5 Easy Ways To Drop Your Blog’s Link

Photo by Gaetan Lee

If your blog is a business you’d like to promote, then there’s a few simple ways to get your link out there and to expand your readership.

Here are a few ideas.

1. Your Email Signature

Take advantage of the “settings” feature in services like Gmail, and add a simple signature that includes your blog’s link. Make it simple and easy to read, and add your tagline or some description so that everyone you email has access to your site.

2. Your Forum Signature

If you’re on any online forums, make sure your signature settings also have a link to your blog, in a similar fashion to your email signature. Make sure this is allowed, as each forum has its own rules.

3. Twitter

If you want to promote your blog at all, you must use Twitter. I personally only use it several times a week, but when I’m on it, I stay active and interact. There are many resources that will give you guidelines and ideas on how to use this tool to its maximum advantage – one solid place is TwiTip, written by Darren Rowse of ProBlogger. I’m not an expert, but I do use it, and have found that it really increases my blog audience loyalty.

I recommend downloading TweetDeck as a great medium for using Twitter, and at minimum, using TwitterFeed to automatically send out your latest post to your Twitter friends.

4. Other Social Networks

Each blog niche has its own logical use of social networking, and it’s impossible to be on every single site. I recommend narrowing down to the ones that make the most sense for your niche, and spending most of your time there.

However – I do recommend at least opening an account at almost every networking site you can think of, and at least filling out the profile to include your bio and link. This is because you’re building a brand with your blog, and you want to snag the same name on all these sites.

I’ve registered “SimpleMom” on most networks out there, but I really only use three or four on any regular basis. But that means I’ve kept the brand identity mine.

5. Business Cards

If you’re going to the Blissdom Conference February 6-7 this year, you need to order your business cards asap. If you’ve got plans for any sort of blog convention or conference in the near future, then you also need business cards. If you have any plans on entering a public place sometime this year, I also recommend business cards.

They don’t need to say much – they can be simple, with your blog’s name as the focal point, along with its tagline (conference attendees will receive a lot of cards, so they’ll need to remember the general gist of your blog). Also include your full name, your email address, and any form of contact that’s important to you. I’ve got my Twitter name on mine (@simplemom).

Use them to pass along when you’re chatting with people at blog conferences. It’s expected self-promotion, so it won’t come across as pushy. In real life situations, however, it can be a bit random to pass along an unsolicited card, so choose more discreetly when you pass it along.

Always keep a few with you, and you’ll be surprised when you need one. I’ve given mine out on play dates, at the playground, on bulletin boards at a local community center, and even at a coffee shop. It might only mean a few new readers, but you can’t pass up face-to-face contact to build loyalty.

I recommend Overnight Prints for quick, inexpensive, quality work. I was very impressed with my cards, along with everything else I’ve ordered from them. Usually, you can get 100 business cards for $9.95.

If you’re a beginner blogger, it might feel weird to think of yourself as a brand – but by building your expertise on your blog, that’s exactly what you’re doing. And strategically putting your link in the right places means getting it in the right hands. To further your blog’s success, think of it as a business. And think of yourself as its CEO.

10 Tips to Balance Your Online and Offline Life

Photo by Dave Shea

Blogging is more than just writing. Add all the feed reading, topic researching, photo selecting, social networking and promoting, and comment moderating – blogging can unintentionally become a full-time job.

Here are a few tips I’ve applied in my own life to set healthy parameters around my time spent blogging and my time in “the real world”:

1. Keep a notebook handy. Post ideas come at the most random times, and if you don’t write them down, I promise you will forget them. By having your place to jot notes with you at all times, you can dump it out of your brain and move on to getting dinner ready.

2. Close out other programs on your computer. When you’re writing, compose the text in a simple program like TextEdit or Notepad, and close Firefox, your Twitter app, your email client, and anything else that serves as a distraction. You can reopen them when you’re doing the non-writing part of blogging.

