Successful Blog

7 Reasons No One Reads Your Company Blog (And What to Do About It)

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How to Blog

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Timothy Carter

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7 Reasons No One Reads Your Company Blog (And What to Do About It)

Alright, maybe you’ve got a company blog. That’s great. With that, you’ve got a semi-casual avenue to “talk” to your customers, share news and comments about what’s going on, and provide some valuable or useful information while you’re at it. Maybe at some point, you’ve even realized that you can use it as a customer service platform by making it home to easily accessible FAQs – always useful, especially if you sell tech stuff not everyone is going to figure out quick.

So why isn’t anyone reading your blog and how can you remedy this problem?

Problem 1: You Bore People

Simply put, you’ve got nothing on your blog that people want to read. You don’t ask them questions, get them thinking, or engage their emotions. Your blog could contain the most useful information in the world, but it won’t do you any good if people fall asleep halfway through your first paragraph.

Solution: Spice Things up a Bit

Add pictures to give visual representations of what you’re talking about. Maybe toss in a relevant video or two. Engage people’s emotions and make them feel things other than boredom and crushing apathy! Give them something in the content to care about, rather than write like you’re slapping together a technical manual you know nobody is ever going to read.

Problem 2: It Looks Awful

Your site might be one of the ugliest things they’ve seen on the Internet. Okay, that is actually harder to pull off than it sounds, but that’s mainly due to the sheer density of the ugly, horrific things you can find if you bother to look.

Solution: A Makeover

First things first: get rid of the clutter. Remove any widgets or things that the blog doesn’t actually need, because they’re just taking up room and probably don’t fit in with the overall “look.” Go for simpler, less flashy colors, rather than the sparkle and glitter you’d expect from a teenager’s custom page. Rearrange things so there’s a lot less clutter and a lot cleaner in presentation. Too much going on at once makes a site ugly and really hard to navigate.

Problem 3: Your Site Is a Lifeless Husk

Is your blog relevant, or is most of the content consisting of nothing more than extinct posts that have no relevance whatsoever? Is all of it outdated information, serving as little more than a magnet for dust and an archive of long-forgotten notions and trends most people would rather forget ever happened?

Solution: Update Regularly

This is probably the single oldest piece of advice ever for people who have a blog, yet it is the one that is most likely for people to ignore. Keep the content fresh and relevant, and keep it coming at a regular pace. This doesn’t mean “update once every three months.” This means “update once a week or more, if you can manage.”

Problem 4: Your Prose Is Purple

“Purple prose” is a term used to describe written content that is long-winded for no real reason, often going into endless metaphors without really saying anything. This is good if you’re trying to write a terrible romance novel of some sort or if you’re emulating the popular writing style of certain historical periods. This is bad if what you’re trying to do is to get a point across.

Solution: Focus Your Content

Cut down on the metaphors and try to keep the content detailed, but without delv Problem 5: Your Content Isn’t Dynamic

Words don’t always say it well enough.

Solution: Add images, graphics, visual representations.

Newspapers and magazines, despite being focused on content and words, words, words, also toss in pictures and graphs to break up the monotony. Pictures are great not only for putting a visual representation of what you’re saying, but also as an “opening paragraph” – every writer knows one of the hardest things to do is to hook people in from the get-go.

Problem 6: Way Too Much Advertising

A blog is not meant to be a platform for advertising and marketing. Yet, some people overload them with ads and marketing banners, with some instances of them using posts as nothing more than sales spiel. People will walk away if you think you’re trying to sell them something they don’t want. This is true even when they’re reading a corporate blog.

Solution: Trim the Ads

Cut down on the ads. What little ads you do keep, make sure they’re not placed in an in-your-face manner, but instead are off to the side where they don’t get in the way of the content or navigation.

Problem 7: You’re Just Not Relevant

In theory, you ought to know your audience best. You know what they want to see and what is critical to their mission. If you don’t know that, you really ought to reconsider your business plan, since you probably don’t know who you’re supposed to be selling to, either.

