According to eMarketer and Hubspot.com, in 2012, there will be about 169.3 million online video viewers, and about 51.2 million Smartphone video viewers. Video is becoming a hot topic in the world of blogging, and it’s one that today’s bloggers need to pay attention to.

As readers become more and more overwhelmed with information, many will turn to the more passive option of viewing videos, rather than the more active, time-consuming option of reading blogs and online information. While you may not want to base your entire blog on video blog posts, you should definitely consider adding some of them to your blog.

It’s actually not that difficult to craft decent video blog posts using some basic technology and equipment. But most how-to’s out there are going to tell you what you should do, instead of what you should avoid! Knowing how to avoid major pitfalls, though, will make a big difference in your video blogging experience. With that said, here are three major things to avoid when it comes to video blog posts:

1. Avoid Unscripted Videos

If you know your topic really well, it can be tempting to start a video blog with little more than idea or topic in mind. Avoid this route, though!

The main reason to script your videos is that without a script, you’ll end up using conversation fillers as you catch up with your thoughts. While you might be able to get away with “um” and “like” in everyday conversation, this will not be the case when it comes to your video blog. Viewers will pick up on every instance of a conversational filler, and if you use too many of them, they’ll simply tune you out.

While you do want to script your videos, you don’t want to sound like you’re reading straight from the script. There are a couple of ways to avoid this. One is to simply practice your script several times before doing it on video. Another is to write detailed bullet points for your script and to “wing it” while you’re shooting the video. Either option can work, depending on your topic and personality. However, having some sort of script or plan for your video will ensure that you cover the necessary information without getting off topic, inserting filler words and sounds, or completely boring your viewers to death.

2. Avoid Totally Boring Visuals

If your blog is primarily informational in nature, you’ll probably end up with lots of “talking head” videos. However, it’s important to remember that the videos are meant to be a visual as well as an auditory way to get information across to your regular and new blog readers. There are lots of ways to spice up the visual aspect of your video blogs so that they are more interesting for viewers. Here’s an example:

Let’s say you’re blogging about financial topics and are creating a video blog to compare credit cards. You could just talk about the pros and cons of two different cards, which would be fine. One way to step up the visuals would be to stand in front of a large American Express vs. Visa sign, or whatever would be suitable for your blog.

An even better option would be to insert actual illustrations or actions into your video blog. You might make a whiteboard chart or drawing comparing the basics of each type of credit card as you’re making your video. You can also add in cartoon-style drawings in post-production if that suits you.

The point here is that you can use your video blog to just talk about different credit cards. Or you can create a totally engaging, eye-catching video blog that your readers and viewers will want to link to on Facebook and Twitter because it’s just so fun to watch!

3. Avoid Talking to Too Long

Unless you already have a big following who loves your video blogs and trusts you not to waste their time, your videos shouldn’t be longer than ninety seconds – and they should preferably be under a minute. Internet users are, again, bombarded with information every day, and they need bite-sized pieces of information rather than large chunks.

Here are a few ways to avoid letting your video go on for too long:

• Break down larger topics. Instead of a video comparing five different credit cards, make one video for each card, listing its pros and cons. Or make a series of how-to steps for your video, rather than a complete start-to-finish tutorial.
• Time yourself. Keep a watch or timer nearby as you’re shooting your video. If you reach and pass the ninety second mark, scrap it and start again, figuring out where you can be more concise this time.
• Have a script. This is another place where a script comes in handy. A script helps keep you from wasting time with fillers and off-topic conversation so you can use your ninety seconds to the fullest.
• Give the big picture. You can always use a video blog post to give the overview of your blog topic. Then, use words below the video on your blog layout to give more details about the topic at hand.

Creating a video blog post for your blog isn’t too difficult, but it does take practice. You’ll need to practice using your equipment, getting the lighting right, and even talking in front of a camera without seeming too stilted. But by avoiding these three pitfalls from the beginning, you’ll start out ahead of the crowd when it comes to video blog posts.

Ashyia Hill is a social media advocate at CreditDonkey.com, a website for entrepreneurs to compare business credit cards.  Creating a video log may seem easy, but prior preparation will make it a success!

Today’s “how to” is all about writing content for the web. Below I have several tips that will help keep your readers engaged in what you have to say:

General Tips for Writing on the Web:

