On-line Business Success Means Managing Copious Amounts of Spam!
Everyday when I delete, purge and manage the spam that hits the 100+ websites that I run -- I play the Spam, Spam, Spam skit from Monty Python:
You’re familiar with Spam Email. Here’s how to sort out blogging spam.
Sorting out Blogging Spam:
Spam user registrations:
Any user that has an email from a .ru domain name = Spam.
User names like “terry12345″ is usually spam. Google the email address to see if there are lots of accounts created under that email address. (sign of spam).
The good news about spam registrations is that your site/blog is being indexed and you’re writing content that the “spammers” feel is profitable. Their robots seek out keywords where they can make money. If they can make money from your blog… So can you!
Social Networking Websites are part of your business fabric. A few years ago, Myspace was “all-that” now, it’s fading away. Current opinions are that the current Web 2.0 / Social Networking Website Giants, Facebook and Twitter (technically twitter is a micro-blogging site) are ready to implode. Even in today’s “sound bite” society, people are looking for connections, relationships and real solutions to their problems.
Technology makes it easier for today’s business owner and entrepreneur to gather hordes of friends and followers, but what about customers? Where do client relationships fit into the social networking mix? In his breakthrough book, the “4-Hour Work Week” Timothy Ferris fueled the the dreams of many business owners and entrepreneurs, a solid 5 figure monthly revenue with only working 4 hours each week.
Here are the often over looked facts (according to me) about Tim’s business model. Tim was very clear about this, but most people didn’t get these points (an inconvenient truth):
Tim’s business is/was nutritional supplements (a product that he formulated).
Tim’s business was earning solid 5 figures each month prior to his stepping back and automating.
Tim was willing to let go of control to achieve his freedom.
Most people I waxing on about a “4 hour work week” business are the same people that fantasized that “The Secret” and “Law of Attraction” would allow them to “make their money for nothin and their chics for free“. Most of whom are in sales and service businesses and professions which will not work as an “absentee owner”. Now that credit and home equity is dried up, most of the world has their ass in a jam making ends meet.
Here are 3 questions to consider as you’re busy loading the social networking websites up with your automated posts:
What value do you add to your customer?
What innovations can you implement in your industry/profession?
Why would anyone buy anything from you?
These aren’t nice or easy questions. In fact, these are the questions that keep me awake at night. What keeps you awake? Better yet, what keeps your clients awake? Solve that problem with innovation and you’re one your way to a 4-hour work week and you can pay someone to post your sales messages to all those “social networking websites”.
It seems that every business owner has a business blog or is getting a business blog. If you’re like many people business blogging presents a new problem. What is the best way to set up my blog to organize my articles? Here’s what I’ve found that works best.
How to setup your business blog:
What works best for your business blog, is a generalized layout used in most all print publications. Whether it’s a book, magazine or newspaper. Each part serving a specific purpose:
The Title – Lets people know what your book is about – peaks interest and sells the book.
The Section Names – Identify the Major Topics the Book Covers. (will this book solve my problems?)
Chapters – Key Ideas within each topic. (How the book solves a specific aspect of a problem.)
An Index (remember this is a Business Best Seller) – for quick reference/access.
Your Business Blog has the same parts with slightly different names.
Blog Title is the same as your “book title“.
Categories are the “section names“
Article Titles/Post Titles are your “chapter titles“
Tags are your “index words“.
Your Business Blog is your very own New York Times Bestselling Book is written for a specific audience the entire book speaks to and appeals to that audience. Everything from the title, section names, chapter titles and index words speak to one qudience.
In addition to your book’s/blog’s main content, there’s an introduction (about); contact page, appendices.
That’s it. Simple Chic Business Blogging that the search engines love and that your readers will subscribe too. In the process you develop yourself as an authority, expert and build your brand in support of getting more clients to buy your products and services…
Just like any printed publication, you want to name your blog, section names, chapter titles and tags in such a way to help your readers/visitors find the information that they want easily. You will also want to reinforce your USP, Personal Brand and Long Term Goals when setting up your blog.
My final thoughts are this. Your business blog will “attract your ideal clients”, if setup and configured within the greater context of your busienss. Most people get side tracked by the technical parts of setting up a blog and ignore the bigger picture of integrating your blog into your business mix in such a way as to “build your business” and not just be another something that you have “to-do”.