Solution: Be Relevant

You know your audience, which means that to some extent, you have some idea of what they don’t know. Give them that. Insight into unorthodox uses of their favorite product or little-known functions that might come in handy are possibilities.

Author’s Bio:

Timothy Carter writes about social media, social marketing and trade shows at SmashHitDisplays.com. You can also find him on on Google+ and Twitter as @TimothyCarter

Thank you, Tim, for adding insight to the conversation!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Is Restaurant Ownership Is Right For You? 10 Deciding Questions

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Meagan Gordon


Photo Credit: foodwoolf.com

If you have a burning desire to own your own restaurant then chances are you will be good at it.

Following Your Dreams of Restaurant Ownership

Our fears often cause us to question our motives and delay us in fulfilling our dreams. We question why we should make major life changes, or do something we did not necessarily go to school for. We worry when other people’s lives would be affected by our decisions. Leaving a job that offers us security and benefits can seem so risky that it can cause fear so strongly that we have physical symptoms as a result.

On the flip side, not fulfilling a desire can also cause physical symptoms and stresses. If you really have a burning desire to be an entrepreneur and work with others in a restaurant setting, but do not follow your inner calling you can become depressed, irritated with others, or not perform as well at your current job. There is much truth in the old adage; you must be good to yourself before you can be good to others.

Is Restaurant Ownership Is Right For You? 10 Deciding Questions

Explore your thoughts surrounding restaurant ownership. The more you question your own motives and what may be holding you back the easier the answers will come. By writing down answers to these 10 deciding questions you may be able to learn what is really right for you.

    1. When did I first come up the idea that I would like to own my own restaurant?
    2. How did the thought come about and how did I feel?
    3. What was happening in my life at that time that may give me clues about why this thought came about?
    4. When I picture myself working in my restaurant does it seem realistic, and am I happy even when I envision chaos or problems that will be inevitable?
    5. Have I had dreams of myself working in a restaurant or symbols in my dreams that if analyzed could represent this desire?
    6. When I am in restaurants do I find myself mentally running the place, or do I have many ideas about how to make improvements?
    7. Do I truly envision myself enjoying working with the public, and people that would be my employees, even when conflicts arise?
    8. Would I be happy if I had to multitask as well as delegate jobs to others?
    9. Is there a part of me that wants to do this to please someone else or feel important? If I take away that person and or the feeling of importance would I still want to proceed?
    10. Who may be holding me back in my own mind? Make a list of all the people in your life and how they would react? If the reaction is negative or unsupportive what are the reasons? Is it really his/her own fear, or is it a concern the person legitimately has for you? If valid explore that thought and whether or not you believe it.

Starting any new venture can be scary. The best way to move fear aside is to gain knowledge. In exploring the idea you may learn that restaurant ownership is not really for you, but rather it was the idea of independence, or to please someone else that really appealed to you deep down. If this is the case then nothing was lost and only new self-knowledge was gained. If you do find becoming a restaurant owner is what you feel you were meant to do, then next explore the ways to make it a reality, and good luck in your journey!

Do you have a story about when you began your own restaurant or own business? In the comments below, let us know what you went through to make it happen.

Author’s Bio:
Meagan Gordon is a professional blogger that writes on a variety of topics including places to eat. She writes for Restaurants.com, a leading directory of restaurant ratings

Thank you for adding to the conversation!

Organize Your Thoughts Before You Blog

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how to blog

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Poala Werner

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Perfect Blogging Tip: How to Organize Your Thoughts

There are a lot of people who believe that they do not have a talent in writing. Some college students, for example, will easily give up on writing a decent piece and simply settle for a mediocre essay because they will they do not have the knack for it.

But that is not entirely true. Though there may be fortunate people who can write better than the others without exerting too much effort, you can still learn how to be a good writer by learning the right tricks. One of them is called Thought Organization.

When writing anything, it is very important to have a collected thought to have a single focus. Who wants to read something that starts discussing Point A then ends in talking about Point W. It does not make any sense, right?

