Scrappy Marketing Solutions Blog

10 Blog Traffic Tips by Yaro Starak

In every bloggers life comes a special day - the day they first launch a new blog. Now unless you went out and purchased someone else's blog chances are your blog launched with only one very loyal reader - you. Maybe a few days later you received a few hits when you told your sister, father, girlfriend and best friend about your new blog but that's about as far you went when it comes to finding readers.

Here are the top 10 techniques new bloggers can use to find readers. These are tips specifically for new bloggers, those people who have next-to-no audience at the moment and want to get the ball rolling.

It helps if you work on this list from top to bottom as each technique builds on the previous step to help you create momentum. Eventually once you establish enough momentum you gain what is called "traction", which is a large enough audience base (about 500 readers a day is good) that you no longer have to work too hard on finding new readers. Instead your current loyal readers do the work for you through word of mouth.

Yaro Starak's Top 10 Tips

10. Write at least five major "pillar" articles. A pillar article is a tutorial style article aimed to teach your audience something. Generally they are longer than 500 words and have lots of very practical tips or advice. This article you are currently reading could be considered a pillar article since it is very practical and a good "how-to" lesson. This style of article has long term appeal, stays current (it isn't news or time dependent) and offers real value and insight. The more pillars you have on your blog the better.

9. Write one new blog post per day minimum. Not every post has to be a pillar, but you should work on getting those five pillars done at the same time as you keep your blog fresh with a daily news or short article style post. The important thing here is to demonstrate to first time visitors that your blog is updated all the time so they feel that if they come back tomorrow they will likely find something new. This causes them to bookmark your site or subscribe to your blog feed.

You don't have to produce one post per day all the time but it is important you do when your blog is brand new. Once you get traction you still need to keep the fresh content coming but your loyal audience will be more forgiving if you slow down to a few per week instead. The first few months are critical so the more content you can produce at this time the better.

8. Use a proper domain name. If you are serious about blogging be serious about what you call your blog. In order for people to easily spread the word about your blog you need a easily rememberable domain name. People often talk about blogs they like when they are speaking to friends in the real world (that's the offline world, you remember that place right?) so you need to make it easy for them to spread the word and pass on your URL. Try and get a .com if you can and focus on small easy to remember domains rather than worry about having the correct keywords (of course if you can get great keywords and easy to remember then you've done a good job!).

7. Start commenting on other blogs. Once you have your pillar articles and your daily fresh smaller articles your blog is ready to be exposed to the world. One of the best ways to find the right type of reader for your blog is to comment on other people's blogs. You should aim to comment on blogs focused on a similar niche topic to yours since the readers there will be more likely to be interested in your blog.

Most blog commenting systems allow you to have your name/title linked to your blog when you leave a comment. This is how people find your blog. If you are a prolific commentor and always have something valuable to say then people will be interested to read more of your work and hence click through to visit your blog.

6. Trackback and link to other blogs in your blog posts. A trackback is sort of like a blog conversation. When you write a new article to your blog and it links or references another blogger's article you can do a trackback to their entry. What this does is leave a truncated summary of your blog post on their blog entry - it's sort of like your blog telling someone else's blog that you wrote an article mentioning them. Trackbacks often appear like comments.

This is a good technique because like leaving comments a trackback leaves a link from another blog back to yours for readers to follow, but it also does something very important - it gets the attention of another blogger. The other blogger will likely come and read your post eager to see what you wrote about them. They may then become a loyal reader of yours or at least monitor you and if you are lucky some time down the road they may do a post linking to your blog bringing in more new readers.

5. Encourage comments on your own blog. One of the most powerful ways to convince someone to become a loyal reader is to show there are other loyal readers already following your work. If they see people commenting on your blog then they infer that your content must be good since you have readers so they should stick around and see what all the fuss is about. To encourage comments you can simply pose a question in a blog post. Be sure to always respond to comments as well so you can keep the conversation going.

