Successful Blog

Thanks to Week 369 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

5 Compelling Reasons to Comment on Blogs

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Rosemary O’Neill

Blog commenting is the broccoli of the social media world, an important part of a balanced diet.

In contrast, it’s so easy to pop out a Retweet, hit the “like” button, or re-pin an infographic—those are the Krispy Kreme donuts. A quick rush and then you’re hungry again.

The ROI of Blog Commenting

The other day, I asked someone who was considering a major purchase from my company how they found us. What he said blew my mind. He found me through a blog comment I made on Jeremiah Owyang’s blog THREE YEARS AGO. I happened to be the first commenter on the post, and because of the post’s content, it had surfaced in a Google search by my new friend. (Yes, that’s the sound of angels singing.)

If you can craft a blog comment that contributes to the conversation, adds helpful information, or draws others in, then you’ve done something useful with your social media time investment. If all you have to say is, “great post!” then don’t bother.

Be brief, be witty, be on topic (or all three) and you will attract the attention of the blog writer as well as your fellow readers. Then it’s not only broccoli, it’s doing P90X while eating broccoli.

Start eating your broccoli today.

5 Compelling Reasons to Comment on Blogs

  1. Puts your hat in the ring – Every time you make a helpful comment, you have “shown the flag” for your personal brand. Some commenting systems even allow you to carry points or likes on your comment content, so they become a “body of work.”
  2. Follow you back – I frequently check out other commenters on blogs I frequent. I’ll check out their personal sites, recent posts, and their company pages. Even if the blog uses the “no-follow” for your link, you can still have people follow you home.
  3. Gives back to the blog writer – Commenting and extending the conversation is a small way to give back to the author of the post. Getting validation that someone is reading and that the post resonated with them is something even “famous” bloggers crave.
  4. Exercises your writing muscle – Blog comments can be a disciplined way of distilling your thoughts and practicing expression. If you’re not ready to write an entire blog post of your own, try routinely commenting for a while. It’s great exercise!
  5. Networking with other commenters – There are plenty of blogs where the discussion in the comments is even more stimulating than the blog content itself. Check out Social Media Examiner’s excellent commenter banter, or the established community within SpinSucks comments. If you show up frequently, you can become part of the community too.

So, have you had your broccoli yet today?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

Your Social Media Deficiency Could Be Costing You Business

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What is your small business doing to set itself apart from the competition?

If one of your answers is using social media, a pat on the back to you. If you’re not using social networks to promote your brand, why are you being so resistant?

Despite a number of reports that indicate more and more companies are getting it when it comes to social media, there is still significant lag time when it comes to small businesses talking about social media and actually employing it.

During a small business summit held earlier this year, Godfrey Phillips, VP of research at The Business Journals, noted the following from a study based on 2,200 interviews of business owners and top executives of companies with less than 500 employees:

* Approximately 80 percent of small business owners and major executives indicated they are now using a social network, yet just 57 percent reported doing so in conjunction with their marketing strategy;

* LinkedIn was singled out as the site most utilized for business functions (50 percent) and the least when it came to personal use by those high up in the company (9 percent);

*  Facebook was rated the least used for business purposes (12 percent) and most utilized when it came to personal functions (30 percent).

As you can see by the numbers, less than 60 percent of company owners and top execs not using social media as part of their marketing strategy means countless businesses are missing the boat. In fact, you could even say they are somewhat adrift when it comes to properly reaching out to current and potential customers.

So, you’re in charge of marketing your small business or doing just that for your boss, and social media still seems like a foreign subject at times, why should this matter be rectified?