So how can we organize our thoughts? Are there any special tricks for it?

Let us learn each step one by one, starting with a discussion about the three basic essay components. These are the thesis statement, the supporting details, and the conclusion.

The thesis statement is the part of the essay where the main argument can be seen. It shows the focal point of the paper. It will be hard to start any writing task if we have no idea what our thesis statement is. It also paints the picture of the entire essay for the readers. Most of the time, the thesis statement can be seen in the last sentence of the paper’s introduction.

On the other hand, the supporting details refer to the discussion of the evidences gathered to support the essay’s arguments. Normally, essay writers (http://www.superiorpapers.com/custom_essay.php) stress the importance of each supporting details in separate paragraphs. If there are no enough evidence to support your argument, better change the focus of your thesis statement to something which can be discussed further.

And then there is the conclusion. This is the part that wraps up the entire essay by reinstating the thesis statement. It must go over the earlier details mentioned without having to repeat the words completely. A good conclusion must also pose a challenge or a call to action to the readers.

After learning the three basic essay components, let us proceed to the essay writing organization proper. These are Outlining, Writing, and Proofreading. Now let’s discuss each a little further.

Outlining

This is the first part of the thought organization process for writing. It is like making a blueprint of the house that you want to build. It may be an additional task for essay writing, but it can make your essay writing process a lot easier.

A sample outline can look like this:

I. Introduction/Thesis Statement
II. First Argument
III. Second Argument
IV. Third Argument
V. Conclusion

With an organized outline like this, it will be quite impossible for any writer to lost track of the discussion.

Writing

After we are done with our outlines, start the actual writing process. Our outline can actually cut the essay writing process in half because we just have to follow the items in it. We won’t have to worry about getting lost in our thoughts anymore.

Proofreading

Finally, we have the entire paper in our hands. Are we done with it? Not yet! We still have to do the proofreading part. Some essay writers choose to let the proofreading done by other people, like their friends or family. But you can choose to do it also on your own. Whatever makes you comfortable, do it. No one wants to submit a paper full of spelling or grammar mistakes, right?

See, we don’t have to be professional essayists like Kurt Vonnegut or David Forster Wallace to write a good paper. With proper thought organization, we can surely compose a good essay in no time.

Author’s Bio:
Poala Werner is a college student who spends her time juggling class duties and her baby sitting job for her older brother. She would love to work on a publishing company someday, that is why she is currently taking Journalism majors in the university. In her timeline, she will be in her dream job in two years time. Follow her on Twitter as @p0wer111890.

Thank you for adding to the conversation!

Success Truths from 21 Successful Entrepreneurs

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Brandon Pipkin

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What can 21 Entrepreneurial Millionaires Teach You About Success? The Truth!

For seven years I devoured all I could get my hands on about success and wealth creation. I read blogs, books, and newsletters. I attended conferences, watched videos, listened to tapes and CDs, and worked with a mentor.

Then I eagerly implemented what I learned about goals, plans, the law of attraction, dreaming big, setting an intention, leadership, personal development, passion, determination, accountability, and smashing through obstacles.

After seven years, however, instead of mountains of money, all I had were mountains of debt. Instead of success untold, I was frustrated beyond belief at my inability to create the results that were €œguaranteed.€ I constantly questioned what I was doing wrong. Why wasn’t it working for me?

It wasn’t until I interviewed 21 self-made millionaires to find out how and why they did what they did that the answers became clear.

The Mistaken Role of Goals

I was surprised to learn that very few of these entrepreneurial millionaires had written goals, or even had goals€ at all. Most of them weren’€™t out to accomplish something specific, but rather were moving through life simply following each next step that seemed logical at the time. There was no overarching vision or destination in mind for most of them.

In fact, with the exception of a few, becoming a millionaire was almost accidental, an unintended side benefit of something else they were doing.