• Short paragraphs are best. When people look at big blocks of text they get overwhelmed and don’t want to read it.
• Stay conversational! It’s great to write how you talk because people feel like they can connect with you, that you are authentic, and they will want to work with you as a result. Writing for the web is not about being a crazed perfectionist. The online world is a forgiving one so just write and get your message OUT!
• It’s good to break up text by use of attention-grabbing headlines and sub-headlines (an example: content formatting example)
• Always think about where you’re leading the reader – Just like in writing a book or story. You want to keep them engaged and clicking from page to page in your site OR lead them to contact you. I always suggest coming up with a list of “Calls to Action.” Pamla does this best by telling people all the things they can and should do with her (http://pamlawhorne.com/start/). I don’t suggest you do this as a page on your site so much as just make the list and when you write each page of content, make sure you add a call to action and lead people to sign-up for your mailing list, contact you, comment on your blog, order your product, connect with you on social media etc.
• Image use is great! … as long as it is NOT clip art, distracting or pointless. If it helps sell the point, then it’s great! Plus, with the huge buzz going on right now with Pinterest, it could lead to more website visitors!
• Testimonials are amazing and help people trust you. It’s wise to sprinkle these throughout the pages of your site, and also include them on one general testimonials page.
• In blogging, it’s great to also lead people to other content within your content. This is less subtle than a call to action. So for example, notice how even in this blog post I am linking to other articles I’ve written to help educate you on a variety of topics. This is key to showing you that I know a lot about how to build and market your business online. If you feel this content is valuable then you’ll want to stick around by signing up for my emailing list or sharing this content on your social networking sites so you are looked at as more of an authority. See how it all works?
• Write from your heart with the priority and intention to add value to people’s lives. This is KEY and what writing content is all about. I am writing this blog post because I genuinely want you to feel more comfortable about writing. Writing is key to getting your message out through your website, blog and social networks. The more that you write, the more that people will hear about you and the longer-lasting your message will be. Don’t stop writing.

So tell me, what was the tip that struck you the most? What content tips to you have that I didn’t mention? I’d love to hear your thoughts (or get your help sharing this article if you thought it was helpful) through the Facebook comments box below.

However, your email list is STILL your #1 online asset! You can market to those people again and again, they will stay loyal to you (assuming you have good email practices) and they will buy from you down the road. The key is to offer a free incentive that showcases your expertise and value, that people WANT.

Do NOT make a free report in an hour or two and throw it up there as a Microsoft Word doc that is not formatted, and then expect that to boost your credibility and sales. Yuk! This is a critical part of the public’s first impression of you. You want to spend the time to come up with a great idea, produce it the best you can, get it professionally formatted and designed – in short, spend the time to do it RIGHT.

Below I have a lot of really great keys to a successful free introductory product incentive that you can offer on your website in exchange for people to signup for your mailing list. Note to Self: You may way to print this puppy out. 

Do the brainstorming work:

• What are the top 3 problems your audience faces? (depression, weight gain, bankruptcy, etc.) In a free gift, people want an answer to their biggest problem in a formula or process that they can start today. Examples can be, “3 Steps to Triple Your Energy Levels,” or “5 Ways to Dump Depression and Gain Gusto,” etc.
• People will want to instantly download your free gift (not have it sent to them a week later) so I suggest the format you consider to be video, text (like an eBook) or audio. There are reasons behind which format to choose and why. To give you a taste:
• Video is great for giving off energy that transfers to the listener. It creates a longer lasting impact, can go viral, plus they can watch it again and again. Video is ideal for emotional topics. If you are a personal or life coach for example, this is for sure the format to select.
• Text is great for writing out a technical process so someone can pint out the document, paste on their mirror, or just review easily. It’s probably the easiest format to share. You MUST get your eBook or workbook professionally formatted and designed to make a visual impact which is necessary for getting readers engaged and excited to share with others. (If your topic is not technical or in a process, I do not suggest creating an eBook – I would suggest you to create video, period.) For example, my free product incentive right now is a 23-page eBook titled, “Share My Message! 7 Key Steps to Social Media Integration.” I show lots of examples of how to brand your social networks and I explain how to do it ALL! So I for sure had to choose an eBook format so my readers could print it out, refer back to it again and again, etc.
• Audio is “ok,” but video is for sure a preferred format by the majority. Audio is good for meditations and technical personal development/motivational/how-to content. Audio can be uploaded to an iPod so people can listen in the car, while working out or taking a bath, etc.

More Key Tips:

• By now we’ve identified the top 3 problems our audience face and we’ve selected a format for the product.  Next I would start working on an outline of what you’re going to discuss. Another KEY to this process is that people will want to download something they can start TODAY. No one wants to go to a website in search of a problem they are facing, get all jazzed about a free product, sign-up and realize that the author is telling them how to ‘repair their credit in 6 months.’ That subscriber needs a solution NOW. So let’s give it to them. If it’s a topic that gets them on the road to success TODAY then people will signup for it.
• The higher the monetary value of the bonus, the more people will want it. So if you have an eBook and a video as a package deal, more web visitors will download it. If you give away an event ticket or teleseminar call series – since a higher value – more will download (Note: These two ideas are more if you have an opportunity to give a bonus away during a book launch or product launch).
• As you create your product, always be thinking, “How can I make this so good that it goes viral?” I want people to share my eBook with as many people as possible! I don’t even care if they signup for it! If I produce a high-quality product that is of great value to others, I know they’ll come back to me anyway. They will come and check out my website, signup for my mailing list to get more great training, hire me for website development or social media branding, etc. I’d love nothing more than people to think my product is so good they send an email out to 100 people saying “Here, thought this could be a useful resource for you.” Goosebumps! Since we’re on the topic, a great read is, “6 Ways to Make Your Video Go Viral.”
• Always, always, always, always, always, always(!) end with a “call to action” by suggesting to the reader or viewer what to do next. Offer a discount on becoming a member, invite them to join a free teleseminar call, ask them to follow you on social networks, etc. Tell people what you want them to do with this material or next in general.

