6-Help for Beginning Bloggers to Overcome the Challenges of Blogs | View Thread

Looking for blog post ideas? You’ve come to the right place.

NOTE: Don’t miss the ‘Blog Post Idea Multiplier‘ section at the end of this post. It will show you how to multiply each of these blog post ideas by four.

This article is divided into 8 sections, each representing a goal you might be trying to reach with your blog. You can also download a mind map of this post here.

Click on one of the sections below to view the blog post ideas from that section:

Here we go…

Be Useful

These useful blog post ideas will endear you to your market and establish you and your business as the authority in your niche.

List Post

List posts are everywhere and for good reason… they flat out work.

Create a list of books, tools, resources or any other thing that your market will find useful.

How-To Post

The How-To Post is another staple blog post idea.

Describe how to execute a process and use images, video or audio to enrich the post and make it as easy as possible for your visitor to take action.

Case Study Post

The term ‘case study’ carries more perceived value than the term article, blog post or video.

Outline and unpack the details of something like a project, event or process.

Here’s an example from Optimizely called 3 Unexpected A/B Testing Lessons: A Small Business’s Story…

Problem/Solution Post

This type of post has an easy format:

Define a problem
Present the solution

This post can cross over into the territory of other blog post types such as the FAQ Post,How-To Post or Checklist Post.

Research Post

Conducting your own primary research around a topic in your niche is one of the best ways to build blog content that gets attention.

That said, you can also simply curate research form third-parties and pull it together into an article, infographic, etc.

FAQ Post

If you get repeat questions from customers or prospects there is a good chance they are typing these same questions into Google and other search engines.

Create content around these topics.

If you like this post… you’ll love this Execution Plan… check it out below.

How to Get Your First 1000 Blog Subscribers and More

Optimize your blog for lead capture and grab your first 1000 subscribers and beyond.

Click Here to Access this Execution Plan

Flash Sale: ~~Regularly $47~~ Limited Time $27

SAQ Post

The Should Ask Question Post is a variation of the FAQ post. This is a question that customers or prospects don’t ask — but they should.

Checklist Post

If the content you are delivering can be broken into a “checklist” it will often perform better.

People like the checklist format because it’s easy to digest and take action when the content is itemized in this way.

Here’s an example from Ian Cleary at Razor Social called the 7 Point SEO Checklist For Your Blog…

Ultimate Guide Post

The ultimate guide post is just what it sounds like — a detailed, comprehensive post on a topic in your niche.

Don’t skimp here — take your time and deliver the definitive post on the topic.

Check out this example from KISS Metrics called The Ultimate Guide to SEO for E-Commerce Websites

Definition Post

In niches where the market needs to be educated the definition post is an absolute must.

Consider creating a series of posts that define aspects of your niche.

You’ll get bonus points if you can logically define something in your niche in a way that is unique, unusual or controversial.

Series Post

Look for opportunities to break a topic into a series that can be released each day over the course of a week or every Monday over the course of a month.

Link these articles together as you publish them.

Here’s an example of a series post from LA Fitness called The 90 Day Weight Loss Workout Plan – Part 3…

Stats Post

This post (like the Research Post) works best when you can use statistics that you have produced.

That said, consider curating and pulling together stats from multiple locations to create a good statistics post.

Be Generous

One of the easiest ways to grow your blog is to be generous by promoting other people. When you promote others they will promote you.

Here’s a number of ways to get it done…

Profile Post

Write a profile of an influential person in your niche.

Be sure to notify them via email, phone call or social media that you have profiled them — this way they will have an opportunity to share it.

Crowdsourced Post

Bring multiple influencers together to answer a single question in short form.

When you get 10 influencers to give you 100 words each on a single topic you’ve got a powerful blog post.

The content is top notch, easy to put together and will be shared by many of these influential people.

