If you own a business that offers a product or service, business blogging can be a great way to build your online reputation, in addition to your website. A blog can give you a really unique perspective about who your target market is and how they think, which is why building relationships and encouraging dialog through comments is so vital.

Ultimately you want to profit, but if this is is all that comes across in your content, you’ll completely turn off your readers. Remember, web readers like getting information they can actually use, so don’t hold back.

Get to Know Your Readers

Get to know specific information about your target market. They’ll appreciate the effort you put into getting to know them.

Start by asking yourself: Who is my ideal customer? What kind of work does she do? What’s the age range? Is she married or single? Does she have kids? Which blogs and print publications does she enjoy reading?

Getting to the heart of this information can require some real research, but you’ll get a much better response to your blog if you take the time to get this information right the first time. Quantcast can help you with your research.

Use the “Soft Sell” Approach

You can’t go into blogging looking to make a sale each and every time you post. First and foremost talk about what’s important to your reader. For example, if you sell nursing supplied for moms of multiples, you could write relevant posts they’d appreciate like “5 Ways to Increase Your Milk Supply,” or “How to Nip Jealous Feeding in the Bud.”

You could write a post highlighting an actual story of a customer and their experience using your product (a great testimonial technique), and use posts to alert readers about new products and special discounts. This way you’re informing instead of hitting them over the head with relentless attempts to sell something.

Encourage Conversation

This is how you’ll really get to know your customers and build relationships based on trust. Encouraging comments in response to your posts will reveal a lot about how customers really feel about your product/service. You’ll learn things like whether they’ve had any problems, why they find what you sell beneficial and you can even get great ideas for future products.

photo credit: eBeam

If you’re located near Santa Clara, California, or have considered attending a conference this year, you might consider attending the Social Media Strategies Conference 2010 scheduled to take place on May 18-19, 2010 at the Hyatt Santa Clara. There will be workshops covering a variety of valuable strategies to helping you build a more profitable business.

There will be workshops instructing attendees on how to market with Facebook and Twitter to increase traffic revenue and brand awareness.

This morning’s community breaking news just announced that the Social Media Strategies Conference will also be adding a special panel discussion, “Blogging for Business.” A panel of some of the most respected industry experts will be discussing topics like:

• How to Make Announcements
• Crisis Management
• Legal Implications
• Branding Strategies
• Reputation Management
• Optimization Techniques
• Platforms
• Tools and Services

Participating panelists will include:

• Reshma Kumar, Manager of Web Design Verisign
• Richard Brewer-Hay, Chief Blogger eBay
• Tony Welch, Lead Social Media Strategist and Community Manager, Hewlett Packard.

For details visit the Social Media Strategies Registration site.

photo credit: markhillary

It’s so easy to recognize many popular brands without really thinking about it. Toyota, Google and Oreo are examples of brands pretty much everyone knows. But branding isn’t something that only big corporations do. It’s something that can have a profound effect on your blog’s success too.

Personal branding is all about getting noticed and standing out from the crowd. When you set out to create your personal brand, you want to create an image and feeling about you that really grabs your audience’s attention and inspires loyalty.

Creating a personal brand as a blogger can be challenging because there are so many blogs out there also trying to get noticed. The big question to ask yourself is: if you’re one of many, how do you stand out from the crowd?

Establish Your Identity and Stick with It

Think carefully about your blog header, logo and the photo that you will use on your blog. This is your business identity. Use the same images/photo when commenting on blogs and in social media sites so that people start to recognize you. Be consistent.

Become the Resident Expert

Personal branding can establish you as an expert in your chosen niche. Readers will begin looking to you for the latest information.

Comment Regularly on Other Blogs within Your Niche

It’s just good etiquette really. You can’t expect for people to just show up and start commenting on your blog if you put no effort into doing the same for others. Blogging can be a profitable business, but it’s also a fun, social activity. Take time to get to know other bloggers and build genuine relationships within your community.

Leave insightful comments that actually contribute to the discussion. Someone reading your comments might be interested in learning more about you, click on your link and wind up becoming a loyal follower of your blog.