4. Submit your latest pillar article to a blog carnival. A blog carnival is a post in a blog that summarizes a collection of articles from many different blogs on a specific topic. The idea is to collect some of the best content on a topic in a given week. Often many other blogs link back to a carnival host and as such the people that have articles featured in the carnival often enjoy a spike in new readers.

To find the right blog carnival for your blog, do a search at blogcarnival.com.

3. Submit your blog to blogtopsites.com. To be honest this tip is not going to bring in a flood of new readers but it's so easy to do and only takes five minutes so it's worth the effort. Go to Blog Top Sites, find the appropriate category for your blog and submit it. You have to copy and paste a couple of lines of code on to your blog so you can rank and then sit back and watch the traffic come in. You will probably only get 1-10 incoming readers per day with this technique but over time it can build up as you climb the rankings. It all helps!

2. Submit your articles to EzineArticles.com. This is another tip that doesn't bring in hundreds of new visitors immediately (although it can if you keep doing it) but it's worthwhile because you simply leverage what you already have - your pillar articles. Once a week or so take one of your pillar articles and submit it to Ezine Articles. Your article then becomes available to other people who can republish your article on their website or in their newsletter.

How you benefit is through what is called your "Resource Box". You create your own resource box which is like a signature file where you include one to two sentences and link back to your website (or blog in this case). Anyone who publishes your article has to include your resource box so you get incoming links. If someone with a large newsletter publishes your article you can get a lot of new readers at once.

1. Write more pillar articles. Everything you do above will help you to find blog readers however all of the techniques I've listed only work when you have strong pillars in place. Without them if you do everything above you may bring in readers but they won't stay or bother to come back. Aim for one solid pillar article per week and by the end of the year you will have a database of over 50 fantastic feature articles that will work hard for you to bring in more and more readers.

I hope you enjoyed my list of traffic tips. Everything listed above are techniques I've put into place myself for my blogs and have worked for me, however it's certainly not a comprehensive list. There are many more things you can do. Finding readers is all about testing to see what works best for you and your audience and I have no doubt if you put your mind to it you will find a balance that works for you.

This article was by Yaro Starak, a professional blogger and blog mentor. He is the leader of the Blog Mastermind mentoring program designed to teach bloggers how to earn a full time income blogging part time.

To get more information about Blog Mastermind click this link:

www.BlogMastermind.com

eBook Review: Blog Profits Blueprint by Yaro Starak

Blog Profits Blueprint by Yaro Starak

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

This 54-page ebook does a fantastic job providing a comprehensive outline of how to build a content archive for your blog, generate and increase traffic to your blog, and multiple ways to "monetize" (make money from) your blog. I appreciated that Starak made a point of stressing that these are tried-and-true techniques that will work - over time. Making money from blogging is not an overnight thing - I know from experience that it takes time to build a following. This ebook outlines the steps to build that following.

I also appreciated Starak's specific suggestions of types of content to create, and the idea of creating a list of links to an article archive.  You'll be seeing both ideas put to use on this blog over the coming weeks.

Starak's overview of different ways to monetize your blog is valuable, especially because he mentions specific techniques that don't work well.  Knowing what doesn't work is just as useful as knowing what does work.  Because of his suggestions, I may begin experimenting with different monetization options on my blogs.

While Starak does mention his various subscription coaching programs, like Blog Mastermind Mentoring Program and Become a Blogger, he doesn't push it.  The ebook is full of useful content all on its own.  I encourage you to check it out for a solid foundation in what it takes to grow a blog and make money as a blogger.

Side note: I actually listened to an mp3 of the ebook - kudos to Starak for offering both a printable PDF ebook AND a recorded mp3 of him reading the book.  Since people have different learning styles, offering content in multiple formats allows you to reach more people.

Click here to download the Blog Profits Blueprint.

View all my reviews at GoodReads.

