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Keeping Your Uniqueness Amongst The Sea Of Bland

September 8, 2010 By 1 Comment

Before blogging hit the mainstream and WordPress made it easier to publish articles than making macaroni and cheese, the few bloggers that took on the expensive hosting costs and DIY approach to website building had very little competition in the blogging world. With a small amount of competition, rising above the noise was an easy process because there wasn’t much of it!

Fast forward to today’s blogging world and everyone from top level news sites to stay at home mom’s have a website or blog to express their views and try to stand out to generate some sort of income online. For those bloggers looking to step into the realm of profitable blogging, the outlook could look bleak as you pine away at ways to bring a unique voice to the world of “me too” copycats looking to make a quick buck.

So how do we do it?

How do we stay unique to who we are in our writing but find a way to rise above the rest at the same time?! Luckily…if you watch successful blogs that have grown to power over recent years…the uniqueness is what drives growth, so here are some tips to being a bright light amongst burnt out bulbs.

Tips On How To Keep Your Uniqueness And Grow Your Online Presence

So here we are…with thousands of blogs started each day looking for our corner of the web to call home. How do we keep our uniqueness while growing our online presence at the same time?

  • Passion Breeds Unique Attraction – While you can be successful in blogging without passion on your subject matter. I have found that bloggers that are passionate have a larger chance for success because more of their uniqueness shines through in their content and they possess the willingness to push forward and write even when no one is listening. Blogging is not the easiest way to build a reputation and business online. Whether you are looking to a blog to generate free leads for your business or you want to become the next “problogger” in your niche, blogging is a long road of constant dedication that is made easier through a love of what you do and your readers will be drawn to that passion in your writing.
  • Practice Makes Perfect…Or At Least Close To It - When was the last time you read your blog posts from your first month of blogging…or year for that matter?! Sometimes I take a look back and think, “wow…I really wrote that and people listened?!” Unique writing that portrays your voice to readers who do not know you personally takes time and practice. Many times, you are not even sure what your unique voice is until you experiment with different styled posts or writing methods. You aren’t going to get it perfectly right away, but your willingness to step outside of the box and try new things is what will get you to the promised land when words just seem to flow that connect with your readers.
  • Look For Like Minded Bloggers and Readers – Just being unique and having quality content is not going to make your light the brightest. Blogging, social media and other online activities are made successful through the collaboration with others. This will require you to step outside of your comfort zone and actively seek out like minded individuals in your niche to collaborate with. By visiting online forums, guest posting, commenting on other blogs, responding on Twitter and cold emailing other people in your niche, you are able to pull new readers to your content and convert those new readers into regular subscribers. If you plan on the “if you build it they will come” technique, you are going to fail.
  • Do Not Be Afraid To Put Your Real Self Out There - The web does not want the next Brian Clark, John Chow or Darren Rowse. Those guys already exist. The web wants the next you! Forget about copying other successful bloggers in your niche as potential readers will see right through you. You can not be afraid to be yourself and put yourself out there for the masses to see. Your unique angles, attitude and personality is ultimately what is going to draw people to your content.

Quite possibly the best thing about blogging in my eyes is the ability to make money from an art form where you get to express yourself and your thoughts with other people around the world. When you try to be “the next big thing” by copying the views and voice of other successful bloggers in your niche, you are setting yourself up for failure. Get yourself out there and bring your unique voice and brand to the table. Blog readers genuinely want to connect with unique bloggers. That is going to be your strength and that is going to be what ultimately grows your online empire.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content Tagged With: , , , ,

EPIC Post: How To Breathe Life Back Into Your Stale Blog

August 26, 2010 By 4 Comments

I got an email in from a reader this week that is a common occurrence in the blogging world. You hit the ground running and start to see some success. With time, you start to shift your focus elsewhere, leaving behind your primary source of revenue only to find that traffic and profits decrease on the project that is the source of getting you online success. Or…all of your current methods have hit a plateau in traffic and earnings and you have no clue on how to get off it and back to sustainable growth! And what are you left with? A stale blog starring you in the face. You need to win back old readers and find ways to attract new readers to your corner of the web to bring back up profits and encourage growth. The big problem…where to start?

The Story of Tweaks For Geeks

I figured the best way to tackle this common occurrence in the blogging world was hit it head on with a real world example, so here is the email I received this week. I hope Kevin doesn’t mind!

Kevin’s Email To Me:

Hello Robb,

We’ve corresponded a few times in the past, perhaps you remember me. Anyway, my query is as follows:

This particular question may actually make for a good article for you; as I’m sure there are others out there like me that have started up their sites and have seen some success, but have either stalled in their progress or simply want to take their online business to a whole new level.

I’ve owned a site about computers/technology (primarily focusing on how to fix various computer issues) for a little over five years now. While I am one of the few that can say that he has made over $1,000 a month from his sites, I am simultaniously one of the many that has fallen prey to the “do nothing” bug and have let my main earner fall into stagnation (and sadly seen my revenue plummet as a result). It still brings in ad money, but needs a new updated look to it (which I almost have done), and fresh consistently updated content.

So – with that in mind:

  1. What steps would you take in order to give an established but a bit “dusty” site a jumpstart?
  2. In your professional opinion, how long do you think it would take in order to make a site like that a contender again that regains its old readers and acquires new ones?

Currently I am in an excellent position where I can dedicate most of my time to revamping and regrowing my online ventures; and with my technical background I am fortunate enough to be able to do all of the programming work myself in order to add new and innovative features to it.

Really I just want to know what the most effective course of action would be to take this from a publication that gets approximately 55,000 unique monthly viewers that are all one-time visits and turning it into a destination where people visit and then want to not only stay, but return regularly. Of course, I would also love some tips for explosive growth.

