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Coming up with ideas for new blog posts on a regular basis can be a challenge, even for the most prolific writers. Experience shows that readers tend to favor certain types of posts more than others. Here are some popular types of blog posts that you might want to use for those times when inspiration simply does not strike. Lists Lists are loved by readers. Top 10 lists, lists of top resources, lists of tools, lists of important dates, etc. Really, just about any type of list will tend to be very popular with blog readers. And you can easily craft lists from popular posts and other resources. Interviews Interview top professionals in your market or niche. Blog posts that contain interviews will frequently generate interest and attention. Additionally, interviews will often be cross-promoted on a related website by the person you interview, which often results in additional backlinks to your site. Guest Posts Invite others in your niche or industry to provide a "featured" guest post on your blog. This type of cross-promotion between blogs will often draw followers from the guest poster's blog to yours, and vice versa. Educational Educational posts and tutorials can also be very popular with blog readers. A "How To..." blog post or a step-by-step tutorial that educates readers will often be well received by your blog followers. Reviews Product or service reviews can also make good fodder for a blog post. Be candid and honest with your assessment in order to retain the trust of your readers. Informative Informative posts that provide valuable information, or information that is not widely known, can often become quite popular. Case Studies Studies that detail exactly how a specific product or technology can resolve a real world problem can also be quite popular. Especially interesting are studies of how someone has discovered a new, creative, and/or unusual way to use a product or service. Resources Everyone can appreciate a pointer to good resources. Research Well-researched blog posts containing industry research or analysis can be enlightening and enjoyable to readers. Statistics Statistical blog posts can be very enlightening. Gather and analyze relevant industry data, and then blog about it. Comparison Blog posts that are comparative in nature can also be quite popular. Compare different software tools, fabric softeners, chocolate chip cookie recipes, or just about anything else under the sun, and share the results with your blog readers. It is hard to come up with innovative ideas for blog posts day after day. Use the list of post ideas above to help add flavor and interest to your blog.
About the Author:
Online Profiles Can Make Or Break Your Social Networking Success Almost every social networking site offers a feature called a "profile" that allows members to include their picture, a biography, live links to their websites and other detailed information. Most of us have multiple online profiles that are empty or only partially completed. It is this profile that helps other users decide if they want to work with you. Another perk of online profiles is that the live links pointing to your website may impact your search engine ranking. It is very important that you think of these profiles as your own "Public Relations Department or Media Room", specifically designed to sell you and your business. Imagine that you only have a few seconds to sell a new prospect on why they should want to get to know you and possibly do business with you. What is said and offered during these few seconds can make all the difference in the world. This is EXACTLY why your online profiles need to be completed to capture the attention of anyone who visits these sites. Let’s look at the different aspects of social networking profiles and what information and content you should include to ensure that you get the maximum results. The following information may or may not be included in every profile but the majority of it is standard: Your Picture - Your photo is the first thing people will see upon visiting your profile or when reading your posts. How does it represent you? Wearing a tank top while giving the peace sign with a beer in your hand is not the way to impress potential clients. If you are looking for clients, then professionalism is a must. You can show SOME personality in your photograph but try to strive for conservative whenever possible. Your Biography - This is your chance to tell others more about you, such as interesting aspects of your life and what makes you, YOU. Take your time here, as this area is the equivalent of sitting down with a prospect and telling them exactly why they should do business with you. Include specifics about your expertise, your business, how you have helped others and even your personal philosophies. You want others to be excited about connecting with you and this is YOUR opportunity to shine. Links - Make sure to include helpful links in order to allow others to find you online. A link to your website, your blog and additional information about your business is crucial. However, some people make the mistake of including each and every link that points to a profile of theirs online. If you have 25 social networking memberships, it is NOT advisable to list them all here. A good idea would be to vary these links on every website where you have a profile. Contact Information - You have to include contact information if you want people to have the ability to contact you. Do not try to hide at this point. Many people have the wrong opinion that they should NOT put contact information in their profile, assuming that people contacting you for business purposes is a bad thing. Would you include your contact information in a yellow pages ad? Then why not offer it online? Please only include information you want to be made public. Interests - Do you like to play golf, workout, volunteer or build model airplanes? You might be surprised that many people would be interested in connecting with you just based upon similar hobbies and interests. This connection can lead to a deepening friendship that may lead to business and even referrals down the road. Education - While some people may or may not care about your schooling, including specifics about your education can do two things to help you increase the number of responses. First of all, those who went to school where you did may want to connect. Secondly, by offering details about your education, it will help others to see your experience and expertise in various areas. Testimonials from past clients - One of the best ways to demonstrate your ability to help others is by including testimonials from past or current satisfied clients. These testimonials will help others to get a snapshot of some of the work you have done in the past and help to build a foundation of a great business relationship. Looking at the list above, there is a lot of information that should be included in each and every social networking profile. Because of this, many people decide to skimp and their profile winds up being about 3 or 4 sentences long. This is a mistake. It is better to leave a profile blank than to create such a lackluster one. If you need inspiration, visit some of the most popular social networking sites and read a few profiles to get some idea of how to get started. If filling out multiple social networking profiles is too much for your busy day, you might look at getting help from a virtual assistant. Many of them have experience in this area and can create a compelling COMPLETE profile that will best represent you AND your business. We live in a world of social networking... making it a part of your business marketing simply makes sense. Take the time to do it right or hire someone who can do it for you. © 2010 Davis Virtual Assistance. Publication rights granted so long as article and byline are reprinted intact, with all links made live. Bonnie Jo Davis creates and manages social networking strategies for her clients. She is a published author, expert in article marketing, and feels comfortable working in a virtual environment. For more information on how she might help you get the most out of your social networking efforts, visit http://www.your-marketing-assistant.com. If you need help marketing your local brick and mortar business visit http://www.local-map-listings.com +++++++++++++++++ Some free places to list your business http://www.merchantcircle.com/corporate/ http://listings.yellowpages.com/Services/ServiceClaimSearch.aspx A nice video series - http://affiliates.infusionsoft.com/website/seo-tips/ ++++++++++++++++ Social Media - helpful links A guidebook for twitter - Learning about linked in +++++++++++++++++ 1000 Awesome things - something to inspire your day. http://1000awesomethings.com/ Going on vacation and need some cheap things to do, check out the free factory tours. Ezine Archives links to all our past issues (well most of them) in one place. +++++++++++++++++
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