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Posts from the 'Blog Bits' Category
August 13th, 2007 by Lani Voivod
We’ve got this client. It’s a good-sized company in a specialized field bringing in about $10 million of revenue per year, with hopes of doubling, tripling, and quadrupling that figure as soon as possible.
They’ve been talking about getting a blog up and running all year. They’ve heard the benefits from us and from others. They’ve hemmed and hawed. They’ve groaned and stalled.
Last week Allen wrote their marketing gang an email, hoping to find a way to get their blog up and running as quickly and easily as possible, once and for all. He led off by using us as a first-hand example:
First, a blogging testimonial. In July of 2006, the Epiphanies, Inc. website had just over 1,000 unique visitors. In July of this year, we had 22,667 unique visitors.
Of our marketing content activity during that time, blogging was the A#1 item, with a dash of article marketing and a press release or two thrown in. It took about three months before we started seeing the upward curve, but boy, has it been steep ever since.
If you want to drive more traffic to your website, blogging has to happen. Period, paragraph.
Now, that year between July ‘06 and July ‘07 has flown by. We’ve been soooo busy (and yes, a tad overwhelmed) learning better ways to: assist clients, manage our time and commitments, leverage our passion and know-how, and “be the tide that raises all boats” (one of Allen’s favorite sayings!), we’re just now realizing the implications and advantages of such a wonderful traffic increase.
More and more often, people are letting us know they’ve learned valuable things from our blog, or they’ve enjoyed an entry or three, or they found us recommended on someone else’s blog or site, etc. It’s a little scary (”What do they know? Which entry did they read? Did I share anything embarrassing? Was there a typo? Do they really think I’m lame?”), but so is business, right?
Our blog is imperfect.
It’s an unapologetic work in progress. About half of the things we had hoped to add and implement never made it to fruition.
And yet…
We’ve made connections through our blog; been published in a wonderful book alongside award-winning authors and laudible experts in the fields of writing, marketing, and creativity; and created a searchable, indexed history of the information we’ve learned and the ideas we’re passionate about.
As business owners, we all know the pain and frustration of tabling soooo many hopes and initiatives because of lack of resources - like time, support staff, money, energy, etc.
That being said, not a week goes by during which one of us doesn’t sigh a big fat sigh of relief that we started blogging when we did, and we’ve got an easy, wicked cheap way to connect our approach, advice, and musings with the online world.
As our own implementation of the other marketing tools and tactics we recommend to friends and clients gets a little bitty bit better every month, we realize how lucky we were to have gotten at least one big marketing ball rolling - the blogging ball - especially the one that’s delivered the most OOMPH for the effort.
Soooo, what are YOU waiting for? 
Posted in Blog Bits, Entrepreneur Diaries, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | No Comments »
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June 6th, 2007 by Lani and Allen
From the feedback we’ve heard from clients over the last month or so, the idea of blogging as a way to build your business isn’t yet hitting home with all the VIPs of small business.
So let’s bring it home.
First, go to Google. In the search bar, type the name of your industry and then add the word “blog” to it. Chances are, there are people already blogging in your market space. They could be competitors, industry analysts, consultants, media pundits, self-styled consumer watchdogs – anyone who has an opinion and a burning desire to share it.
We just did this with one of our corporate clients in the Voice-Over-IP world, and found no less than 20 blogs in the first page of search results. (That’s because a few sites had multiple blogs running!)
To this, you may say, “So what?”
Imagine you’re at a big event for your industry. Imagine you have no presence there. Imagine all the people who report on your industry – from trade groups to investors to the media – talking to each other, and you’re not part of the conversation. You’re entirely left out of it, because it appears you have nothing to say.
Is this good for your business? Of course not.
A blog, then, is a seat at your industry table. And when you’re at the table, you can join the conversation. Heck, you can even change the direction of it.
The point of blogging is to create a space for dialogue, and you do that by writing something that gives people a reason to respond.