What You Need to Understand about Blogs: A Blogging Primer

Originally published in Memorytrends Magazine, June-July 2007 issue
By Angie Pedersen

No doubt you've heard the word "blog" bandied about in the news, on the radio, even in our sister publication Craftrends. You may read a few blogs yourself. Now you may be wondering if you need to start a blog.  Is a blog a must for small business owners? Or you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Should you even bother?

Consider this your primer to blogs and blog marketing – the fundamental information you need to understand what a blog is and how it can help promote your business.

What is a blog?

• A blog (short for “weblog” or “web log”) is a type of website with specific features.

• One of those features is a chronological archive of entries on the homepage - sort of like an online diary or journal. The most recent entries (called posts) appear at the top of the page, with older posts underneath. Archives are organized by date and can be categorized by topic.

• Blogs usually deliver information on a particular subject, such as gadgets, politics, entertainment…or your scrapbooking business.

• A blog also offers interactive features such as Comments, Trackbacks, and RSS feeds (see Key Features below for definitions for some of these terms).  These features help foster a sense of community and allow a two-way discussion with your audience.

• A blog is a quick, easy, and inexpensive form of communication – if you can send an email or post to a message board, you can blog, for free or just a few dollars a month.

• A blog is a nearly perfect promotional tool for businesses.  The interactive nature of blogs, combined with ease-of-use and frequent updates, helps build an almost-instant relationship with your readers.

Andy Wibbels, author of Blog Wild: A Guide for Small Business Blogging, adamantly believes that blogs can help your business.  A self-proclaimed “blog evangelist”, Wibbels contends that blogs strengthen your relationships with customers “because you're writing as YOU with YOUR VOICE not your copywriter's.”  When writing on a blog, you can speak to your readers as you would if they were there in front of you in person.  In fact, a casual writing tone is encouraged.

What a blog isn't:

• A blog isn’t just for angst-ridden 'tweens, teens, and 20-somethings (even 60 & 70-something's are blogging)

• A blog isn’t just for geeky tech gurus with years of coding experience (even beginners can set up a blog in just a few minutes)

• A blog isn’t just for posting boring, inane chatter about what you had for lunch or how much you hate your noisy neighbor (it can be, but that won't get you much business)

• A blog isn’t a once-in-a-while thing – it's a long-term marketing strategy.  Effective bloggers post once to three times a week to keep readers coming back

How a blog works
Bloggers post newsy items to their blogs (what that news reflects depends on the theme of the blog).  When the blogger saves the post, the blog software sends a little message out to RSS readers and search engines, announcing that a new entry has been posted.  Blog visitors read the new entry, either there on the blog homepage or via their blog reader.  If a visitor reads something that strikes a chord, she might leave a Comment.  Other readers will be able to read the new entry, as the Comments that have been left.  They can leave another comment, or post an entry on their own blog, commenting on your post.  Other bloggers will then link back to your original blog post.

How a blog differs from a traditional website
All blogs are websites, but not all websites are blogs.  A blog is actually a type of software called a “content management system” that builds the infrastructure of a website.  That infrastructure allows bloggers to post a chronological archive of entries, while also taking advantage of a variety of interactive publishing features, like Comments, Trackbacks, and RSS feeds.  Traditional websites are more like an online marketing brochure providing information about your business – the content stays pretty much the same.

Blogging experts Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman (aka The Blog Squad) view blogs as unique from traditional websites for the following reasons:

• Blogs are easy to update, no "techie skills" or knowledge of HTML required

• Blogs allow visitors to comment and interact with you, building a community of targeted readers.

• Blogs are search engine friendly because they are typically updated frequently

• It's easy to add pictures, audio and document files for your readers to download

• No web designer required!

Key features of a blog
What sets a blog apart from a traditional website is the opportunity for two-way dialogue with your readers.  Not all blog hosts offer the same features or services, however.  When deciding which blog application to use, look for the following features to make the most of your blogging experience.

