Tips and Tricks

Thought I would quickly post this great video from the TiPb Blog. It answered all my questions

I hear comments like this a lot.  Someone will say something like

” I am writing blog posts 3 times a week. Yet, no one is reading it.”

Or maybe something like this

” People are coming to my blog but not leaving comments.  What am I doing wrong?”

I would not say you are doing anything “Wrong” at all.  You need to add to what you are doing.  Here, let me share  5 easy ways to help kickstart your blog.  I will do this in list form, as people like lists:

-So sure your blog might be about “Social Media” like the other 2 million sites on the internet, but it is okay to talk about other things. Notice, I changed from NewMediaChatter to thedavepeck.com.  I do not want to be “boxed” in to a single subject. Times change, I want the flexibility to change as well.  Bottom line, it is okay to blog about what is on your mind if it is not around your “theme”.

- Post often and if you can do it, daily.  It is tough.  Heck, I am not practicing what I am preaching right now.  It is a good thing and helps with your SEO.

-Make your blog readable to your audience.  I try to keep my paragraphs short and the information easy to find.  When I read posts, I skim.  So if you put your content in, hmmm lets say, oh I do not know, …. a LIST, people can digest it easier.

-Pay It Back! You want comments! You want feedback! Guess what? Other bloggers do to! Leave comments on blogs you read.  In turn they are more likely to do the same! Karma!

-Make sure you are on social networking sites. i.e Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and yes Plurk. There is no harm in setting up accounts that automatically post even if your not actively on those sites. Just make sure to have alerts on when people leave comments. This is a great way to distribute your content.

What are ways you KICKSTART your blog?

So you want to get traffic to your website you say? You want to be an online rockstar?  You want to build your brand online? You want to be the next Ijustine or Chris Brogan?

Well let me tell you a secret.. its easy. You just need to use the right tools and tricks. Let me share with you some of the free, simple and easy ways to do it. These are things I try to do whenever possible.  I will do this in list form, as people like lists!

-Setup a Flick Account and post photos of things your doing.

-Post to your Youtube account

-Setup a Linkedin account and write a bio about who you are and what you are doing.

-Setup a Twitter Account and network with people in your industry/field, as well as those looking for information on it.

-Use Google Reader and share items

-Leave comments on others blogs. How else are you going to become part of a community?

-Create a personal website to be your single point of resource. Have all these are social networking sites link to it.

-Be Honest when your wrong. Trust me, I make mistakes a lot, when they are pointed out to me, I share this on my networks

-Thank people in your community when they Retweet, Share, Repost, Pass on, Plurk, etc something you have said or created

-Make your personal website easy to use and easy to pass the information on.. i.e install widgets like Tweetmeme, Facebook Like, and Sharethis

-Do you know who your competition is? What they are doing? Go check them out

-Have a Facebook Fanpage

-Use the same username/handle everywhere you can. Grab it whenever a new social networking site comes up

-Have a web presence everywhere you can.

-Use a  site like Ping.fm to post to multiple sites

-Yes you should have a page on MySpace.. it can not hurt.

-Have you looked at FourSquare and Gowalla to find a way to use them? Geolocation is hot right now!

-Make sure to add your website to Google, Yahoo and Bing.  It makes it easier for people to find you.

-Install Google Analytics.

-Use Google Analytics…see how people are finding your site. What are the keywords they are using?

-Write updates/posts that are relevant to your brand, using the keywords you to associate with your brand.

-Google yourself..see what comes up in search. An ego search can be a good thing sometimes.

-Submit your site to Technorati

-Submit your posts to Stumbleupon

-Yes people still use Digg.. again it can not hurt

-Customize your Twitter background to stand out

-Do not always “Shout Out” what you are doing. It is called “Social Networking” be social. Interact with others, ask questions, and comment back. Do not just talk about yourself.. you will fail.

-Go to Meetups, Tweetups, conferences, mixers..whatever you want to call them. All of the above is great, but you can not beat real life face time! Check out sites like Meetup and Upcoming for events

These are just some off the top of my head.. what are some of your tips and tricks?

No I have not blog faded! Yes, I am still here. No, you can not get rid of me. I spent the last week up in the Trinity Alps area of Weaverville, California. The middle of nowhere.  Yet, the town is a total Mayberry place.  The movie theater guy sells the tickets, sells the popcorn, takes the tickets, etc. One Gas station. One Grocery Store.

We stayed at the Trinity Alps Resort. This is a place where there is no:

-cell phone coverage

-Internet access

-TV

-A/C

..well you get the idea. My family loves it. I, on the other hand am a team player and go with the flow.

So, this gives me a lot of time to bond with my family and think.

What do I think about when cut off from the outside world? Web Pages…homepages, branding.

(Yes, I need to see a shrink.)

So here is my thoughts on this. If you are a job seeker in this market, you need to have your own website about yourself. Call it a website, homepage, web page or whatever. You need to have a place where people can learn about you.-You are a brand! Yes, it is true. Personal branding is where I am going with this. Say you are an accountant named ” John Hoeser”. (hey I like that name.) You apply for a job. On your resume you put a link to www.johnhoeser.com.

The future employer can go and learn more about you on your site. Also it well help you get the word out about who you are, what you do, what you know and why your the accounting guru! There are many things you can do to this page to increase your brand awareness. . Let me share some of this in list form. People like lists:

-Create an About Page. Share that you are John the Accountant. What your background is in the field. Your achievements, notable accomplishments and why your an accounting guru. (Not an Expert! That term makes my hair stand up.)

-Have a blog. Write articles about accounting and other subjects. Give your insight about the field.  Have this new content come out at least once a week.

-Comment back to people who leave comments on your page. It shows your active, social and well people like knowing someone is reading their comments.

- Have a linkedin.com badge on your site. Just another way people can learn about your background and knowledgeable  in the field. As well as who you are connected to and any recommendations you have gotten.

- Drop your new content (blog posts) on sites like Digg, Stumbleupon, Facebook, and Twitter.

-Have a RSS.

-Leave comments on other accounting sites. People like comments, right? As well as it gives you a web presence.

-Use linkedin’s Q & A section

-Network offline. Yep, there is more to life then being online. Go to meetups, tweetups, social breakfasts and such. That is where I get most of my prospects and leads!

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