Blog Post Ideas

fast-bloggingBack again!  Today’s topic is perfectly suited for me: how can you quickly pull together a Blog post when you really don’t have time?  Whether it’s screaming kids, screaming clients, looking deadlines, travel or every day workload weighing you down, you still need to find time to make sure you and your business are visible.  You need to proactively put yourself out there in order to get that much coveted search engine love.

So what do you do when you are rushed for time but don’t want to neglect your Blog?

For starters, keep tabs on your industry by setting Google Alerts for your top keywords and use that as inspiration for the topic.  So many times picking the topic is the hardest part.  Surround yourself with inspiration and you’ll at least have a starting point.

The second step is hard for people that don’t consider themselves a “writer” – just sit down and start writing.  Get those fingers flying over the keys and see what comes out.  You can always edit or even delete if the content isn’t working.  But starting a free flow session is a great way to capture your thoughts and ideas and then you can go back and massage them after.  I find people tend to write slower when they think about every word and try to get things perfect.  If you can just get it all out quickly, you are more likely to get your posts done.  And while you want to strive for quality work at all times, since people will judge you based on what you put out there, you don’t need perfection all the time.

It’s also OK to just be honest and say “Today’s going to be a short post, I’m slammed with deadlines but I wanted to share some info with you” and then just share a few stats or a short post.  People will be able to relate to the humanness of it all.

Using stats with a little personal insight into what they mean or what people can learn from them is a great way to create a fairly short post.

Create a category for tips and plan to do short posts that just cover one tip.  That way you don’t have to delve in-depth on every topic.  When you have some time, do longer posts and when you are rushed, throw up a tip.

Get guest bloggers to help you fill in the gaps.  It keeps things fresh and interesting and helps you and the guest blogger.

Don’t get into the habit of just copying other content that is out there on to your Blog.  It creates duplicate content and doesn’t make you stand out and offer fresh thoughts and perspectives.  Once in a while, do a short post linking to a great piece you want to share but don’t copy the whole text into your Blog.

Create a glossary people can refer to and add new words one or two at a time.

You can get creative and think of what content you can feed people in small pieces.  The key is to remember not every post needs to be really long.  The only thing every post has to offer is value to the reader.  :)

I’m back!

wanted

After a long (and unintentional) absence, I’m back! :)   And not a minute too soon, it appears there was a bounty out on me!

I realized when I looked at how dated my Blog looked and when I looked at when my last post was, it was time to take action and get it current, no more being M.I.A.

Step was to upgrade WordPress – which is important for security purposes and not something I should have let lapse.

Step two was to get it looking better – so I grabbed a shiny new theme!

Step three is committing to posting regularly.

On a daily basis, I tell clients the importance of finding time to Blog and participate in social networks but I found the busier I got, the less I made time for it myself. Thankfully my clients are all really cool and no one gave me a really hard time for not walking the walk. Even though my clients are choosing to go easy on me, I can’t go easy on myself any longer. It’s either important or it’s not. If it is important, it’s worth finding the time. So voila, my first post!

Aside from coming clean about my own sins (if not blogging is my worst sin, I’m in pretty good shape!), I also hope that you will learn the following:

1. Blogging is important and you do need to find the time.
2. It’s never too late to start. It doesn’t matter if your last post was 6 months ago or 6 years ago – all that matters is your next post can be today.

So for today I am going to leave it at that – short, sweet and no excessive rambling (and that is really something, for those that know me!)

Stay tuned as I cover all things SEO, social media, design and copy writing.

Now that you’ve read my post – go write yours!

