For many of starting out online, you start with a very tight budget…

Or really, no budget at all.​

You start off by searching for everything you can get for free.

You want to know what are the best free options for starting a blog, hunting for high quality free templates for your website, free images, free social sharing tools and the list goes on.

Or maybe that was just me

I had to come to realize that, at a certain point, you will and must invest in yourself and your business if you truly want to see real results.

This was a scary point for me…

To go out on faith and put money that I didn’t really have into something that could potential give me a return… With no money back guarantee!​

When I made the shift of just having a blog, to building an online business, I knew I had to put money into it.

I started this entrepreneurial journey because I wanted the freedom and flexibility that building an online business can offer me.

This made even more sense after I invested in the right tools that saved me so much time while bringing in more results.

The issue was that my funds were very low and I knew I couldn’t invest as much as I wanted.

I noticed on many products I was looking at, there would almost always be a couple features in a higher plan I wanted.

But, I didn’t want to pay that much more, just for a couple additional features!​

So, I set out to get much of what I wanted but spend much less at the same time.

And here’s how you can too!​

Why This Works

Companies know that the long term value of a customer is worth much more than the money they will lose out on upfront.

They know that they can offer future upgrades, new products and services over time to recoup and increase profit in the future.

You will see in the email templates below that, without directly saying, this can be a win win for both parties.

Step 1 Be Prepared To Buy

When I began testing this strategy, I would reach out and get some to offer me a free upgrade.

At the time I was not completely ready to buy.

Well a month or so later, I went back to actually take them up on the offer only to realize that they change their pricing structure.

I tried again but knew the chances were slim that they would honor the price quoted.

Long story short, I missed that opportunity because I waited to long to take action.

When you start reaching out to these companies to get upgrades, be ready to buy so you will not miss out on anything that they offer you.

You may only get one chance.​

Step 2 Reach Out

Using the example below, lets say the PRO plan is to expensive for me right now…

But, the STARTER plan I can afford.

At the same time I see one thing on PRO that can really help me out.

STARTER

1 Users

1GB of Storage

• Feature 1
• Feature 2

• Feature 3
• Feature 4

$9 / month

PRO

3 Users

5GB of Storage

• Feature 1
• Feature 2

• Feature 3
• Feature 4

$29/ month

ELITE

10 Users

50GB of Storage

• Feature 1
• Feature 2

• Feature 3
• Feature 4

$129 / month

Now, I will contact company to request getting Feature 3 from the PRO account added to my STARTER plan (Hopefully for free).

Try this out…

Subject Line: Interested in your STARTER plan

Hi,

I think your service is exactly what I’m looking for and I would like to get it today.

The only issue is that I would like to add ‘Feature 3’ of the PRO plan to the STARTER plan.

The STARTER plan is in my budget but it wouldn’t make sense for what I need, not to have ‘Feature 3’ included.​

​(your name)

Sometimes this is all you will need to get responses like…

The $29/ mo was the price of the plan I wanted and without upgrading to the higher plan, I was able to get the subdomain feature added before signing up!

Just be realistic.

You may be able to get extended trials or discounts on a particular plan in their response but remember that this strategy is to help you get free upgrades…

Not to get premium plans or services for free.

Step 3 Evaluate The Response

You will not get a yes 100% of the time, of course.

They may come back and offer you your request for an additional fee, which will still be cheaper than paying for a PRO account.

If they say Yes…

 Congratulations… Go ahead and sign up!

Here are two of the most common responses other than Yes and how to respond.

First possible response

“We can offer you the requested services for an additional $X.XX.”

You see that they are not interested in giving the additional features for free but you see that they are willing to work with you.

If you can afford it, great! You just saved some money.

If you want to take it a step further to try and save more. Use this template to continue with negotiation.

Thanks but that is just outside of my budget. I can do it for around $X.XX. If this works I will sign up right now.

Thanks for working with me on this!

(your name)​

Try to be reasonable with your counter offer. If they say 50.00 and you come back with 5.00 or 10.00 you may not get a response.

Second possible response

“We will not be able to add both of these features to the Basic plan.”

If you are trying to get multiple features added, use this one.

At this point pick your favorite feature and push for that one, if you are still interested.

This only really works on Feature rich plans…

If the Starter plan has 3 features and the Pro has 10 then this works better.

But if the difference is only a few Features, then this may not work well.​

I see…I am still interested in your STARTER plan but I would at the very least need Feature 2 in your PRO plan to move forward. That’s the only way I will be able to get what I need done using (product name).

If this works, I will go ahead and sign up right now.

(your name)​

Note: In both examples you notice that I am making it clear that I am interested and will sign up today if an agreement is made.

This increases your response rate since they know you are one step from being a new customer.

I wouldn’t push it too much after this. The response rate is pretty low when you get to this point but it is still worth a shot.

The next step is crucial if you don’t get a Yes from your original email.​

Step 4 Follow Up

When you don’t get an answer in a couple days, be sure to follow up.

Again letting them know you are interested in being a customer and want to sign up today.

Maybe they missed it or you’re lucky enough to get another rep who is more willing to take the extra step of helping you out.

Forward your previous email to them with this simple response.

I was looking to sign up for your service a couple days ago but I didn’t get a response to my previous email. See below.

I look forward to hearing back for you. I’m excited about using your services!

(your name)​

Note: For another follow up option, you can resend the email in Step 2.​ The goal is really just to get another rep and try again.

Save With A Downgrade Of Your Current Plan

This post is all about saving you money.  So, sometimes downgrading could make sense!

For those of you who already have everything you need but realize you are paying for a monthly plan that has way more features than you are using.

Try this out…

Hi,

I am having an issue I hope you can help me with. I would like to remain a customer but (Your current plan) is just out of my budget for now.

I would like to downgrade to (Lower plan) but I would still need (Features) from my current plan for staying with you to make sense for me.

How would you like to proceed?

(your name)​

They don’t want to lose you since they know you are a paying customer.

You are already paying for the service anyway! So, see how flexible they are with their plans.

You have nothing to lose, only something to gain.

Conclusion

With just a few simple emails you can be on your way to saving BIG on new or existing tools and/ or services that you are currently using.

Whether it is one tool or 20, I recommend giving these templates a try.

If you are a serious blogger or website owner, you know that every penny counts.

Give these templates a try and let me know how they are working out for you.

Have you ever found a stock image that you thought complimented your content perfectly, only to see the same image across social media and other blogs?

I have had this happen a couple of times over!

I am browsing my social media accounts only to see the same image I used on a post show up for someone elses content.

I find it amusing the times I have noticed this happen. Mainly because of the tips I will share with you later in the post. I use at most of these tips every time in order to help my visuals look more appealing, and different from anything else out there.