Here’s an example of a crowdsourced blog post from Salesforce called How 10 Winning Salespeople Spend 15 Minutes Before a Sales Call…

Interview Post

It’s surprising how willing even the most influential people are to give you an interview — even if you have a small audience on your blog.

Remember that the easiest way for an influencer to give you an interview is through audio — all they have to do is call you and start talking.

Link Roundup Post

This type of post can work well as a series that publishes once a month or once a week.

Curate, link to and provide a description of multiple pieces of content that your audience will find valuable.

Remember to notify those that you link to via email or social media to give yourself the maximum opportunity to get the post shared.

Quote Post

People love quotes from influential people.

Pull together quotes from multiple influencers across a specific topic to create a ‘Quote Post’.

Again, if applicable — be sure to notify those that you quote that you have included them in your post.

Here’s an example from the folks at Unbounce called 20 Marketing Insights That Inspired Us In 2013…

Best of the Web Post

The Best of the Web Post often includes content, tools and other resources that you have curated, linked to and described.

Pick of the Week Post

This is a popular type of series post and is usually a relatively short blog post that describes a single piece of content, tool or other resource that you have curated, linked to and described.

People to Follow Post

Curate a list of influential people, describe them and provide links for your audience to connect with them through their website, social media channels, events, books, etc.

Be Entertaining

Creating entertaining content can be difficult but, if you can make it work, it can be a very effective type of blog post.

Here are the blog posts types that entertain…

Story Post

Create content that tells a story that would be entertaining to your market.

Some blogs only produce this type of content and others create a series around this type of blog post.

Satire Post

Be humorous through the use of irony or extreme exaggeration.

This kind of post works well where there are timely issues such as politics or sports.

Cartoon Post

This type of post works well as a series.

Create weekly or monthly cartoon posts that make your audience laugh and think about issues and events in your niche.

Here’s an example from Mark Schaeffer’s Businesses Grow blog called Getting iRate. A {growtoon}…

Continue reading HERE

http://www.digitalmarketer.com/blog-post-ideas/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=blog-post-ideas&utm_campaign=Blog%20Featured%20Post%20Emails

This is a guest contribution from freelance blogger and writer Alicia Rades.

When you get a notification that someone tweeted or liked your latest blog post, you get excited. You can’t help but crack a smile and do a little fist pump because someone shared your content.

If you feel like the king (or queen) of the world and you do a little dance every time someone shares your blog post, get it out of your system now. Today you’re going to learn how to optimize your blog posts for social media, and when your notifications are ringing off the hook, you’re simply not going to have the energy to do a little dance every time someone shares your blog post.

Why do social shares matter? Well there’s the obvious. Social shares help spread the word of your content and brand, which helps drive more traffic. But what you should really care about is the fact that Google cares about social shares, so the more shares you can get, the better your pages will rank in search engines, which drives even more traffic to your site.

Check out these four effective tactics to help you optimize your blog content for social media to better promote your business.

1. Craft Your Headlines Wisely

Your headlines are perhaps the most important part of your social media strategy. Since your post title is the first thing your followers read on social media, you have to hook them so they’ll move on to read and share the post.

You can learn all about crafting powerful headlines for social media on Social Media Today. As this post mentions, it’s important to use emotion to grip your readers, but let’s dig deeper into optimizing your titles for social media.

First, let your readers know what the post is about so you can better connect with their interests. Someone who sees this title on Twitter isn’t likely to click on the link because they don’t know what to expect:

Trial and Error: How to Know When You’ve Got it Right

Okay: what exactly are you going to be talking about? This article could easily cover a range of topics, from learning how to parent and trying different recipes to discovering what works for you on social media. Instead, incorporate keywords that will connect with people’s interests. Some alternative titles include:

Trial and Error: How to Tell if Your Parenting Methods are Effective
How Using Trial and Error Can Help You Create Tastier Recipes
Discover Which Social Media Tactics Work for You with Trial and Error

Another important headline tactic is to keep it short. Most bloggers try to keep their headlines under 70 characters. Why do bloggers do this? Because any longer than that and your entire headline might not show up alongside your links. This means readers could lose valuable information that’s meant to hook them.