Jenn

Jennifer Horowitz
Director of Marketing
EcomBuffet.com
jennifer@ecombuffet.com
562-592-5347

Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ecombuffet

Check us out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SearchEngineRankings

Holiday Marketing Plan – NOW Is The Time

What You Can Do Today To Tap Into More Holiday Shopping Traffic This Year

Check these stats out:

  • Cyber Monday sales at online retail websites were 19.4% higher in 2010, compared to the online sales of Cyber Monday in 2009 – Coremetrics
  • $1.028 billion was spent online on Cyber Monday in 2010, the first day in U.S. retail history to surpass the billion-dollar sales level. – comScore
  • 9 million people made purchases online on Cyber Monday in 2010. – Comcast
  • The average online order on Cyber Monday 2010 was $194.89, which was 8.3% higher than the $180.03 average in 2009. – Coremetrics

Do you want your piece of that action this year? What are you willing to do to get it?

If you haven’t started a holiday campaign yet – now is the time. So what can you do to tap into it?

crowdsStart by forgetting about you and what you want. Forget your goals and sales objectives. The key is to think about what holiday shoppers want and to think about what problems they face. Then offer them a solution.

If you can solve their problems and get yourself found so they know you solve their problems – you’ve got them!

So while the list is endless, I’m going to start with just a few of the major problems they face:

• They don’t want to fight crowds, look for parking, carry heavy bags through the mall. They are looking for convenience.

• They are often looking for deals – especially in a tough economy.

• The are looking for ideas and gift suggestions.

• They have to get their hands on hard to find item.

• Want something unique/different – something that shows they really care and put a lot of thought into the gift.

• Logistics – sometimes gifts need to be transported/shipped to family and friends in other locations.

• They have very little time – there is so much to do around the holiday season and shopping can take up a big chunk of their time.

• The realization slowly hits them that anything they buy – they will have to wrap.

• They are concerned about the cost of shipping if they do shop online.

• They are concerned that they can’t really see the items well if they do shop online.

Take a look at that list. How many of those problems can you help them with? I would think most if not all.

But do they know that? Probably not.

So now is the time to start blogging (don’t forget to use social media & RSS feeds to promote your content).

Start by checking out all the queries people used last year:  example: gift ideas, gifts under $100, gifts for bosses etc etc etc.

Your site needs to come up when they search for these phrases this year. One you have a list of keywords you want to tap into start blogging (now is the time, don’t put this off)

Your posts should offer them solutions. They need to clearly see that you offer the solution to their holiday shopping woes.

Let’s take a look at that list again and look at some things you can do to show them you meet their needs.

This could be a whole series of posts you write (this is the best way to go), or it could be one long post that covers all the points.

• They don’t want to fight crowds, look for parking, carry heavy bags through the mall. They are looking for convenience. Share some stats about the cost of gas and crowds in malls and share stats about the numbers of people shopping online to specific avoid this chaos.

• They are often looking for deals – especially in a tough economy. Offer sales. Also consider adding “freebies” with purchase. You don’t always have to discount on pricing – you can bulk up the value of what they get. If a toy costs X at pretty much all the stores, you can still charge them X but instead of just getting the toy – they get the toy + some other “freebie” that has value but is reasonable for you to throw in. The funny thing is people will often pay more than regular price to get something for “free”.

• The are looking for ideas and gift suggestions. This one is easy and you can have fun and get creative with it. Create a gift guide that they can download from your site. Think of all the kinds of gifts someone could buy from you site – the more people they can buy for from one site, they more compelling you will look to them. It’s nice to have a little reminder – do you need to buy for your clients, for your boss, for your secretary, for your neighbor, for your best friends, for your hubby or wife, for your kids, for your parents etc? Great here is what we suggest….

• They have to get their hands on hard to find item. Have a hot item that is in demand – let everyone know you have it in stock.

• Want something unique/different – something that shows they really care and put a lot of thought into the gift. Talk about what is unique and special about your gifts. Share stories and testimonials from clients that have been thrilled with the item. You may have to get creative on this one depending on what you sell, but you can do it!