So what do you think, some good tips in here? Did it get you to evaluate your online marketing efforts and make a decision to step up your game? I bet it did and that rocks!

If you thought this article was helpful, I would love to hear your feedback and help me share it on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. If you are interested in writing for InsightfulDevelopment.com, click here to learn about out Guest Writing program.

In my last post, I discussed getting your blog up and running. Why are you blogging? What is it about? How do you get started? Hopefully you’ve now had a chance to move forward in your own blog creation. Let’s assume you now at least have your blog generated, your categories set up, the theme customized, and (maybe) you’ve posted one or two times. What’s next?

Be Consistent.

When you’re first beginning, it might seem overwhelming to imagine yourself writing a new post every day – so don’t. Start small and manageable, like once a week; just be consistent in how often you post. Don’t worry if your posts aren’t the Holy Grail of the blogging world. As long as you are true to why you started your blog in the first place, and keep your posts authentic, then you have little to worry about.

The best piece of advice I ever got was to be consistent.

Once you get into a rhythm and feel more comfortable with the whole posting process, you can start to increase the frequency of your blog posts. Now, I have to admit, there are times when I barely get one post done a week. I don’t beat myself up about it. I acknowledge what’s happening in my life at the time, and then I write about it (remember, my blog is about sharing my experiences and having a personal, creative outlet). However, to create the most value in your blog, keeping a consistent posting schedule is important.

There’s more to consistency than just frequency.

It’s great to have a regular schedule of blog posts, but if they aren’t consistent with your topic, then it becomes confusing to both you and your readers. “It is important to remember that your blog should only have one topic.” If your blog is about your video production business, don’t slip a post in there about your recent family vacation to Italy, unless, of course, you filmed the whole trip and are offering tips for other travelers wanting to do the same.

Keep your articles relevant to what your blog is about.

The last part of being consistent has to do with tags and keywords. Huh? Yes. When I first started blogging, I considered myself a fairly computer-literate person, but there were certain terms (like tags and keywords) that I didn’t have much experience with. I had heard them being tossed around and talked about, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to effectively use them.

The easiest way for me to explain them, is to consider them a lot like your categories, which help you “file” your post in the right location. Your tags and keywords help you, your readers, and search engines find those specific articles within your filing system. The trick about tags and keywords, much like categories, is not to go overboard.

You can, and should, have multiple tags for each post (unlike categories), but be consistent in the words you choose to highlight as keywords.

There is often the temptation to add a tag for every possible description of the same word. For example: Mommy, Mother, Mom all mean the same thing. Pick one and stick with it.

Comment on and follow other blogs.

I remember how excited I was when I got my first notification that someone liked and left a comment on one of my blog posts. It was the highlight of my day, my week! Imagine giving someone else that feeling. It might not be their first ever comment, but everyone loves feedback. Not that it should matter, but knowing that someone is reading your blog (and paying attention to it) offers validation for having it.

In today’s world it’s all about creating relationships.

Choose wisely the blogs you decide to follow. It’s fine to read about varying topics, but don’t just follow all the blogs you happen to browse upon in a day. When you are thoughtful about the blogs you patronize, those blogs will start to notice you and hopefully return the engagement.

Link to your social media sites.

If you are a beginner in the online world, then this might seem like another overwhelming task. What if I don’t have any social media sites? What if I’m only on Facebook and not Twitter, Linked-In, YouTube or the oodles of other available sites? Don’t worry! It takes time to build your online network. Take it slow, one step at a time. Do what’s comfortable for you, at your own pace.

Once you have your social media accounts set up, link your blog to them. This usually is a simple action, as most social media sites now expect you to link between them and are very accommodating.

Why is this important? It creates efficiency.

If you could automatically update several sites at once, each time you made a new blog post, why wouldn’t you? The more you are visible in the online world, the more people will find you and get to hear your message.

Create an ‘About Me’ page.

If you haven’t already done this, do it now! You’re to the point now where people are starting to find you, whether they stumble upon you browsing the web, or whether you have directly given them the link to your blog. Once they’re there, people want to know who you are.

By creating an ‘About Me’ page, you are letting people know you’re real.

Important tip: be concise in the information you share.

It doesn’t have to be elaborate, with your complete biography and business history. In fact, by keeping it short and sweet, it is more likely to get read in its entirety, rather than passed over to the next page, or worse yet, the next blog.

Don’t get discouraged.

