Successful Blog

Thanks to Week 375 SOBs

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Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

Purple SOB Button Original SOB Button Red SOB Button Purple and Blue SOB Button
and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

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They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

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Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

What to do when you are dealing with Humans?

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by Shashi Bellamkonda

I have been in the people business for many decades. First in the hospitality industry and now in the small business technology space. Some of the companies I love are for their ability to make every employee of theirs “human.” I find it odd that I have to use the term “human” to describe living things that are already human. Such is the cost of the pressures of economy, technology and pressures of the world we live in.

We hear that mobile is the next big thing. Of course the effect of it is that a pair of otherwise loving human beings now take walks and instead of holding hands, hold their phone feverishly typing as they walk. Family dinner outings become shorter, with dad’s addiction to checking in to every possible location app and show the virtual world that he is alive and well while kids and spouse lovingly tolerate crazy dad ( Guilty here!)

How does this apply to business?

Rule No 1: The Human in front of you is better than a Byte

When I worked for the hotel industry we learned to give preference to the “Human” who was in front of us rather than the one on the phone. Are we now driving away “humans” and making them communicate with us virtually? I don’t know if you agree or not but face to face is still the best way of communication unless you are talking about a couple breaking up.  Train your employees in thinking of customers as humans and communicating with the same friendliness that they would expect. Assign clear rules to follow when faced with situations where your staff may be faced with a face to face customer versus one on email or the phone.

Rule No 2:  The Human needs help not your computer

This is an incident closer to heart when a few months ago my 10 year old niece was flying back from India and was travelling 3 legs of the journey on different airlines. In Bombay she is told by Swiss Airlines that the computer shows that she has already flown the flight which has yet to take off. How ridiculous does this sound? Luckily she was with her parents, but they were forced to buy a ticket for that part of the journey even though they had already paid for it. So in this case this was a total failure of making the situation human.

An experience that was nice was when I was flying back to DC on SouthWest and realized that I had made a mistake and my return flight was to Dulles instead of Baltimore where I had parked my car to take the flight in. Thinking about the horror of trying to get to Baltimore from the Washington Dulles Airport and the time I would waste making the journey, I approached the SouthWest counter  and the lady listened to my story, called a supervisor and changed my booking to Baltimore and did not charge me for it. I will always remember SouthWest fondly. I could give you countless examples – the ticket counter at Silja Line in Helsinki where to my horror I had booked a cruise the next day and had no hotel and they changed the booking without any fuss. The lady at the London Eye in the UK who agreed to let us take an earlier ride.

Humans have a good memory for both good and bad experiences. The important  thing to remember for companies when things happen is to “humanize” the situation immediately. Worry about the Human in front of you and how to help them rather than your computer that gives you an impossible answer.

Rule No 3: How to retain your customer even if you disagree with them.

A conversation with a customer should never be carried to an extreme. I fought my insurance company all the way to the State Attorney’s office and I lost. Yet  I still am a customer and think they provide the best customer service insurance companies can provide. I disagreed on a rate increase that I thought was not justified and the company stood its ground but always kept me in the loop, listened to me patiently looked for other ways to help me reduce my bill. All this comes from a inbuilt spirit within companies to help the customer and not engaging in a conflict that leaves the customer unsatisfied.

As your business grows , think about your customers as members of your friendly neighborhood. Think of them as humans first and not as 140 characters or bytes in an email. Your business will flourish when you “humanize” it.

What do you think? Do you have any tips for businesses to humanize themselves?

 

Author’s Bio: This guest post is by Shashi Bellamkonda, senior director of social media and public relations — employees call him Social Media Swami — at Web.com, a company that helps small businesses establish an online presence and conduct online marketing. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

Time for a Tune-Up: 8 Simple Updates to do Today

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by Rosemary O’Neill

Social profiles have gotten a lot of tweaking in the past year.  Have you kept up with all of the updates?

Today’s the day to roll up your sleeves and get it done.

Here’s a handy cheat sheet:

1. Twitter header

A few months ago, Twitter started including a photo header at the top of your profile.  It should be a graphic 1252 pixels wide by 626 pixels tall, maximum size of 5MB.  You can easily change it by going to your Twitter profile settings page.  Here are the details straight from Twitter: https://support.twitter.com/articles/127871.