3. Designate official blogging times. It helps to not try to blog while also trying to balance your budget, clean out your desk drawer, check e-mail, and use StumbleUpon. Use set times to blog, and blog only.

4. Make daily, specific goals. Instead of having one giant upcoming post loom over you, put it in your to-do list that you will research for such-and-such post idea today, then write it tomorrow, and then edit it the next day.

5. Write out a blogging calendar. My post topics are usually set on a calendar a month in advance, but I still stay flexible for those sudden post topics, such as when a commenter asks a great question, and you want to answer it right away.

6. Have a stockpile of timeless posts. Slowly try to accumulate simple posts about things that can be used at any time (in other words, not newsworthy topics). Then when you’re slammed with everyday life busyness, you can post and still keep your blog fresh while tending to your “real” life.

7. As you’re perusing Flickr to use for your post, “favorite” any photos you like that could potentially be used in a future post. Lately, all I’ve needed to do to find the perfect photo is go to my favorites collection.

8. Set realistic goals. If you’re a stay-at-home mom to three kids under 5, you’re not going to have scads of time to post an in-depth article every day. Currently, my goal at Simple Mom is to post three times a week.

9. Cut the online clutter. Unsubscribe to blogs that you don’t love. Select only a few social media networks to involve yourself in, and don’t worry about missing out in the rest.

10. Take a day off. When blogging starts to gets stressful or obsessive, step away from the laptop and get some fresh air. The blogosphere will manage just fine without you for 24 hours, and you’ll get some much-needed perspective.

What little things do you do that provide sanity, balance, and perspective amidst the blog-writing busyness?

A Newbie’s Guide to Starting a Niche Blog: Initial Reading Homework

I’ve recently heard from a number of folks wanting to start a blog, but aren’t sure where to start. So to kick off this new site of mine, I’m going to write a six-part series on how to start a blog from the very beginning. Expect it to take about six weeks, since I’m sticking with weekly articles here.

So in lieu of reinventing the wheel, I’ll start this series of a newbie’s guide to starting a niche blog by suggesting some darn good reading. Read up, and then I’ll follow with my own personal insights.

1. Find The Right Niche.

• An Introduction to Niche Blogging :: Dosh Dosh
• How to Choose the Right Blog Niche: A Simple Three-Step Method :: Dosh Dosh
• How to Choose the Right Niche For Your Blog :: The Lost Art of Blogging

2. Just Start.

• How To Launch a Blog and Have Fresh Content For Weeks :: Pro Blogger
• New Blogger Checklist :: Modern Media Mom
• How To Write a Blog Post :: Pro Blogger
• If I Started Today :: Chris Brogan
• 20 Types of Pages Every Blogger Should Consider :: Pro Blogger
• Anatomy of a Post: How To Get Blog Readers to Pay Attention :: Write to Done

3. Promote Yourself.

• The Beginner’s Guide to Promoting Your Blog :: Social Media Explorer
• Don’t Use Social Media as a Tool To Promote Your Blog :: Michael Martine
• Can You Join Too Many Networks? :: Mashable

4. Generate Initial Readership That Will Lead To Loyalty.

• 21 Ways To Make Your Blog or Website Sticky :: Pro Blogger
• The Essential Guide to Growing Your Blog on Minimal Time :: Pro Blogger
• Three High-Powered Reader Engagement Tactics :: Pro Blogger
• How To Create Great First Impressions on New Readers :: Pro Blogger

5. Stick With a Streamlined, Polished, Simple Design.

• Basic Blog Design Principles :: Modern Media Mom
• 21 of the Best WordPress Plugins for New Blogs :: Marketing Pilgrim
• Top 5 Blog Design No-Nos :: Blog Coach
• Give Your Readers a Clue With a Great Tagline :: Blog Coach
• 7 Elements To Make Your Blog Look Great :: Pro Blog Design

6. Plan As You Go.

• 5 Steps For Planning the Direction of Your Blog in 2009 :: Pro Blogger
• Create a Media Kit to Attract Advertisers For Your Blog :: Pro Blogger

Start with reading up on some of this stuff, and don’t be shy about following their provided links.