You’ve been blogging consistently for several months. You’re sticking to your topic, categories, tags and keywords. So where are all the people? How come no one is following you?

Be patient. It takes time to build presence.

Noah’s Ark wasn’t built in a day, and it’s unrealistic to expect that your blog will become famous overnight. Keep writing, and your followers will come.

Be Authentic.

If there’s one piece of advice that applies to everyone, in every situation, it’s to be authentic. Often easier said than done, I know, but so important!

No one wants to read something that isn’t genuine.

When people take the time to read your posts, whether it’s a story, a product review, or a welcome to your newest employee or business partner, offer them a reason to come back. By writing what you’re passionate about (which is hopefully also what your blog is about), and by coming from your heart, it’s hard to go wrong. It might be scary at first to open yourself up, but trust me, it’s worth it.

When all else fails, or when you find yourself off track, remember why you started your blog in the first place.

Reflect on the beginning; take yourself back to the dreams you had and the vision you saw.

I have a saying, which sometimes I find myself using all too often: “Life happens.” When life happens to you, embrace it. Keep in mind, it’s just a blog, have fun with it.

I sincerely hope you find success with your blogging and I can’t wait to find you!

Connect with Pamela on on Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In.

Pamela Zimmer quit her career for Motherhood. Being an Architect, and an entrepreneur at heart, Pamela struggled with her decision to have her own Architecture firm. She knew she always wanted to be a stay-at-home Mom, but also knew she wanted to have a successful career. After 13+ years of working in Architecture, 7 of which she ran her own successful business, Pamela finally chose to listen to her heart and realized that being a stay-at-home Mom was her true passion and life purpose. She is now a #1 best-selling author in the book ‘Get Your Woman On!’ and strives to support and inspire other women who are ready to make their life transformation. Pamela is working on her own book, as well as starting a business as a peer-to-peer counselor for Postpartum Depression. Her blog, Stories of a Mom, is where Pamela shares her experiences, from one Mother to another.

• Do you feel clueless about social media? Questions come up such as, “What do I say on Facebook?”, “Is this really as important as people say?”, “Which social networks are the best to be on and why?”
• Are you curious how to maximize social media interaction on your website so more web visitors share and like your content?
• Have you considered the powers of branding your social networks to drive all that traffic back to your website?

Don’t worry, most online business owners share this frustration and confusion. Today my goal is to help you build a sturdy bridge so a steady stream of people flows between your website and social media touch-points. The goal is to maximize ease for people to join your social networks from your website AND to find your website while visiting your social networks.

HOT OFF THE PRESS, I’d like to invite you to download my new eBook, “Share My Message! 7 Key Steps to Social Media Integration”
FOR FREE!

This 23-page eBook has two parts. The first talks all about what you need to do on your website to get more likes and shares for your content. Learn the resources and tools I use in my business! Also how to gain a much bigger following on your social networks – all without visitors leaving your website.

The second part of “Share My Message!” is all about social media branding. Learn how to brand your Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts so you drive ALL that social networking traffic back to your website (where you can next get them to opt-in to your mailing list and buy products or services from you).

What People Are Saying:

Thank you SO MUCH for all your AMAZING, HELPFUL INFORMATION! I am a new website owner and I am LOST when it comes to the social media angle–even with a personal coach. There is such a MASSIVE amount of information, decisions to make, TIME involved–at least 300 hours so far for me!  I will DEFINITELY be checking with you for more ideas on how you may be able to assist me! Thank you, again, for all the free information you have already provided to me!
Lisa

Amber– I had a chance to read your ebook. It’s fabulous…really. I read it from my perspective which is someone who really wants to learn the best ways to maximize my online presence using my website and other social media tools. This book is chock full of juicy nuggets that are immediately useable for integrating social media, and you explain it so well (a talent for this topic). Really liked the look and feel of the book…worked really well with the subject matter.
Great job for someone who continues to be blazing along and making a difference for people.
Take care,
Terry

Register in the right sidebar!

To download your copy today,please fill out the short form in the right sidebar, blue box. This registration will also allow you to join my emailing list – but don’t worry, you can unsubscribe at any time.

After registering, you will immediately get an email with a link to download “Share My Message!”

You’ll want to take action now so you don’t feel continue to feel behind. It’s time to take action in your business and make success happen.

This isn’t one of those resources that you should read when you get around to it. A lot of very valuable information has been shared and it is truly my pleasure.

I would love to hear your feedback on this eGuide by filling out the Facebook comment box below. Also, please feel open to share this guide with anyone whom you think can benefit.

Thank you for your support and interest!

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a social network that allows you to “pin” cool images to a virtual corkboard-type setup on your wall. The home page acts as a giant feed of images that are being posted on Pinterest to show you the latest activity. They have developed a browser add-on button that allows you to be on any website (except Facebook, I’ve discovered so far) and be able to click the “pin it” button to add images to your Pinterest profile page without having to be on that site.