• Logistics – sometimes gifts need to be transported/shipped to family and friends in other locations. Remind them the benefits of you guys doing the shipping – then they don’t have to buy and then pack it up and then go to UPS. They just click and fill out a form and presto the gift is on its way. Be sure you assure them about shipping times – if they are concerned it won’t get there on time or safely, they may not buy. Remember your job here is to convince them you offer the solutions they are looking for.

• They have very little time – there is so much to do around the holiday season and shopping can take up a big chunk of their time. Easy peasy. Just write again about the conveniences of them shopping from home – paint a picture with your words. A read through your gift guide, a few clicks a form to fill out – all while they sip hot chocolate in their pajamas with Christmas carols in the background.

• The realization slowly hits them that anything they buy – they will have to wrap. If you offer wrapping, be sure you let them know. Also if you can include gift cards etc.

• They are concerned about the cost of shipping if they do shop online. While people may want to shop online, they may think it’ll end up costing more because of shipping. Can you offer free or discounted shipping? Maybe the more they buy, the more you discount the shipping. You have to look at your margins and see what you can afford but they will be thinking about this, so you may as well be up front about it. Even if you can’t discount, let them know shipping costs are reasonable and well worth it for the time and stress they will save.

• They are concerned that they can’t really see the items well if they do shop online. Be sure you offer big, clear photos and lots of product descriptions so they don’t feel such a disadvantage by not being able to touch and feel and really inspect the items.HolidayShopping

There may also be privacy and security concerns, so be sure you are very clear about the safety and security of shopping on your site and be sure to include a privacy policy.

You can also:

Encourage people to start shopping now – give them some kind of incentive to get that shopping done. Many people are afraid they’ll miss out on the late shopping season sales if they shop too soon, so offer some early season bonuses.

If you can make yourself not only a place to buy high quality items but also a resource with helpful information, they’ll be a whole lot more likely to think of you the next time they need to buy what you sell. Post checklists that may help them.

A free PDF shopping list template that they can print and fill out or a holiday greeting card list template. People love stuff that helps them get organized and people love stuff that is free. So think about what things people may need to keep track of at the holiday season (even if it’s not directly related to your product) and get some helpful checklists.

A few ideas: If you are in the food or cookware or dishes etc industry – create a holiday meal checklist. Offer them a 2012 resolutions and goals checklist if you are in accounting, or fitness/weight loss. Offer them a holiday party guide if you are in the entertainment industry. Offer a look your best and dazzle at holiday parties check list if you are in fashion/clothing/make up/accessories/hair care etc.

Write about any holiday traditions/recipes/events related to your product or service (ex: you sell dishes, write posts about holiday meal traditions, feature recipes and have various products and specials featured).

Once you’ve created all this content – and I can’t stress enough – have some fun with it. Show some personality – let them feel like you are right there personally sharing info with them. Position your content as their personal shopping concierge that guides them through what they need to get done. OK, so once you’ve done that, you can (and should):

• Be sure your post is optimized.

• Syndicate your RSS feed.

• Send out mailings to current customers and let them know about your Blog posts and any special offers.

• Promote all your new content and specials via social media. Maybe even announce a special holiday contest.

• Syndicate it to article directories (just be sure you post it to your site or Blog and the engines index it before you syndicate it)

• Look for people that want guest Bloggers and share your content with them (again only once it’s posted and indexed on your own site).

Whether you implement some or all of this, the time to get it done is now. You need to get that content created and get it circling out there.

Get creative. This article is just to get the ideas flowing and get you to take action. So run with it and see you can come up with. ?

As always, I welcome comments and questions.

How To Optimize A Blog Post

On EcomBuffet’s Facebook Fan Page I asked what questions people had that they needed answers to.  I got a great question from my loyal follower Rich Epstein (check out his Rhode Island Real Estate Blog )

The question was:

For each blog post what should I do in the title, H1, H2 and post keywords to optimize SEO? Let’s say it’s a post about the interest rates falling this week.

So what Rich really wants to know about is…

SEO for Blog Posts

It’s a great question; how to optimize a Blog post is something I get a lot of questions about.