Coming across multiple of the same images online is more common than you may think. When it comes to stock and royalty free images, one of them can be downloaded and used by thousands.

There are so many options out there. New sites pop up all the time and some conveniently drop them into your inbox every month or so.

We have to look at how we can edit our images and get them to appear as original as possible.

Will an image that was already seen multiple times have the same impact?

Maybe…maybe not!

I would prefer to make some simple changes to the image and tailor it perfectly to your needs.

3 Ways To Make Your Stock Royalty Free Images Look Amazing

 Find The Right Filter

This is one of the easiest ways to completely change the feel of your image.

It’s super simple since on practically all of the photo editing software out there, you can do this at the click of a button!

After you find the image that is right for your content, play around with different filters and go with the one that you feel best enhances the image.

Have fun with it.

I recommend finding two or three filters that you really like and compare them side by side.

Original Image

Image with Filters Added

Zoom/ Crop Your Image

Another super simple way to change-up your image is by doing a quick Crop.

Depending on what tools you are using, you can accomplish this a few different ways. You get same results either way.

Not only do you change-up the feel of your image but you can get rid of empty space or highlight a specific part of the image that compliments your content best.

 Original Image

Images After Zoom/Cropped

Fonts Fonts Fonts

Fonts give you another simple way to make your images visually appealing.

Play with a couple different sizes and styles.

For more examples of great ways to use your fonts, check out these Quote Images.

Fonts/ text are the most important part of your images.

They are what move readers to action and drive them to your content.

They can also make your image look less than as well if you are not careful.

Since Fonts are the most important part of your images, here are some additional tips to make your fonts stand out!

 Use Larger Fonts

I have made this mistake plenty of times in the past.

When you are creating an image on a computer things are large and look great. You have to keep in mind that not everyone will see your image at its original size.

You have to compensate for all those out there that will see that image on mobile, tablets or the thumbnail version of your photo. They will see a much smaller version of your image.

They need to be able to easily see how they will benefit from reading your content.

The style of your Fonts will help your images stand out but you have to be cautious of the size as well.

Contrast Matters

I see this pretty often. The Text blends in with the image making it hard to read.

You have to make your text stand out from everything else that is going on in the image.

The lighter the image or filter, the darker the Font. The darker the image or filter, the lighter the Font.

If you remember these simple steps, you will have everything you need to know to pick the perfect contrast between your image and Fonts.

Text Box

A Text Box is a great way to separate your text from the rest of your image.

Simply adding a box that also contrasts well with the rest of the image.

This is highly effective if you have an image that has a lot going on.

You can have a text box for each word, each row of text, or one large box for all of your text. Whatever works best for your design.

The main thing is that you want everything to be easily read by readers.

Places To Find Stock Royalty Free Images

Photogen

Photogen offers tons of free stock photos. They are free to download, without registration. The are hi-res JPEG images that can be used for commercial or personal use. The add new images to their gallery all the time.

Free Digital Photos.net

Free Digital Photos.net has a large gallery of photos to choose from in many different categories. The have plenty of free images you can download, also without registration. The images are hi-res and you have the option to purchase a larger version of the image if needed.

Fotolia

Fotolia having one of the largest galleries online had to be added. They have around 39 million images available and add hundreds or more per day. Their collection is so large that several other stock photo sites pull from the images Fotolia offers due to their api. You have to register here and they offer a pay as you go, monthly packs and a subscription plan offering images as low as 19 cent per image.

 The Best Places To Find Stock Images

There are so many other places to choose from when it comes to finding free images.

Instead of listing them all, I have some of my Favorite post below.

They all have an awesome list of other free image sites you can check out.

1. 16 Places to Find the Best Free Stock Photos | DesignModo
2. 14 Amazingly Free Stock Photo Websites | Entrepreneur
3. Our Top 9 Best Free Stock Images Sites to Get You Started with Blogging | Headway Themes
4. Places to Find Free Images Online and Make Your Content More Linkable | Search Engine Journal
5. 65+ Sites To Find Awe-Inspiring Public Domain Images & Clipart For Your Blog + Social Media Posts For FREE

 Quick Word Of Caution

When you are using stock and royalty free images, you have to be sure you know and understand the license for each image you use.

You are using someone elses work and it is possible to have certain restrictions or obligations even if you pay a small fee.

So thoroughly read the license associated with image before making your final decision.

For example, The Content Factory blog begins their tale of being sued for $8,000 with, ‘Long Story Short: Image Copyright Laws Can Screw You Over‘!

Final Thoughts

There you have it. Six simple ways to make your stock images stand out and get more eyes on your content.

I use the first 5 of the methods on every image and I recommend you do the same. The Text box is optional depending on your design. Just make sure your text can be seen and it doesn’t matter.

There is not a huge time investment. Once you get the hang of it all, you can knock an image out in about 10 minutes.

That little time investment is well worth it to set your visual content apart from all the others that may be circulating out there.

We want to get more traffic, convert readers into sales or subscribers, get backlinks and so on.

This is possible for every single one of us and it all starts with your content. We have to create blog post in a way that is informative, on topic with your niche and in your own unique style.

I fell in love with blogging but writing was not something I was naturally good at. It took a lot of work for me to crank out even a 1,000 word post. I had to continuously work to develop my skills at becoming a better writer.

In doing so, I created a technique I would like to introduce you to called, “The Never Ending Blog Post”.

This technique meets three important criteria:

1) It is easy to use.

2) Anyone in any niche can use it.

3) Most importantly, it is effective!

Who Needs the Never Ending Blog Post

The Never Ending Blog Post is great for several different types of people.  There are plenty of techniques out there that help us get through many of the different obstacles we face.  All options are not created equal.

For different reasons, one option may not work as well for you as another option can.

This was specifically designed to help people with these common issues:

Trouble with completing a blog post

When I first started blogging, it was difficult for me to finish a post. I spent plenty of time looking at the screen wanting to type something but it just wasn’t coming to me.

It is not always easy to complete our thoughts and craft a post in a way that our readers will understand, retain and appreciate.

The Never Ending Blog Post, is an ideal way to complete a blog post in a way that is none pressuring and allows you to effectively create the post at your own pace.

Problems with creating post at the ideal length

There is not a set in stone length you have to reach. It is a personal preference but there are a couple of things you should keep in mind when crafting your content.

You may or may not have seen the tons of research and case studies done on this topic. Many of which show that there is more of a benefit if you create longer, more in-depth post.

There are a couple of ideal lengths depending on your focus that can lead to better results. I will go into more detail later in this post.