In addition to learning that despite not having solid goals and plans these people created amazing success, I learned that work – good, hard, honest work – is the most forgotten virtue in the success literature. None, I repeat none, of these millionaires expected immediate results, and none of them got where they got by being lazy and waiting for good things. They worked hard at whatever they were doing because it’s simply part of who they are.

What About Obstacles?

I also learned that instead of smashing through obstacles, there are other ways to move forward. When something didn’t work, the millionaires didn’t call a committee and do a post-mortem to figure out how to fix it, they didn’t have to “face their fears,€ or confront deep-seated anxieties that might be holding them back. They just tried something else.

To a person, these millionaires didn’t seem to be bothered by failure and just looked at it as one way not to do something. They kept trying different things until something worked.

You Can Go Your Own Way

And one of the most valuable things I learned: there is no one right way to create success. There are as many ways to skin a cat as there are cats, and the path that works is the right one for you.

Not one of these millionaires doggedly followed the experts’ advice concerning goals, passion, dreams, mentoring, accountability, and all of that. Ironically, some of the millionaires don’t even know who the success experts are!

These millionaires got where they are by working hard no matter what they were doing, taking life as it came without grand plans or visions, trying different things until something worked, and pursuing their unique path to success.

By interviewing 21 self-made entrepreneurial millionaires I learned that success isn’€™t as predictable as the books, tapes, and experts would have you believe. Instead, I learned the truth.

Author’s Bio:
Brandon Pipkin is the author of 21 Questions for 21 Millionaires: How Ordinary People Create Extraordinary Success. After years of searching for success and not finding it, he interviewed 21 self-made millionaires to learn how and why they did what they did. He shares his findings and the real life stories of these 21 successful people in their own words in his book. Visit www.21for21.com to learn more. You can follow Brandon on Twitter as @21for21com.

 

Thank you, Brandon, We always need more success motivation!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

5 Compelling Business Reasons to Carpool to Work

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Paul Ellett

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5 Compelling Business Reasons to Carpool to Work

We’ve all heard those in the eco-climate field tell us about the dangers our cars are using and that we must act now, and we might all be sick of it. There is only so much talk about “being green” that we can handle at any one time. This is why many dismiss car-pooling as one of those options that are always discussed but never so seriously. I mean, who would want to share their car with someone who they only occasionally speak to at the copier at work, right?

Wrong. There are in fact several compelling reasons why carpooling or car-sharing to work is a viable way to travel. Whether you share a ride either each day or a few times a week, it makes solid sense and can grow your business and professional career to do so. Keep reading to find out more.

1: Strengthen Relationships

Because workplaces see many people from various backgrounds come together every day and interact regularly, there can often be little in the way of common-ground which can make for awkward lift-conversations or lunchtime conversations. If you’re in a job for the longhaul, change this outlook now! You may even find that you have a lot more in common with particular individuals than you originally thought;whether it be material things like sports, or deeper circumstances like lifestyle. This bonding can make team-projects or exercises that much easier and smoother. Additionally, if we have someone with which to coordinate with to get to work, we can teach ourselves to be more careful with how we manage our time, if we know someone else is relying on us.

2: Company Incentives

If you do take part in carpool schemes within your company, you may be able to apply for petrol-incentives or have these reimbursed in return. Ask your supervisor, human resources representative or even boss about this. This may be possible if your company pays for public transport travel costs for some employees currently. If you can show that you can save money, the person who you speak to within your company will be more susceptible to that as everyone is looking to save where they can.

3: Your Boss

Some people find it hard to stand out from a crowd which can be a killer when it comes to promotions in a large company. It can be a case of really being able to present yourself on a one-to-one basis rather than in a group or during the general workday. If you can arrange something with your boss, then it might be a grand opportunity to let them get to know you. You might find some common ground you didn’t know you had, and show them qualities that don’t make themselves so clear otherwise. Carpooling can be a lot less formal than being in the office too. If your boss can see from these daily interactions that you are capable, you’ll be more likely to be considered for projects and promotions.