2. LinkedIn company page header

Not to be outdone, LinkedIn now allows you to have a profile header for your company page.  The graphic should be a .png, .jpg, or .gif no more than 2MB.  Size recommended is 646 pixels wide by 220 pixels tall or larger (you can crop on the page). Here’s a handy video on setting up a company page: http://youtu.be/WiTQL_M_fv0.

3. Facebook cover photo

You should already have this one nailed, but just in case…your Facebook cover photo should ideally be 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall, and under 100KB (for fastest load time).  Here are Facebook’s recommendations: http://www.facebook.com/help/125379114252045/.  Remember that Facebook frowns on calls to action or overtly promotional content within the cover image.  It’s intended to be a compelling photo or graphic, not a banner ad.

4. Pinterest business pages

Your favorite slack-time hangout just put on a business suit. If your business is suited to graphic imagery, or you want to flex your creative juices, you might want to create a business account (or convert your existing personal account, if you’ve been using it to support your business). Learn all of the details from the Pinterest announcement: http://blog.pinterest.com/post/35710687813/new-tools-for-businesses-in-the-pinterest-community.

5. Your own site needs some tweaks

When is the last time you spiffed up your own blog or home page? Do you have a widget on there from last year’s conference? Take 10 minutes and look at your own site with a newcomer’s eye, or have a friend look — a refresh might end the year on a high note.

6. Update your avatar

I’ll step forward and say “guilty” on this one.  My avatar is from a favorite photo that was taken 7 years ago.  Ouch.  It’s time to cowboy up and get a new picture taken.  How old is your avatar?

7. Forum signatures

If you participate in online communities around the web, you probably have customized forum signatures in some of them. Usually these are appended to the end of your posts, and include a favorite motto, sometimes a link to your site, or your bio information. These can get totally forgotten in the day to day hustle. Take a moment today and fix the broken links, update your job title, or breathe some new life into your forum signatures.

8. Stop procrastinating on Google+

I know, it involves “code” and it seems really tricky (it sortof is).  Many posts have been written about how to implement the author tag for Google+, but the best one I found (and the one that actually worked for me) was this step-by-step from Social Media Examiner: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-author-tags/.  Do this one today.

If you systematically go through and complete these 8 minor tasks, you’ll get a bounce into the new year with a fresh face to the world.

Were you naughty or nice to your customers this year?

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As much of the nation enjoys Christmas and other cherished celebrations this month, many small business owners can’t help but think ahead to 2013.

With the clock winding down on this year, what are your business aspirations for the next 12 months. Simply put, how will you and your customers work together in 2013, making it the best relationship yet?

If you were the small business owner who maybe did not spend as much time as they should have coveting their customers these last 12 months, how will you improve upon that task going forward?

Among the things to review:

* Did you go that extra mile for your customers in 2012?

* Did your employees (where applicable) return customer calls promptly, answer any and all questions, and solve problems when necessary?

* Did you gain referrals from many of your customers because they appreciate the products and/or services you provide them? If not, do you think doing a little more for them may have helped you in gaining the trust of their family, friends and co-workers?

* Did you do the little things like send them a year-end holiday card or email?

These are but four of the items that you should be asking yourself, more importantly, answering without hesitation. Remember, without your customers, there is no small business to run.

Many people make New Year’s resolutions on a yearly basis, but how many truly keep them?

In a day and age when customers have a variety of shopping options, what will you do in 2013 to stand out from the competition?

Among the things to consider:

* Offering online shopping (if you do not already), delivery services (where applicable), mobile payments, and providing follow-up service with each and every customer;

* Utilizing social media to the max. If you are not currently using SM, why is that? You are essentially passing on free advertising when you are not social;

* Surveying customers from time to time on what they like about your business, what they do not like, and how you could improve things.

Lastly, use the coming year as the chance for a fresh start for both you and your small business.

In the event you could have done more for your customers over these last 12 months, make it your gift to them to make 2013 an even better year.

Photo credit: teamaltman.com

About the author: Dave Thomas covers small business topics for a variety of websites.

 

Beat Writer’s Block with These Simple Tips!

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Tiffany Matthews

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Can’t Write? – Beat Writer’s Block with These Simple Tips!

You’ve just had a nice cup of coffee to start your day. Your fingers are poised on the keyboard, ready to type away most of the day as you churn out page after page of your manuscript or perhaps articles that you need to submit asap. Forty-five minutes later, you’re staring at the blinking cursor, the only sign of life on your still empty document.