Having enough posts on stand by

I found this to be an incredibly important part of blogging that bloggers really need to focus on. If you look at the numbers, majority of bloggers are part-time. Which means that there are other responsibilities that we have to tend to outside of blogging.

Like most bloggers, we are one man or woman operations and we have to take care of most tasks on our own. This can be unfortunate since life does get in the way sometimes. We can’t control what happens to us and blogging may be the thing that has to take a back seat. Depending on the severity of the situation and whether or not it is a source of income for us.

Having multiple post on standby is a great way, at the very least, to keep your blog from looking abandoned. This is beneficial not only to your readers but to search engines as well!

Keeping Up With Your Ideas

This is not only for creating new blog post ideas but continue to build on ideas that you currently have in your drafts.

Later in the post, I will discuss research I found and tested, that will help you continue to come up with creative ideas to add to your post.

Limited Time For Blogging

Many of us love blogging and wish we were able to do it full-time but this is not the case for most of us. Ryan Biddulph from Blogging From Paradise is a great example of where many of us want to be. Able to create a successful blog, earn an income from it and blog from paradise. Even if you’re blogging from paradise is blogging from your couch 

When we have jobs, family, hobbies, a social life and so on. It can feel like you don’t have time to blog.

If blogging is something that you really want to do and you are that strapped for time, then sacrifices will have to be made.

With the Never Ending Blog Post Technique, it will allow you to spend more time doing other aspects of your life online or off, while continuing to create and add to multiple blog post at the same time.

The 4 Things You Will Accomplish Using This Technique

Create Content Only The Way You Can

Even if it is on the same topic as many others, we still have the opportunity to create content in a way that stands out.

This will be something that people will want to share. You are a product of your blog and people will begin to appreciate your value!

We continue to grow, learn and develop new ideas every minute. The Never Ending Blog Post taps into that process and helps you continue to create content only the way you can!

Optimizing Your Content

There is more than one way to increase your chances of ranking better on search engines. The thing with SEO, is that you spend as much time studying and doing research, just as you do actually using SEO techniques. It is for constantly changing.

There is a way that has been one of the more consistent methods at optimizing for search. That is by creating detailed post that has a certain length.

That length becomes ideal by creating blog post that has 2,000 words or more. With the Never Ending Blog Post, hitting this mark will be much easier to achieve, if you have issues with longer post.

SerpIQ did an interesting study to find that their highest performing blog post had a length greater than 2,000 words. With their best posts hitting the 2,400 word mark.

It is not all about the Search Engines though. What is the ideal post length for the ones that matter most, our readers!

Medium did a study on the average amount of seconds spent on each post, based on post length.

They found that post averaging about 1,600 words or 7 minutes in length had readers attention the longest.

Do you think it worth the extra 400 words to appeal to Search Engines or appealing to readers is the better option?

Increase Comments, Subscribers, Sales

The longer your post, the more opportunities you have to connect with readers by appealing to several emotions.

Those levels can be reached when you target readers through their sense of Greed, Pride, Fear, Altruism and Envy. All these emotions cause your readers to connect deeper with your content, which will make them more likely to engage with your content.

By your readers connecting, it increases the chance that they will act on your ‘Call to Actions’.

So, those questions that you asked throughout your post or at the end, can increase the number of comments you receive.

Why increasing the number of your comments are important:

1) Increases Your Authority.

2) Build a loyal following (It’s all about your response. Make them feel welcome, appreciated etc).

3) It gives you more opportunity to show your expertise on the given topic.

Increase Social Shares

Neil Patel did some research not to long ago, on how a post that exceeds 1,500 words or more did far better in receiving social shares.

Neil Patel explains, “My own research on Quick Sprout confirms this. All of my posts that are more than 1,500 words receive 68% more tweets and 22% more Facebook likes than the articles with fewer than 1,500 words.”

This is surely information you can trust. I mean, Neil Patel is kind of a big deal, if you didn’t know!

Using this technique will make it much easier for you to create longer more in-depth blog post.

How To Create The Never Ending Blog Post

Step 1. Topic/ Headline

We get inspiration from topics with everything that we do. It starts with keeping an open mind throughout the day. Whenever you get inspired to create a new blog post on a topic, write it down immediately and place it in your drafts.

Don’t chance forgetting that idea that could go viral because you may never get the chance to write that post again if you forget it.

I get most of my inspiration from reading others blog post. There are plenty great bloggers out there that cover many different topics. Reading what they have to share will help you grow in your niche and give you ideas for new blog post.

Even if you read an insanely detailed, well thought out blog post from Pro Bloggers like Jon Morrow, Yaro Starak or Pauline Cabrera, you can still take the topic they write about and make it your own.

One good thing is that when they publish a post, people listen. So, when you create your post a week or so later. They have already made the topic relevant.

It’s not  about competing with their post. Bloggers of that caliber cover plenty of different topics within one blog post. That one topic that sticks out to you or the one you notice getting attention in the comments may be just the thing you are looking for.

Don’t always focus on just areas in your niche as well. By keeping an open mind, you can pull topics that are common in other niches and make them relate to your niche. Just because one problem is discussed more in one area, doesn’t mean that people in your niche can’t relate.

The possibilities of where you can get inspiration are endless. Let’s look at a few tools you can use to come up with content ideas.

Top 3 Tools For Creating Content Ideas

Buzzsumo– This is an amazing tool that should be considered if you want to find out what is popular across social media. Simply put your niche or topic of choice in the search bar.

Then you will get plenty of results depending on topic listed from highest to lowest depending on the amount of shares a particular post has received. This will give a leg up in potentially creating content that will get shared across different social media sites.

Title Tool by Content Forrest– This is an interesting tool as well. All you need to do is add your topic of choice into the search bar, select whether you want 10, 20 or 30 headline ideas and select ‘Get Ideas’.

Then you will receive up to 30 headlines that have already been published online to help you come up with some content ideas.

Unlike Buzzsumo, you have no idea how well these post did on social media to help you determine if the topic is one that people are interested in. Which is fine because you never really know what people will latch onto and make go viral. It is just up to us to have everything in place and be ready when it happens.

Content Idea Generator– This is a tool that everyone should give a try at least once. It will provide you with about 100 content ideas that are sure to get the creative juices flowing.

All you have to do is accurately answer 18 questions and you will get ideas for not only blogs post but other forms of content as well. Such as, eBooks, Podcasts, Videos and more.

After you receive your results, in only a couple clicks you can have all your ideas saved to a Excel file to refer back to whenever you need a little creative help.

Step 2. Sub Headings

After you came up with a great content idea. You will most likely have some points of interest that you want to cover to make your point.