Again, I think that this would be an excellent article for your readers; so perhaps you’ll want to do a full writeup on it. If not, then some friendly pointers would be greatly appreciated. If you do decide to make an article of it you can feel free to post parts of this email, or all of it in its entirety as part of your content.

Also, thank you for providing such a concise and informative site about the blogging industry. RobbSutton.com is one of the best resources out there that I’ve come across.

Keep up the good work!

Thank you,

-Kevin Souter
Owner, TweaksForGeeks.com | Rent A Geek Computer Services

Breathing Life Back Into Your Stale Blog

Ok…before we even jump into this…my biggest recommendation to any blogger is “do not ignore your primary income generator“. Yes…blogging is exciting and new projects are always more of a rush than old, but by jumping around starting and stopping new projects, you are just crippling yourself for the future by not giving anything ample time to grow. I am not sure if that is what happened in this case, but that is the most common mistake I see in new bloggers. Try to fight the urge to start “the next great idea” every week and focus on projects that you can tackle without leaving what has brought you success behind.

When you look to breathe life into a stale blog or bring new growth to an existing blog, your efforts are going to fall into 3 basic categories.

  1. Content
  2. Blog Design
  3. Promotion

These are the three core elements to blogging that will bring you new growth and make existing readers happy every time. When you start to jump on each of these aspects of your blogging individually, you need to do so with a plan and ask yourself the right questions.

Content: Shaking Things Up

No…I am not going to sit here and give you the same, old, tired out line of “write pillar articles and content is king”. Hopefully, you have already been doing that or you wouldn’t have seen any success to begin with. When you are looking to attract new readers and bring life back to old readers, you need to ask yourself a couple of questions.

  • Who do I want to attract? – You need to specifically lay out exactly who you want to attract with your content. Who are you not reaching now that you want to? Are you generating content for that specific target audience? You need to start bringing in high quality, targeted content into your blog to pull in new readers that you are specifically targeting. However, this content needs to be relevant to current readers as well, so do not step too far outside the scope of your niche as you can start to alienate your die hards while trying to attract new.
  • Where can I expand? – When I start working with new bloggers, I tell them to find a niche that is manageable. Do not take on TechCrunch right off the bat…you will loose. When you find a sub-niche in your industry, you can really drive it home and start to see success because you are reaching a very targeted audience in a smaller competition market. When you take this theory, you can start to run out of content over time, so now is the time to look into your expansion opportunities in related subject matters.
  • How can I be more useful? – How you write your content and the types of articles you publish are incredibly important. Are there certain articles that seem to perform better than others on your blog and in search engines? In my experience, tutorials and other “helpful” articles tend to perform the best, so look into areas that you can continue to hit a home run and start to product more of those types of articles as you look for new growth.

Your content is the core of your blog. Without it…you are left with an empty design that doesn’t do too much of anything. When you are looking to expand or revive, it is where you need to start as the rest of this isn’t going to mean a thing without your content.

Blog Design: Time To Shift Focus To Action

How your readers interact with your content is completely based on your blog design. Where there eyes go…where they click…the actions they take (rss feed subscribing, newsletter opt-in, social media spreading) are all dependent upon how you present your words through the design. When you are looking to ramp things back up a bit, it is time to look at how your readers are interacting with your content.

Note: I would highly recommend paying close attention to your bounce rate and reader trends in Google Analytics as that gives you an insiders look at what is going on with your blog.

  • What do I want my readers to do when they finish reading? – You have to put yourself in the shoes of a reader in your niche (not a blogger looking at a blog article). In non-tech/blogging niches, your readers will have no clue about blogging and social media other than their own personal experience. It is your job to step inside of their head as they land on your pages. Do you want them to share it on Facebook? Do you want them to check out another article? These are important questions that you need to answer as they directly affect what you put at the end of each article.
  • What is my blog design not accomplishing? – Are you not increasing your opt-in rates? Are your pageviews low? You need to start looking at what your design is not doing for you currently. The outward appearance of your blog is not just a visual mechanism, it is how your readers interact and move through your site. When you are looking to get readers to dive deeper into old content, click on advertising or feel like they are on a quality site, you lean heavily on your design. To get things rolling, start to look at things like logo design, navigation and design elements while keeping in mind where you want your readers to go. As a general rule, bloggers tend to add too many elements to their blogs so only put it up if 70% of your readers are going to use it. Anything else will just be wasted space and clutter. You want to draw your readers eyes to your most important elements that promote growth and conversions.

What you should have created at this point is a site that is accomplishing your goals while also looking professional. One key thing to keep in mind is that you are building your site for your readers and what they will interact with…not what you are going to interact with. Keep your personal touch…but back it up with function.

Promotion: Time To Take It To The New Masses

The order of this process is intentional. With an end goal of attracting new readers, you have to create an atmosphere that they want to land on before you go out and find them. This does not meant that everything has to be perfect before you move forward (it never is…blogging is an evolving process), so don’t get locked down with “it has to be perfect” panic. When you feel like you have accomplished enough of the goals you have set out with content and design, you need to start pulling new readers into your revisions. Hopefully, you already know who you want to attract through the first content step…so let’s go get them.

