Great posts are hard to do consistently on a day-to-day basis.  Bloggers really have to work at it. I thought about all the different ways and angles a blogger can approach choosing posting topics.

1. Brainstorm by matching up your readers wants and needs.
2. Write a post by examining the pros and cons of an issue.
3. Write a tutorial.
4. Do an interview with key people in your niche.
5. Create a mock head-to-head competition like what Daniel did.
6. Do a case study like what Read/Write Web did with the hot topics on Technorati 100.
7. Take an alternate position.
8. Write a long comment.
9. Pick a topic by reading business book titles.
10. Research a topic by doing research on Amazon.com.
11. Drill down on a topic using Ask.com’s search feature.
12. Do a post that answers your readers’ questions.
13. Create a comprehensive list.
14. Create flagship content.
15. Interview controversial people in your niche.
16. Post about current events in your niche.
17. Invite your readers to submit articles.
18. Instead of exchanging links, get together with other bloggers and review each others’ blogs.
19. Connect with bloggers around your same level and share ideas.
20. Do a “speedlinking” post.
21. Post about posts made by others in your My Blog Log community.
22. Be opinionated in your post.
23. Turn off the nofollow attribute to encourage comments.
24. Do a “tag” post and have other bloggers who are tagged add to a list.
25. Do an “IM” PPC campaign and then post about the results.
26. Be a guest blogger and share ideas with new readers.
27. Review your statistics to see what keywords referred your visitors to your site and post about those.
28. Answer your readers’ questions with more questions (i.e., have you thought about…?).
29. Contrast two or more positions in a post.
30. Make a post that solves a problem.
31. Make a post that is inspirational.
32. Make a satirical post.
33. Write a series of posts.
34. Post your research findings.
35. Post an “advantages/disadvantages” post.
36. Update an old post for new ideas/findings.
37. Link ideas from different genres in your posts (e.g., Celebrities and the gadgets they own).
38. Debunk a myth in your post.
39. Make a post for beginners.
40. Make a post for advanced readers.
41. Invite experts to comment on your post.
42. Ask your readers to Digg your best posts.
43. Change up your posting style (e.g., tutorial, reviews, etc.).
44. Write a funny post.
45. Create a huge list of your best posts.
46. Add to a list started by another blogger.
47. Create a mission statement for your blog.
48. Make a post simplifying a complex problem for your readers.
49. Create a guide for your niche.
50. Make a post turning a negative into a positive through humor ( e.g., tell a joke: “My parents tell me I’m autistic. I tell them they have an attitude problem.”).
51. Browse through a thesaurus and see if synonyms help spark ideas for your posts.
52. Respond to criticism in a post (e.g., respond to the Wall Street Journal’s criticism of bloggers).
53. Write a post like you are telling a story.
54. Spruce up your posts with pictures.
55. Post about frequently asked questions in your niche.
56. Pose a rhetorical question in your post.
57. Post about what’s popular and why it’s beneficial ( e.g., “Twitter” for tech blogs).
58. Pose a hypothesis and conclusion in your post.
59. Support your post with related post links.
60. Make a [blank] for dummies post.
61. Post a picture that speaks a thousand words.
62. Buy a how-to book from a bookstore and use some of the ideas from that book to generate ideas for posting (e.g., a book about Photoshop).
63. Look at the archives of your niche competitors and see if any of their old posts can be expanded in an “update” post on your blog.
64. Post with a personality (e.g., John Chow is evil).
65. Write about how to do something more efficiently in your niche.
66. Write about generally unknown secrets in your niche.
67. Write about how to use a product in an unconventional way.
68. Do a post transcribing live events (e.g., Macworld conference).
69. Dissect an argument in a post.
70. Make a post summarizing someone else’s post.
71. Make a post about how things have changed from the past.
72. Make a post that expands on someone else’s post.
73. Create a post that incorporates the words, “desperate” and “futile”.
74. Make a post alleging a conspiracy (e.g., Is there a Digg Bury Brigade?).
75. Make a post that encourages visitors to subscribe by offering a reward.
76. Make a post that involves New York City, London, San Francisco or Sydney.  For example, review a local business like this one about New York movers.
77. Make a post that incorporates in the title the word “crossover”.
78. Create a post that utilizes a bar chart or pie chart.
79. Create a post that has a cliff hanger to be answered in a later post.
80. Make a post about pitfalls in your niche.
81. Participate in a reciprocal guest blogging scheme where you blog on someone else’s blog and that other person blogs on your blog.
82. Do a paid posting targeted to your readers.
83. Profile the competition in your niche.
84. Post just a picture and ask for a description.
85. Make a post about your fellow bloggers’ top posts.
86. Make a post about your most popular posts.
87. Read some sports (or other genre) magazines and incorporate some of the writing styles in your posts.
88. Write a post that pinpoints similarities and differences.
89. Write a post giving a free recommendation.
90. Write a post about something that is merely “good” but not “great”.
91. Write a post about a hack for your niche.
92. Make a post that constructively criticizes someone else’s post.
93. Run a poll and post the results of that poll.
94. Ask your loyal readers to email you links to their best resources and make a post about what you found.
95. Write only about a particular theme for a week.
96. Designate each day of the week as a theme day where you will always post about a particular topic on that day.
97. Review your blog’s (weekly, monthly, yearly) performance and post the results.
98. Write an “attack” post by setting up an argument and then shooting it down.
99. Combine some of your best posts from your archives into a new series.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Welcome to the biggest shift in human capability since the industrial revolution…Download Our “Get Found Online” Guide