After the headline this is another important part you need to consider.

3 Reasons To Consider Sub Headings

1)  Since majority of people naturally scan your blog post. The better you break it down into sections, the better you will get your point across, even if they don’t read every last word on the screen.

2) Breaking your post up makes your blog easier to read. A large block of text can come across pretty boring.

Sub topics are a great way of making your post visually appealing without the use of images.

3) They help you get your point across! Even though you are covering a certain topic, elaborating on other topics related to the one your discussing will make things clearer to your readers.

By using all these sub headings, I am explaining the many different topics that will help you create the best possible blog post while using the Never Ending Blog Post techniques.

By the end of the post you will know exactly why all these were important in getting you to fully understand what goes into creating Click-Worthy, Shareable and Optimized blog post.

Step 3. Elaborate

Now that you have your Headline and Sub Headings drafted, it’s time to go into more detail about each. You want to write on each as much as possible.

Don’t force yourself to write anything. This is one of the main principles of the Never Ending Blog Post.

Even if you can only get out a few points on one Sub Heading, that is completely fine!

As experienced bloggers can tell when someone is just adding filler text in order stretch the post.

Focus on adding as much value as possible to every line you write.

Sometimes you may have to scrap a section or entire post!

There was a time I was creating a post on turning a blog post into a SlideShare presentation. I spent about an hour crafting the post until I stopped and looked over what I had so far.

I realized I was explaining these simple to use steps, in a way that seemed so complicated.

That was not my intention and I knew I needed to change the direction I was going with the post.

It wasn’t easy to highlight so much of what I typed and hit the backspace key. By the time I was done, I realized just how necessary it was to start fresh.

Step 4. Elaborate Again and Again

This is where your content begins to take form. Be sure to continue to refer back to your draft whenever you are able to add value to your post.

This is what works so well when you are trying to lengthen your post without losing value with all the filler text.

I have a post that I have been working on for a couple of weeks. By drafting a Headline, Sub Headings and elaborating here and there. I already have a 2,000 word post that is nearly finished.

It up to me whether or not I want to publish it on my blog or submit it as a guest post. It is a good feeling knowing that I have it and a few others in my back pocket when I need them!

Step 5. Time to Publish

This step is completely up to you. Whether the post is 500 words or 3,000 words, when you feel the post is just about ready to publish, then finish the draft.

Before you click Publish, make sure you do the next steps first!

1) Edit you content and make sure it has the least amount of errors as possible.

2) Create an interesting, attractive Headline that will get readers attention. That is if your original one used for the draft needs an update.

3) Create strong Sub Headings in order to break up content and make it easier to read.

4)  Interlink content to other relevant content mentioned in the post.

5) Link to external content that can add value to your post

6) Add an attractive image(s) to your post (Be sure to add Alt attributes to your images)

7) Prepare your newsletter for your subscribers

How To Begin Creating Drafts Using This Technique

First

You want to at least begin using steps 1 and 2 whenever you have an attractive idea.

The point here is to not create a perfect post. Get your ideas down as soon as possible. You can lose them as fast as you think of them.

Use your computer if you are there or a napkin if it is all you have available. Just get it down somewhere!

This will be the foundation you will use to create your entire post.

Second

After you have steps 1 and 2, as consistent as possible, move on to steps 3 and 4. The key is that you want to choose how ever many post you are comfortable with, and focus on using steps 3 and 4 on those post.

When you get to the point you are happy, then you move to completing the steps in Step 5.

How Do I Ever Finish A Post If It Is Never Ending

The thought process behind the Never Ending Blog post, is based on you starting your draft, without ever having an end date in mind.

You only want focus on adding valuable content to the draft as often as possible.

Of course, you will need to Publish your content eventually. Which is why this technique is not intended to be used right out of the gate.

Continue with whatever system you have in place right now. When you begin using this technique, get at least 3 drafts or more depending on your posting schedule. Make sure they are just about ready to go before you Publish your first post.

I found that focusing on 3 post at a time works well for me. We have to focus on that number or we will just continue to have tons of half done post. Then you would be able to take the Never Ending Blog Post literally 

This technique is to help take the pressure off writing post. So, if you publish one without having a few drafts ready to go, you will still feel pressured to finish another draft by your next publish date.

Final Thoughts

You will, on a continuous basis, have multiple post that will be just about ready to publish.

Even extreme part-time bloggers have the ability to create content like the many other amazing Pro Bloggers out there. While not neglecting the other important aspects of blogging.

This helps take off a lot of the stress that comes from living life while maintaining your blog.

That is a lot on our plate and only having a few hours or so a day doesn’t make this easy.

This technique was recently developed to help prevent life from getting in the way of creating content.

I hope this technique helps with your content creation strategies. It has helped me a lot and I am excited to share new post and guest post in the near future using it.

What are your thoughts on the Never Ending Post technique?

Be sure to sign up to get your free PDF of this post and it comes with a bonus Checklist!

I spent plenty of time just looking at the screen mid post not sure where to go from there. Finding a way to beat writers block and create interesting content, was a very real and common occurrence in the beginning of my blogging journey.

Were you a natural writer when you first started writing?

I was determined to get better and make writing easier for me. I wanted to develop my own writing style that people will find informative, easy to understand and practical. Over a short period of time I was able to accomplish more my writing goals.

I am about to mention something that I’m pretty sure you have seen more than once or twice but ‘Content is King’!  How we write can not be ignored and we should spend time developing our craft. Majority of us write with the intention of others one day reading what we have to share.

It takes true skill in order to write on a subject that may be dull but with the right twist, one can make it interesting and informative. Writing more post in less time is a big bonus as well. These tips I will share below helped me achieve more with my writing and you can benefit from them as well.

3 Practical Ways On How To Become A Better Writer

1) Commenting On Blog Post

Yes, commenting on blogs can help you write better. Commenting on blog post is a controversial topic but when you look at all the benefits, commenting on blog post should be taken seriously.

Commenting on blog post is not typically associated with becoming a better writer but lets look at a few of its benefits.

It Challenges You

Commenting on blog post will continue to push you to becoming better at writing. When you read a post, even if it is not necessarily in your niche or expertise, coming up with a valuable comment on the topic is making you better.

Even coming up with a few short paragraphs on some topics can be a task in itself. By continuing to read and add value to the conversation, it is helping you learn to take small pieces of information and piece it together to make a complete and valuable thought.

It Helps You Come Up With New Blog Post Ideas

Even if it is a topic you are not familiar with, commenting on a post can give you some good post ideas on the same or similar topic. When commenting on a post, it may spark an interesting poll or statistic you read about in the past. By the time you are done with your comment, you may have an interesting post idea that came from what you shared in your comment.