The reasons include:

* Your brand needs social media – Given the fact that more and more consumers are using the Internet to browse for and purchase goods and services, you need to be alive and breathing social media. With a presence on the major social media sites, you can not only be promoting your brand, but also engaging with consumers, seeing what is being said about your business and staying up to speed with the competition. Not have a social media presence for your business in 2012 is akin to living in the dark ages;

*  Saving money on advertising – When you actively promote your brand on social media, think of the advertising dollars you can be saving. While there is a good chance you will still be doing some of the standard forms of promoting your company like print, and radio/television ads, social media is in essence free advertising. The time and effort required for social media advertising can prove a great return on investment (ROI) for the wise marketer;

* Customer expectations – While your business still may do a sizable portion of marketing via word-of-mouth, traditional advertising and being active in the community, social media exposes you to an infinite number of people who could be your next customers. The days of the customer waiting for you to come to them via catalogs, flyers, phone calls, etc. is in essence a thing of the past. Now, your goal is to market your business via different forms of digital marketing, including social media.

With all that social media has to offer your business, why would you avoid it in the first place?

Photo credit: blog.socialmaximizer.com

With 23 years of experience as a writer, Dave Thomas covers a wide array of topics from finding the right gutter guard for your home to starting a home business.

How to Prioritize Your Time When Working at Home

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Deb Bixler

Keeping on Track is Keeping on the Money

When you have a work at home business, it’s great to be your own boss. It can also be a nightmare to manage your own time. When you can’t fire yourself, it’s hard to actually motivate yourself to get anything done. However, time is money, and when you can’t get yourself to keep on a time schedule, you are doing little more than wasting your time. Put these quick tips into place to keep you on track and help you prioritize your time when it comes to your business at home.

How to Prioritize Your Time When Working at Home

First of all, do the hard tasks first. When you prioritize your tasks in order of importance and skill, you are less likely to procrastinate before you get anything done. Do the things first that have a deadline, are hard to accomplish, or are just plain boring before you move on to the more fun aspects of your work at home business, like marketing, designing, or making phone calls.

If you have to, put yourself on a time schedule. Working at home we often do not work a set schedule as if we had a job. When you actually write a business schedule you may find that you go to work more regularly. Many people treat themselves as if they are an employee in a classic job, and make themselves work from a set time to a clock out time in order to stay on track. Many work from home business owners actually even put aside time for a lunch break. When you have a hard time keeping track of your time, it may be best for you to treat your job as if you are in a traditional office setting, even if you are your own boss and your job is merely your living room.

Finally, keep track of the hours you work. You’d be surprised how much you are actually not working in a work week when you see your hard work in hours. When you keep track of your work hours, whether you delegate yourself to a time schedule or not, you can see how much, or how little, you are actually working, and it may be just the motivation you need to help you get moving.

Many people will say the hardest part about having a work at home business is finding the energy and motivation to physically start the day. When you put a little discipline in your schedule and keep track of your efforts, you just may find yourself putting more time into your business, and making more money at the same time.

Author’s Bio:
Deb Bixler retired from the corporate world using the proven business systems that made her a success working for others by incorporated them into her home business. In only 9 months Deb replaced her full time income with the sales and commissions from her home party plan business. Find her on Twitter at: http://www.Twitter.com/debbixler

Thank you for adding to the conversation!

7 Email Marketing Strategies to Build Your Subscriber List

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Steven Taylor

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7 Email Marketing Strategies to Build Your Subscriber List

Email newsletters are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to stay in contact with your readers and customers, but like any other marketing technique, they must be used in the right way to grow. Here seven ways to grow your subscriber list.
1. Offer something for free – It’s an amazing phenomenon – consumers generally will subscribe to anything for a “free” gift. Write an ebook about you industry and offer it to your new subscribers for free. Promote your ebook on your blog or website sidebar, encouraging your new and old readers to sign up for exclusive access. You’ll be able to capture email addresses to build your subscriber list while positioning yourself as an expert in your niche or industry. If your ebook is valuable enough to subscribers, they will be more likely to come back to your blog.
2. Offer exclusive content – This one is a great way to encourage return readers of an already active blog or business website community. If your readers love what you write, offer additional “bonus” content on a regular basis through your email subscriber list. Another idea is to offer quarterly bonus tips or tutorials for users who sign up for your subscriber list.