It’s a new modern world…and if you are not taking advantage of the full utility and opportunities of the Web and social media techniques you are really missing out.

eZABU can help. The eZABU platform is designed to manage and care for all your online content, including creating new social media and blog opportunities, and is expert at fully integrating your business message, products and services successfully with the new communities of the World Wide Web. What’s most appealing about eZABU, unlike other marketing and advertising efforts, is the analytics behind every action of eZABU that report the reach and success in real time of how they are working for you.

If the Social Web has taught us anything, it’s that Business win when they not only have a story to tell, but one that people want to interact with and share. We help Business tell these stories. To learn more about eZABU and the social media business services and web solutions we can provide you and your business, visit our website at these locations: eZABU Home Page | eZABU Get Noticed Page | eZABU Our Clients Page.

eZABU is a powerful web-based platform that is able to connect, integrate and manage your complete on-line presence.  What this means is that our business solution can develop, design, manage and integrate your online presence with a complete social media network package (including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all the others!) and produce new interesting dynamic content for your web-presence each and every week.

Ready to take your Business to thousands of people in Campbell River engaged in Social Media? For far less than you think…much, much less than you think!

Contact Us today via eMail or contact Lawrence Lewis directly at 250-203-3787  for all the details.

Download Our “Get Found Online” Guide

There are lots of great website on the web. There are plenty of fancy ones with lots of flash and zing, great color schemes and pictures, and even good well written content.  I see many websites that have been designed to stroke the ego of the owner or owners and satisfy their craving for the “latest and greatest” web development tools and platforms.  Occasionally, I even come across a site (mostly by accident) that has some interesting content or products, but then soon discover that the site was last updated in June 2007 and that there is actually no way to connect with the business directly (or even a greater sin – the links to Contact Us or About Us are broken!)

I hear it all the time in my business of online marketing and promotion – “I am very happy with my website.”  Or my personal favorite…”Our website has thousands of hits every month!”  Of course the devil is in the detail and often most website owners are in the dark about the ‘detail’ of their websites and don’t realize how largely their present web presence is failing them, and that in fact it is losing them sales, leads and opportunity to connect with customers and (sometimes more importantly) potential new customers.

Let’s take the first statement…”I am very happy with my website”.  In my experience I have met maybe 3 business owners who could answer these questions about their websites when I pressed further:

• How many absolute unique visitors did you have last month?
• What was the most visited page on your website?
• How many people visited your Contact Us or About Us Page?
• How long did the average visitor stay on a page of your website?
• What are the demographic information (age, sex, location, ect…) about your visitors?
• How many visitors enter your sales process through your site?

This is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the critical questions you need to be asking about the effectiveness and efficiencies of your present business website.  If you do not know the answers to these questions what your are paying for your website to build, host, maintain is probably a complete waste of money.  You are a smart business person, after all you have your own business and know the web is important to your business…

But are you prepared to continue paying for a component of your business that has no return on investment, is losing you money, and can not demonstrate a contribution toward the success of your business?

My favorite though is always…”Our website has thousands of hits every month!”  I think that is great of course too!  Again though a closer look shows some deficiencies in the WWW business strategy.  The critical piece of the puzzle often missing is how successful those “hits” moved your visitors back in to your sales process – whatever that may be.  Here is what you should be looking to achieve with every visitor that arrives at your website:

• Connecting directly with your visitor to discuss your business services and products.
  • Build trust and integrity in you and your business.
  • Build customer loyalty and preference.
  • Capitalize on customer referrals and online discussions about your business.
• Move the visitor further and deeper in to your web presence.
  • Learn more about their preferences and online behaviors.
  • Track how often they come back and why.
  • Use visitor activity to build content that is more ’sticky’ and customized.
• Capturing them with permission to:
  • Continue building a B2B or B2C relationship.
  • Share your personal and business story.
  • Connecting with them regularly through their other types of communication and social media.
  • Participating in customer survey’s, mailing lists, and other feedback mechanisms.
  • Keeping them informed about special events, sales and other promotions.
• Maximizing Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Actually completing a sales transaction and selling a product or service.

Take all these point above and have a close look, and answer yourself one simple question.  Do I know the answers to these questions in a way that will help build my business and make it more successful?  If the answer is ‘No”…in effect you have no web presence, all of those visits are lost opportunities that could have been converted to sales, and more importantly the golden opportunity to develop a relationship with each visitor.

If you believe the old adage that best advertising is word-of-mouth – you have just squandered thousands of opportunities to build your business and make it even more successful.  If your consider the compounded effect…well, let’s not keep you awake tonight.

