It’s tempting to write about what is on your mind at a given moment. But that’s not a relevant blog, that’s a diary.

Re-read the last blog post you wrote. Was it relevant? A relevant blog post contains three key elements:

1)  It does something for your reader, such as:

• Inspire imagination
• Convey empathy
• Show “how-to”
• Provoke thought
• Entertain
• Tease

2)  It contains a call-to-action, such as:

• Sign up for an email newsletter
• Buy an eBook
• Click on an affiliate link
• Leave a comment
• Subscribe to an RSS feed
• Refer the post to others

3)   And finally, it conveys your enthusiasm and unique perspective of your subject matter. There are a lot of blogs on most every possible subject. What makes yours unique and interesting to read?

Bottom line – channel your passion in a manner that is relevant to your target reader and achieves your objective.

So how did I do? Are you inspired? Did I provoke thought?

I hope so. Oh, and while you’re here, please subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up on tips for extending your brand online. And if you have any specific questions, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me.

Thanks, and have a great day!

I’m surprised how many blogs I see where the posts are written by “Admin”.  I had no idea that was such a popular name!

If you’re blogging to gain readers and build relationships, perhaps you should consider using your real name and stop hiding behind this anonymous title.

If you use Wordpress, it’s simple.  Just go to “Users” and edit your profile.   You cannot change your username (which is “admin”) but you can add a nick name, then select it under the “Display name publicly as” drop down box.

Go ahead, be real!

There are two types of bloggers…those who write what they want to, and those who write what their target readers want to read.

There are two simple but critical lessons in that statement.

1. If you write for everyone, you will reach no one.
2. If your topic doesn’t address your target readers’ specific need, they won’t read it.

Take a step back and follow these three easy steps to find EFFECTIVE topics for your content marketing:

Step 1: Start with a clearly defined target audience. Not just who you currently reach, but who you want to reach. Keep it narrow enough so you can illustrate to your readers that you truly understand their needs.

Step 2: Then brainstorm a list of problems or concerns that your target market likely has.

Step 3: Next to each problem, list topic ideas that will help them solve those problems.

It’s a simple paradigm shift, but one that many bloggers and content developers forget. Just because you want to talk about something doesn’t mean that it will solve a problem for your target reader. If you stray off topic too often, then you dilute the value of your own brand.

When inspiration for a great topic strikes, start writing feverishly.  Ramble on as long as you like.

But when the time comes to create your blog post, step back and break it into chapters, or mini-topics.  A short blog post about a narrow topic fares much better than an epic length fully-inclusive post.  Especially if you want someone to actually read it.

Perhaps that is why I’m such a fan of Seth’s blog.  I can absorb his message in a spare minute without missing a step in my daily agenda.

Bonus – you’ll have enough fodder to fill a topical blog series, and you can link between your mini-posts for a bit more SEO love.

Whether you have an existing business you’d like to promote online, or are starting an online-only venture, it is very easy to get caught up in the minutia of technical tools, “expert” opinions and general online jargon that can pull you away from the simple big picture of online marketing.

Technology is a channel.  Period.

Before you get caught up in having the latest Twitter application, Wordpress blog theme, creating a Squidoo lense, joining friendfeed, figuring out how to Digg, and so forth…step back…take a deep breath…and do one thing at a time.

Building an online presence doesn’t happen overnight.  There is a natural evolution of building an online reputation with staying power.  With a strong foundation and persistent momentum, you’ll get where you need to go, one step at a time.

Writing effective articles is a lot of work.  You have to come up with a great topic (not too broad) and do your research.  Then you find a unique angle to approach the subject, adding your own perspective as an expert in your industry.  Then of course there is the editing for grammar, flow, etc.

Whew!  You’re finally done!  Or are you?

Take that same article and come up with two unique blog posts from it.  Use a more casual tone, add images and feel free to inject more of your opinion or slant to it.  And don’t forget to link to the full article!

NOW you’re done?  Nope.

Tweet about the subject, add wall posts to your Facebook Fan page, have some viral fun with it.

Think about it…you’ve already done the heavy lifting when you wrote the article.  By extending your topic to other online channels, you’re not only showing your hard work to more people, you’re also getting some amazing link love to help your SEO.

It’s about working smarter, not harder.

Regardless of industry, the one commodity in short supply is TIME.  Our radar wish list is often beyond what we can realistically get to.  Why am I stating the obvious?  Because time after time, I see great blogs fizzle out because the author couldn’t find the time to keep writing.  Yes, it is a commitment, and without consistency a blog (regardless how fabulous it looks) will not be effective.

Here’s a tip to help make your writing time be more effective AND efficient.  Once you have your topic in mind, do a bit of research, find or create great images, then write what you first feel (about 250 words).  Then make a list of keywords appropriate to the post.  Infuse those keywords into what you have written. There, your blog post is done!

The next step is to extend the use of that post.  Write another version of it to be published as an article.  Expand on your initial thoughts, remove any time-references and use a less casual tone.  Aim for about 500 words, again being mindful of your keywords. For very little time, you’ve got a great article to be published.

And finally, create a few snippets of 120 characters or less to feed into your social networking channels.  Yes, Twitter allows 140 characters, but you need to allow space for retweets!

This won’t give you more time to write, but you’ll get more bang for your writing buck.  And it’s all about results, right?