2. Use a Photo with Your Content

Social media websites like Facebook and Google+ usually feature a picture when you share a link to your content. But when you don’t set a photo for your post, your link doesn’t look as appealing.

Don’t think it matters that much? According to MDG Advertising, blog posts with compelling images receive a whopping 94 percent more views than those without. [Tweet That Stat!]

To make the most out of this, you have to consider a few things.

First, where can you find compelling photos? Glad you asked. You have several options:

Take your own photos or hire a photographer to take photos for you.
Find free photos on sites like CreativeCommons.org or Compfight.com. (Most of the time you have to attribute the image within your post.)
Purchase photos on stock image sites like CanStockPhoto.com (photos starting at $2.50) orGetty Images (images starting at $25).

Once you’ve found an awesome image, you have to make sure it will show up properly when you share it on social media. In some cases, the social network won’t associate the image with your link if you simply insert the photo into your post. If you’re using WordPress, you can set a featured image, and Facebook and Google+ will usually use that photo alongside your link. To make sure, consider downloading the Facebook Open Graph Meta Tags for WordPress plugin, where you can choose which photo will show up with your link on social media.

3. Create Meaningful, Strong Quotes within the Content

When you have something interesting or meaningful to say, you can make it easy for your readers to share the quote by offering a “click to tweet” link. Since this tactic doesn’t require a lot of work for your audience and it easily draws attention to the sharing option, people are more likely to tweet your post.

A few ways to do this include:

Head to ClicktoTweet.com and create your tweet. Generate and copy your link to incorporate it into your content. Easy peasy!
Install the Click to Tweet by Todaymade plugin onto your WordPress site. In the CMS, click on the Twitter icon in your edit bar. Input the text you want people to tweet, and the plugin will create a box with your text in it and a “Click to Tweet” link.

Creating meaningful quotes isn’t only helpful for getting people to tweet your content. You can also use these quotes as a marketing tool to capture readers’ attention. Simply include the quote in your updates when you share the post on Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn to draw readers into your words.

4. Include a Call-to-Action

If your main purpose is to increase exposure on social media, ask people to share your content.

But it’s not always effective to simply say, “Please share my post!”. You sound desperate.

Instead, connect with your readers and make them want to share the content by focusing on how they feel or have felt reading your piece. Don’t just tell them to share your post, either. Tell them exactlywhat to do by mentioning which social media platform to share on so you don’t leave them with too many options.

Here are some examples of good calls-to-action:

Loved these ideas? Let everyone know by liking this post on Facebook.
Do you share these same views? Tell the world by sharing this post on Facebook.
Rise to the challenge and help spread the word by tweeting this post.

Make it easy for readers to share your content by offering easy-to-find sharing buttons (because let’s face it, no one wants to waste time copying and pasting). A few excellent plugins that offer easy-to-find buttons include:

Let’s put some of these strategies to the test. Enjoyed these tips? Do your friends a favor and let them in on these blog writing tactics by Tweeting this post with the share buttons above.

Alicia Rades is a freelance blogger and writer. She manages a blog called The Writing Realm and offers blog writing services on her website at AliciaRadesWriter.com.