  • Where do my new/potential readers hang out online? – It is your job as the blogger to pull in new readers. Where does your new “perfect target reader” hang out online? By visiting these places and building up a solid reputation (online forums, other blogs, meetup groups, Facebook fan pages, etc.), you can pull them back to your content and create another subscriber.
  • How do my new and existing readers spread content? – Not all niches spread content the same. While Twitter might be a great viral spreader for one niche, it could be horrible in another. It is your job to figure out which ones work the best in your subject matter and start building up a profile in these areas. The easiest (and hardest) way to get new reader’s eyes on your content is through viral spreading, but you want to make sure your time is not going wasted by doing some research before you jump in head first.
  • How do my new readers like to subscribe to content? – As part of your promotion techniques, you are trying to attract new, long term subscribers to your blog. How do these readers want to subscribe to online content? In the biking world, more than half (probably even less) know what an RSS reader is or even care. It is still a world of email, so I put a lot of emphasis on my RSS email subscription and newsletter subscription. When you promote your new content and pull new readers into your blog, you need to feature a method of subscription that is the most widely used in your niche. Do not force feed what some other blogger says you need to do. It is up to you and what your readers want.
  • Who can I collaborate with? - Guest posting is a fantastic way to pull in new readers to your blog, but it isn’t always an option in some niches. Try to think up of unique ways that you can work with both online and offline resources to bring more content/promotion to their medium while also promoting your corner of the web. In the past, I have worked with forum site owners, industry magazines and special interest groups to help them accomplish their goals while at the same time promoting my website. It brings you credibility and new readers at the same time.
  • What can I give away? – Contests and giveaways can grow a blog faster than just about anything else online. People love free stuff and they will promote you to no end to get it. Before you start sweating about the money you are going to have to spend…keep one thing in mind. Even the giveaways with inexpensive products…when targeted correctly…perform incredibly well. You can also have companies and other blogs donate prizes in exchange for promotion within the contest and you will not have to spend a dime. Just be sure you structure the giveaway or contest in a manner that you get some needed asset (newsletter subscriber, rss reader, etc) and that contest is virally promoted (stumbled, Tweeted, shared on Facebook, etc.).

Rinse, Repeat and Evolve

That is really the nuts and bolts of breathing life back into a stale blog (or starting up a new one for that matter). When you are looking to rejuvenate your blog, take a look at these three core areas of blogging to see what you are doing wrong and how to improve it. By taking a systematic and planned attack, you can not only bring a blog back to its former glory, but you can lift it above and to a success you never thought was possible.

When you create an atmosphere that is based around the premis of helping others, they will in turn want to help you. Ideally, you want to create a “cultish” following online where your readers want to tell other people that they hangout in your online space. When you focus on that idea of helping…you can make huge strides in creating an online community that breads repeat visitors.

So how long does it take if you are on the right path?

Honestly…success is often a byproduct of the effort put forth. While it can differ depending on competition and market saturation, I have found that the hardest working (when it is a planned, thought out attack) get ahead the fastest.

Image by R’eyes

Filed Under: Blogging, Content, Generating Cash, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How To Attract More Readers Than Just Your Mom

August 12, 2010 By 2 Comments

Two things happened to me today that spurred a thought that is known throughout the blogging world.

First, I listened to David Risley eavesdrop on two businessman setting up their first website to attract new customers to their business. This is a common conversation that takes place everyday, and…unfortunately…most of them go this direction. There were multiple lines to the trascribed conversation from “that will look cool” to where to put the “skip this intro” link to the Flash intro they were going to throw up on their site (yuck!), but when DR typed out this line…it hit me like a ton of bricks.

And they clearly are planning the design based on what THEY think is cool, assuming customers will like it. Wrong direction.

The second thing was a video linked by Risley (I swear I wasn’t stalking him yesterday…just kind of how the cards turned over) that was a presentation by Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal) for Ignite on viral content linked on Geeks Are Sexy (and displayed below). Matthew created this presentation to show how he got over 5 million visitors to his website per month before The Oatmeal hit its one year anniversary through viral marketing.

While the premis of both websites are entirely different…one for business lead generation and one being a humor blog…the idea behind site and content design is the same. Except…one site is getting 5 million visitors per month and the other will be lucky to get one outside of their half awake mom…and this is why.

When You Blog…Write For An Audience Greater Than 1

Unless you are blogging just to put your thoughts out there for your friends and family, you have to produce content that you readers want to read. One of the biggest mistakes I see beginning bloggers make is producing content and designing blogs that they want to see and not what their target audience wants to read or see.

Have you stumbled upon blogs that have the latest and greatest widgets/plugins installed all over the place just to make the site load slowly so you leave? Same theory…

Your #1 goal as a blogger is to solve the problems of your readers…not you. If you want to reach a large audience, you have to bring your experience and knowledge to the table in a manner that connects with a large number of people.

Note: While many might think…The Oatmeal doesn’t solve one of my problems…you laughed and not enough laughter in your life can be a problem so keep your mind open to the possibilites.

Throughout the Ignite presentation video, Matthew Iman repeats the same phrase over and over again.

I pick something everyone can relate to and…

When you generate content on your blog, are you producing articles that a vast majority of your readers can relate to? Or are you force feeding what you think they should be reading?

There is a balance that has to be made between what you think is right and what works in an income generating environment. I have seen many bloggers sit on their high horse doing what they think is right only to find they were the only ones that thought that way.

So what do you need to focus on as a blogger?

  • Do not put up widgets or design elements unless 70% of your readership will benefit.
  • Listen to the questions asked in your comments and on social media outlets in your niche and answer those questions with your content.
  • Present your content in a unique/interesting manner to promote viral spreading of your solutions.
  • Reply to emails/comments as much as possible to bring back the personal nature of your site to get that connection between blogger and reader.

You have to listen to your audience and produce the content they want to read to solve their problems of the day. You gain the credibility in you content by bringing your own personal experience to the table and integrating that into digestible and spreadable information. If you continue to try to force feed it down readers throats…you are just setting yourself for writing to an audience of 1.

Image by soylentgreen23

Filed Under: Blogging, Content Tagged With: , , , , , ,

You're Boring. Just Admit It.