You’re reading news and doing business within your industry. You have opinions about what’s going on in your industry. Your blog is the place to air your opinions, share your sources, and invite feedback.
And here’s what happens as a result:
- More clients and prospects come to your site to see what you’re talking about.
- More analysts come to your site to do their research – and they have more reasons to get involved with you than the competition that isn’t blogging.
- More industry reporters and media folks come to your site, use your comments as fodder for their own material, and reach out to you for more information.
- More industry bloggers add you to their blogs and blogrolls, creating inbound links to boost your natural search engine rankings and a bigger buzz about you in your industry.
- More visibility in your industry means more customers, clients, opportunities, and ultimately, more revenue.
To sum up, blogging can be as simple as:
- Reading an industry news story
- Having an opinion on it
- Typing up your opinion and supporting it with your unique set of knowledge
Could you, and the rest of your team if you have one, do this in 15-30 minutes or so, once or twice a week? Or even a month?
If so, you’ve earned your seat at your industry table.
Now, make the most of the opportunity.
WANNA USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE?
Please do! Just kindly include this blurb with it:
Lani & Allen Voivod, aka ‘The Content Lovers,’ help budding entrepreneurs and small biz dynamos ‘A-Ha Themselves!’ in fun, innovative, and profitable ways. For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for their ezine, ‘The Inciter,’ at EpiphaniesInc.com!
Posted in Blog Bits, Inciter Articles | 1 Comment »
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April 9th, 2007 by Lani and Allen
Time: 9 minutes, 51 seconds. (And it goes fast - give it a listen right now!)
Featured Experts: Lani & Allen Voivod, aka “The Content Lovers,” Epiphanies, Inc.
Summary: The three objections we hear most often about blogging - and the responses we give to get people jazzed about blogging for their businesses.
Teaser Quip: “The world is not going to care about you, but your target audience might.”
Posted in ADD Info Summits, All About Content, Blog Bits | No Comments »
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on Monday, April 9th, 2007 at 11:45 am and is filed under ADD Info Summits, All About Content, Blog Bits.
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January 19th, 2007 by Allen Voivod
You know that feeling … the one where you notice something once, and then you start to see it everywhere? It’s like a little Law of Attraction thing, where the more you start thinking about it, the more you draw it to yourself.
Well, that’s happening with my lovely wife and business partner, who’s got blogging on the brain in a majorly intense way. (See her most recent wowser of a post on it.)
She just pointed out to me that Gloria at The Virtual Wire is asking for feedback on how business blogging is impacting the virtual assistant industry and their clients. She has three simple questions, and it’d be awesome if you joined the conversation there.
Need one last bit of incentive? Go there, and you’ll get to see their list of websites that offer free stock images for blogging use. Yes, free. As Lani might say, “I mean, COME ON, what else is FREE these days?!!”
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
Posted in Blog Bits, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | 1 Comment »
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on Friday, January 19th, 2007 at 3:25 pm and is filed under Blog Bits, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!".
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January 19th, 2007 by Lani Voivod
 I have five minutes to write this post.
However…
I have hours upon hours - days, really! - of pent-up energy on the subject of why you should be blogging. I’m sitting on the equivalent of a massive nuclear weapon here, or the cure for cancer, and no one’s really understanding the implications…
Ever have one of those dreams when you’re doing everything you can to run at a full sprint, but it feels like your legs are thigh deep in black tar? Or, you’re trying like heck to shout a very important message to someone you love, like “Get out of the way! The train’s coming!” or “Watch out! There’s a giant shark fin right behind you!!!” but all that comes out is strained, laryngitis-ized hot air?
This is what’s happening in my life right now. I sit across from friends and business associates, talk with entrepreneurs and small business owners, and share strategy sessions with larger companies and corporations, and I mention the possibility of them blogging. There’s a universal glazed look, often followed by a shrug, or a nose crinkle. “Eh, I don’t see the point,” or “Yeah, I thought about that…”
I know it’s my job to just let it go, and I do, because every business person knows the “I’m not ready to talk about this” look. Oh, but it’s killing me! Because if you’re serious about your business, career, or professional reputation, there is absolutely no reason for you not to publicize your interest and expertise in the form of a blog.