My opinion?

At first I thought, oh man, another social network. But as a focused online business owner, I wanted to give it a chance and dive right in. Hey, if it can help me spread my message to the world faster, why not? So I registered for an account (caution: they’re on a bit of a wait list but get on it anyway). I am only getting started but I *already* see the potential for business owners.

I have created a few “boards” already: Pure Inspiration, Bucket List, How To Help for Online Biz Owners, Books Worth Reading, Products I Love. I only have a few images as you’ll see but I have many more I need to pin up.

I think this social network is going to be addicting, powerful in terms of expanding your reach and influence online, and has the potential to do wonders for online entrepreneurs.

The strategy?

First of all, I can already see the online world turning MUCH more “visual”. All over Facebook I’m seeing graphics with quotes, text, etc. and they are getting the most Likes and Shares. So Pinterest IS a network to get on.

I plan to start designing a series of images and posting them on my site and for blog posts. You want to create images that are cool so people want to pin them to their boards. The more images you create that get pinned, the more exposure you will get and that web traffic will come back to your site. Then it’s up to you to have a great website that will capture leads and make sales.

When you pin your own web pages to your Pinterest account, here’s what I suggest: Add a cool image to the pages you want to expose on your Pinterest account (that is how you pin the page to your account – through the image). It needs to be a cool image to generate interest and get people to then pin it on their account or comment on your image.

As you “pin” the image to your board you are allowed to add a description AND links. Check out this example to see one Facebook Profile Banner Image I added. Check out the description and see how I added a link at the bottom of the post to drive that traffic back to my site on a particular page.

The KEY is to add as many neat and interesting images as you can find. I want someone clicking around on my Pinterest boards as long as possible. I want them to follow me, share my images and come back for more.

So yes, I’m at the beginning stages but this is a great site with loads of potential. It’s time to get busy!

What Cool Images Am I Planning to Add?

Pin It

Pin It

Pin It

Pin It

Pin It

Pin It

Shoot me a comment below and let me know your Pinterest profile URL so we can connect! Also, if you thought this blog post was helpful, please help me share it on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Thank you in advance!

Wanna hear my two cents? Below you’ll find a 20-minute audio where I was interviewed by Pam Zimmer. Feel free to download, SHARE, or listen straight from this post.

What questions did I answer?

• Why would someone want to sign up as an affiliate and what are the benefits?
• What is a “mask URL” and when/why would you want to use one?
• How can you leverage being an affiliate to market and grow your business?
• If someone is new to social media and wanted to create the most opportunity for a book release, what are the top things they should do?
• What other tips can I offer to have more success with affiliate marketing and social media?

Click to Download

I’d love to hear your comments and takeaways. Please ask a question or send a comment through Facebook comments below, and/or share this article with others to spread awareness and help educate.

Thank you!

The best way to reach a large number of people and get your message across on the internet today is through video but not just any video. It must be a video that captures and keeps your audienceʼs attention.

Video is considered by Google as a higher form of engagement than a simple blog or article and ranks higher in the ratings. Therefore you have a better shot at reaching more people if you do a video rather than a simple article. And the more people that watch your video, the higher you will rank on Google and the more likelihood people who are searching in your niche market will see a link to your video and watch it.

'Evolution of Dance' Example Viral Video

6 Key Elements of a Viral Video

So how do you make your video go viral so you rank as high as possible on Google?

1. Keep your video short and to the point.
2. Keep it simple and entertaining.
3. State the problem in your niche market you are going to help them solve right up front in the beginning of the video.
4. Give them useful information so that you move them from a place of no or little knowledge to a place of educated knowledge that puts them ahead in their industry.
5. Choose a title with key words – ones that captures your niche marketʼs attention and offers a solution to their problem.
6. Create a coordinated attack with link bait so that you rank on the first page of Google within 24 hours of posting your video.

Youʼre probably wondering what a coordinated attack is. Itʼs when you post your video on as many social networking sites as possible and get large numbers of people to link back to your video and share it all on the same day. The way to do that is to create link bait, something that causes people to click on your link to watch and share your video.

7 Steps to Create a Coordinated Attack

1. Post your Video on YouTube and other social networking videos sites such as Vimeo.
2. Post it on Blog sites, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networking sites.
3. Put a Call to Action in it asking people if they liked the video or found it useful to please share it with others.
4. Email it to your mailing list and ask them to share it with others.
5. Do online press releases with a link to your video.
6. Contact as many people as possible, especially people who have large email mailing lists and social networking audiences to post, email and blog about your video as well.
7. Offer link bait, such as an ethical bribe offering more knowledge, a free gift, or a chance to win a contest in order to get them to link back to your website and share your video.

When Google sees a large number of people linking to a video within a 24 hour period, it views that as a high form of engagement and moves the video quickly up in rankings.

Did you find this post helpful? Lend us a hand in getting the
word out by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
Let’s show Beth some love.