It Forces You To Read More

Commenting on blog post will force you to read more, as mentioned in the first tip. You will have to read post in order to understand the authors point, in order to make a comment that is valuable and on topic.

You Will Read Faster

Repetition is a powerful thing. The more you read, the faster you will get. The faster you get, the more post you will be able to get through in the same amount of time. If you get through more post, you will be able to leave more comments.

Reading faster is certainly a powerful tool to have under you belt.

2) Read From Already Successful Writers

Taking the time to actually read from other successful bloggers can help you develop your own writing style. You will read a lot of different information, shared in plenty of different styles. After reading enough of others post when you begin to write, things can become more fluid in how you craft your post.

It may even feel like you are using someone else’s style at first but that is completely OK. You will see a lot of successful people tell you to mimic what other successful people are doing. That is an easy way to know that the system works.

By reading others material you will get so many benefits. You will learn from others that are doing it. Styles, techniques, tools, resources, build relationships, develop your own style of writing and much more.

Reading others style will be excellent for learning what works for you and what doesn’t feel so smooth. You will begin to incorporate several different styles which will lead to you having your own unique writing style.

3) Create Different Types Of Content

There is plenty of information on the web. There is not much that has not already been shared online. The task is not to put out new information but to create content in a way that has never been seen before.  So create infographics, SlideShare presentations and any other form of content you feel will go well with your strategy.

Lets look at infographics for a second. Creating a fresh, new infographic will allow you to use your writing skills in a whole new way. All without the added pressure of trying to come up with a 8,000 word post like my friend Kevin Duncan just recently accomplished 

When you create content on these different platforms, it will continue to bring fresh ideas to the surface. That is the first and sometimes the hardest step in becoming a better writer and creating memorable content. When you begin to generate all these new ideas, when you are writing a blog post, it will be easier to put your ideas down and elaborate in a way that readers will enjoy and understand at the same time.

You can not forget about the importance of adding original Visuals to your Content as well. You need visuals to help spread the word about your content.

*Bonus Old School Tip*- Write Your Ideas Down

There is nothing more frustrating than coming up with a good post idea, then after a quick conversation with a co-worker you can’t remember your thought. As I just mentioned above, creating fresh, new ideas is a major part of the writing process.

A quick jot in your notebook or creating a new memo on your phone will help with creating new content. It is worth stopping what you are doing for 30 seconds to get this done.

The Moral Of The Story

It’s all about continuing to challenge yourself. Do everything you can to continue to keep those creative juices flowing. Then it’s just about writing them down and perfecting it.

Even though I didn’t add the ‘Just Write” section, which is one of the most common tips I have seen on this subject. It is still very important and should be practiced as much as possible as well.

Using these tips and ‘just writing’ will surely begin to make writing more natural feeling and less of a task.

This comes over time but it will come. You will develop your own style which will get you noticed and while getting more done in the same or shorter period of time.

Even though I am still learning and working on my craft often, these things I found along the way that has truly helped develop the post you see today and I hope you find this valuable to you as well.

What type of tips have you used to become a better writer?

Is this what I’m looking for, Will this solve my problem, Will this help better my situation and so on. So, how do you go about answering these questions for them in about 55 characters? This is not an easy task to accomplish!

I came across a statement by David Ogilvy, an advertising executive, who stated that “On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cent out of your dollar.”

That is some very interesting information we should all pay attention too. A man who spent his career catching others attention, is telling us that about 80% of the success of our content falls on the headline!

There are plenty of different factors in finding the right words to include in your headline. We will go over 25 of the most interesting tactics and resources that will help in creating a stand out headline. These 25 things are super easy to start using and will give you much better results than the lucky guess type of headline!

How To Craft An Engaging Headline

1) Pique Readers Curiosity

Things like, “You Will Not Believe What A Guy Did At His Wedding.” You have a headline like this during wedding season and you will be sure to peak a lot of people’s interest on this topic. It’s interesting that headlines of this nature do well without actually letting readers know what the content is about.

2) Let Them Know Your Content Is To Valuable To Pass Up

All of our content should be value driven. Letting someone know that they will get tons of valuable information that will benefit them, will make your content more appealing. Unfortunately, if you do not locate the proper words, the right people will not find your content in search results.

3) Find Keywords That Others Are Searching For

There are plenty of tools out there but I prefer to get my information from the source, Google Keyword Planner. Something as simple as adding an ‘s’ to the end of your keyword could open the door to hundreds or more of new potential readers. Finding the right keyword is easier once you decide on a topic that readers want to know about.

4) Use BuzzSumo To Find And Create Topics That Are Share Worthy

BuzzSumo is an interesting and easy to use tool, that will let you know what content is spreading nicely on social media. Simply add your niche or subject of choice into the search bar. Then take a look at the topics that come about and see what is being shared the most. This will give you not only interesting topics that are currently being shared, you will also see what potential social platforms will be a good place to target your sharing.

5) Tell Readers How They Should Feel

This is a more controversial one but effective none the less. If you can tap into an emotion that is desired by many and let them know how they will feel, readers will notice. For example, “Do ‘This’ And You Will Feel Less Stressed Immediately”, is something that will appeal greatly to people who are stressed.

6) Use Content Creation Tool

The ‘Content Idea Generator’ is one of many tools that will help you come up with content ideas and headline possibilities as well. This one is definitely worth a look and great for those writers block moments as well. Just fill out everything as accurately as possible and let it do all the work.

7) Appeal To Readers Emotions

If you are not out right telling readers how they will feel as mentioned in #5, you still have to connect to readers on an emotional level. There are 5 main emotions that work best when trying to connect with readers. Hitting one or more of these emotions will create a more engaging headline.

8) Test Your Headlines

If you are not sure that you are hitting the right emotions, use the ‘Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer’ by Advanced Marketing Institute.  Through text, meanings can be misunderstood as mentioned in my post ‘Infographic: How To Respond To Negative Comments On Social Media And Blog Post‘, but we always interpret the tone of words the same way. You can learn more about Emotional Marketing Value here.

9) Make It Easy To Understand

Everyone will not get your sense of humor or understand all the technical jargon that you know. Keep things simple and make it easy to understand. Leaving readers confused is an easy way to get them to ‘not’ take action.

10) Use ‘How To’

People search for ways to get things accomplished all the time and you letting them know how, will work well in your headlines. For example,  write a title like, ‘How To Find Google+ Communities That Drive Traffic To Your Website‘.