Writer’s block is inevitable, especially for those who write nonstop 24/7. Sometimes, we need to step back from that piece of paper and pen or laptop, to allow ourselves to breathe and find new ammo to write. For those struggling with blank page syndrome, here are some tips on how you can try and beat writer’s block.

Take Long Walks

If you’ve been writing long enough, you know when your work is beginning to look like it belongs in the trash. Don’t force yourself to write. Get out of your chair and take a leisurely stroll outside. Enjoy the scenery and observe other people around you. If you live near a park, walk there and take time to stop and smell the roses, both literally and figuratively. Your walk will invigorate you, clear your mind and allow ideas to trickle in gradually.

Travel

Travel is one of the most foolproof ways of getting over writer’s block. All those exotic locations are sure to inspire you to write about your journey, the good, the bad and the ugly. Exploring new places will also allow you to learn about other cultures and their quirky differences. When you learn about another country and its people, you are broadening your horizon and expanding your understanding of the world.

Drive to the Beach

If you don’t have the funds to travel far, the next best thing you can do is to drive to the beach. The beach is a favorite thinking spot, and many writers have one way or another spent some of their soul searching on the sandy shores of the beach. Breathe in the salty air and let the wind whip your hair around your face. Let the cold water soothe your tired feet and if you decide to stay until dark, take your fill of the starry skies as you lie on the sand.

Do a Quick Exercise

It’s a little strange, but my former colleague swears by this. When she’s stuck in a creative rut, she does a couple of push-ups to get her blood rushing. Some of her best ideas came along after experiencing adrenaline rush. Push-ups are not a must. You can do other quick exercises like going down the stairs and going up again. Make sure you’re climb at least 4-5 flights of stairs so you can also work on improving your stamina.

Go on a Side Trip to Vegas

A trip to sin city, no matter how quick, is always entertaining. No two trips is ever the same. To spice up your little break, rent a limo with friends so you can explore Las Vegas in style. If you are traveling in a large group, rent a shuttle or van. Not in the mood for casinos? There are a lot of great restaurants to choose from or you can opt for dance clubs if you want to dance the night away.

Author’s Bio:
Based in San Diego, California, Tiffany Matthews writes about travel, fashion and anything under sun at wordbaristas.com. You can find her on Twitter as @TiffyCat87

Thank you, Tiffany! New experiences are a great way to move past writer’s block.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

How to Make It Stupidly Easy for Readers to Love You

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Adam Costa

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The #1 Mistake Bloggers Make Which Kills Results and Slashes Productivity

I’m afraid this message might upset you.

Why? Because it exposes the number one mistake content marketer are making right now, and will continue to do so for years to come.

But I don’t want to alarm you. This problem can be solved.

Better still, understanding this problem will force you to rethink your whole content strategy. In a good way. You’ll view your content in a radically new framework, one that even the largest publishers haven’t caught on to… yet.

The following story will illustrate what I mean…

It began with an argument.

Over a bottle of Veuve Clique, my beautiful strong-willed wife and I discussed what our new travel site should be.

My point of view went something like this:

“We should build a large, content-driven site about exciting destinations around the world. Then we can include traveler reviews, maps and even a forum where they can share their best tips! What do you think, huh, baby?

Darcie, swirling her champagne, coolly asked:

“So you wanna be Lonely Planet?”

“Um… no. Well… maybe like Lonely Planet but… you know, better.”

“So how will we be better?”

“Well… our content will be better.”

“How?”

“Ummm…”

“And what about size? How will we compete with a site that has hundreds of thousands of pages?

“Well…”

The conversation declined from there.

And let me tell you…

It was one of the hardest discussions of my life.

My wife Darcie always asks the hard questions. I’m glad she does… because I never do. I’d rather just charge through an idea, without asking how and why it will be different, better, etc.

Sure, we could compete on quality (and I truly think we do) but we could never compete on quantity… the big boys operate at a scale we can’t even imagine.

And the sad fact is, a quality site with 1,000 pages is not as valuable as another site with 100,000 pages of equally valuable content.

It was time to change the conversation…

… from “how can we match the competition’s content in terms of quantity and quality” to “how can we organize our content to make it more valuable to our users?”

This is a subtle difference.

The first question concerns the content itself… while the second adds the delivery of that content into the conversation.

In other words, we realized “quality content” was just the beginning.