June 30, 2010 By 6 Comments

So I was hanging out over at Blogussion the other day when I fell upon this article titled, “Interviews are Boring, Reviews are Fake & Lists are Kind of Lame. Let’s Get Real“. In the article, Alex (who I respect in the industry by the way) brings up a valid point about a blogging timeline that seems to plague bloggers across the web.

The basic gist of the idea is that a blogger initially comes to the table with some engaging, unique content. You subscribe to their RSS feed because you like what they have to say. And after a period of time, the blogger gets away from their uniqueness and falls into the boring trap of being like everyone else. What you basically end up with is a RSS reader full of bland trash that used to be unique and engaging.

While I do agree with him to a point, there are several aspects of the article, that while I do see it happen out there, I do not hold to. Specifically that interviews are boring, reviews are solely to make money and lists are lame.

Blogging The Way I See It

The way I see it…there are two things that start to happen amongst new and experienced bloggers.

  1. The passion fades and complacency and bordom start to show in the articles. The result…what once used to be an engaging blog is now a cookie cutter copy of everyone else. Bring on the same lists and reviews as you see all over the web as the blogger is just going to do what he/she sees or reads.
  2. After a period of time, after putting in above average effort, the blogger only sees sub-par results. Instead of pushing forward and keeping the bar high, the blogger gets lazy and complacent once again, and that starts to show through the content…specifically by sacrificing value for writing money driven articles or a “Digg perfect” article and not taking as much time as effort as before.

The reality of the situation is that blogging is hard. If you are looking for an easy way to make money online, you have come to the wrong place. You have to keep the intensity high even when you are not seeing the results or “you just don’t feel like it that day” to make a real run at doing this craft full-time.

It is all about blogging priorities and where you stand at that point in time. When the shift in blogging priorities goes away from providing unique value to making money or trying to write the perfect Digg article, the content suffers in a big way and that is transparent as hell.

Don’t get me wrong…I still run businesses, but I absolutely love what I do and hopefully that shows in my writing. If I get to the point that I am ready to sacrifice that unique value (that can be done through product reviews, interviews and lists), then I might as well sell off the property and start up something else.

  • I started writing product reviews in the mountain biking industry because I saw a need for honest reviews instead of glorified advertisements. The money made from those reviews is secondary and a result…not the goal. (Bike198.com)
  • I started RobbSutton.com to help other bloggers bring in review product for their blogs. The money earned from eBook sales and this site is a result of that…not the goal. (Ramped Reviews)

When you focus on the right elements, the rest falls in place with time and smart decisions. When you shift those goals to ones that do not provide value, you are making the conscious decision to be boring.

Image by latigi

Filed Under: Blogging, Content Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Copywriting Tips: Technical Writing With a Twist

June 29, 2010 By 3 Comments

This guest post has been written by Trinity Nick from the UK. In this article, she explores unique ways of delivering tech reviews

While technology is a thrill for some people, it can be a real kill for others. Those with a flair for technology can quickly grasp its essence. However, there are many who lack this inclination and find it difficult to understand the profundities of technology. Bloggers or technical writers can play an important role in bridging this gap, and helping readers understand and appreciate technology. This is how “technical writing with a twist” comes into the picture.

Apart from using simple language and images to get the idea across, there’s one more useful means of helping readers understand technology better – that is, drawing a comparison with real world objects and scenarios. This can prove to be very effective in enabling people understand the intricacies of technology.

Let’s take the example of the operating system (OS) on a laptop or PC. When explaining what the OS is technically, one might say:

“The operating system is the most important program that runs on a laptop or computer. It is a platform which other applications use for their execution. All computers must have an OS in-order to run other programs or applications. The main functions of the operating system are:

  • managing peripherals like keyboards, printers, mouse, monitors etc.
  • managing all the active applications and prioritising them.
  • managing the system resources, like memory, processor activity, registers etc.
  • understanding the input provided by the input devices like the keyboard.
  • providing output to be displayed on the monitor.
  • managing data on the disk.
  • managing the security of the system.”

Those readers who are familiar with a computer will be able to understand the description faster. However, a layman might not be able to get the complete picture. Now relating the OS to a real world object can make a big difference.

How To Make Complicated Parts Simple: Relate To Life

Let’s compare the functioning of an operating system to the functioning of a chef in a hotel. The waiters who take the orders from customers are like the programs that run on the computer or like the peripherals which interact with the computer. Just like how the applications need some task to be accomplished by the computer, the waiters need the chef to prepare the delicacies on their respective orders. The waiters can also be compared to the peripherals which provide input or accept output from the computer (OS actually). Just like how the OS manages all the resources of the computer, the chef manages all the resources inside the kitchen, like the utensils, the fuel, the vegetables, the meat, the spices and other things.

The chef takes the orders from the waiters, manages all his kitchen resources, and prepares the required delicacies. He then hands the food to the waiter to be served to the customer. He also multi-tasks, depending on how many extra stoves or utensils he has. This is exactly what the OS does. When the programs or applications want some tasks to be performed, they let the OS know about it. The OS uses all the system resources and gets the tasks done. The results are also handled appropriately, i.e. they maybe returned back to the application or displayed on the screen.

Sometimes one of the waiters might bring in a message saying, “He’s our regular customer.” or “He’s a big guy around this place, so let’s serve him first.” The chef thus sets a higher priority to that particular order, just like how the OS sets priorities to the applications running on the system.

Now, what would happen if the OS was not present. Imagine the kitchen without a chef. The waiters might get their orders to the kitchen. Since there is no chef, they might try fixing up something themselves. They might fight for the utensils, the spices, the vegetables and stoves and create a big mess. This is what would happen if there is no OS in a system. All applications might try accessing the system resources simultaneously and create havoc.”

This drawing of comparison to a real world scenario makes understanding technology a whole deal easier. The readers will remember these examples much better. Letting loose one’s imagination can really help in stumbling upon some exciting or innovative ways of drawing comparisons. And this creates the “twist in technical writing”.