I’m going to start at the very beginning so everyone knows exactly what they need to do:

Once you’ve selected the topic (which should be something that is current, relevant and interesting to your readers), you want to do some keyword research to find the best phrases that are related to that topic.  Find phrases that people are currently searching for.  I usually focus on 1-3 keywords per post.

I like to start by writing the post and getting out all the important information that I need to share.  Be sure it’s compelling.

Tips For Good Blog Posts:

Don’t forget to include images and pay attention to formatting so it’s easy to read (and remember most people skim before they commit to really reading, so use sub-headlines and “attention-getters” throughout the post).  Remember to include a call to action so people know what the next step is.  (Those are just a couple of the general guidelines for “good Blog posts” that you should familiarize yourself with).

Once I’ve got the post written, I go back and edit to see if I can add some additional keywords in there.  Never keyword stuff.  Make sure your content uses the keywords well but most importantly, make sure it reads well for site visitors. (Tip: read the post out loud, if its keyword stuffed you’ll be able to hear it when you read it out loud).

Now assuming you’ve got a good Blog post in place now – it’s well written, well formatted, it has calls to action now you are ready to think about…

How To Optimize Your Blog Post:

I always bold at least one instance of the keyword phrases (don’t go overboard and bold too many, it really depends how long the post is how much bolding you can get away with).

I use the keyword phrases (or variations of the phrase) in my Categories and tags.

I use the keyword phrases in the Meta Title and Description tags.

Depending on the length and the format of the post, I will use an H1 and a couple H2s.

If it makes sense, I use a keyword phrase to link to a page on my site or another Blog post (didn’t do that on this one but normally I would).

I hope that helps ya Rich.  If not, lemme know what questions you still have.

To wrap things up, a couple notes about the SEO for this Blog post:

Note: the keywords I used in this Blog post are:
•    Good blog posts
•    seo for blog posts
•    how to optimize a blog post

You’ll notice I bolded them, I used them a few times in the copy, I used them in the Meta tags, tags and categories, and I used H tags.  I used a couple different variations of the phrases so they made sense within the copy.

OK, it’s late Sunday morning and I’ve been working for a few hours.  Off to go enjoy some sunshine now!  :)

3 Things You Can Do Today To Grow Your Business

Nope, no magic pill or fairy dust here. Sorry.

But there are 3 things you can do today to help grow your business. Then do 3 more things tomorrow. The next day you could try doing 3 more things.

Get the message here? There is no overnight, magic pill. You need to take action DAILY and move towards your goals.

So what are the 3 things you could do? Let me give you some ideas:

1. Take action on SEO if your site isn’t ranked well. There are 2 choices here:

a. Do it yourself. Check out my book for all of the info you need to handle your own SEO (special introductory offer price: $14.97) (check it out now: http://www.ecombuffet.com/ebook.htm)

b. Request a consultation and proposal to get a formal evaluation of your site and see what it’ll take to get your site on top. Request your consultation here: http://ecombuffet.com/Consultation-request.htm

2. Get active on Facebook. Some ideas:

a. If you don’t have a Fan Page – get one. (Need help with that? Email me and I’ll get you a quote).

b. Invite new friends and fans so you can network and connect.

c. Post to your Fan page and engage fans.

d. Look into a contest to grow your fan base.

e. Make sure your Blog, Facebook, Twitter and site are all working well together for maximum benefit.

3. Get active on Twitter: (Need some help? Check out: http://www.ecombuffet.com/Twitter-quickstart.htm)

a. If you don’t have an account yet, get one started.

b. Writer tweets and engage your followers.

c. Connect with industry leaders.

d. Share content.

e. Build followers.

f. Learn how to use Twitter better with my Do It Yourself Twitter Quickstart Success program.