A word of wisdom – you can easily get overwhelmed. There is a lot of information on the internet about blogging, and you can easily get discouraged and throw in the towel before you start. That’s why my biggest piece of advice – just start – is so important. Start as you go. Don’t wait until you have all your ducks in a row, blogwise, because you never will.

That said – it does help to start well and to not make too many irreversible mistakes. There aren’t many you can’t reverse, so in my opinion, it’s always best to just start. You can always revise later. That’s why that “edit” button is so handy.

The Ingredients of a Memorable Post

Photo by Athena

If you want to be a trusted, valuable resource in your blog’s niche, you’ll want to write posts that stand out. Posts that people will bookmark, e-mail to their friends, mention on their own blogs, or even simply print out and stick on the fridge – these are the types of posts that make your blog one they’ll want to read. Your blog is one that improves their daily life, is a wealth of information, and is incredibly useful. Do that, and your blog will succeed.

Sounds easy, right?

Building up your blog to be the go-to place takes time. It’s not easy, in fact. But there are a few tricks of the trade that make it a little bit easier – simple ways that increases your blog’s stickiness (definition: a blog that keeps its readers). And none of them are terribly hard.

• Use very small paragraphs. People don’t read blogs, they skim them. If you hand them a huge block of text, they’ll skip right over it, along with the life-changing information you’ve just written. Successful blog that does this well: Rocks in My Dryer

• Use bullet points or numbered lists. These are the types of posts people save, share, and bookmark. They’re useful, because they’re easy to read. This is a bullet point post. Successful blog that does this well: Zen Habits

• Write clearly. While it’s important to write well, it’s not important to impress your audience with multi-syllabic words and fancy jargon no one really uses. Talk like a person, not like a snooty expert. Successful blog that does this well: Frugal Dad

• Be witty. You don’t have to write joke after joke after joke, but if you can, provide a voice that sounds natural, as though your reader is sitting down with you over coffee or a glass of wine at a dinner party. Successful blog that does this well: Put Things Off

• Get to your point immediately. Very few successful blogs can ramble at the beginning and keep its readership. Treat your readers as smart adults with a busy life, and tell them right away what your post is about. Successful blog that does this well: Like Merchant Ships

Photo by Krista

• Find your unique angle to a well-known subject. If you’re going to write about something everyone’s dog’s blog is writing about, make your piece incredibly different than anyone else’s. Write about being a mom, but write about potty training and being the tooth fairy and watching your kids grow in a new way. Be different. Successful blog that does this well: Dooce

• Use photos. There should be a really good reason if your post doesn’t have an accompanying photo. And I really can’t think of one off the top of my head. FYI: There are scads of places online to find legal, free, or cheap photos. Flickr is one of them, but please read this article about giving proper credit before using other’s photos willy-nilly. Successful blog that does this well: Soule Mama

• Don’t use music. Many people read blogs at work, with sleeping babies on their laps, or in the only quiet time of their day (i.e., kids’ nap times). Don’t scare the pants off of them while they’re blog surfing. If you want to keep readers at your site, then keep your music widget with an optional play button, if you must have it at all. Successful blog that does this well: Any blog that doesn’t use music

• Take a stand. If it’s something you’re truly passionate about, don’t be afraid to share your opinion. People remember the posts that vehemently defend an issue that means the world to them. Successful blog that does this well: Queen of Spain

• Be real. Even though you should convince readers that you’re qualified to write about your niche, don’t scare them away by appearing perfect. Mistakes are what make people people – I, for one, love someone’s advice or opinion all the more if they learned it the hard way. Share your blunders. And your readers will cheer when you succeed. Successful blog that does this well: Looking Towards Heaven

What kind of posts on your blog receive the most comments? These tend to be the ones your readers enjoy the most. What does that say about the type of blog you have? How can you reproduce that type of post? Is there anything you’d add to my list?