About the author:

This guest post has been written by Trinity Nick from the UK. She reviews laptops and mobile phones that are launched in the UK. She as well contributes guest blogs to other websites.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , ,

The Gizmodo Trap: Don't Fall Into A Negative Blogging Tailspin

June 28, 2010 By 10 Comments

Over the past couple of days, Gizmodo – a reputable tech blog on gadgets – has been on a tear trying to rip apart the new iPhone 4 during its initial release. This all stems back to the prototype iPhone 4 leak and Apple not inviting them to the iPhone 4 release or making a review unit available for their site. Now…while that is the bare bones of the history between Apple and Gizmodo over the previous weeks, what has happened over the last couple of days is something that you need to pay close attention to as a blogger. Gizmodo has decided to take their fight with Apple public and go on a tear trying to discredit the iPhone 4 and…by doing so…has sacrificed some of their credibility in the industry.

Unfair Bias Leads To Credibility Decrease

No one will ever really know what goes on behind closed doors, but during the span of your blogging, there are going to be times that you get into disagreements with other bloggers and companies. The initial ego reaction is to use your spread online to bash and attempt to bring down the other participant in your disagreement because you feel you are right and other people should know. However, by doing this, you are destroying your credibility and losing subscribers by showing an unfair bias and prejudice against one individual or firm.

The first couple of articles that Gizmodo published on the new iPhone 4 (I have 2 of them by the way!) addressed some issues with the initial release. Now, they were not the only ones covering this part of the story as other Apple related blogs were also following suit. At this point in time, it was more of a reporting atmosphere on the initial units and not an online bashing argument. Like most gadget/electronic redesigns, there are going to be those that love it and those that hate it. With a couple of small issues being reported amongst early adopters (specifically the signal and screen issues…both of which do not affect my 2 units), Gizmodo used this opportunity to publish content that was being searched for on a second by second basis.

Then something changed…

All of the sudden, the Gizmodo articles moved from reporting issues to multiple articles in succession that were pure flame war styled publications. Whether it was an attempt at humor or getting their feelings hurt over the past couple of months, Gizmodo decided that this would be a good time to stretch their jaw bones and try to take their chunk out of the Apple. Take a look at some of the responses…

Gizmodo is becoming the Apple bashing site- how many people are reporting this- everyone I know, including me, with iPhone 4s has not experienced any problems…. It’s not good journalism to create inflammatory headlines when the real story is much simpler.

giz is so noob. they are just apple haters. remember, they didnt get ticks for othe last keynote? anyway, intelligent people dont get convinced about this noobish site, which isnt credible!

Alright, I get it. Gizmodo hates apple and has a big axe to grind.

Giz calling apple users a cult is going a little far me thinks. Especially after being kicked out of the cult so recently. Have you no class?

Used to love gizmodo. But ever since they were raped over the iPhone all they do is bash apple.

Of course…the flipside to these comments are the readers that get entrenched in online drama and love to get in on the bashing ring. But, the reality is that Gizmodo has not shown this much negative attention to anything else in the past.

Gizmodo Forgot The #1 Rule In Marketing

While Gizmodo may have thought they were being funny or “revealing the truth” as they say it, they forgot the #1 rule in marketing that will actually get you the opposite result you are looking for if you go down this same road.

Even bad press is good press.

By going on this tear online, Gizmodo is not achieving the goal they have set out. They are…in reality…actually selling more iPhone 4′s for Apple than they are hurting sales. If there is one true thing in marketing, it that even bad press is good press. Now, even people who had no interest in the new iPhone 4 are wanting to check it out to see if Gizmodo’s articles are true…and this comes at the expense of some of Gizmodo’s credibility.

When you start to jump into EGO blogging, you might feel good for a split second, but you are sacrificing all of the hard work you have put forth to try to win an online argument. And guess what…no one wins online arguments.

How To Avoid The Negative Blogging Trap

Feeling like you need to vent online? Here are some tips to bring you back down to reality.

Remember You Are Running A Business

Are you willing to throw all of your credibility on the line and possibly lose everything? By taking the flaming path, you have to be ready for backlash that will inevitably ensue afterward. Personally, I am not ready to throw away years of hard work to try to show how cool I think I am online. I run online businesses and I treat them that way. When was the last time you saw Coke make a political like flaming to Pepsi? You don’t…why?…because that would actually make Coke look bad instead of bringing Pepsi down.

Honesty Does Not Mean Flaming

Blogging is built upon the principle of honest opinions. But there is a difference between your honest opinion and biased flaming. It is all in the delivery, so even as you have negative things to say about a product or service, deliver that message in a respectful, fact based manner and you should keep your integrity/reputation in tact while not pissing off the company and your readers at the same time.

Think Past Today

Do you actually think Gizmodo is going to have a good working relationship with Apple after this incident? Even if they do, it is going to take a lot of work to get that trust built back up again. As you look at the temptation to flame online, take a serious look at how it will affect tomorrow and not just today.

Take A Deep Breath

Draft up your article and then walk away for awhile. After you have had some time to calm down, go back a re-edit the article. You might be surprised what kind of perspective you will have after you get out of the heat of the moment.

What Kind Of Readers Do You Want?

Do you really want the kind of readers that feed off of that kind of controversy. As you look at the most successful blogs online, can you count on more than one hand the ones that take that tactic? I can’t. Controversy blog readers are typically the least profitable. They are more interested in controversy and online arguments than they are with value and consuming your products, services and content. When you are trying to make an income online, you need readers that will value your content and products to make money online.