Beth Rosen is a film producer, #1 best selling author and business entrepreneur who offers various products, services, courses and private coaching designed to accelerate your path to success and happiness. She is currently offering a unique online movie-making course called The Back Door to Hollywood which teaches you how to make a professional movie/video, how to stand out from the crowd and how to create your own lucky break. For more information, please visit www.BethRosen.com.

There is a TON of valuable information in this post. All of the links open in a new window and the content will laser in on that topic. I invite you to spend some time here and really take advantage of this FREE platform I’ve developed just for you.

For those of you who are just getting started online, this post would be excellent for you to print out and keep by your computer as you
build your online platform (your website, social networks, leads – it is all-encompassing of your touch-points online). For those of you who think they are on a great track online, this may be a good post to see what has slipped between the cracks or what area you could build up for better results.

So let’s get started. Consider your online platform and online presence. Really think about the blood, sweat and tears you’ve put into building a website (whether you invested $10,000+ or started a free WordPress site), into starting a social networking account and trying to figure it out, into listening to webinars and teleseminars and reading blog posts on “how” to do it all. Next, I invite you read each question *slowly* and really analyze where you’re at with each of these items:

• Do you have a professionally designed logo that can make for good branding?
• Are you staying ‘up to date’ on what’s happening in your industry so you become the go-to authority for news?
• Do you post to your blog regularly (not once a month, but one a week or more?)
• Is your business brand consistent between all touch points online – from your LinkedIn profile to your Facebook cover to your email newsletter look and feel?
• Have you looked at your content in the past three months to see what, if anything was outdated material?
• Do you do what you say you are going to do online (release new products on time, follow through with your ideas, etc.)?
• When is the last time you did keyword research or competitor research?
• Have you reached out to anyone lately to discuss the concept of collaboration, so you can grow your business more quickly in new markets?
• Do you have a growth plan or goals to help grow your business (such as how many email subscribers you’ll get, how many Facebook friends, how many blog posts, how many emails will you send out to your list each month, etc.)?
• Have you stepped back to evaluate if your web team really IS good, or just the inexpensive solution who isn’t really getting you where you need to be?
• Does your website design help you or hurt you, and when is the last time you’ve evaluated areas for improvement?
• Do you have a solid free introductory product you can give away as incentive for people to sign up to your mailing list?
• And is that free introductory product branded and professionally designed and formatted?
• Do you have obvious social networking icons and feeds on your website so web visitors can connect with you?
• Does your tagline make sense and help you stand out from the noise? Is it easy to remember and does it make an impact?
• Do you have a list of keywords you are targeting with every piece of content you write, so you can start dominating search engines?
• Are you regularly adding products to your website that are for sale so people can get ‘the next best thing’ from you?
• How often are you adding a ‘call to action’ in everything you do (at the end of blog posts, in your email newsletters, in every contact point)?
• Are you organized with your business and do you treat it like a real business with scheduling and planning meetings?
• Do you thank your web visitors, email subscribers, social networking friends and clients for sticking with you?
• How often do you implement new ways to drive traffic to your website and blog?

Your impact on the web IS what you make of it. Those are just a few questions you can ask yourself from time to time to make sure you are BUILDING. Starting an online business is not the easiest task in the world. You are competing with billions of web pages out there. But, there is more than enough room in the sea for us all to profit.

The trick is knowing what to do next to continue building your online platform. Stay focused. Don’t lose the momentum. If you need help with your direction or with implementing tasks, feel free to contact me and let’s have a loose conversation about it. The key is to get help from people who know what they are talking about – and that becomes obvious when someone writes about those topics and gives away the farm just to help others. I’m not tooting my own horn here so much as just teaching how to identify the right kind of person to help you with your business.

If you thought this post was of value, please SHARE this post with others on your social networks. My goal is simple: Helping Others. As many as I can get my hands on.

Thank you for spreading the light!

What is the best way to drive traffic to my site? What’s the fastest way to generate traffic to my site? What’s…?

We all want to know the best way to drive the greatest amount of traffic to our sites. However, the truth is that there is no best or fastest way to drive traffic! What works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. Just because I manage to get 500 visitors a day from an article I submitted to article directories doesn’t mean you can get that much traffic doing the same thing.

Of course, there are some traffic generation methods that produce better results than others. But again, it all depends on you and your situation. Let’s take article marketing as an example. Article marketing is one of the oldest and best ways to generate traffic. But the success of your article marketing campaign depends on many different things, like the number of articles you write, the number of article directories you submit to, the quality of your articles, how many articles a day you submit, and more.

My advice would be to pick a few methods from the 65 I’ve listed below, and start implementing them. Test them for yourself. Depending on your skills, you might find a method that would work wonders for you.

Don’t just follow what everybody else says. I’m not saying, “Don’t listen to experienced people who are successful in generating traffic to their site.” By all means, listen to them and do take their advice—but experiment to find out for yourself which traffic generation methods work best for you and your situation.