11) Write On A Controversial Topic

Find a topic that others have very opposing opinions on and write an informative post on where you stand. This works well when a topic is trending well, as mentioned in #4 and many are searching into the subject as well. For example, ‘Why Commenting On Blog Post Should be Taken Seriously.’ Plenty of people use and agree with the benefits on this post but many do not agree with this tactic at the same time.

12) Use a List

When you let readers know you have a certain number of ways to get a desired result, it is registered as being more valuable. Find a topic of choice, Google search it and aim to add a list that surpass any that you see on the first couple of pages.  A headline like the one on this post or one like ‘7 Steps To Finding The Best WordPress Plugins‘ work well. I found a high of 16 when I was searching on the topic of headlines, so I set out for over 20.

13) Ask a Question

Find questions that many are asking and ask the same question in your headline. If they are wondering the same thing, they will be curious to know if you have the answer they are looking for. For example, ‘Why Am I Still Tired After A Good Nights Sleep’.

14) Let Them Know You Have Visual Content

Even if the same information is shared, now of days, visual content will seem more interesting and fetch better results. Pamela Vaughn mentioned on Hubspot that, blog articles that included infographics generated an average of 178% more inbound links and 72% more views than all other posts.

15) Make A Promise

Will your post really make their task easier or increase visitors to their website? Your reputation is on the line so make a promise you can deliver on. You can use something like, ‘Find Out How To Save $200 Every time On Groceries’.

16) Use appealing adjectives

When you use adjectives like Effortless, Incredible, Essential, Advanced, Approved, Improve and so on. They make your headline more appealing. Anything you can do to spice up your headline is a good addition to any headline. Adding adjectives is an easy way of achieving that.

17) Use the Formula Of Other Successful Blogs

If you need a little assistance when crafting a headline on a topic, use tools like BuzzSumo and use the formula that they used for their content. For example, if the formula that was used was something like, ‘Number or Trigger word + Adjective + Keyword + Promise‘, use this same formula when crafting your headline.

18) Make Sure It’s Sharable

If you are being offensive, others may not want to associate your content and headline with their network. Be sure that it is something that can be share with the masses. Adding this small detail can result in a lot shares and click troughs to your website.

19) Announce Something New

‘New’ is an appealing word in itself. Using this to our advantage will bring you good results. It is also an easy way to bring out #1, Peak Readers Curiosity. Let readers know about the new thing for the summer, a new technique that will be beneficial and so on.

20) Use A Command

This is a bold move but telling readers what they should do actually is proven to work very well. Now of days we use tools that technically takes the thinking out of what we have to do on a daily basis. It may sound a little weird but telling readers to take action is an effective method to get more clicks.

21) Create A Sense of Urgency

You see this tactic all the time. We naturally don’t want to miss out on a good thing. Using something like, Limited Time Offer, Going fast, Limited Supply, While Supplies Last etc can lead to more clicks. Give readers a reason to act fast and take action.

22) Mention A Trustworthy Person Or Brand

This benefits you in several ways. Building trust is difficult but if you add a trustworthy source, it automatically raises your trust level a bit. It also helps you get noticed and build a relationship with influencers.

I recommend doing this sparingly and be sure to do it well. Mentioning someone can help or hurt your cause if it’s not done properly. This is not only a representation of you but someone else as well. Represent them to the best of your ability.

23) Use The Word ‘You’

‘You’ is one of the most popular words used in some of the most viral headlines ever created. It makes the reader feel as if you are talking directly to them. This allows the headline to connect with them on a deeper level. For example, a headline like, ‘25 Action Words And How They Help Customers Make The Decision YOU Want‘.

24) Use A Testimonial

Testimonials are one of the best ways to build your credibility, immediately. Using an honest testimonial that also lets the reader know what your content is about. For example, “XYZ Company has increased my sales a very real 257%”.

25) List The Problem and The Solution

If you have a solution to a problem that many are having, let them know in your headline. For example, ‘Gained To Much weight over the holidays, Here’s How to Lose It Fast’. I’ve seen this type of headline more times than I can count but I click on them a lot because that is a very real problem I have during the holidays 

Conclusion

Spend the extra time necessary to create an effective headline. It will benefit your content more in the short and long-term. Your headline is the first impression many will have of you and your content, before they even decide to click.

Make sure that your content backs up your headline. Trust was mentioned earlier in the post and if you do not want to lose it quickly, then stay on topic, add value and be yourself when blogging. We will appreciate your content much more.

Do you use any of these tips? Which is your favorite?

When you come across post like, “These Emotions Make Customers Do This”,  “Avoid Using These Words Or Lose The Sell” or “25 Action Words And How They Help Customers Make The Decision YOU Want“, is all a part of Psychology. Understanding what causes people to act a certain way, gives you the upper hand when creating and marketing your Content.

We actually use psychology everyday whether we realize it or not. The most important part of your content is the Headline. When creating a headline, it is important to create it in a way that catches readers attention, bring about the desired emotion and causes them to click on the link. This can be difficult to do in about 50 characters but understanding what triggers certain emotions in readers can make it much easier to accomplish.

On my last post, I have an infographic about how to responding to negative comments. One commentor pointed out some good information he learned about how specific words can cause certain emotions to arise in the person reading it. Even though it is practically impossible to connect with everyone in a way they will not get offended, confused and so on.

His comment made me really look at everything I have been writing since then. It is amazing how words that seem unimportant, can cause someone to misinterpret the over all message.

How Psychology Fits Into Content Marketing

Lets start off looking at the meaning of psychology. Psychology is an academic and applied discipline that involves the scientific study of mental functions and behaviors. Basically, it is knowing what things causes people to act or feel a certain way.

This is all that we try to accomplish with our content marketing. When we are crafting any type of content, we want to bring forth any emotion that will cause the reader to click-through our website, share our content on social media, subscribe to our email list and so on.

How Content Marketing Fits Into Psychology

Lets look at the meaning of Content Marketing. Content marketing is the technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined target audience in order to drive profitable customer action.

When we begin to push our content to the masses, we have to connect with the readers on some kind of level. We can share our content all over the web but if we don’t connect and bring emotions that causes action, we will do a lot of work and only receive minimum results.

5 Emotions That Cause People To Buy

Greed. ‘The Reward’

It is our nature to want more. Think about infomercials for example. “Buy this for 9.99 and get a second one Free.” Even though we may know this is a selling tactic, it still brings an emotion in us that wants to get something for Free.

Fear. ‘Missing out’

Who wants to miss out on a good thing? Lets look at another tactic used in infomercial, you may also see this on plenty of landing pages. “This offer will expire in this amount of time! Don’t miss out!”

We know we will see this product again but missing out on that free offer makes us want to act now. Fear is a commonly used tactic to make people buy right now.