The Gizmodo Aftermath

Will Gizmodo lose all of their readers and fall off the face of the Internet. No…probably not. With a blog that large, things will appear to go on as normal even if they do see a small subscriber decrease. In the world of blogging, it is much easier to weather those types of storms the larger you become and they are probably justifying any decrease with ego.

However, as you look at your blog with 100 to 1,000 subscribers or even up into the 25k range, are you willing to throw it all on the line by taking a similar stance on an issue in your niche?

Filed Under: Blogging, Content, The Web, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Top 12 Success Killers In Blogging (with Solutions!)

June 23, 2010 By 17 Comments

We all want to be successful. As we pine away at producing content into the wee hours of the night, we do not hit that publish button hoping that no one will read what we have to say so that we can make $0.00 per hour…we hope that it takes off like a viral masterpiece so we can enjoy the fruits of our labor! However, there are certain aspects of blogging that can completely derail your goal and keep you in the “could have been” pile for years to come. It is important that you address each of these success killers in your blogging to insure that you can be more efficient and keep the snowball effect rolling. Otherwise…you are just going to be spinning the wheels of disappointment.

Top 12 Success Killers In Blogging

So let’s jump straight into it. Here are the top 12 success killers in blogging. If you do not get these items in check, you might as well pack up the laptop now and give up. These are not in any particular order as I find each of these items just as important as the rest.

1. Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media

Yes…social media is a fantastic way to bring in traffic to your blog and establish yourself as an expert in your niche. But…social media is also an addiction that can rob you of precious minutes throughout the day that could be used for actual productivity. If you want to really see how rampant this addiction is in today’s society, just take look at how much your friends that don’t own blogs spend on Facebook and Twitter!

Solution: You can use tools like HootSuite and MarketMeTweet to schedule tweets that also update your Facebook accounts and pages. It is also a good idea to block off a small portion of time during the day to focus on social media and then close those apps to cut down on distraction while you work.

2. Your Email Inbox

If you are anything like me, that 3 (or 40 in some cases) that is in a red circle on my email app drives me crazy. I just can’t not open it up and read it! Your email can drown you as a blogger. We all want to answer our emails in a timely fashion, but if we are spending the day answering one email at a time, we are disrupting work flow and concentration on our goals.

Solution: Just like with social media, block off a period of time each day to handle your email. During the rest of the time, close your email app or window to prevent the urge to jump into it every 5 minutes.

3. Not Tracking Statistics

Watched statistics increase. Any business owner will tell you that is just a natural part of the business building process. As you start to watch your metrics and earnings, you will see trends that can help you in the future as you try to increase income and productivity. How do you know what you need to improve if you are not sure what isn’t performing well? You don’t, so watching and tracking statistics is vital to success.

Solution: Luckily for bloggers, there are a ton of free and paid tools to make this happen. For web stats, you can use Google Analytics, Mint or CrazyEgg. For the monetary side of things, I typically like to just use Excel to track earnings and trends.

4. Procrastination

“I’ll just do that tomorrow.” I can not even begin to tell you how many blogs that one line has killed. Procrastination is a hard thing to combat when you do not have a boss leaning over your shoulder asking when a project is going to be completed. Being your own boss means that you actually have to be your own boss.

Solution: Set time lines and checklists and then stick to them! By writing things down and mapping out your day/week/month/year, you make yourself accountable. You are the only one that can get the job done and no one else cares (well maybe your readers) if you do or not. So get on it and get organized.

5. Low Self Worth

You started a blog or business because you wanted to make something better for yourself. You also started it with the belief that you were actually capable of completing that goal. With time, after a couple of trolls hit your site or you do not see success right away, you start to think that maybe you aren’t good enough or it just isn’t in the cards for you. One of the worst thing an aspiring full-time blogger can do is to start lowering their self worth by not believing in themselves. Confidence is required for success.

Solution: To keep the motivation and confidence rolling, celebrate the small successes. Did you have more subscribers today? Make your first 50 bucks? Celebrate these small successes that will lead up to large ones. You will be surprised what that can do for your blogging morale.

6. Unrealistic Expectations

A lot of bloggers jump into the scene with unbelievable, unrealistic expectations about blogging as an income. Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme. If you are looking to make money fast online, take a look at pure affiliate marketing or some other form of faster income generation because blogging is about building a real business over time. If you are expecting to start a blog and be full-time in 6 months, you are just going to be disappointed and give up at the 6 month mark.

Solution: Set real, obtainable, honest goals for yourself and then start chipping off those goals one by one. The addition of small, completed goals equal the large payoff over time.

7. Not Setting Goals

Are you just winging it hoping for the best? Do you even know where you are headed? If you are not setting goals, you are just wandering in the wasteland of the Internet with the hope that something is going to hit one day. Successful business planning is centered around setting and achieving goals. Without that…you are just a blind man in a maze.

Solution: Set long-term and short-term goals. The short-term goals should add up to the long-term over time. Track these goals and cross them off as you compete them.

8. No Defined Purpose

How many blogs have you gone to that do not seem to have a defined purpose. They start off with a specific niche and then start talking about blogging, their life or some other random subject that has nothing to do with their original intent. The by-product of this behavior? The blogger starts to lose their audience, credibility and success.

Solution: Pick a niche and rock it out. No one wants to hear about blogging on your gardening blog. They want to hear about gardening! As time progresses, you can expand into other related subject matters (like tree growing), but you need to keep it related. You can kill your blog by going off topic frequently.

9. Bad Promotion Strategies

The “build it and they will come” mentality to blogging is gone. Unfortunately, there is just too much mess on the Internet today to rise above the noise without some kind of self-promotion. In today’s world of successful blogging, you have to be a marketer as much as you are a blogger to get your name out there.

Solution: Find the promotion strategies that work best in your niche. There is no “one size fits all” solution here so you are going to have to test guest posting, forums, social media and other outlets to see what works best in your niche…and then keep testing.