With that said, here are 65 simple and (mostly) free ways to generate traffic to your site.

1. Turn your articles and blog posts into PDFs using free PDF converters like OpenOffice. Then submit your PDFs to document sharing sites like Scribd and DocStoc.
2. Write truly informative and useful articles related to your niche, and publish them on WikiPedia.
3. Hold a contest and give prizes to your readers. Use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to let people know about the contest. A good contest with good prizes will attract a lot of people.
4. Build a wiki page for your blog. To ensure your page doesn’t get deleted, create an article that is educational, informational, and not self-promoting.
5. Write list posts like the one you are reading. Readers love posts like “10 ways to make money” or “6 ways to drive traffic to your blog”. List posts are amongst the most popular kinds of posts, and people tend to share list posts with others more often than other posts.
6. Make flyers with a catchy title and a description of your blog, and post them on bulletin boards in the entrance to supermarkets and other community buildings.
7. Post frequently, but don’t sacrifice quantity for quality. Both search engines and visitors like to see fresh, quality content. The more content you have, the more chances you have for ranking for variety of keywords, which will mean more organic traffic for your blog.
8. Make a lens (or more) using Squidoo and in it, place a few links back to your blog.
9. Submit your blog to directories relevant to your niche, like InsLink.com (an SEO/webmaster directory).
10. Make it easy for non-technical readers to link to your blog or share your links with other people by making a “How to link to us” page. Here, give readers easy instructions on how to link to your blog with your keywords as anchor text.
11. Submit your blog to search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Or simply use AdMe.com to submit your site to over 25 search engines for free.
12. Use sites like Odiogo to turn your blog into a podcast, then submit your podcast to podcast websites.
13. Answer questions related to your niche on YahooAnswers and other Q & A sites. Include a link to your blog in the resource box.
14. Submit your blog to social bookmarking sites like Digg and StumbleUpon.
15. Write and submit articles to article directories like EzineArticles and ArticleDashboard.
16. Turn your articles to videos using free video creation services like Animoto, and submit them to video directories such as YouTube and DailyMotion.
17. Build a Facebook fan page for your blog.
18. Make use of plugins like Tell-a-Friend to let your readers quickly share your posts with their friends and family vie email.
19. Use Hi5 to build a page for your blog and create a community around it.
20. Don’t clutter your blog with too many pictures, ads, and so on. Keep it clean and easy to navigate. This will help both search engines and visitors to navigate around your blog easily and quickly.
21. Join BlogEngage to submit your blog and create a community around it.
22. Ping your blog posts using free ping services such as Pingler and Pingoat.
23. Create a hub about your blog on HubPages.
24. Register with few good niche-related forums and use your signature to place links pointing to your blog. Participate in discussions and contribute as much as you can.
25. Make it easy for your readers to share your posts by installing social bookmarking plugins like SocialMarker and Digg Buttons.
26. Readers like to read other people’s comments, especially those who responded to their comments. So, take advantage of that by using a plug-in like Comment Notifier to automatically let your readers know of new comments posted on your blog.
27. Make your blog more search engine friendly by using SEO plug-ins such as Platinum SEO Pack.
28. Target long-tail keywords with low competition and try to rank for them. Such keywords are easier to rank for in search engines and give you much more targeted traffic.
29. Make a MySpace page for your blog.
30. Make business cards with your blog info on them, hand them to friends and family, and ask them to pass them on. Mall parking lots are good place to pass your cards around. In some states you can even put your business card on windshields. You can get up to 250 free business cards using sites like VistaPrint (although you do have to pay $5 shipping).
31. Submit your blog to the free directories like DMOZ (hard to get into, but well worth the effort!).
32. Write a good press release, or hire a professional to do it for you (you can get a pretty decent press release written for you for $5 on Fiverr.com), and submit them to free press release distribution sites like PR.com.
33. Write creative and attention-grabbing ads about your blog, and publish them on free classified ads sites such as CraigsList and UsFreeAds.
34. Controversial posts attract visitors. Write a controversial post. Be creative and bold, but be careful not to cross the boundaries.
35. Ask an expert or a trusted, well-known person in your niche for an interview. Then post the entire interview on your blog, either as a text post or as a video.
36. Leave quality comments on blogs that are related to your niche. Make sure your comments add value to the blog. Don’t just spam-comment and hope for the best. It never works, and your links will get deleted. Worst of all, you might get blacklisted from the site. If you leave a useful comment, people will be more likely to visit your blog.
37. Use free banner-making tools like BannerFans to make an interesting banner for your blog. Then find other bloggers in your niche and exchange banners with them.
38. Exchange links with other blogs in your niche. Don’t go overboard with this technique, or exchange links with each and every blog you find—be selective and make sure the context for your link is appropriate. Most people use their main keyword as the anchor text for their link, that’s good for SEO. But, if you want to get more traffic from those links, instead use attention-grabbing text as your anchor text. Don’t use “Make Money Online” for your link text—people are used to seeing those links all over the web. Instead use something like “10 ways to make $10 in 10 minutes.”