Altruism. ‘Helping others’

Plenty of people just want to help others, regardless of whether or not they will benefit from it. Which is why these popular clothing companies, where you by a piece of clothing, another of that same piece is sent to someone in need, have such success.

For the group of people in this category, when ever they have the opportunity to help others, they jump on board and open their wallets.

Envy. ‘You can’t win’

Regardless of how humble one may be, we all have a competitive nature. Some more intense than others but it is still there. If we are given the opportunity to be ahead of the game, we are all over it.

Everyone doesn’t sleep outside and wait for hours to get a phone because it is the normal thing to do. Well, it is for some 

Pride. ‘I’m smart’

Pride can be a dangerous thing. Pride can cause us to do things we would not normally do. When the right wording is used, you will feel a sense of entitlement and you will have to have it.

Something to think about

When we are using text to communicate, it is very easy to get things misinterpreted. It is part of our job when creating content, to know and use the best wording that will produce the desired action.

Ana Hoffman has an excellent post on leveraging you content marketing system. It will surely guide you in the right direction.

I read something not to long ago that was extremely interesting. It read “Philosophers have long recognized that language is inherently vague, being an imperfect representation of thoughts and ideas.” Do you agree with this statement?

I sure do! I’m sure you have had a moment, of trying to explain yourself but the words coming out your mouth make no sense but they do in your head.

We must use content Marketing to attract and engage our content, while using psychology to trigger the right emotions, in order to get the best results possible!

Is catchy good enough or do you focus on using words that bring out certain emotions when writing your content?

How do you handle this type of situation? Do you lash out in order to get your point across, not respond at all, delete the comment or just flat-out ignore it?

There are plenty of ways you can handle this type of situation but if you don’t handle it the right way, you could be doing more harm than good. It is best to handle this situation tactfully.

Dealing with negative comments on social media and blog post is unavoidable to some degree. Handling it the best way possible is easier than you may think.

Why You Should Learn How To Deal With Negative People

While online, you will come across plenty of different personalities, from all backgrounds. We all choose different ‘experts’ to follow, who teach plenty of different views on certain subjects.

No matter how straight forward you are or believe what you are sharing is common sense, some people will have a difference in opinion. This is fine. I have had some of the best discussions from someone with a difference in opinion.

The problem is, that many don’t know how to share their opinion properly. So you should expect to, on occasion, to get some feedback from negative people who will make you upset.

3 Ways Negative Comments Builds Your Brand’s Reputation

You may be wondering how something negative can have a positive effect on your brand. It is not about what the negative comment is, it is all about how you respond to the negative comment that makes all the difference.

Negative Comments Help Your Brand By:

1) Giving you the opportunity to show your true professionalism– It’s easy to flip out and say the wrong thing. We see that enough but responding in an appropriate manner while still getting your point across, will surely be remembered and gain respect from others.

2) Giving you the opportunity to show your knowledge of the subject matter– Sometimes a negative thing can be just what you need to dig deeper into the topic and prove your point with sheer facts.

3) Giving you the opportunity to show that you are open and know how to communicate respectfully– Many people are observers by nature. Engaging may be the more logical step but without trust or previously built relationship with your visitor, it might not work out that way. If you are seen handling yourself appropriately with someone being rude, a simple question will not seem like it is so much. That question could lead to a potential sale and so on.

Something to think about

We will deal with negativity from time to time. Even though you may want to tell them like it is, fight the feeling! There are more important things at stake. Try to remember the bigger picture and your followers that do appreciate what you have to share.

I always say “People will be People.” You will get the good, the bad and the ugly when dealing with people. Let’s show the good side and leave the negativity to someone else. 

How do you deal with negative comments?

Unfortunately, many people conduct themselves in a way that may actually be doing more harm than good in your effort to build your network. It takes more than being there in order to be successful. It’s best to add value in what ever you do on your social media accounts.

If you have been on social media any amount of time, I’m sure you have dealt with someone who does some pretty annoying things? Whether it’s family, friends, Co workers etc. We have had someone who we gave or really wanted to give the boot 

Google+: We Didn’t Ask To Be Notified

This has become more common but should be avoided. Sending unwanted notifications to your circles about every post you share. This is considered highly annoying to many.

For me this is very intrusive. You may have shared some information that I found interesting enough to Circle you but not to the point where I want to know every last thing you post.

Google+ doesn’t have a subscribe button. Your post shouldn’t be forced on your Circles. In other words you are spamming and producing a quick way to get you uncircled.

Facebook: When Was I There?

This as harmless as it may seem, can also be considered spam. Don’t tag a ton of your friends about your new product, website, event etc.

The tag was meant for including a friend that was directly involved with you. Not as a way to blast your latest into others notifications. Unless both of you are at the same place eating, in the same picture and so on.

This is another quick way to loose engagement. If you are not deleted, your Friends will develop blinders and completely overlook your post.

Twitter: I Didn’t Need To See That

This is one that I get pretty often. When you Reply on Twitter, only mention the person who included you on the #FF tweet for example.

This reminds me of some email etiquette training I had several years ago. If you ever had an email blast about getting lunch and for 10 minutes your email is going off with people giving their orders, asking questions etc you know what I mean.

To me this is a harmless thing that can become annoying. If you are included in 3 #FF shoutouts, with 6 people on each. If most of them sends a reply to everyone mentioned in the tweet. That could be 10+ notifications that have nothing to do with you. Majority of the time you will see a bunch of thank yous to the originator of the Tweet.

Recommended Read: Twitter and Google+ Profiles – will people connect to you?

LinkedIn: Thank You Anyways… I Think

Linkedin is about being professional isn’t it? Yet, these “professionals” found a way to make a great feature a little annoying.

Just because they are telling you to leave a recommendation for someone, you don’t have to leave one. Endorsing someone who you have no relationship with or have never done any business with them, could have a negative effect on your brand.

Recommending someone you have actually done business with will be much more remembered and appreciated. You may even get a recommendation in return. Recommending someone on a skill should be genuine and used as a way to show your appreciation to the person you have worked with. Not to be used as some type of promotion tactic.

Final Thoughts

There are so many little things we have to tend to on all of our social media accounts. So when we do things that are not relevant and filling up our contacts notifications, it can have more of a negative effect on us.

We all want more connections, shares, referrals etc but we can’t try to cut corners. Especially, when we are involving our connections! There is nothing special we can do that doesn’t involved time, effort, and engagement.

Are there any other things that has happened to you on one or more of your social accounts that you consider annoying?

You have spent plenty of time perfecting your blog, adding all the proper elements to your page design and so on. Yet, you still may not be getting the results you are looking for. Trying to reconfigure your layout, fonts etc could end up doing more harm than good. So, what is possibly the next best step?

