• A blog is something that you want to have if you have something to say or something to teach.  It can also be utilized to add value to a business or service and can help you make more money.  And when it’s free there is no reason not to get yourself a blog.

Photo: Flickr/Hygiene Matters

Here are the 6 steps and tips to being a master at blogging:

#1 Give Valuable Content

• The secret is creating a lot of content, and not just any content, something of value.  Building value based relationships with your followers and friends is more important than just having a lot of friends.

Do: Give value, optimize SEO, brand yourself, borrow “catchy” formats, create community, own your content

Don’t: Pitch without value, use random keywords, speak negatively, shut off comments, host on someone else’s website

• One or two posts isn’t going to cut it, put enough money in the “goodwill” bank before you show your friends how to buy your product or service.

#2 Borrow “catchy” formats

• Find successful blogs in your niche and borrow ideas for hot topics.  Don’t plagiarize or directly take anything from someone’s successful blog.  You can just utilize the ideas and formats that you see.

Formats: The “how-to”, The interview (piggy back off someone else’s success, Breaking news, The throwback (revisit previous successful topics and add more), The “weird” (discover something you’ve never heard of and share)

#3 Easy to Read

79% of readers scan posts.  So use simple language and short sentences and paragraphs.  Utilizing bold headlines and bullet points to make it more scan-able.

#4 Create Community

Use the follow me plug-ins to stay connected through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.  Ask for and encourage comments.

#5 Own Your Content

Host on your own hosting account with your own domain.  When you don’t you lose the ability to fully optimize and customize content, you lose revenue and sales, and it demonstrates a cheap brand.

#6 Get a Self Hosted Customized Blog

Go to: http://www.sadieking.com/getafreeblog

Set it up in 2 minutes.  You will get a pre-customized, socially integrated, premium theme with visual enhancements, hand selected plug-ins to turn visitors into fans and fans into customers.

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To your success,

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