39. If you find interesting posts on other blogs, write a post about them and link to them. The other bloggers will notice and might do the same for you.
40. Find good blogs in your niche that accept guest posts. You can either search manually or make it easy for yourself by registering for free with MyBlogGuest, which matches guest bloggers with blogs that accept guest posts. Write and submit your best articles to get the maximum exposure. Don’t just submit the article and leave. Make sure you follow up and respond to comments and questions that readers of those blogs ask.
41. Submit your site to review sites that write reviews on other websites and blogs, like CoolSiteOfTheDay.
42. Submit your blog to BlogCatalog.
43. People love free stuff, so give out freebies that are related to your niche. If you are in “online money making” niche, a free ebook that teaches people who to make money on Twitter might make an appropriate freebie.
44. Write a page on 43things.com about your blog and what you want to do with it.
45. Use your keywords in the title of your posts. Having your keyword in the title makes it easier for you to rank for that keyword, thus bringing you more organic traffic.
46. Use your blog’s name as your username on forums, social networking sites, and other places like YahooAnswers. People are curious by nature, so they may check out your blog out of curiosity and if you have good compelling content, they may become your loyal readers.
47. Make a bumper sticker with your blog address on it, and place it on your car’s bumper. You can even ask your friends and family to do the same for you!
48. Make a Twitter profile for your blog and tweet each and every post you publish on your blog.
49. Register with EntreCard and start dropping your card on other blogs. You will be amazed how much traffic you can get from EntreCard.
50. Register with ComLUV.com and download their plugin.Then use the Global CommentLuv Search to find blogs related to your niche and comment on them. It will return up to ten (recent) posts that will be sent back when you comment on a CommentLuv enabled site. Most are dofollow blogs, and you will get dofollow links back to your most recent posts. This is good for link building and getting some traffic.
51. Make a free ebook with a link back to your site in it, and submit it to free ebook sites like GetFreeEbooks.com.
52. Buy .info domains with long-tail keywords in them and use a redirect to send the traffic they receive to your main site.
53. Rent a mailing list and send high-quality content with a link back to your site to all the subscribers. Take care with this technique so that you’re not blacklisted as a spammer, though. Find a reputable list broker—or, if in doubt, why not start your own?
54. Post a classified ad on eBayClassified with a link to your site.
55. When you eat out, leave a good tip along with a business card with your site info on it.
56. Create a short report with resell rights and and include your links in the report. Give it to people for free: those people can sell the report to others as their own, so long as they don’t remove your links. The results of this technique will surprise you.
57. Come up with a really crazy but buzz-worthy post and submit it to NowPublic.com (Previously known as Truemors). If it’s good enough, it might just go viral!
58. Go to YouTube, find popular videos related to your niche and start commenting on those videos with a link back to your blog. Youtube videos get thousands of views, and since most people are sociable creatures, they will read the comments no matter how far down the list your comment is.
59. Create a page (personal or business) at LookUpPage.com. You can add as many links to your blog as you like. Write a short “about” post about yourself or your blog, and make sure to link to your Twitter and other social networking sites as well. After creating the page, bookmark it using SocialMarker and ping it with Pingler (or any other tools you like).
60. Register with Visible.me for free, and add links and information about your blog. Its a great way to build your brand and get a few backlinks from a high-PR (6) dofollow site.
61. Submit your RSS feed to RSS aggregators. Here, I don’t mean just your blog’s RSS feed: grab the RSS url of every site you have a link on (example: if you submit articles to ezine.com, you will have your own “author RSS” URL), and go to RssMix.com. It will let you make a custom RSS feed. Take that and submit it to RSS directories and aggregators. This will put your RSS feed on steroids—and will give you many more backlinks.
62. Make a few (yard) signs with your blog’s URL and a good title related to your niche, and place them on highway exit ramps, at busy intersections, and so on. Make sure you abide by the laws in your own state or country if you try this approach.
63. Put an ad in your local newspaper. If you live in a small town, it may not be very expensive to have an ad on your local newspaper—or on TV or radio, for that matter.
64. Order some T-shirts with your blog URL and title printed on them and give them away. People will check out your URL!
65. This is just for fun, so enjoy it! Make a big and I mean big sandal (or flip flop) with your blog’s URL engraved on the bottom, go to a busy beach, and start walking all over the sand! Leave your mark for others to see.

These methods will keep you busy for a while. But perhaps the most important tip I can give you is to be patient. Getting traffic to a blog takes time and a lot of work. You cannot expect to have hundreds of visitors after a few weeks, or months of starting your blog. But, if you are a dedicated person who’s willing to put enough time and effort into it, you can’t help but attract more visitors to your blog over time.

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This guest post is by Satrap of BlogStash.com. Material from ProBlogger.net