the Web, people don't usually have personal contact with you, so your written words have to create confidence with potential buyers.

This is one of the reasons we advocate blogging for your business. When you are writing frequently, people get to know you on a level that is beyond your web page brochures and sales copy.

There are other things that go into creating an impression of reliability and trust with people. Here are a few things to consider:

1. You write in a clear and transparent way
2. You show you're fallible and make mistakes, and admit and correct them
3. You provide free reports, teleseminar access, and other info for free
4. You don't over-hype your products but deliver your sales copy with research, case studies and valid testimonials