The point of this article is not to keep you up tonight, but it should give you a moment of pause to consider the effectiveness of your website and your online presence.  Knowing your business website and knowing how your web presence can and should contribute to the success and growth of your business is important.  I would argue that in today’s modern age of Facebook, Twitter, blogging and text messaging it could mean the success or failure of your business.

Think about it and let me know if we can help.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Welcome to the biggest shift in human capability since the industrial revolution…Download Our “Get Found Online” Guide

It’s a new modern world…and if you are not taking advantage of the full utility and opportunities of the Web and social media techniques you are really missing out.

eZABU can help. The eZABU platform is designed to manage and care for all your online content, including creating new social media and blog opportunities, and is expert at fully integrating your business message, products and services successfully with the new communities of the World Wide Web. What’s most appealing about eZABU, unlike other marketing and advertising efforts, is the analytics behind every action of eZABU that report the reach and success in real time of how they are working for you.

If the Social Web has taught us anything, it’s that Business win when they not only have a story to tell, but one that people want to interact with and share. We help Business tell these stories. To learn more about eZABU and the social media business services and web solutions we can provide you and your business, visit our website at these locations: eZABU Home Page | eZABU Get Noticed Page | eZABU Our Clients Page.

eZABU is a powerful web-based platform that is able to connect, integrate and manage your complete on-line presence.  What this means is that our business solution can develop, design, manage and integrate your online presence with a complete social media network package (including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all the others!) and produce new interesting dynamic content for your web-presence each and every week.

Ready to take your Business to thousands of people in Campbell River engaged in Social Media? For far less than you think…much, much less than you think!

Contact Us today via eMail or contact Lawrence Lewis directly at 250-203-3787  for all the details.

Download Our “Get Found Online” Guide

In these tough times, capitalizing on the marketing potential of free social media sites, such as Facebook, can be a smart move.

Doing so helps you to communicate with customers, build brand loyalty, and win valuable new business. A Facebook profile has many intricate tools that can be used to share key messages about your brand, product, or service.

With more than 175 million active users, everyone you know is probably on Facebook. That means it’s a more effective search tool than flipping through the phone book or old databases. Many old friends, colleagues and customers may want to contact you for business reasons and search your name on Facebook. The site’s privacy settings allow you to remain hidden in search results, but remain open, and include a photo, so you are easy to find and contact.

Creating a fan page for your product allows customers to publicly declare support for your brand or product, and adds a stamp of approval to their profile page, which is broadcast to their entire network.

An added bonus for the fan page creator is instant access to the stats, e-mail addresses and phone numbers of customers or potential customers. These help you build brand awareness, improve direct purchasing and retain your customers.

The viral impact of having one or two other friends join could expose your brand to thousands of more eyes, especially if your friends are part of a separate network.

Short status messages, which answer the question, “what are you doing right now?” – are becoming an important part of social networking. The status message is the most eye-catching part of a user’s profile and when changed, the new message is broadcast on your network’s news feed.

Use the status to provide updates about your brand, advertise new products or post links to your Web site. Many entrepreneurs use it to get their PR messages out faster, link to their blog or ask for referrals.

Linking your Facebook page to your Twitter account is a great way to expose your updates to new audiences, as you will find different crowds on both social networking forums. Assuming you are also using Twitter to market your brand, and you should be, download the Twitter app for Facebook. It will automatically update your Facebook status with the messages you post on Twitter. Done correctly, your brand’s messages will get sent out to thousands of viewers, instantly.

If users in your social network are writing about your brand on fan pages or groups, take the time to respond to them. Say thank you for the free publicity and let the customer know you appreciate their support. Even if a customer is complaining about your company, it is still worthwhile to respond and try to sort out the issue. Studies show that when customers receive a personal response, they are more likely to become satisfied with the company. Social networking provides a great way to get in touch with disgruntled customers, smooth over the rough patches and hopefully regain their business.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Welcome to the biggest shift in human capability since the industrial revolution…Download Our “Get Found Online” Guide

It’s a new modern world…and if you are not taking advantage of the full utility and opportunities of the Web and social media techniques you are really missing out.

eZABU can help. The eZABU platform is designed to manage and care for all your online content, including creating new social media and blog opportunities, and is expert at fully integrating your business message, products and services successfully with the new communities of the World Wide Web. What’s most appealing about eZABU, unlike other marketing and advertising efforts, is the analytics behind every action of eZABU that report the reach and success in real time of how they are working for you.

If the Social Web has taught us anything, it’s that Business win when they not only have a story to tell, but one that people want to interact with and share. We help Business tell these stories. To learn more about eZABU and the social media business services and web solutions we can provide you and your business, visit our website at these locations: eZABU Home Page | eZABU Get Noticed Page | eZABU Our Clients Page.

eZABU is a powerful web-based platform that is able to connect, integrate and manage your complete on-line presence.  What this means is that our business solution can develop, design, manage and integrate your online presence with a complete social media network package (including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all the others!) and produce new interesting dynamic content for your web-presence each and every week.

Ready to take your Business to thousands of people in Campbell River engaged in Social Media? For far less than you think…much, much less than you think!

Contact Us today via eMail or contact Lawrence Lewis directly at 250-203-3787  for all the details.

Download Our “Get Found Online” Guide