Increase Your Presence on Social Media Sites

Social media can increase your presence in a positive way if used correctly. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn are great places to build your personal brand. Eighty percent of your time should be spent socializing and helping others by answering questions and resending material promoting someone else. The other 20 percent can be spent promoting your blog and any products or services you provide.

StumbleUpon and Digg are popular bookmarking sites can also bring you more exposure. Build a positive presence at these sites by pointing out great articles within your niche and encouraging others to help you find similar articles.

Ask to Interview Someone Who’s Well-Known within your Niche

Interviewing a well-known blogger within your community is a great way to get people to sit up and take notice. Make sure to get the information your audience wants from the interview.

Regularly Link to Other Interesting Blog Posts

This is not only a good way to increase your online presence, it’s just good manners. You should always be willing to share information with your readers about relevant posts other bloggers have written that may be interesting or beneficial.

Guest Post

Getting your blog post read on a blog that thousands of  people read daily is a pretty big deal. Make sure to include a short bio at the end of your post with a link to your blog so that interested readers can pop in and see what you’re about.

Include a Link to Your Blog on all Email and Forum Signatures

Here’s a classic example of never missing a personal branding opportunity. You should always include a link to your blog in all email correspondence and in the signature section of your forum identity. That way whenever you communicate, people will instantly recognize you.

Be Available to Others

Make yourself accessible and available through email, social media and forums to help others and answer questions. It’s a good way to build your personal brand as someone who genuinely wants to help others, and you get to know more about your audience’s needs.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

There are may be controversial forums and blogs where it’s best you not be associated as you build your personal brand. You should also avoid engaging in certain behaviors and conversations on social media sites. Your personal brand is tied to your reputation, so guard it carefully.

photo credit: Bjørn Giesenbauer

Because I’m a writer by trade, I’m always in the midst of  content development for various clients and personal projects. Blog posts, reports, web copy blog posts happening all at once can become overwhelming. I’ve learned to try to stay ahead of the game by writing continuing content like blog posts in advance and creating an editorial calendar with listed topics. Then I’m never at a lost for words.

I ran across this video that teaches the same strategy, only better. In this video, Amy Porterfield explains how to schedule content for Twitter, Facebook and your blog.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNgHTJTSfn0

Around here we’re in the throws of a much needed Spring cleaning this weekend. As I write this post, there are four very sulky children carrying out various cleaning tasks so that they can reap the sweet reward of spending the day outside with their friends.

I came across several interesting and useful blog posts this week. I was especially interested in Copyblogger’s post about the new FTC rules. I really need to familiarize myself with those. Here are my favorite picks for the week. In the meantime, it’s back to cleaning for me. Enjoy your weekend!

• Why the New FTC Guidelines May Become Your Best Friend
• E-Newsletters: Flexible, Current, Shareable
• Get More Online Business Content: Repurpose the Old Stuff!
• The Mistakes I Made Creating My First Info-Product
• Are Performance-Based Pay-Scales Fair?

photo credit: nDevilTV

You already know that good quality content is one of the most important elements of a successful blog . You also know that blogging involves generating lots and lots of content. One of the best online content development resources out there is Brian Clark’s blog, Copyblogger.

Readers have access to some of the most effective web writing tips:

• Keyword research
• SEO
• Headline writing
• Creativity tips
• Ebook tips
• Content marketing tips
• Internet marketing tips
• Social media tips
• WordPress Themes

Quality blog posts written to engage your readers and getting noticed in search engine results are the important ingredients for online success.  Copyblogger can help you develop a winning strategy for growing your own authoritative blog.

photo credit: Brooks Elliott

One of my favorite blogs to stop by for a visit, especially on days when I’m feeling less than, is Simple Mom. This blog features several talented mom bloggers and is edited by Tsh (pronounced “Tish”) Oxenreider. Topics covered include :

• Managing day-to-day home life
• Budgeting/family finances
• DYI culinary adventures
• Exploring quality books/music/movies
• Cultivating dying homemaking arts like sewing, gardening, etc.
• Eliminating clutter (physical clutter and time wasting activities)
• Simple, green living tips

This blog is a peaceful, serene escape complete with entries that seem to replenish my spirit whenever I feel like I’m just not doing it right. There are lessons, encouragement and tips written especially for those of us with the deceptively challenging job of managing a household. Simple Mom says it best: “When Mom is doing well, the whole family thrives.”

photo credit: anemoneprojectors

I love reading blogs, especially ones that mirror my own situation. I mean who doesn’t want to see how someone living a life similar to yours is doing it?