Jim 5804 11253 Holiday	RE: Help for Beginning Bloggers to Overcome the Challenges of Blogs 5/8/2014 1:16:08 AM
	The Ultimate List of Blog Post Ideas by Russ Henneberry Looking for blog post ideas? You’ve come to the right place. NOTE: Don’t miss the ‘Blog Post Idea Multiplier‘ section at the end of this post. It will show you how to multiply each of these blog post ideas by four. This article is divided into 8 sections, each representing a goal you might be trying to reach with your blog. You can also download a mind map of this post here. Click on one of the sections below to view the blog post ideas from that section: Be Useful Be Generous Be Entertaining Be Timely Be Human Be Promotional Be Controversial Be Engaging Here we go… Be Useful These useful blog post ideas will endear you to your market and establish you and your business as the authority in your niche. List Post List posts are everywhere and for good reason… they flat out work. Create a list of books, tools, resources or any other thing that your market will find useful. How-To Post The How-To Post is another staple blog post idea. Describe how to execute a process and use images, video or audio to enrich the post and make it as easy as possible for your visitor to take action. Case Study Post The term ‘case study’ carries more perceived value than the term article, blog post or video. Outline and unpack the details of something like a project, event or process. Here’s an example from Optimizely called 3 Unexpected A/B Testing Lessons: A Small Business’s Story… Problem/Solution Post This type of post has an easy format: Define a problem Present the solution This post can cross over into the territory of other blog post types such as the FAQ Post,How-To Post or Checklist Post. Research Post Conducting your own primary research around a topic in your niche is one of the best ways to build blog content that gets attention. That said, you can also simply curate research form third-parties and pull it together into an article, infographic, etc. FAQ Post If you get repeat questions from customers or prospects there is a good chance they are typing these same questions into Google and other search engines. Create content around these topics. If you like this post… you’ll love this Execution Plan… check it out below. How to Get Your First 1000 Blog Subscribers and More Optimize your blog for lead capture and grab your first 1000 subscribers and beyond. Click Here to Access this Execution Plan Flash Sale: ~~Regularly $47~~ Limited Time $27 SAQ Post The Should Ask Question Post is a variation of the FAQ post. This is a question that customers or prospects don’t ask — but they should. Checklist Post If the content you are delivering can be broken into a “checklist” it will often perform better. People like the checklist format because it’s easy to digest and take action when the content is itemized in this way. Here’s an example from Ian Cleary at Razor Social called the 7 Point SEO Checklist For Your Blog… Ultimate Guide Post The ultimate guide post is just what it sounds like — a detailed, comprehensive post on a topic in your niche. Don’t skimp here — take your time and deliver the definitive post on the topic. Check out this example from KISS Metrics called The Ultimate Guide to SEO for E-Commerce Websites Definition Post In niches where the market needs to be educated the definition post is an absolute must. Consider creating a series of posts that define aspects of your niche. You’ll get bonus points if you can logically define something in your niche in a way that is unique, unusual or controversial. Series Post Look for opportunities to break a topic into a series that can be released each day over the course of a week or every Monday over the course of a month. Link these articles together as you publish them. Here’s an example of a series post from LA Fitness called The 90 Day Weight Loss Workout Plan – Part 3… Stats Post This post (like the Research Post) works best when you can use statistics that you have produced. That said, consider curating and pulling together stats from multiple locations to create a good statistics post. Be Generous One of the easiest ways to grow your blog is to be generous by promoting other people. When you promote others they will promote you. Here’s a number of ways to get it done… Profile Post Write a profile of an influential person in your niche. Be sure to notify them via email, phone call or social media that you have profiled them — this way they will have an opportunity to share it. Crowdsourced Post Bring multiple influencers together to answer a single question in short form. When you get 10 influencers to give you 100 words each on a single topic you’ve got a powerful blog post. The content is top notch, easy to put together and will be shared by many of these influential people. Here’s an example of a crowdsourced blog post from Salesforce called How 10 Winning Salespeople Spend 15 Minutes Before a Sales Call… Interview Post It’s surprising how willing even the most influential people are to give you an interview — even if you have a small audience on your blog. Remember that the easiest way for an influencer to give you an interview is through audio — all they have to do is call you and start talking. Link Roundup Post This type of post can work well as a series that publishes once a month or once a week. Curate, link to and provide a description of multiple pieces of content that your audience will find valuable. Remember to notify those that you link to via email or social media to give yourself the maximum opportunity to get the post shared. Quote Post People love quotes from influential people. Pull together quotes from multiple influencers across a specific topic to create a ‘Quote Post’. Again, if applicable — be sure to notify those that you quote that you have included them in your post. Here’s an example from the folks at Unbounce called 20 Marketing Insights That Inspired Us In 2013… Best of the Web Post The Best of the Web Post often includes content, tools and other resources that you have curated, linked to and described. Pick of the Week Post This is a popular type of series post and is usually a relatively short blog post that describes a single piece of content, tool or other resource that you have curated, linked to and described. People to Follow Post Curate a list of influential people, describe them and provide links for your audience to connect with them through their website, social media channels, events, books, etc. Be Entertaining Creating entertaining content can be difficult but, if you can make it work, it can be a very effective type of blog post. Here are the blog posts types that entertain… Story Post Create content that tells a story that would be entertaining to your market. Some blogs only produce this type of content and others create a series around this type of blog post. Satire Post Be humorous through the use of irony or extreme exaggeration. This kind of post works well where there are timely issues such as politics or sports. Cartoon Post This type of post works well as a series. Create weekly or monthly cartoon posts that make your audience laugh and think about issues and events in your niche. Here’s an example from Mark Schaeffer’s Businesses Grow blog called Getting iRate. A {growtoon}… Continue reading HERE http://www.digitalmarketer.com/blog-post-ideas/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=blog-post-ideas&utm_campaign=Blog%20Featured%20Post%20Emails
	May Wisdom and the knowledge you gained go with you, Jim Allen III Skype: JAllen3D Everything You Need For Online Success
	+0