4. Build content for your site or Blog.

5. Write a newsletter or email offer for your list.

6. Check your Blog’s backend and be sure it’s properly configured with the right plugins to get maximum benefit.

7. Check your web stats and find areas you can improve your site to increase your bottom line.

8. Check for 404 errors and clean up your site.

9. Review Webmaster Tools and see what you can learn to improve the optimization of your site.

10. Review content and make sure there are no errors, make sure your copy is clean and tight and prepared to sell your site visitors when they enter your site.

11. Test your shopping cart to make sure everything works and is user friendly.

12. Invite guest Bloggers to add some interest, different perspectives and fresh content to your Blog.

13. Check on your PPC campaigns and see what you can improve.

14. Set up split tests on landing pages to improve results.

15. Find opportunities for you to be a guest Blogger.

16. Make sure your product feed is working and up to date.

17. Look into mobile search and mobile marketing.

18. Make sure your local listings are all accurate, up to date and optimized for maximum results and exposure.

19. Get active on LinkedIn.

20. Follow up with leads and prospects (key area that most businesses fail)

21. Identify opportunities that you have been too busy to take advantage of and get on it!

22. Get a press release out there.

23. Write an article for syndication (just know the rules and guidelines so this doesn’t end up working against you)

24. Get a video online and promote it like crazy.

25. Check out your competitors and see what you need to do to beat them out.

26. Build links.

There ya go – 26 ideas for you. Pick 3 and take ACTION.

To Your Action & Success,

Jennifer Horowitz

Director of Marketing

www.EcomBuffet.com

562-592-5347

jennifer@ecombuffet.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ecombuffet

Facebook Page: http://www.ecombuffet.com/SEO-Fanpage/

Blogging, Tweeting & Flying A Kite

I know, I know, I’ve been really bad about Blogging lately (and tweeting too).  Queue up the excuses:

I had family in town for 2 weeks and then I got sick – bad bout of bronchitis that I still haven’t completely shaken.  Scott, our Director of Web Development dared to take a vacation and leave us shorthanded for a few days and then to top things off, Bonnie our Director of SEO took vacation too.  Plus it rained a little bit in Huntington Beach and the rain is always a distraction for me.

So you get the point, it’s all a little like “my dog ate my homework” with a “P.S. I don’t even have a dog” thrown in there.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter what my reasons are – the conversation continues on social media, in spite of my family being in town.  The questions about SEO are still being asked and the people searching for info are still out there (they are just getting a response from someone else while I’m flying kites on the beach with my family).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we don’t deserve a break – we all need breaks.  But the truth is to think the world is taking a break with me is a little foolish.

I could have written some posts in advance, I could have used my copywriters on staff to write a few for me, I could have arranged for a guest writer.  I had a lot of options.  The option I chose was to do nothing.

Maybe doing nothing is fine in some cases, maybe it’s not a big deal to miss a month of posting and to go pretty silent on Twitter for almost a month.

BUT if your business relies on your Blog and Twitter to generate leads, build relationships, sell your products/services or if you are a reliable resource people count on, then don’t just go silent – make plans to keep the info coming.

One of the lessons I try to teach clients is:

To see real results from these tools, you need consistency.  No one is perfect and you won’t follow a strict schedule in most cases, BUT you want to develop a pattern of consistency.  So, it’s time for me to follow my own advice and get back on track!

Stay tuned for more posts in the coming weeks as I dust off my typing fingers and get back to work!

Jenn Horowitz, Director or Marketing and Reforming Blog Slacker

P.S. If you haven’t flown a kite recently, I really recommend it!  I haven’t done it in more years than I can count, but I had a great time!  So, I leave you with this final piece of advice: Blog, Tweet and Fly A Kite!

Blogging in 2010

Last week this article was posted on SearchEngineJournal. 

I’ve had family in town and been sick, so I’m a little behind.  Finally getting around to posting this link to the article. Check it out and be sure to share your comments.

Thanks!!

Jenn

Jennifer Horowitz, Directory of Marketing