For those who’ve been instant messaging, using MySpace, YouTube and other social media platforms for the past several years, adding social media to the mix of their workday is not really a big deal. In fact it seems a rational progression to the normal marketing efforts of the company.

If you are new to social media, still considering it, or wondering what it is, first ask your resident teenager. If you don’t have one, then here is a brief overview, (and we also have a social networking handbook for you).

Social Networking: What is it?

Social networking in any form is nothing more and nothing less than a doorway to the world. You can do as much or as little as you’d like with it. As an example, I’m not going to tell you a business success story, although there are many. Instead, I’m going to tell you what the teenagers that I personally know have done with MySpace.

When MySpace first became popular, I personally observed as my teenagers became more and more interested in it. Once my son figured out how to use MySpace to showcase his band videos it got a bit more interesting. At first he was merely using MySpace to share his thoughts, photos, and talk to high school friends. Then the switch occurred. When he began posting videos of songs that he had written himself, I watched as his site gained a notable amount of traffic.

Suddenly, almost alarmingly so, he went from regular high school kid, to someone who had quite a large following of fans from all over the country. Soon he was texting and building relationships with fans and other musicians all over the world…pretty amazing. Before long, people were anxiously awaiting his new songs. He even designed and sold his own t-shirts. This entire process from obscurity to recognition evolved over a period of approximately six months.

Stop Stressing Out

Did he ever stress over it? No. Did he wonder what it was or freak out over whether he should become involved in it before registering? No… So, what am I saying? I’m saying, “Just do it.”

Just go ahead and either assign yourself, a few key people, or a social media ghostwriter (such as myself) to handle your corporate social media strategy….but please don’t waste another minute in the planning and waiting stage. It’s not that difficult.

Social media is basically a “meet and greet” for the world. It’s an inroad. It’s a way to become visible and to even go viral if you’ve got the right stuff to interest the world.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve got the perfect plan from day one. Stop procrastinating. Sign up already. FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn are your friends. They are there for you. Make use of them.

Social media should be the norm. It’s no different than using email blasts or attending a business after hours. If you need help getting started, we at Writers Elite are here for you. We can build your FaceBook page, Your Twitter account, and hook you up with LinkedIn.

We even offer a Social Networking Handbook, that is updated quarterly to keep up with the constant changes and improvements to the online world. We will connect your social networking platforms to your blog and help you go viral. We will do whatever it takes, or you can do it yourself…but do it! Make the decision that for 2010 you are not going to allow things that you don’t understand to stand in your way. Change is a way of life, so get on the social media networking train today. Your bottom line will be glad you did.

For our social networking handbook, just sign up to receive our monthly newsletter (on the right hand column of the home page) and you’ll receive information on our newest and most useful tutorial.

So, you’ve come to the realization that a business blog is the next logical step for your business marketing strategy. First of all, congratulations! The business blog (or mini-website) is the perfect way to get noticed both locally, nationally and even internationally.

Why? Because Google loves blogs. And according to Matt Cutts, from Google’s spam department, if you’ve chosen WordPress as your blogging platform, you have automatically positioned yourself far above the rest of the individuals and businesses trying to gain top Google rankings. At the 2009 Word Camp in San Francisco, Matt gave an enlightening blogging strategy workshop. One of his first points was in recognition of the benefits of WordPress and the fact that this blogging platform is built to take care of 80-90% of the mechanics of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

So, you’ve made the perfect social media decision: Begin blogging to gain visibility for your business and you’ve chosen the perfect platform: WordPress

Now, that you’ve got a perfect beginning, let’s look at the recipe for creating a perfect blog post.

Why am I calling it a ‘recipe?’…because I like to cook. Okay, in all honesty I can spend hours on AllRecipes.com. I have my own account, I make recipe contributions to their website and I get abnormally excited about discovering a new dish. Along the way, I must admit that there are certain recipes that I consider to be perfect. One of them is my banana bread recipe. Now, I’ve tried other people’s recipes, but I always come back to the only one that has ever worked perfectly every time. I acquired it from a children’s cookbook that is now out of print and it is absolutely fool-proof. Never burnt on the outside and mushy in the middle, never dry–it’s perfect.

There is also a perfect recipe for blog posting. Whenever I use this recipe I get more traffic, more comments, and usually an email or two that eventually leads to new clients.  I’m going to share that recipe with you now. Keep it safe, because it really does work…every time, just like my banana bread recipe.

The Perfect Blog Recipe

1. Blog Post Headline: This one ingredient can either help catapult your post into a virtual buzz of interest or cause it to quickly die in the murky waters of ho-hum blogging.

Tips: Your title should fit in a Twitter tweet, so 110 characters or less will leave plenty of room for retweets. Also, titles that contain numbers, such as “The top 5 ways to….” or “The 10 best” work incredibly well.

2. Have a Point
Telling short side anecdotes is fine and can increase interest. It shows that you have a personality, but ultimately you must stick to one main point. Your post should address a concern, refute a popular idea, provide an answer, solve a problem, etc.

3. Search Terms or Keywords
In light of the subject of your blog as a whole, along with the main point of your post, figure out one or two popular key phrases that a person looking for your information would type into a Google search. Once you have them figured out, be sure to include these keyword phrases in your blog approximately 3-4 times throughout the post.

4. Bold Subheadings
Break up long passages and multiple paragraphs with subheadings. This is a general ‘best practice’ for web readers who like to scan articles for main points of interest. Using bullet points also helps.

5. Include an Image
Unique and thoughtfully chosen photos and images greatly increase the readability and of your blog posts. People like pictures. Your blog should not be boring.

6. Authority
If you are making statements in your posts, you can immediately add value to your post and increase your credibility with your readers by linking directly to trusted resources that will provide proof of your claims. In the first paragraph of this post I mentioned a quote by Matt Cutts. In order to add authority to my claim, I added the direct link to the video of his seminar. By doing so, your readers will trust you and also look to you as a provider of excellent resources.

Don’t worry about losing readers by linking to other sites. When you provide valuable resources your readers will come to you again and again as a source of information.

7. Call to Action
Always try to end posts with a question that will generate more comments or some other call to action. The more engaged your readers become, the more followers and subscribers you will have.

If you have found this recipe for the perfect blog post useful, or if you have additional tips, please leave a comment and let us know!

Amazingly, the statistics you see here are already outdated. Social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs with strong, useful web content are not going to disappear.

Will you be lost in the crowd? It’s not too late to get onboard. Let Writers Elite take you where you want to be.

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