Jim 5804 11253 Holiday	RE: Help for Beginning Bloggers to Overcome the Challenges of Blogs 5/9/2014 2:10:48 PM
	Found this old video I made regarding Blogging. Watch the video and tell me if you believe it's still of benefit to folks.
	May Wisdom and the knowledge you gained go with you, Jim Allen III Skype: JAllen3D Everything You Need For Online Success
	+0

Jim 5804 11253 Holiday	RE: Help for Beginning Bloggers to Overcome the Challenges of Blogs 5/21/2014 1:32:30 AM
	This is a very well written and informative. It may be a bit repetitive for some but a great refresher for us old timers and great informative source for the beginners out there. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/9733284483_e147eda73b.jpg Optimize Blog Content for Social Media with These 4 Effective Tactics This is a guest contribution from freelance blogger and writer Alicia Rades. When you get a notification that someone tweeted or liked your latest blog post, you get excited. You can’t help but crack a smile and do a little fist pump because someone shared your content. If you feel like the king (or queen) of the world and you do a little dance every time someone shares your blog post, get it out of your system now. Today you’re going to learn how to optimize your blog posts for social media, and when your notifications are ringing off the hook, you’re simply not going to have the energy to do a little dance every time someone shares your blog post. Why do social shares matter? Well there’s the obvious. Social shares help spread the word of your content and brand, which helps drive more traffic. But what you should really care about is the fact that Google cares about social shares, so the more shares you can get, the better your pages will rank in search engines, which drives even more traffic to your site. Check out these four effective tactics to help you optimize your blog content for social media to better promote your business. 1. Craft Your Headlines Wisely Your headlines are perhaps the most important part of your social media strategy. Since your post title is the first thing your followers read on social media, you have to hook them so they’ll move on to read and share the post. You can learn all about crafting powerful headlines for social media on Social Media Today. As this post mentions, it’s important to use emotion to grip your readers, but let’s dig deeper into optimizing your titles for social media. First, let your readers know what the post is about so you can better connect with their interests. Someone who sees this title on Twitter isn’t likely to click on the link because they don’t know what to expect: Trial and Error: How to Know When You’ve Got it Right Okay: what exactly are you going to be talking about? This article could easily cover a range of topics, from learning how to parent and trying different recipes to discovering what works for you on social media. Instead, incorporate keywords that will connect with people’s interests. Some alternative titles include: Trial and Error: How to Tell if Your Parenting Methods are Effective How Using Trial and Error Can Help You Create Tastier Recipes Discover Which Social Media Tactics Work for You with Trial and Error Another important headline tactic is to keep it short. Most bloggers try to keep their headlines under 70 characters. Why do bloggers do this? Because any longer than that and your entire headline might not show up alongside your links. This means readers could lose valuable information that’s meant to hook them. 2. Use a Photo with Your Content Social media websites like Facebook and Google+ usually feature a picture when you share a link to your content. But when you don’t set a photo for your post, your link doesn’t look as appealing. Don’t think it matters that much? According to MDG Advertising, blog posts with compelling images receive a whopping 94 percent more views than those without. *[Tweet That Stat!]