4: Share the Stress

Often road-rage arises from a fear or frustration that we’ll be late for work, but why? Probably because we’re scared that we’ll look inferior to our colleagues and be knocked down the totem pole. If we’re late often, then we can often feel like we’re the only one in the world where we shouldn’t be and it can gain unwanted attention from those higher up if a frequent occurrence. It makes sense that if we’re late with someone else, we share the brunt of this stress and are less likely to feel so on edge that we’re running late. The company we get from having someone else with us in the car, can distract us from stressful situations we would otherwise focus on. It also makes sense that if more people carpooled, there would be less traffic on the road in certain areas, like heavily-congested motorways which join cities to surrounding areas.

5: Can’t Drive?

Often the jobs we apply for depend on how easy or possible it is to travel to it each day. This can limit the options available to us which impacts how we make a living. You may also wish to consider what happens if your circumstances change for the short-term. What if you’re found guilty of a drink driving offense and are temporarily suspended from the road? What if your own car is off-the-road due to repairs? Are you taking any medication which makes it difficult to drive or that requires you to stay away from heavy machinery of any kind? Can you get to work via public transport or would it be easier to speak to someone about carpooling? Will it save you money if you do this? In a large company there should be at least a few others who travel the same route as yourself; you just need to find them. Carpooling may be your only viable option to get to work and save money.

Author’s Bio:

Paul is working with a firm of drink driving solicitors in London and across the UK, who defend those who have been caught speeding, driving while under the influence etc.

How to Boost Email Open Rates for Email Marketing

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Vanessa Parks

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How to Boost Email Open Rates for Email Marketing

In the virtual world we live in, chances are your customers are being bombarded with tons of Emails everyday, as Email marketing is one of the most used marketing strategy today for acquiring leads. A study have shown that 97% of small businesses rely on Emails to market their products and services, so to maintain your presence, you really have to strategize and stand out in the way you compose your mails to maximize them being opened and read by your audience. In this article, we will discuss about ways improving your Email marketing open rates to have more success in endorsing your business via Email.

Email-MarketingThings to Understand regarding Email Marketing

First off, before we go deep into specific tips to increase open rates, let us take into consideration some key points about Email marketing. Here are some pointers that you should always put into mind whenever you plan on executing your marketing strategy inEmails.

1. Your customers hate spam.

Spammy links and Emails will always drive people crazy in a negative way. Anyone would want to stay away from spams as they either lead to unwanted links or messages, or worse viruses which can cause serious damage.

2. Your customers hate lengthy emails.

Put your feet in your audiences’ shoes and decide on which length is just okay to read for a few minutes. Practice splitting your sentences into per topic paragraphs, you may also use bullets. If possible, you may opt to use images or infographics instead to capture attention and to prevent using more unnecessary words.

3. Don’t waste your customers’ time.

Time is really gold and all of us hate wasting it. Establish your Emails as very informative to build that great reputation and avoid being known as someone who has nothing to say but trash!

2 Email Marketing Tips

Now we know some golden rules from above, here are specific tips for further attracting opens from your recipients!

1. Personalize it

eMail sent

Create a warm and emotional connection to your audience by adding your personal touch! Some tips that are proven to increase open rates are these two:

– Use Your real Name

– Write your email as if you’re talking to your prospect.

2. Timing of your Email

In order to have more chances of your Emails being opened, think of a good time to send them! The rule is to send them in a time frame where your recipients are in their reading mails period. Sending on end of shift or sleeping/resting times are definitely no-no’s.

Wrapping things up, again, put yourself in your recipients’ shoes. What kinds of Eblast marketing you’d open? Ask around trusted friends and customers; get their feedbacks and experiences, and accompany them with the tips here to maximize your mails being opened!

Author’s Bio:
Vanessa Parks is a Freelance Systems Analyst with 5 Years of solid experience. She has been an advocate of cloud computing and collaboration for improved work efficiency and performance

Thank you, Vanessa, for adding insight to the conversation!

— ME “Liz” Strauss