10. No Monetization Strategy

As I wrote in a recent article “Are you writing articles that actually have the ability to make money?“, there are a lot of bloggers that assume that traffic equals income. So…they keep writing, day in and day out, to find they are increasing their community but they are not making a dime doing it. You have to actually have a monetization strategy in your blogging to generate income. It is that simple.

Solution: Test, test and retest different methods. Whether it is PPC campaigns, having your own product, affiliate marketing, direct advertising, membership sites or a combination of all of those methods. You need to take an honest look at how your content is actually going to generate income and then test those methods to death to see what works the best on your blog.

Bonus Hint: If you do not have an email newsletter (I use Aweber), you are not going to make a significant income online. Quite possibly the biggest mistake you can make as a blogger from a monetization and growth standpoint is not starting an email newsletter from the very beginning.

11. Not Treating Your Blog Like A Business

Blogging for income is not a hobby, it is a business. If you treat your blog as a hobby…it will only ever be a hobby. You have to treat your blogging as a business if you ever want to be successful.

Solution: Treat your blog as a business by tracking expenses, income and filing the appropriate taxes. My blogs are actually under a LLC as well. When you start implementing some of these solutions and planning goals for your blogging, you are stepping into the serious end of the business. Take yourself and your business seriously if you really want to make it.

12. Sub-Par Copycat Content

Saw someone else making money on their blog and decided to do the same thing? Or did you start a making money online blog without having actually ever generated a penny online? Blogging is all about over-the-top quality content. The “go on this journey with me” content strategy does not work. Blogging is still and will always be about connecting with readers through high-quality content.

Solution: The trick to producing incredible content is writing about a subject matter in which you are passionate about or have a lot of knowledge. Your readers are going to be able to see through a fake, so by writing on these subjects, you are being honest and providing quality. Once you have done that, get on a posting schedule that works for you and allows great content…then stick to that posting schedule.

There you have it! The top 12 success killers in blogging. Are you doing anything on the list?!


Filed Under: Blogging, Content, Generating Cash, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Secret To Blogging Success Is No Secret: Niche Blog Marketing

June 21, 2010 By 9 Comments

If you are starting a new blog or trying to torque some success out of your current one, there is one thing that will always hold true. Without anyone actually reading your words, you are not going to see success in blogging. With all of the competition today on the net, many beginning and experienced bloggers find difficulty in rising above the noise so their voice can be heard. This frustration level can be alleviated greatly, but it takes looking at blogging in a new light by mimicking the experience of large companies and corporations. That’s right…the success in blogging is actually found through copying actions of that brick and mortar world. It should also not surprise you that 99.9% of successful bloggers do this simple fact…so let’s get rolling.

It’s A Law Of Numbers That You Need To Win

When Hyundai originally entered the North American automobile market, they were not the same company you see today. Knowing full well that they would not be able to compete in the largest automobile market in the world with a “me too” product (luxury sedan, suv, etc.), Hyundai took a different approach. Hyundai carved out a niche market in the US by providing an extremely affordable, new car with a blistering good warranty program.

By providing a car that was not currently available in the market, Hyundai was able to weasel their way into the US auto market by creating a niche product that consumers wanted to buy.

After a couple of years of making a name for themselves, Hyundai turned into the automobile company you see today through expansion into other niche market areas like the SUV, luxury sedan and affordable sport coupe. As we look at this short case study, what do you think would have happened to Hyundai if they came to the market with their current lineup right off the bat? They would have been laughed straight out of the market by companies with larger brand presence, gigantic marketing dollars and a stable reputation amongst consumers.

Hyundai saw the automobile market as a law of numbers. They needed to build a reputation within the market by providing something new and then…through expansion…they could take on the other sectors with a strong brand presence.

Niche Marketing + Expansion = Blogging Success

The #1 mistake (I know…I say that a lot!) I see beginning bloggers make is trying to take on too much at once. New bloggers look at experienced bloggers that are seeing a lot of success within a given subject matter and think…

Wow…I am really into that subject too! I’ll start a blog that covers all of those areas and see if I can make it!

When they take this route…they fail 99% of the time.

Why? Because they forget that their favorite successful blog is not 1 day old. That successful blog has been built over time and has expanded its topic offerings over time to promote growth. When you start in a small niche market (ex. basketball shoes instead of all things basketball), you are able to do several things that can guarantee you early success that you can build off of.

  1. You are competing on a much smaller field (greater success in long-tail keywords in search engines).
  2. You build a reputation as an expert in your field by providing quality content to that smaller audience (growing subscribers and traffic).
  3. You open up the opportunity to expand into other areas (ex. basketball goals).
  4. You attract more links in through niche content (builds authority in search engines).
  5. You open up the opportunity to make money with niche products.

Overtime, as you continue to add to your content offerings, you can find yourself several years down the road competing with the monsters in your niche with news, editorials and product reviews! But it does not come overnight and it does not come by taking on the world all at once.

The trick is to have a defined topic focus that you can write on for at least a year (don’t go rambling off topic unless you want to lose subscribers) and then start to look into your options for expansion down the future as it relates to your niche. With this constant business development and focus, you will see success over time.

When you start that first post of your new blog or hit that one year anniversary, remember one thing.

Blogs are an ever evolving process. What you are blogging about today will expand and change with the times. Your success is dependent upon the management of that expansion that complements your current offerings to provide your current readers with more content and attract new readers through that new content.