* To make the most out of this, you have to consider a few things. First, where can you find compelling photos? Glad you asked. You have several options: Take your own photos or hire a photographer to take photos for you. Find free photos on sites like CreativeCommons.org or Compfight.com. (Most of the time you have to attribute the image within your post.) Purchase photos on stock image sites like CanStockPhoto.com (photos starting at $2.50) orGetty Images (images starting at $25). Once you’ve found an awesome image, you have to make sure it will show up properly when you share it on social media. In some cases, the social network won’t associate the image with your link if you simply insert the photo into your post. If you’re using WordPress, you can set a featured image, and Facebook and Google+ will usually use that photo alongside your link. To make sure, consider downloading the Facebook Open Graph Meta Tags for WordPress plugin, where you can choose which photo will show up with your link on social media. 3. Create Meaningful, Strong Quotes within the Content When you have something interesting or meaningful to say, you can make it easy for your readers to share the quote by offering a “click to tweet” link. Since this tactic doesn’t require a lot of work for your audience and it easily draws attention to the sharing option, people are more likely to tweet your post. A few ways to do this include: Head to ClicktoTweet.com and create your tweet. Generate and copy your link to incorporate it into your content. Easy peasy! Install the Click to Tweet by Todaymade plugin onto your WordPress site. In the CMS, click on the Twitter icon in your edit bar. Input the text you want people to tweet, and the plugin will create a box with your text in it and a “Click to Tweet” link. Creating meaningful quotes isn’t only helpful for getting people to tweet your content. You can also use these quotes as a marketing tool to capture readers’ attention. Simply include the quote in your updates when you share the post on Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn to draw readers into your words. 4. Include a Call-to-Action If your main purpose is to increase exposure on social media, ask people to share your content. But it’s not always effective to simply say, “Please share my post!”. You sound desperate. Instead, connect with your readers and make them want to share the content by focusing on how they feel or have felt reading your piece. Don’t just tell them to share your post, either. Tell them exactlywhat to do by mentioning which social media platform to share on so you don’t leave them with too many options. Here are some examples of good calls-to-action: Loved these ideas? Let everyone know by liking this post on Facebook. Do you share these same views? Tell the world by sharing this post on Facebook. Rise to the challenge and help spread the word by tweeting this post. Make it easy for readers to share your content by offering easy-to-find sharing buttons (because let’s face it, no one wants to waste time copying and pasting). A few excellent plugins that offer easy-to-find buttons include: Digg Digg Add This Shareaholic Let’s put some of these strategies to the test. Enjoyed these tips? Do your friends a favor and let them in on these blog writing tactics by Tweeting this post with the share buttons above. Alicia Rades is a freelance blogger and writer. She manages a blog called The Writing Realm and offers blog writing services on her website at AliciaRadesWriter.com. About Guest Blogger This post was written by a guest contributor. Please see their details in the post above. If you'd like to guest post for ProBlogger check out our Write for ProBlogger page for details about how YOU can share your tips with our community. http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/05/20/optimize-blog-content-for-social-media-with-these-4-effective-tactics/
	May Wisdom and the knowledge you gained go with you, Jim Allen III Skype: JAllen3D Everything You Need For Online Success
	+0

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