A blog is conversational. It comes alive with YOUR distinct voice, style, and proclivities. It dies if it’s fueled by the dreaded Corpspeak, stiff language, or totally self-conscious and “safe,” play-by-the-rules drivel.
A blog is FREE. (Or extremely low-cost, depending on how you go.) I mean, COME ON, what else is FREE these days?!!
A blog is a mirror. It’s an organized trail of your ideas, experience, and hints at your vision. It’s ALSO a living, breathing organic organism that grows as you grow. It’s like one of those “smart” computers that develops its own life and personality over time.
A blog is search-engine friendly. It’s PROOF you know your industry or subject matter. It’s PROOF you’re active in your business and niche.
A blog is a way to connect with other like-minded professionals. When you comment on someone else’s blog, or when they comment on yours, it’s like a quick, manly nod that says, “Hey. Saw your post. Liked it. Peace out.”
A blog is a simple, searchable content management system. Why, oh why, are you hoarding all of your industry knowledge to yourself? Are you saving it for posterity? Do you think St. Peter will give you extra points for having a huge collection of inaccessible folders on your computer?
A blog is FUN, darnit! It’s a chance to just be you, and even see and experience your own voice and priorities over time.
Sure, a lot of blogging gurus say there are “rules” - like, “you should blog at least three times a week!” or “be strategic” or “keep posts short; avoid long tangents!” (like this one). And a lot of PAGs (that’s People Against Blogging) say no one reads them, or they’re a waste of time, or all of the above. But to this I say, WHO CARES??!!
No one’s reading your darn internal folders, or going through your file cabinets, but you still throw articles and information in there!
Why not claim your intellectual territory and put a select and steady amount of information, opinions, photos, and energy OUT THERE to be discovered by one or more of the proverbial masses, if and when they come looking for you or the information, knowledge, products, or services you have to offer?
God didn’t just not bother with Antarctica because he figured no one would ever find the frigid continent, right? And now, with advances in technology, we get to watch fine films like “March of the Penguins,” “National Treasure,” and “The X-Files Movie.”
If you have a passion, specialty, niche, mission, or business (and you gotta have at least one of those things, unless you’re a corpse…or Paris Hilton), then START BLOGGING. Don’t worry about traffic. Don’t worry about the nit-picky stuff.
Do it imperfectly. Find your voice. Discover your flow. Loosen up. Be bold. Get yourself out there.
And if you refuse, please answer me one question in the comment field.
WHY??????
P.S. If you’d like a more formal argument for why you should be blogging, check out this article by biz-blogging expert Debbie Weil: “Top 7 Tips to Write an Effective Business Blog.” (Or download a lovely PDF version of the article, packed with additional information and resources, right here!)
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
Posted in Blog Bits, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | 7 Comments »
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December 16th, 2006 by Lani and Allen
According to Suzanne Falter-Barns in a 12/14/06 interview with Blog Evangelist Andy Wibbels, this factoid comes by way of the Columbia School of Journalism {*pant*pant*pant*}…
A whopping 79% of all professional journalists spend a good 2-3 hours a day surfing blogs, looking for industry experts and niche leaders willing to sound off on their fave subjects publicly. Which, by the way, they’re already doing on their blog.
So if you still think blogging is a fruitless exercise in navel-gazing, think again. Be there when those tech-savvy bloodhounds come a-lookin’ for their stats and quotables, and you get the press you’ve been willing to pay for, if only you had the time, money, or resources to manufacture your publicity.
For FREE articles, tips, and strategies designed to catapult your content and electrify your business, sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!
Posted in Blog Bits | No Comments »
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on Saturday, December 16th, 2006 at 1:28 am and is filed under Blog Bits.
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