• Categories allow visitors can search your blog by theme or keyword, if they want only a certain kind of news.

• Comments allow visitors to leave you messages on individual blog entries – just like Replying on a message board. 

• Permalinks are just what they sound like – permanent links to an individual post.  This helps extend the viral nature of blogs – it's easier to share a link to an individual post than to suggest that a friend go "search for the one with the cute lunchbox project".

• RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication”.  An RSS feed allows visitors to subscribe to your blog, via a blog reader/aggregator so that they will receive updates as soon as you post them to your blog.

• Trackbacks allow you to announce that two blog posts are related.  (For a more complete explanation of how trackbacks work, visit http://snipurl.com/howto_trackback )

Why you should blog
The most basic reason you would want to blog is to help you communicate with your audience.

• Because posting to a blog is as quick and easy as zipping off an email, blogs allow you to quickly update and communicate with your readership, usually much faster than updating your standard website or sending out a print newsletter.

• Through the comments feature, blogs allow you to solicit and receive almost instant feedback. When readers leave comments, they feel involved in the process and a sense of “ownership” in any resulting events or activities.

• This feedback will position your company as really aware of reader opinion, and fosters the impression that the feedback will make a difference in how you run your company.

• A blog allows visitors/readers to get a “behind-the-scenes” look of your company, providing a sense of your personality and style.  Letting readers get to know you can build trust, potentially convincing them they want to do business with you.

• Blog content is available by RSS and email subscription, which automatically keeps you in front of your audience, continually reminding them to visit the site to check out the new content.  Any kind of automated communication makes things faster and easier for you.

• Another reason why you would want to blog is because search engines love frequently updated content.  The more often you post to your blog, the more often search engines will notice it.  That means your blog will show up higher in search engine rankings, and you’ll get more traffic to your site.

Is a Blog Right for Your Business?
Maybe yes, maybe no.  If you change or update your main website frequently with company news, events, and current promotions, you may already be enjoying the marketing effects of an online presence.  A blog also isn't going to help you much if you don't use it – commit to posting at least once a week to keep readers coming back.  More often is better. (Tip: rotate blog posting duties to different staff members to keep the pressure off one person.)

Many business owners like blogs because they can post timely updates themselves, without having to wait on a web designer.  If you’re able to update your website frequently, great.  Keep it up.  If you are frustrated by the process of updating your website, and would like more control, a blog might be able to help you. 

No matter what tool you use – website, blog, or website and blog – the key is to keep your customers and visitors informed with news regularly and frequently.  Remind them they like doing business with you, they trust your expertise, and that you can provide them with what they need.

Blog Marketing: Ask Your Audience What They Think (or Use)

Here's a great example of a business using their blog to engage their audience in conversation, centered around their product line.

Lion Brand Yarn posed the question, "Are You Straight or Circular?" on their blog, along with a few other leading prompts, and then invited readers to discuss their responses in the comments.

What I like about this blog marketing technique (asking open-ended questions of your readers) is that it has the power to draw people in - whether or not they participate by leaving a comment, readers are likely to read other people's comments, because this is a topic they're passionate about, too.  You may notice that Lion Brand got 251 comments on this post - that's some great community participation!

I also like, in this case, that while they show a picture of their own product examples, the question wasn't "Why are our needles the best?" or "What do you like best about Lion Brand needles?" - the question was simply "straight or circular?"  This left the conversation open to any knitter, helping readers to feel a sense of community, even if they don't (currently) buy Lion Brand products.

Of course, by continuing to post other similar community-building content (such as their free online pattern archive), Lion Brand can (continue to) grow their brand, and readers are more *likely* to do business with them in the future.