Image by mugley

Filed Under: Blogging, Content, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Video Blogging Lesson: Treating Your Blog Like A System

June 15, 2010 By 18 Comments

As many of you know, I do blog consulting on the side and one of the biggest problems I see with most blogs is the lack of system integration between the blog and other social media outlets. It is almost as if the blogger thought about each individual part, instead of how they affect each other as a whole. Your Twitter account, Facebook account, email newsletter and blog are all apart of a system that you, as the blogger, use to convert casual viewers into longtime readers and customers. Without this integration and planning, you create branding confusion amongst the different mediums and your conversion rates suffer. So let’s take a look deeper into how you need to treat your blogging like a system.

Video Blogging Lesson: Treating Your Blog Like A System

Discussed In This Video – Logopond.com | Aweber

Ok…so the idea here is that you want your blog and your related sites/social media to be a sum that is greater than it’s parts. With branding and design consistent across mediums, you are able to build trust in your content and brand through integration. Think of it this way…what do you think when you switch from someone’s blog to their Twitter account and finally to their Facebook account and everything matches? It helps you remember who they are and what they are about right? Well…that is the idea.

So…how do we treat our blogs like a system?

While the video goes more in-depth on the subject, here are the cliff notes.

Your Blog: On Page Optimizing

Your blog is typically your first line of attack with your readers. It is what creates that first impression and gets a new reader to start absorbing your content. On your blog you need to have some items that all look seamless within the design and compliment your goals.

  1. Unique Logo in the header.
  2. Social Media Icons that match your color scheme and design.
  3. Newsletter Opt-Ins below content and in sidebar that carry the same color scheme and design. (Preferably through Aweber)
  4. Personal photo on about page that is professional looking even if it is humorous.

From your on page blog system optimization, you are laying the foundation for your other social media and newsletter elements.

Your Social Media and Newsletter: Off Page Optimization

We carry this same theory to your off page sites using your blog as the foundation.

Facebook Fan Page
  • Professional picture – Matches the picture on your about page.
  • Matching Logo – Same as the one in the header of your blog.
  • RSS Feed – Deliver your content to your Facebook fans.
Twitter Account
  • Professional Looking Personal Avatar – Matches your Facebook fan page and blog about page.
  • Logo – Located in the background of your profile page.
Newsletter
  • Same voice and style in content as blog content.
  • Same color scheme and logo if html formatted.

There Are No Assumptions in Blogging!

The biggest excuse that I hear bloggers say as they choose to ignore this crucial part of the process is…

I don’t have to worry about that…they’ll know.

Well…guess what? They don’t. It is up to you as the blogger to operate under the assumption that there are no assumptions. You have to make your blog and your brand stand out from the competition by making everything easy to recognize and as simple as possible. Any confusion will only hurt you in the long run. It is not always about what you like or what you think looks good. It is about what converts the best while keeping within your personal voice and originality.

Next time you are jumping around blogs being a consumer of content, take a look at how the successful blogs attack this theory. Chances are…if they are seeing a lot of success…they are holding true to their branding and voice across all of their outlets.

Filed Under: Blogging, Content, Social Media, Tutorials/How To, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Innovate Or Die: Are You Prepared To Make It Big?!

June 14, 2010 By 9 Comments

The web is filled with meaningless “me too” bullshit. It’s true. With each day that passes, there is more noise and copycatting passing through your broadband line and onto your screen as more “I want to make money online” hopefuls are copying exactly what they are seeing on other blogs. While they start off with good intentions, they are nothing but trash that clogs the web and eventually fizzles out.

It all starts with one blogger sees another blogger with success and decides to make a run at it the exact same way. This blogger ends up failing and making excuses why they didn’t make it, but…in reality…they didn’t make it big because they lacked original thought. Some even go as far as ripping off designs or scraping content. Once the dollars don’t just start flowing in on autopilot, these same leaches claim it can’t be done and move onto the next project.

Innovate Or Die: Are You Prepared To Make It Big?!

Successful businesses…online or not…make their biggest strides with original thought. Even in heavily saturated markets, new blogs and businesses can rise above the rest by bringing a new and different idea to the table. While it may seem that all of the new ideas have run dry, the world and web is constantly evolving, and this opens the doors for the new guys to capitalize on the changes.

When you go to create a blog or generate new content and products, you need to take a close look at your progress and make sure you are not just copying the success of others. This all stems from one easy to understand theory…

Why is someone going to come to your site if they can get the real thing down the street?

If you are just copying the success of others and not generating your own original thoughts and products, why is anyone going to take you seriously and consume what you have to offer?

They aren’t.

Think about the content that you consume on the web. Are you following a bunch of Darren Rowse or John Chow wannabe’s with the same designs and content, or are you following the real thing? Chances are…you are following the real thing. So why are you going to go against your own intuition and expect your readers to do something completely different than your own natural habits?!

Where I Found My Success Online

I found 99.9% of my success online through original thoughts and ideas.

  • Bike198 found its success by providing original, in-depth product reviews and riding tips in a market that has been saturated with glorified advertisements that publications were tagging as reviews.
  • My blogging reputation online was catapulted skyward when I started teaching others how to get in free products to review with Ramped Reviews…something that no one had created a product around before.

I looked at my target audience and market and brought something different to the table. Not every idea is going to be a home run. I actually have more failures than I do successes, but it is the willingness to step outside of the box and try something new that separates the successful from the could have been’s.

Are you even giving yourself a chance? Or are you just being lazy?!

The easy route is to copy the success of others. You can read through your rss reader and reword everything you read that day, or you can actually take the time to bring your originality into your writing and products to jump ahead of the pack. I would much rather be the guy being copied than the one copying others.

  • What is your competition not doing?
  • What can you improve upon and provide real value?
  • Are there problems your audience face that have not been solved?
  • What can you do to enrich the lives of your readers?
  • How are you different than the rest? And how can you bring that original voice to the screen?

It’s time to innovate or die…which side are you going to be on?

Filed Under: Blogging, Content Tagged With: , , , , ,
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