Hi, My name is Terry and I’m a Domain Name Junkie. This is my first friends of enom meeting and I’m a “Register-o-holic”.
There’s no better rush than having a brilliant business idea, then finding out that the perfect domain name is still available and snagging it. Man-o-man; KA-CHING.
But now what, park it, hold on to it, wait until you have time to develop it…. The problem is that until you have a site up, google doesn’t start the clock for PR (page rank). What make sense is to get a site up, get some content on it that is congurent with the name and let it age. For domain names, they age best when their on a server.
But, who want all that work and hassle? I’ve stumbled upon a solution to 99% of all the headaches of hosting and managing hundreds or thousands of domain names….
Interested?
It’s WPMU – Wordperfect Multi-User, the same core software that is run at wordpress.com. With a single install on one hosting account, you can setup and configure all of your domain names, get the indexed by Google and really start adding value to your domain name inventory.
It’s very simple, but not easy to get this done. Resources:
Here’s how to write the “Perfect Article” for SEO and SEM.
The Elements:
Targeted Keywords Phrase
Post Title & Slug
Content
Categorizing
Tagging
Targeted Keywords Phrase: To attract your ideal clients to your website/blog, you will need to know what “keywords” they type into Google and other search engines when they are looking to “buy” your product or service. For this article the Targeted Keyword Phrase is “Perfect Article for SEO”. I am targeting customers looking for “what to write in their blogs” and “how to write a post/article to attract their Ideal Clients”.
Post title & slug: Your post/article title contains the Targeted Keyword Phrase in it’s exact format (with no variations) – this is what your ideal client is typing into Google, so you want Google to find an “exact match” in the title of your Post/Article. The Slug is the the title, as saved in your URL or permalink. This exactly matches the targeted keywords phrase. Lastly, name or customize your post article to speak to your ideal client. This is the headline for your article and what determines whether a potential client will read your article or pass it by.
Content: There are many different types of article content formats that appeal to different types of readers and information. Be sure to state your opinion, position your self as an expert/authority and share from your heart. Below is a list of the article/post/content types. The key point to remember is to include your “targeted keywords phrase – for this post “Perfect Article for SEO” in your article and to emphasize these phrases in a variety of way. Notice that the last set of keywords are a hyperlink back to this article. This leverages any RSS feeds that republish your article.
Types of Articles/Posts:
Review Articles
Top 10 Lists
“How to” Articles
Opinion Articles
Resource Articles
Editorial Articles
Positioning Articles
Categorizing Your Posts: In my opinion, your website/blog categories are the “Table of Contents” for you site and act like the “Sections of Newspaper”. I recommend that you have “normalized categories” that most people expect to find in any periodical. “News“, “Business“, “Sports“, “Funnies“, “Lifestyle“, “Science“, “Global“, “Local“, etc. Your particular categories should be personalized to your industry, brand and ideal client. Your Categories give you long term authority in the eyes of the search engines.
Tagging: Tags and tagging your articles and posts reinforce what you feel is important about the article. The “target keywords phrases” should be in the tags, your name, related keywords, website/blog theme.
I recommend that your review the “Top 100 blogs on Technorati.com“. Look for these elements in their articles and posts. Notice their writing styles and the types of article formats that they write.
There are only 3 things that matter when it comes to using the Search Engines to Marketing your business.
The Right Web Site
The Right Key Words
The Right Content
These 3 elements when combined will create synergistic results for YOU and Your Business. Synergy means that the individual parts work together to yield results greater that the sum of the parts. A mathematical example it that 1+1=3 instead of 1+1=2.
The Right Website:
Allow you to control your content.
Has search engine friendly URLs.
Invites visitors to take 1 Specific Action.
The Right Keywords:
What your Ideal Client searches Google for when looking to BUY your product or service.
Popular Search Terms with very little Search Engine competition.
Key Words that are congruent with your website topic and niche market.
The Right Content:
Speaks to your ideal client.
Is from your heart sharing your experiences, interests & opinions.
Solve problems for your ideal client.
Combining these 3 keys will solve these problems in your business – getting the right people to your website, getting the right people to ask you to “market to them” and create a clientele that you enjoy working with and serving.
I invite you to contact me through my contact form and I will let your know when I have my SEO & SEM ready to publish…
There are only 3 things that matter when it comes to using the Search Engines to Marketing your business.
Terry Hall
From the Peanut Gallery