How To Write A Blog Post

How-To-Write-A-Blog-PostThere is no one way to write a blog post, but I know that when just starting out, the idea of sitting down and writing a post can be extremely daunting.  You feel that it needs to be well written, provide value, engage your reader, and be interesting.  It’s a tall order, but I am going to go through the steps of how I write a post in hopes that you’ll realize it’s a challenge, but one you can easily overcome to write wonderful posts that promote your business and keep you in the game.

Find a Topic

This sounds so simple, but it’s really the most important step because if you don’t know what you want to write about, how are you going to write anything at all? …

Success Stories: Six Questions with Stephanie Sack, Owner of Vive La Femme

My second Success Stories interview is with Stephanie Sack, owner of Vive La Femme, a clothing store in Chicago which offers the latest looks and trends for Chicago’s stylish women of size.  Stephanie uses a blog and Facebook to promote her store.  Read below to find out how.

1.)  Why did you first start utilizing a blog for your business?  How did your store change from before the blog to after the blog started?

The blog was born after I pared down the entire marketing concept for the shop.  I used to have a very elaborate wesbite, really jazzy and snazzy, but it was a pain to keep up. …

Top Ten Social Media Myths

top-ten-social-media-mythsHere are the top ten myths I hear on a daily basis as to why businesses are not jumping on the social media bandwagon.  They’re mostly just excuses, and I’m here to dispel as many of them as I can.

1.)   Social media takes too much time

You control the amount of time you spend on social media.  You should be able to get away with spending 30 minutes to an hour a day and have an extremely effective campaign.  That said, some days you won’t have ten minutes and others you may spend a few hours.  But you’re in  control. …

E-Newsletters: Keep ‘em Coming Back For More

Newsletters-Keep-Them-Coming-Back-For-MoreThe sad truth of the matter is that many people will come to your store or website and not buy a thing or hire your services.  But that doesn’t mean they won’t in the future.  As long as they don’t forget about you.  Which brings us to the question, how do you keep yourself in front of customers who aren’t ready to buy?

E-Newsletters!  They are a great way to stay fresh in the mind of your audience.  Don’t forget, when your potential customers wake up, the first thing they do is check their email, even before logging onto Facebook or Twitter. …

Five Ways To Engage Your Customers

Excited-Customers-Coming-Back-For-MoreIf you want your blog read on a consistent basis, you need to provide your readers with value.  Assuming you started your blog as an extension of your business, your blog is a way to keep customers informed of your comings and goings and also to grow your online presence.  If you are using your blog as a platform for your business, you want to get as many return readers as possible.  This will grow your online presence and your clientele.  How can you do that?  Listed below are five ways:

1. Tell a story

If you have a new product or service to roll out, turn it into a story. …

Success Stories: Nine Questions With Michael Farah, Owner Of Berry Chill Yogurt

Berry-Chill-LogoWelcome to the first post of a new series: Success Stories. I am interviewing businesses that are using social media as all or part of their marketing plan.  My first interview is with Michael Farah, owner of Berry Chill, an all-natural yogurt store with several Chicago locations.  Berry Chill has a constant social media presence, and exclusively uses social media to market themselves.  Just how does Farah use social media for his business?  Read below to find out.

1.)  How did you begin using social media?

I started out in the social media world through personal use and decided to start using it for my business too. …

Afternoon Delight: Write An About Page To Be Proud Of

Proud-of-my-bio-pageAs a bonus afternoon post, I thought we could discuss a topic that is very important but doesn’t often get a lot of recognition.  Your About page.

As I’ve mentioned before, personality is a big draw when using social media, and your About page is the perfect place to put as much personality into your website as possible.  You can write all about you in your voice and put your picture and make everyone who reads it love you.

But there’s more to the About/Bio page than personality.  This is also the page where you are going to advertise your skills and what makes you more qualified than your competitors. …