When I first started freelance writing, I spent a lot of time hanging out at the writer’s forum at AbsoluteWrite.com. Immediately there was a certain contributing writer that caught my attention. She was a mom of four just like me (although I believe she’s a mom of five now), just getting her blogging and freelance writing business off the ground and was the only one in her household earning an income at the time; just like me. I found her to be an extremely talented writer who always graciously offered warm greetings and helpful advice to newbies entering the forum for the first time.

Her name is Julie Fletcher. Maybe some of you may have heard of her before. She’s contributed guest blog posts at Freelance Writing Jobs.

One of the things I like best about Julie is she’s a total straight shooter. What you see is what you get. She’s not afraid to be controversial and speak her mind on topics many of use have been raised to avoid touching with a 10 foot pole; but it’s her fierce devotion to her family, love of blogging/writing, brutal honesty and leanings toward the controversial that have made me a regular lurker at her mommy blog, Not Enough Coffee. Stop by when you have a moment to say “hi.”

photo credit: Aidan Jones

If you’re thinking of blogging for profit and you’re just getting started, or you own a blog and are at a standstill, you may be interested in attending this free teleseminar Learn the Secrets to a Great Blog, today, March 23, 2010 from 11:00am – 12:00pm EST.

This one hour teleseminar will be hosted by Jessica Miller-Merrell, author of Tweet This! Twitter for Business, available in both ebook and soft cover formats. It will cover important topics like:

• Blogging for Business
• Platforms (free and paid)
• SEO Basics
• Getting Started

For more information visit: Event Brite
photo credit: smemon87

Have I really been blogging here for four weeks already? Wow, time certainly does fly. I’ve enjoyed every minute of this internship. One great thing this internship has done for me is encourage me to analyze my online business in ways I hadn’t though of before. The month of April is almost here, and for me that means the first quarter is about to come to an end. I set lots of short-term and long-term goals because I’m one of those people who easily gets caught up in the planning phase of projects and never gets around to taking action. Deadlines help big time. So I took some time this weekend to revisit those goals and re-examine my path and vision for my online business.

The biggest vision I have for my business is to build multiple streams of income through niche blogging, my web writing business, creating information products for my clients and affiliate marketing. Right now most of my earnings come from my service-based business, but I’d like to create more diversification. I’ve put it out there to all of you so now I really have to get working on a plan to make that vision a reality.

Of course like so many other moms working from home, the trick is figuring out a way to fit all of these goals into my already jam-packed schedule.  I figure where there’s a will there’s a way.

photo credit: Sporko

When you’re marketing an online business, tracking and measuring your results is so important. That’s where this nifty little free tool by Google comes in. You can sign up to use Google Anaalytics and embed the code you receive into your blog or website to track traffic and other stats. This tutorial does a good job of explaining the setting-up process.

Google Analytics Tutorial 1: Step 1

It’s been a long and busy week for me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! I’m looking forward to spending time playing outdoors in the sun with the family this weekend.

This week I stumbled across quite a few interesting blog posts related to blogging for profit. There are a lot of people making good money from their own blogs or blogging for others. Hopefully you’ll enjoy these posts as much as I did.

• How to Score Blogging Gigs in One Easy Step
• The Case for Blogging for Clients (And Not Only Yourself)
• Thoughts on Blog Comment Etiquette
• 5 Myths of SEO Content Writing

photo credit: janelleorsi

It’s #Follow Friday at Twitter and I wanted to share with you guys a few of my favorites and why I follow them:

@sheconomy: Great information for those who sell products and services to women. Insightful tweets.

@webseoanalytics: Good information to keep you up to date with SEO trends and helpful advice about tracking your results.