So how could you engage your customers/audience in conversation on a topic about which they are passionate?  What feedback could you solicit that would become a resource for your readers?  Consider requesting:

• pros and cons on attending certain consumer retreats or conferences
• organizing tips for specific tools or materials
• time-saving or learning-curve-shortening tips for specific techniques, tools, or software
• brainstorm the "perfect" event or tool
• questions for your team of experts

Now I'm going to ask for your feedback - what questions have you posed on your blog that has elicited good response from your readers? I'd really like to know!

Photo credit: Mochick

Blogger Outreach: Mythic Lessons Learned

I recently posted about a recent viral/blogger outreach campaign launched by Mythic Entertainment.  The campaign included sending packages and Valentines to prominent gaming bloggers, and inviting them to decipher the clues to the contents of an upcoming game upgrade.  Whether or not you know the difference between a High Elf and a Dark Elf, or if you have no clue what the Blighted Isle may be blighted with, there are still marketing lessons you should pull from this blogger outreach campaign.

1. Mythic knows their audience.
They know that, as online gamers, their target audience:

• spends a significant amount of time online
• gets much of their news from blogs,
• is ravenously hungry for sneak peeks into product launches
• enjoys a good puzzle.

ASK YOURSELF: What kinds of traits describe your target audience?

2. Mythic is aware of their ambassadors.
Hobby bloggers - those that blog about their passions and hobbies - frequently become unofficial ambassadors for a product or brand.  They write about unique features they like, what sets products apart, and helpful customer service.  Mythic is not only aware of this phenomenon, they know which bloggers are the most vocal about their products/services, and which ones have a significant audience of readers.  Then they targeted them for this campaign.

ASK YOURSELF: Do you know who is blogging about your business?  Whose blogs does your audience visit for news (and entertainment, for that matter)?

3. Mythic is clever.
I can only imagine the brainstorming session that took place to come up with this blogger outreach campaign.  "OK - we're releasing a new class we're going to call Choppa - what kind of a clue can we give bloggers about that?"  "OK - Valentine's Day is coming up.  What kind of a Valentine do you send someone who likes to kill things online?"  They also paid attention to what rumors were already circulating, and thought up "care packages" that could key into them.  They took the time to create a message that would get their audience talking.

ASK YOURSELF: If you're working on a major product release, what key points do you want to highlight or communicate to your audience?  If you're working with a new designer, what keywords or concepts about that person could you play with as clues?

Now I've laid the groundwork - I'd love to hear your thoughts on marketing lessons from this viral campaign.  I'd also like to hear about other viral campaigns you've seen successfully launched - how did the marketing team make it work?  Please join the discussion by leaving a comment below.

Blogger Outreach/Word-of-mouth Campaign: Mythic Entertainment & Warhammer Online

You may have read on my personal blog that my family is a bunch of geeks.  More specifically - gamer geeks.  The longest running obsession has been World of Warcraft.  Last summer my son started playing Warhammer with his friends.  Before the game was even released, there was significant buzz around the Internet, much of it created by gamers posting on their blogs.  My son and his friends became avid blog readers, scouring posts for tips and sneak peeks, spending hours discussing what characters they would choose when the game was released. 

My son will sometimes share with us interesting tidbits that he reads on his blogs.  But the tidbit he shared with me tonight is far and away the most interesting I've heard.  It sent my "marketer's senses" tingling!

Mythic Entertainment, creators of Warhammer, has recognized some of the more popular bloggers as the ambassadors that they are.  So, in honor and preparation of an upcoming patch for the game, they sent out packages to several well-known bloggers.  Far more clever than the traditional press kit, these packages were clues to the contents of the patch.  And of course, as bloggers are wont to do, the recipients blogged about the packages, discussed what the clues could mean, AND linked to other bloggers that had received similar packages - similar, but with slightly different clues.

It looks like they sent some bloggers packages of related items, and some bloggers received "bloody" and black-lipstick-kissed Valentines.