We had to package it differently.

Quantity x Quality x Organization = Value

Quality is still the most important factor here. But the quantity and organization of valuable content is more important than ever.

Let’s use two sites as an example.

Site A has fifty pages of quality content.

Site B has five thousand pages of equally valuable content.

Which is more valuable?

The answer is… it depends.

If those five thousand pages are buried deep into the site, with no discernible way to access it, their value plummets.

In fact, if no one can find it, their value disappears.

Now let’s look at the fifty page site. If there are ten categories – each with five pages of content – then every single page is easily found.

Let me say that again. Every page is valuable.

Relying Solely On New Content Is A Fool’s Errand

It’s short-sighted, and fails to take full advantage of your existing content.

How to Make It Stupidly Easy for Readers to Love You

Blogs are excellent at displaying new content… but they’re notoriously bad at showcasing old content.

Remember that gem you wrote three months ago? Gone. Buried deep into your archives, where only a lucky few will stumble on it ever again. Or what about that post you wrote last year or (gasp!) back in 2006? It’s still valuable today, but who will ever find it?

Therefore, you need to make your existing content as accessible as your new content.

How to Better Organize Your Content (and Boost Revenue)


Use Taxonomies. Taxonomy is a fancy word for “organization.” It’s also what separates your average website with a truly great one.

Let’s use a simple example.

Let’s say you’ve got a website that reviews food and restaurants in San Francisco. Sushi, vegetarian, tapas… whatever.

Now you could organize the site by types of food: Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, etc.

Good. But what about location? Maybe I want Chinese food in specific neighborhood (Castro or Chinatown).

With a traditional category system, you can’t simultaneously search for two different categories (“Chinese” AND “Chinatown”) which makes it harder for the reader to find the content they want.

That’s where taxonomies come in. By creating two different taxonomies (e.g. “Neighborhood” and “Cuisine”) your readers can easily find the best Chinese restaurants in Chinatown.

Great. But let’s take this further.

Instead of two taxonomies, let’s add a third one for time of day (e.g. “breakfast, lunch or dinner”). Now your reader can find the best Chinese restaurant in Chinatown for lunch.

Pretty cool, right?

Can you see how much more valuable this site is? How changing one aspect of the site drastically improves the user experience? Just think how you could use this simple method to help readers find your content which is most valuable to them… why wouldn’t you want to do this?

Create “Resource” pages. Note: Here’s an excellent example to start with.

Chances are, your readers don’t care about all of your content. Sure, they may be in love with some of it… but the rest?

Meh.

Now instead of creating mere “category” pages which list all your articles (who actually reads those, anyways?) you create valuable “resource” pages which target your reader’s specific interest.

For example, someone visits your website about San Francisco food. At the top of the blog you list the major resources people would be interested in: let’s use neighborhoods. So when someone clicks on “North Beach” they go to a resource page which says something like this:

“The Ultimate Guide to North Beach Dining!”

North Beach is well known for Italian cuisine: family-owned delis serve cured meats and stuffed olives alongside gelato stores and bakeries, while the smell of roasted garlic wafts down Columbus Ave.

Here are 5 – 10 in-depth resources which highlight the best North Beach has to offer:

LINKS #1 – 5

Want to learn more about North Beach? Then grab our free eBook on North Beach’s best restaurants.

You’ll learn:

5 “to-die-for” restaurants no one knows about (yet).
A simple trick to save 20% on your next dinner.
7 delicious deserts… and the perfect wine for each.

There’s even a complete walking tour for “foodies” which showcases top restaurants in North Beach – along with a history of the neighborhood – and personal menu recommendations for each. You can grab this report by filling out the form below…

NAME

EMAIL

See What We Just Did?

We made it stupidly easy for readers to find what they’re looking for. They didn’t have to wade through your archives, or (god forbid) use your search bar. They found a lot of useful information, and all they need to do is subscribe to get your best stuff.

Readers get what they need. You get more subscribers. Win/win.

Life or Death

People are catching on to this whole “content marketing” thing. And while everyone else is competing on the quality/quantity angle, do the smart thing and organize your content in a better way.

Trust me, it makes all the difference.

What unique ways could you organize your content? Share your ideas below!

Author’s Bio:
Adam Costa is the co-founder of Trekity.com and Travel Blogger Academy which shows how bloggers can grow their travel blogs traffic.

Thank you for adding to the conversation!