@CravingBalance: What WAHM isn’t trying to get a little balance in her life? Lisa Gates is a Life Balance Specialist and Coach who frequently sends out tweets offering the Twitterverse about her very helpful teleseminars (some of which are free).

photo credit: wharman

I was lurking around on one of my favorite forums a couple of days ago and noticed someone posted a social media question: “What’s the real purpose of sites like Twitter and Facebook? Can joining these sites really help my business?”

Here are the facts: social media isn’t going anywhere. It’s here to stay. But that’s a good thing. Really. Here’s why:

More Networking Opportunities

For me this is the best part. You get to connect with people in and out of your niche. You can learn a lot from more experienced Internet professionals, and you get to pass along helpful information to those just starting out.

Social media sites like Twitter and Facebook provide an incredible opportunity to build relationships with more people which can translate into more traffic to your blog, increased sales and other interesting opportunities.

Build Brand Recognition

Social media can literally connect you with thousands of people. But that’s only the beginning. Once you get access to all of these people, you have to do something. This is where personal branding comes in.

If you already have a blog that produces high-quality content that others care about, you’re off o a good start. Social media can further reinforce the brand identity you’re building. Use the same avatar photo on social media sites as your blog so that people instantly recognize you. Make sure all of your social media site links point back to your blog.

Get Access to Community News

Networking on social media sites can be a great way of staying on top of community news. You get the heads-up about up coming seminars, conventions, announcements and special rates on info products and much more.

Get Valuable Feedback

If you have a question and need help, social media sites can be a gold mine. Maybe you need help with a topic you’re thinking of writing for your blog, need subjects for a special report you’re developing, or just need help finding resources or info online. This is the place.

Promote Your Posts

Naturally, being able to expose thousands of readers to your blog posts is a plus, but be careful. That’s not all you should be doing on these sites. Always make the social aspect of  social networking more important than self promotion.

Take time to respond to comments and answer questions. Help others promote information by sharing on Facebook and retweeting on Twitter. You’ll find that others will be much more receptive to what you have to say and the information you share if you don’t make all of your networking activity about you.

Building a profitable blog takes time. Developing the content, keyword research, monetization, searching for to right images, promoting and branding on social bookmarking and media sites, building relationships with other bloggers all take time. If you have another job, home school or work while raising kid it just makes things more interesting.A work schedule can help you stay productive and meet your short-term and long-term goals. Your schedule doesn’t have to be a corporate-style nine to five. Remember, the beauty of working from home is that your work day can be as flexible as you need it to be.

When I first started working from home, I was home schooling my five year old and my twins were toddlers. Childcare was not an option. I had to figure out how to put time into my business without neglecting the children.

The schedule that worked for me was getting up around 5:00 am each morning (even though I’m not a morning person) to work for a few hours before the kids woke up wanting breakfast. I spent the rest of the day educating, playing and caring for the kids. I might slip in a blog post during lunch or while everyone watched a video. I’d spend time on Twitter via my cell while the kids played outside. Once the kids were in bed, I’d work for a couple of more hours in the evening.

There are a few things to consider when planning your work schedule.

Establish Daily Rituals

Knowing that there are set things you do each day to prepare for work can help establish your working schedule. For instance, maybe you work out early in the morning, shower and enjoy a steaming cup of coffee while reading your email before getting started each day.

Use Your Calendar

Whether you use your calendar on Outlook, Google or jot notes down on a big desk calendar, having one to note important det, deadlines and events can make life easier. You can even use it to plan out your blog posts in advance so that you’re never left wondering what to say.

Forget Perfect

Someone I follow on Twitter once said that when you work from home your main priority is getting your work done and taking care of your family, which means balls get dropped all the time. That means sometimes the laundry piles up and the dishes go unwashed.

Expect the Unexpected

Kids get sick. Storms may roll in and knock out your power and Internet service. Still the show must go on. As the mom of a daughter with a chronic illness, I’m no stranger to one day working a normal work day and the next spending the day wrapping up loose ends in the ER. We do what we must to get the job done; but I must say the flexibility of being able to set your own schedule can make things much easier.