Some links to the resulting posts:

• Creative gag hints at new Warhammer Online class reveal on Jan. 29th
• A Mysterious Package arrived from Mythic Entertainment
• Mythic prank hints at Orc Choppa career coming to WAR next week
• Mythic hinting at possible 'Death Night' live event in February?
• My Bloody Valentine
• Poems? Witch Elves? …Death Night?
• Something from Mythic Comes My Way
  

One blogger posted a picture/scan of the actual promo literature.

At Mythic Entertainment, we love bloggers.  That's why we've sent you an exclusive hint at what's coming up for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.  See if you and your readers can figure out what we're planning.  See you in game!  - The Warhammer Team

This is MARKETING GOLD.  I mean, really.  This wouldn't be an expensive campaign.  A few, well-thought-out packages, sent to industry thought-leaders, with a clever and fun twist - they have to figure out what it means.

And I love that each blogger received slightly different clues.  Mythic even went to far as to sequentially number, and include a letter, on the back of the Valentines.  This picture of one of the valentines indicates it was #6 out of 13.  Give that kind of a clue to a bunch of plugged-in gamers, and you are basically guaranteed they will launch themselves at their computers to start trying to figure out who the other 12 are, and what it all means.  The blogger at TheGreenSkin described his reaction, "Like a ravenous goblin in an orphanage, I was twitching with excitement as I ripped open the seal."

The packages were clever as well - TheGreenSkin.com received an actual DVD of Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Predator", with a post-it note indicating he should "Go to 1:16:06".  When he fast forwarded the DVD to that time in the movie, he heard a quote that gave him a clue to a possible "career" to be included in the forthcoming patch.

Keen & Graev's "Mysterious Package" contained "Hair color creme (with Fruit Oil Concentrates), A Hair Cut Kit, and a message saying more to come on January 29th…".  The bloggers discussed various options for what the "mysterious package-turned-puzzle" could signify, then opened the discussion for comment from their readers.  There are currently 110 comments.  When was the last time a direct mail piece you sent out generated 110 comments on one blog post?

To bring the campaign full circle, Mythic posted about it on their own blog, including a list of links to bloggers who had posted about their goodies from the mailbox.

I think this is just brilliant - a Scrappy Marketer's Hat Tip to the marketing team at Mythic Entertainment.  Kudos.  Well done.  I bow to your greatness.  Now, I don't suppose you have any openings for someone who could appeal to the crafters in your audience....?

Next post: the main marketing lessons you should pull from this blogger outreach campaign

@AngiePedersen Marketing Twitter Roundup - Week of 11/30/08

Just joined Social Media Club KC - looking forward to meeting some new local 'social' people

via @heidimiller: Best Practices for Twitter

Kizer & Bender post: How to make your "Top 10 List of Holiday Gifts" work harder for your business

Via @kimguymon - Scrap businesses putting out tip jars to stay in business?? Video Business Tip: Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Reading: "Twittin' Secrets: 100 World's Greatest Twitter Tips & Twitter Secrets"

Blog Marketing: What Should I Blog About?

Yesterday I posted a blog marketing tip to my Twitter account: The Scrappy Marketer: Blog Marketing Tip:

Blog Marketing Tip: Use target keywords in your subject lines to draw in both search engines AND your intended audience.

A follower responded: "What should I blog about?"

Good question!  The answer depends on your goals for blogging.

Whether your blog is personal or professional, consider your audience when choosing blog topics.  What would they like to hear about from you?  What questions have they asked you?  What would you like to hear about from them?  As I said in countless Book of Me classes, if you want to know something about somebody else, chances are good someone else would like to know that something about you.

If you blog for personal reasons, or about more personal topics, then pretty much any blog topic is fair game. Just keep in mind that whatever you publish on the Internet is out there pretty much forever.  You may delete a post, but there's always a chance someone grabbed a screenshot or copied and pasted the text, and your wild weekend or frustrated rant could come back and haunt you later.   Prospective employers or recruiters can be particularly adept at finding just exactly what you wish had stayed hidden.