3. Offer a discount – In the same way customers will sign up for anything to get something free, they will sign up for an e-newsletter for a discount. Promote an offer – a small discount or free product at signup – and watch your subscriber list grow.
4. Make it easy – Subscribers don’t want to jump through hoops to get your content. The more difficult it is to subscribe, the less likely people are to sign up. Luckily, there are some free email newsletter services that make it simple. Mail Chimp offers an e-newsletter service that lets you add an easy-to-use form that you can place on your sidebar. Place this close to the top of your page so it’s one of the first things your visitors see when they stop by your blog. To make it even more clear, create a big, bold image that says “subscribe” that leads to the form.

5. Ask for referrals – Sometimes the best way to get something is to ask! Your subscribers might not think about forwarding your newsletter to their friends and colleagues unless you mention it. As an aside in your content (for instance, in the sidebar with a cool, eye-catching graphic) write “If you loved it, share it!” or something similar that asks for a referral in a casual way. Also, make sure you have share buttons visible for email, Twitter and Facebook. Create an HTML version with a subscription box visible so your newsletter content can be spread more easily through social media.

6. Offer point-of-sale opt-in – If you own a small business or an online business, offering point-of-sale opt-in is a simple and very effective way to build your subscriber list. This doesn’t have to be advanced – if you have a brick-and-mortar store, ask for a name and email if your customer is interested. If you have an online store, ask if your buyer would like to subscribe as they are checking out. Bloggers can even join in with the point-of-sale technique: at the end of a blog post, ask your readers if they’d like to join your list.

7. Don’t abuse your list – Your customers are giving you their personal information in exchange for your content, so make sure you don’t take advantage of it! Keep your enewsletters to a reasonable amount, and send our your newsletters in regular intervals and at a predictable time. Readers are generally overwhelmed with email, so your content has to be short, valuable and infrequent. Write short, catchy subjects so your readers know exactly what they will be getting, and never use “bait and switch” measures to get them to open. Offer what you say you’ll be offering.

Which of these 7 Email marketing strategies would work best for your business?

Author’s Bio:
Steven Taylor has been writing about technology and small business solutions for nearly a decade. When he’s not writing, you can find him reviewing Time Warner Business Class Internet services. View their website for more information about Steven’s work.

Thank you for adding to the conversation!

Be Your Future … Now

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Self-Talk and Self-Awareness

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Last night on PBS I saw a program on success and winning. The following fact almost floored me.

The self-talk in our heads runs at about 300-1000 words / minute.

Imagine the power of that barrage of thoughts. Whether positive or negative, that much energy can direct a life.

Just being aware of when we’re talking to ourselves makes a huge difference.
Taking responsibility for it can make a difference in our lives.

Be Your Future … Now

I believe that to know yourself is key to succeeding in both business and life. Once we figure our own direction and intentions, those of other people have less power to shape and bend us.

For a few years I spent significant time exploring self-actualizing questions.

Am I being true to myself?

I could tie my mind in complex knots over that one question. Being myself, being true to myself, knowing when to trust my perception of others, I found all of these far more complicated than I needed to make them.

In an attempt to sort myself, I did the math. I thought …

I have so many emotions. Do I always have to go with the one I feel most? If I’m 10% happy does that count less than the 20% nervous I feel? Is one thing I’m feeling more truly me than another? Which should I act on when I’m feeling, love, jealousy, anger, hurt, ignored?

Your answers might be easy, but I could think myself into a tizzy over such questions. Most situations offered too many possibilities.

Finally I looked outside myself for an answer. I saw Dorothy’s personal sense of class, Jo’s open acceptance, and Martha’s grace under pressure. I wished for my mother’s strength and my father’s generosity of spirit. I sought out the people who had the qualities that I admired, qualities I wished I could cultivate in myself.

Eventually, I found that I would grow more and with less angst if I used a different question.
Eventually that question became …

Am I being true to who I want to be?

That question I can check in mirror.

The person I want to be would respond like this …

And the benefits of this future question were lovely. I spent less time out-thinking things, more time doing. And with less and less future before me I want to be the future me now.

Who is the “me” in your future? You get to decide that.
This works for teams, couples, and individuals. Try it.

How will you be your future now?

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss