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Everyone, even bloggers, experience writers block now and again, but always remember those loyal readers who are waiting for your next post. One of the biggest failures facing bloggers is not posting frequently enough! There are a number of different methods you can use to overcome writers block when blogging and here are five tips to keep you on track.
1) Everyday Experiences Can Save Your Blog
Even if your blog isn’t a personal journal, there are numerous experiences each day pertaining to your blog’s theme you can draw on. When facing those “what do I write now” moments, use those experiences to create a post. Get creative if you have too, but your blog posts will get done and likely be more interesting too!
2) Use the Search Engines (“Google It”) to Flush Ideas Out!
Why not Google or the other search engines and search the main topic of your blog? Do not just copy material from other blogs, but use there posts and ideas for inspiration. Spend some time and read blogs in your or even outside your niche and see what they’re discussing. These can serve either as inspiration for your own posts or write a response post building on what’s already in cyberspace.
3) Check the Keywords People Are Searching to Find Your Site
Almost all analytics programs report the search terms people are using to arrive at your site. Scan the keyword phrases folks are searching to find your posts. Often times the search engines provide traffic from long-tail keywords you haven’t fully discussed yet. Simply use those keywords as seeds for your next blog posts?
4) Survey Your Readers for Ideas
What better way of coming up with content that your readers will enjoy than to invite them to ask questions? Write up a quick post one day asking them what they want to know, then post a follow up a few days later with all the answers. This last method is also an excellent way to connect with your audience.
5) Head to YouTube
Some of my favorite avenues for new post ideas are the video sharing sites like YouTube and Viddler. Given the huge number of videos uploaded each hour, there is always a nice selection of related material to draw ideas and inspiration from
Using almost any of these five cures for writers block will keep the ideas flowing and posts streaming steadily to your blog.
All online marketers heard this phrase dozens of times but with the ongoing efforts by the search engines to eliminate spam content, “Content Really Is King”! Most marketers are always looking for a few tips and tricks to help speed-up the writing process, since creating content is time-consuming…
Here are five fast article writing tips to help expedite the content generation process and free-up time for other marketing activities.
1) Start with an outline. Preparing an outline before you actually start to write helps organize your thoughts and structure the article. Start with a format that includes an opening or introduction paragraph, three or four subheadings highlighting the points of your article and a closing paragraph. Leave enough blank lines after each section and “free write” (meaning write don’t sweat the details) about information relating to that section. Make note of any websites or articles that may help when detailing the sections.
If you take the time to structure your outline first then flush it out with ideas for each section, the actual writing will go much faster. Remember, this isn’t English class so don’t worry about the formalities of outlining, just develop a system that works for you!
2) Use a timer to keep you on track and continue to work on the writing task until the timer ends. The time you set will be subject to your schedule or how long it typically takes to write an article of xxx words. One of the big advantages of using the timer relates to the level of focus it establishes to get the writing task accomplished.
3) Do you remember when you started flushing out the outline by free writing? Follow the same process when you start the formal creation process to write the article, just start writing and don’t stop to edit. Once you’ve completed the rough draft for the article, there will be plenty of time to go back and edit.
4) Unless you are one of those folks who can type almost as fast as they talk, invest in quality voice recognition software package like “Dragon Naturally Speaking” as soon as you can afford it. Though the early version of this software was somewhat buggy, the current version is remarkably accurate, especially when you go through the software training process. Most people increase their writing output tremendously when using this type of software.
5) Many marketers fret over their writing skills, especially regarding things like structure and grammar. Though actually taking the time to review and edit the article will catch many mistakes, there are always some that get missed. Using a quality grammar checking program like “Grammarly” will definitely help improve the quality of the article and reduce the stress level when getting ready to publish it online.
The five tips provided above will definitely help increase your writing speed and comfort level, but like most things in life, “practice makes perfect” or at least fast article writing a lot easier in the long run…
Anyone interested in blogging and getting their message out on the Internet needs to understand the basics of search engines and building traffic. This applies to Internet marketers as well as the person who just wants to express their opinion and be heard.
One of the basic puzzle pieces pertaining to building Internet traffic revolves around links (a.k.a. backlinks) and link building strategies. But before you even have to worry about link building, you really need to understand the fundamentals of backlinks.
In order to provide access to some phenomenal insight regarding backlinks and linking strategy, a series of fives videos prepared by Allyn Hane of Blogging Illustrated is provided below.
Through this video series, Allyn masterfully weaves a path starting with the basics of backlinks and anchored links then onto links and site authority and relevance finally ending on a video discussing the perfect link!
Really great stuff (IMHO at least)!
So get ready to watch this five-part video series and grab a beverage, pull up a chair, strap-on the headphones then enjoy the show for the next 20 minutes or so …
One other suggestion … keep a notepad and pen handy, you’ll likely need them …
Allyn Discusses Link Basics
What Is Anchor Text?
Next … Links and Site Authority
What Is Site Relevance?
The Finale – Discovering A Perfect Backlink …
Thank you to Allyn Hane of Blogger Illustrated (dot net) and his Viddler site for a video series on links and link strategies that is 100% pure educational content and an absolute boon for understanding basics of search engines and building traffic …
I know that most of what Seth writes is amazing but here is something definitely worth pondering!
Enjoy and reflect ….
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Hunters and Farmers by Seth Godin …
10,000 years ago, civilization forked. Farming was invented and the way many people spent their time was changed forever.
Clearly, farming is a very different activity from hunting. Farmers spend time sweating the details, worrying about the weather, making smart choices about seeds and breeding and working hard to avoid a bad crop. Hunters, on the other hand, have long periods of distracted noticing interrupted by brief moments of frenzied panic.
It’s not crazy to imagine that some people are better at one activity than another. There might even be a gulf between people who are good at each of the two skills. Thom Hartmann has written extensively on this. He points out that medicating kids who might be better at hunting so that they can sit quietly in a school designed to teach farming doesn’t make a lot of sense.
A kid who has innate hunting skills is easily distracted, because noticing small movements in the brush is exactly what you’d need to do if you were hunting. Scan and scan and pounce. That same kid is able to drop everything and focus like a laser–for a while–if it’s urgent. The farming kid, on the other hand, is particularly good at tilling the fields of endless homework problems, each a bit like the other. Just don’t ask him to change gears instantly.
Marketers confuse the two groups. Are you selling a product that helps farmers… and hoping that hunters will buy it? How do you expect that people will discover your product, or believe that it will help them? The woman who reads each issue of Vogue, hurrying through the pages then clicking over to Zappos to overnight order the latest styles–she’s hunting. Contrast this to the CTO who spends six months issuing RFPs to buy a PBX that was last updated three years ago… she’s farming.
Both groups are worthy, both groups are profitable. But each group is very different from the other, and I think we need to consider teaching, hiring and marketing to these groups in completely different ways. I’m not sure if there’s a genetic component or if this is merely a convenient grouping of people’s personas. All I know is that it often explains a lot about behavior (including mine).
Some ways to think about this:
* George Clooney (in Up in the Air) and James Bond are both fictional hunters. Give them a desk job and they freak out.
* Farmers don’t dislike technology. They dislike failure. Technology that works is a boon.
* Hunters are in sync with Google, a hunting site, farmers like Facebook.
* When you promote a first-rate hunting salesperson to internal sales management, be prepared for failure.
* Farmers prefer productive meetings, hunters want to simply try stuff and see what happens.
* Warren Buffet is a farmer. So is Bill Gates. Mark Cuban is a hunter.
* Hunters want a high-stakes mission, farmers want to avoid epic failure.
* Trade shows are designed to entrance hunters, yet all too often, the booths are staffed with farmers.
* The last hundred years of our economy favored smart farmers. It seems as though the next hundred are going to belong to the persistent hunters able to stick with it for the long haul.
* A hunter will often buy something merely because it is difficult to acquire.
* One of the paradoxes of venture capital is that it takes a hunter to get the investment and a farmer to patiently make the business work.
* A farmer often relies on other farmers in her peer group to be sure a purchase is riskless.
The company that gave us the first automated, online system to create, publish and send real greeting cards has done it again. Send Out Cards (SOC) recently launched a new twist for delivering their exceptional product, the SOC Box (pronounced “Sock Box”).
By releasing the SOC Box program, Send Out Cards jumps from network marketing/MLM business model into the retail affiliate marketing realm. This new and provocative approach opens the door for a wider range of ordinary people to access the company’s biggest selling product (creation of a two-panel card with your own images) but also to make a little extra money for a nominal fee if they desire to do so.
What’s in the SOC Box?
Open the box and discover your key to becoming a SOC user and access many of the key features of the Send Out Cards system. The basic SOC Box retails for $49.00 (USD) and includes:
Your specific license to use the SOC Box software system;
Access to Picture Plus enabling you to add your own images to the cards;
Sample cards, SOC brochure and DVD presentation; and
Initial credit for 10 two-panel greeting including postage.
Once the initial 10 greeting card credit has been used, the system can be recharged with another 10 greeting card credit for $20.00 (USD).
Remember each card in the SOC Box system includes postage plus SOC prints, stuffs and mails each card!
Want a little extra cash? Consider the optional SOC Box Retail Affiliate Program for only $25.00 (USD) more …
Once you see how easy it is to create a card and the quality and power of a personalized, heart-felt SOC greeting card, you will likely be eager to share you new found gift with those you admire and love.
Another amazing feature of the SOC Box system is the inexpensive investment (an additional $25.00) to become a retail affiliate and make a little extra cash. Each SOC Box is purchased by a retail affiliate (or SOC distributor) at the wholesale price of $25.00 and when sold at the retail price of $49.00, the affiliate makes $24.00 profit!
SOC corporate also pays a bonus of $100.00 for every 10 SOC Boxes activated within 30 consecutive day period. A quick check of the math shows the potential to make $340.00 profit for each 10 SOC boxes sold an activated within that 30 day period.
The SOC Box makes an excellent Christmas gift for anyone with access to a computer. What a great way to share an amazing gift idea and cover the cost of your own holiday expenses at the same time!
Try the system for yourself!
Access the super easy SOC card creation system for yourself by clicking on the image below and completing the form on the next page for a free card-sending trial!
It was a positively gripping read that in my opinion is the book of the millennium. The authors have written a marketing masterpiece and a personal development manual all wrapped up in an eloquently penned, easy to follow and quick to read paperback. If you are in business of any kind, or not, this is simply a MUST read! Tommy and Curtis are at the top of their game when it comes to teaching appreciation and the law of attraction. And this book comes from their own proven experience, not one word from a bunch of rehashed ideas found in hyperspace like so much self published clap trap is nowadays.
Opening with Kody Bateman’s famous words “Appreciation wins over self promotion every single time”, the first chapter will give you a clear understanding of just what Appreciation Marketing really is. If you are in business you better understand how to garner Customer Loyalty, before your competition does!
Is it ever too late to say Thank You? Chapter Two reveals why expressing gratitude is better late than never, a hundred times better actually. And, perhaps more importantly, why NOT saying thanks does you more harm than good. You may be surprised to read who has been doing this all along, and up to now you may have just thought these champions had lucky breaks. From chapter two onwards each chapter finishes with a quick summary of a key attribute of The Appreciator (The character we all need to aspire to). Expressing Gratitude get’s the ball rolling.
Do people like you? Studies show likeability as being the common ground amongst successful business leaders and successful marriages so you will want to learn chapter three’s attribute – the magnetic personality.
Plato’s wisdom opens chapter four which is really seven mini chapters and seven more attributes rolled into one easily read section. In the Seven Deadly Creatures we have: The Energy Sucker who needs to transform into a positive energy giver. The Pukers, who can verbally vomit over anyone within a three foot radius, they need to learn how to control their enthusiasm. The Toppers, who can and will trump anyone, will learn to lift others up. The Whiner (In Australia, it’s called a Whinging Pom – and I’ve been one) can learn it is better to become someone who does not complain. Narcissus, you know the one who is so full of self admiration we should all wear shades. Well no one wants to spend time with this character so a bit of humble pie is top of the menu.
Next amongst these seven deadly creatures’ is the Vulture. Hard to pick out from the crowd this bird of prey can come up with many a cunning plan to meet you under false pretenses. Vultures need to learn patience and cultivate a genuine nature. Last but not least is Mr. Halitosis; the deadly creature whose offensive appearance and/or odor can get in your face and right up your nose. Can a stinker be turned into the clean appreciator? Yes, this book will have you coming out smelling like roses! While the authors claim to have met, and even been, all seven deadly creatures at one time in their lives, I must admit while glued to this chapter I too recognized myself in each. But I’m OK because I have the book so I now know how to make the changes that will transform me into a first class appreciation marketer.
Chapter five drops a doggy turd on your plate! But it is covered with chocolate so it alright, isn’t it? I’ve never read a better report on sincerity. So if you want to be a sincere appreciator, chapter five is another good reason to buy the book. By the way, if you are in real estate, a doctor, dentist, vet or a florist and you need a way of asking for referrals this is an absolute must read.
In their brilliant metaphoric chapter on cultivating a tomato garden you will learn precisely how to develop ‘Top Of Mind Awareness Through Others’ – T.O.M.A.T.O. Learning how to begin, nurture and develop strong business and personal relationships is an essential skill if you want success in business, a vibrant personal social live and even love. And yes you get that education in this book too.
If you have read Bob Burg’s excellent book the Go-Giver you will simply love how Tommy and Curtis bring in the idea of service as an essential part of being a successful appreciation marketer. Using the perfect quote from Deepak Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success you will be left with no doubt of the importance of being an unconditional giver. This chapter sets you up to be the type of person people want to be around and refer people to.
Do you collect business cards? You soon will, and furthermore, in chapter eight you will learn a game of making connections through playing cards – business cards – that will become a vital part of your Appreciation Marketing Strategy.
Now to learn about taking a little extra care. If you do not care for your past, present, and prospective customers – (and spouse?) – someone else will! You will come away from this chapter really knowing why AND HOW to go the extra mile.
Appreciation is the breakfast ritual of champions. Pass on the morning doom and gloom news, and feast upon the warm fuzzy feelings of asset recognition. Ten is a very short chapter that provides you a morning mental exercise that will positively frame your day.
After reading Appreciation Marketing I realized it was far more than a marketing book. As I passed a copy to a friend I said, “hey John read this, it is better than a bible”. In the eleventh chapter, with a little help from the Wallace Wattles classic book The Science Of Getting Rich, Tommy and Curtis provide the grateful secret to prayers and affirmations for people of all faiths (or none) who want answers.
Do you find it easy to see the good in people and situations where most other cannot? You will want to, and be able to, when you get the message about there always being sunshine above the storm clouds.
Earlier in the book some deadly creatures where brought to the fore. Now we learn how to leave our Narcissus ego at the door, but still know how to love and appreciate ourselves and our lives so that we can more easily appreciate others too.
Setting the stage for the construction of our Appreciation Marketing Strategy, comes advice for developing some good habits. As Jeff Olsen says in his book The Slight Edge, the secret to a successful life is in repeating the right simple little things over time.
In closing we are given the how-to steps with which to set up a failsafe Appreciation Marketing System that will bring each who uses it, greatness through gratitude.
A final word of warning – Don’t buy this book! – buy a few and pass ‘em round! The world will be a better place if we would all read this book.
PS: Thank You for reading my synopsis I appreciate you doing so.
Ian Parkin’s website http://www.AppreciationCentral.com will provide you the links to purchase the Appreciation Marketing book as well as an offer to take a free trial of the very system the authors use and recommend to make Achieving Greatness Through Gratitude an automated process.
Parkin provides a great overview of a fantastic book covering the importance of the “appreciation factor” in both the offline and online marketing world of today.
To learn more about the “appreciation system” described in the Wyatt/Lewsey book, click on the following link:
Everyone, even bloggers, experience writers block now and again, but always remember those loyal readers who are waiting for your next post. One of the biggest failures facing bloggers is not posting frequently enough! There are a number of different methods you can use to overcome writers block when blogging and here are five tips to keep you on track.