9 possible personal blog topics:

• Upcoming or recent trips
• Current reading or playlist
• Book or product reviews
• Holiday wishlist
• Holiday traditions
• Personal essays - memories or daily life commentary
• Current craft or DIY projects
• Local social scene or things to do
• sharing recent photos

If you blog for professional or business purposes, you'll be more effective if you have a goal in mind.

Top Blog Marketing Tip #1: As mentioned above, determine your target audience. This will help guide your topics and tone. A goal to determine here is who you want to attract to your blog, and what topics would attract them most.

Top Blog Marketing Tip #2: determine your marketing goal(s) for your blog – entice people into a brick & mortar store? Drive traffic to your main website? Increase class/seminar sign-ups? Determine a marketing goal for each post and let that goal guide your writing.

14 Potential topics for a local retailer:

• Upcoming sales and promotions
• Newly arrived stock
• Status of Backorders
• New classes schedules available
• Class changes: supply list additions, postponements, and cancellations
• Event announcements: make & takes, shop hops, retreat registration, etc.
• Tips for using specific products
• Project ideas and examples
• Top Ten gift-giving ideas
• Trade show reports and industry news
• Frequently Asked Questions – about your business or your field of knowledge in general
• Supply organization tips
• Product reviews
• Customer testimonials

So, to answer the question, "What should I blog about?", pinpoint the three W's:

• WHY you're blogging (personal reasons or marketing goals)
• WHO you're blogging for (or hope to blog for)
• WHAT you want to communicate (emotions, ideas, resources, expertise, etc).

If you set that foundation first, your blogging experience (AND results) will be much more satisfying.

P.S. Follow me on Twitter for more blog marketing ideas!

Who's Who in Online Marketing Blogging

I recently received an email from Jimmy Atkinson, at WHDB.com, alerting me of a "Who's Who in Online Marketing Blogging" sort of list he had compiled: 100 Awesome Webmaster Blogs by and for Women.

...over four days through simple keyword searches and through reading blogs and other resources, we discovered at least one hundred women in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), SEM (Search Engine Marketing), public relations and marketing, design, business, social media and in IT. All these women have one thing in common - their work revolves around the Web.

The sum total of the Web women listed here represents just the tip of the iceberg on women involved with Web matters - although we agree with Zeldman that men seem to outnumber the women in this realm. With that said, the women we discovered are strong, talented, innovative and resourceful. And, many of them have joined forces to help each other and many other women.

This is quite a list!  If you are interested in reading about Search Engine Optimization/Marketing, Public Relations, Web Design, and Social Media, consider this your blog reading "shopping list"!

Here's how Jimmy's list breaks down:
Women in Search - 19 blogs
Women in Marketing - 20 blogs (including ScrapbookMarketing!)
Women in Design - 17 blogs
Social Media, Organizations, and Writing Skills - 14 blogs
Women in Business - 14 blogs
Women in Tech - 16 blogs

This list has me thinking I should compile a list of "Who's Who in Scrapbook Blogging" - what do you think?

I would welcome your comments about the "readability" of the blogs on Jimmy's list - do you read any of them regularly?  Which do you find the most useful?  What have you learned from them?  Did the list omit any significant contributions from women bloggers?  Do leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Blog Marketing: Blog Your Event

Here's a great example of a blog promoting an event: NGS 2008 Genealogical Conference Blog.

This blog promotes the 2008 National Genealogical Society Conference in the States and Family History Fair by highlighting different speakers and sponsors.  Not only does this give blog readers a taste of what they would find at the event, but it also offers insight into the expertise of their speakers.  Highlight posts point out the speakers' history, accomplishments, and memberships - all of which point to their expertise, enticing readers to come check out their presentations.

I also like that the blog provides prominent links to conference registration and hotel reservations - both "above the fold" (before readers have to scroll down to access more content).

A Scrappy Marketer's Hat Tip to local hosts of the NGS Conference!