Just adding a few “Action Words” could be all the difference. Sometimes the smallest tweak can lead to the biggest gain. What are Action words? Action words are words that create some type of response. Whether the action be clicking on a link or developing an emotional attachment to you, the content, product or place.

Everything we do on our website should focus on some type of Action. Ex. This post will help drive visitors to my site, those visitors will opt in to my list for my freebie, those subscribers will then purchase my product because… and so on. Action words will help us achieve our desired goals for each element of our website.

When used properly, the right words will be beneficial to our success. I have found 25 of the most common and best Action Words you can incorporate in your material. These are words that can trigger subconscious responses from the reader, only when used properly. Over use can get a negative response.

25 Action Words To Add To Your Content

1. You– Personally involves the reader.
2. Can– They know it’s something that they can do.
3. Easy– Lets the reader know that  it will not be hard for them to accomplish.
4. New– They will be one of the first to own it.
5. Exclusive– They are one of the few people receiving it.
6. Gift– You are giving them something for free.
7. Love– A word that connects you on an emotional level.
8. Immediately– They will get it right now, no wait.
9. Fast– It will be quick.
10. Lifetime– That it will last for a long time.
11. Unlimited– They can use it over and over again.
12. Results– They will know this will work for them.
13. Savings– They are receiving a discount.
14. Bargain– They are getting a good deal on something that costs more.
15. How to– They will get all the details.
16. Step by Step– This will also show them exactly how to do something.
17. Hurry– Creates urgency.
18. Offer– It will not last forever.
19. Absolutely- Another way to reassure your readers.
20. Tested– The results are proven.
21. Others– It’s a way to validate what is being said by people who believe in you, your product or service.
22. Secure– Another way to say safe.
23. Best– An elite product, service or place.
24. Increase– You will get more than what you currently have.
25. Unique– Another way of saying original or one of a kind.
*Bonus: Free or No Upfront Cost– You will not have to pay for anything.                                                                                                            

I would like your opinions on #26. You always see “Free” all over the web but is anything actually Free? Even though you are giving away say an e book, they still have to sign up as a subscriber in order to receive it. In my research I came across a lot of information saying that using Free is now a bad idea. Do you think it’s a bad idea and other terms like “No Upfront Cost” should be used instead?

Conclusion

I recommend using Action Words but use them sparingly. Using them in an unnatural way can lead to unattractive results. Test some of these words and see if your numbers increase. These words all have positive responses and will not hurt you by giving them a shot.

Are there any other Action Words you think should be added to the list?

When you are online you spend a lot of time designing, strategizing, creating content etc for your website. Interacting with others actually makes things more interesting and social. It takes people to build your website to achieve your goals, so remember to focus on the social aspect of your website as well.

Benefits Of Building Relationships Online With Bloggers

Drives Traffic To Your Website

Building Relationships is a great way to get traffic to your website. When you first start your blog, it will take time for search engines to start to drive traffic to your site. So, why not go and comment on some others sites, share and reach out to others in your niche on social media? This can draw traffic to your site immediately. When you build a report with other bloggers, they will head to your site to see what you have to say and drive others to your site through shares and likes on social media.

Any little bit helps. It’s not the best feeling having Zero hits on your site, even early on and this is one way to change that immediately.

Get Social Shares and Followers

Also mentioned above Social Media shares drive traffic to your site and is a key factor is your search rankings. If you never started researching a single Keyword or working toward getting backlinks-  just having more shares will help with SEO.

Other than helping with your SEO, it is also a good way to show your Authority on a topic. Even though someone with 100 followers and someone with 100,000 could have the same amount of knowledge on a topic. The person with the 100,000 followers will come across as more of an Authority to some.

Social media is a huge part of our online presence now of days. Simply building a relationship with fellow bloggers, etc is a great way to build your social media presence.

Get Backlinks

By simply Building Relationships with bloggers you will surely start to generate backlinks to your site.  This is important in building your Authority. The more good and high quality sites you have linking to your site the better. I wouldn’t go looking for high quality sites to target. Just comment etc on a post while you are researching a topic of a potential post. You may not get a backlink for it but your will start to build your authority and if it was a high quality comment then it will generate some traffic too.

I will explain how below in the “Blog Commenting” section below.

Support

When starting out there will be stuff you don’t know. With anything, if you have a problem it is good to have someone you can reach out to. Even if you have an idea for a new Infographic and you want to run your points past someone else who is more of an authority in the topic. It is good to build a “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” relationship with several other bloggers.

How To Build Relationships Online With Bloggers

Blog Commenting

I have learned that blog commenting is actually a very useful tactic, that is easy to implement and brings results. The key is to leave helpful, meaningful comments. You want to basically extend the views of the post with your own thoughts. Be genuine and respectful when leaving your comments. You should avoid short empty comments. At least leave a comment that is a paragraph in length.

The quickest way to look like a spammer is to drop links in your comments. What you want is to leave a comment that grabs the attention of other readers that leaves them wanting to know more about you. If you achieve that, they will click on the URL linked to your name. There is no need to add it to the post even if it’s relevant.

By leaving these high quality comments on blogs you will start to build your authority and gain followers at the same time. Using the commenting tactic to build relationships and traffic is also “Google Update” proof.

Social Shares

An easy way to remind bloggers you’re there. Every time you Retweet, mention, share etc on majority of these social networks that user gets a notification. “@YOU” has retweeted etc. They will appreciate you sharing their content with your followers and you will be staying in their sight.

One easy way is to find that person on Triberr if they are on there and Autoshare their new posts.

Mention Them In Your Blog

Show your appreciation! When you find someone who is actually engaging with you and sharing your content, give them a shout out. When you are writing a post that they are and expert in, quote them on your post and give them a link or 2. They will greatly appreciate that. A tweet will disappear is the noise in minutes but that blog post will generate traffic as long as your site stays up. When sharing your blog on social media, add them to it letting them know you gave them a mention in your post.

Hey, I’m pretty sure you’ll get at least one retweet on that post : )

Conclusion

When building business relationships, just be YOU.  Let your personality show and the right people will come around. Just as in the real world, you will not hit it off with everyone. This is fine! You have to just “Keep on Keeping On”! Be sure to return the favor. If you notice you have someone who is consistently commenting on your post and sharing your content etc, drop by their blog and share some of their content and comment on their blog as well.

Remember, Building these Relationships should be “Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ type of situation. Remember to be patient as well. This is a time-consuming process. What good relationship doesn’t take time to truly manifest into something good…

Do you focus on building good relationships online?

If you would be so kind to share this I would really appreciate it.