Blogging Series, How and What? (part 3 of 5)

Blogging; How often and what topics? (part 3 of 5)

First off, let me briefly explain that this series got slightly interrupted by a cross country move… slightly… HA!!

Nevertheless, I am back to posting and wanted to continue this series especially since many of you had begun to follow my wordpress site. Happy Blogging!

# 9 –

Live Tweet from a conference – brilliant idea! Super easy as well, in fact as the speaker if you create the hastag ahead of time and then share it with your audience the members of any group can begin to network and share while they are still THERE!!

# 10 –

Host a live Q&A period on any topic thru social media tied to your platform, another winner! Create the hastag, select a time, promote it just as you would an upcoming face to face networking, etc and then open your world up to questions from your readers & followers!

# 11 –

Is there information that not only you, but also your readers are DYING to know? If so reach out to an industry leader and ask them to allow you to interview them for your blog, it will automatically lend you credibility and give them free exposure at the same time.

# 12 –

I am a HUGE believer of contests, especially if the business you are promoting lends itself easily to holding one. Just recently I created and executed a contest for a client of mine, in a 2 week period it boosted their Facebook traffic over 500% (see graphic below)

# 13 –

I find guest posts to be helpful and informative – the main thing I always try to accomplish is making sure the topic is relevant to your readers.

# 14 –

I have yet to investigate this on a first hand basis, however, it does seem like a great idea!

# 15 –

Build a Slideshare presentation, focus on a topic that is broad enough to entice most of your readers, and then be cognizant to write it at a level where they will share it with other colleagues who can also benefit from the material.

# 16 –

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!! Not only will it help you, but sharing this data in an easy to understand format will not only build confidence within your clients, it will make them raving fans for your business!

HOMEWORK: before next week when I cover the next 8 ideas choose ONE from the list above. Then write, edit and publish a blog post using the idea as a framework. When you are done I want you to email the blog post to madsen.erika@gmail.com Be sure to let me know if you’d like any input and I will guarantee you a personal email response!

Yours to Count On,

Erika Madsen
Madsen Avenue Promotions
(602) 849-6576 cell

P.S. Madsen Avenue Promotions will customize marketing to fit YOUR business; No matter what your need! We specialize in social media integration, business planning, event coordination and even website design)

How to make good blog content

Source: Patricia Redsicker | Embed this on your own website (FREE)

Blogging; How often and what topics? (part 2 of 5)

Blogging; How often and what topics? (part 2 of 5)

Ok, it’s time to get busy!! I am going to break the article I originally read into a total of 5 parts, my hope in doing this is that you will not become overwhelmed with the ideas Amanda Gallucci shared in her article, 31 Types of Blog Posts for Every Day of the Month. Overacheivers, did you miss that? I included the link to the full article, go ahead skip forward if you must… but you’ll miss my insights if you don’t check back!

Most importantly you need to know ahead of time what you plan to post, if you just sit down in front of  a blank blog post chances are when you get up from your desk, it will still be blank.  Here’s how I maintain the blogs that I manage & write content for, if I have an idea, I write it down immediately! Don’t miss that simple point because I honestly mean it, write down your ideas IMMEDIATELY, also make sure it’s somewhere you have specified for organizing your blog. That could mean a notebook, your phone, your iPad… anywhere… just write it down!

If you don’t sit around brainstorming brilliant ideas for your blog every minute of the day, then here’s the next best thing you can do… collect written articles, pay attention to discussions, tv shows, newscasts, events in your area, anything you can bring to your audience with your own personality delivering the content.

Keep all of your ideas in one location, when it’s time for a blog post you will be ready! Below you will find the first 8 ideas written by Amanda Gallucci shared in her article, 31 Types of Blog Posts for Every Day of the Month.

# 1 – Share News About YOUR Company… there is nothing more fun than promoting exciting things happening within the walls of your business! New hires, new positions, new products… a simple blog post can be referred to in a myriad of ways.

#2 – Create a How To Guide… come on there are more than just a few things that you are a whiz at within your field or business – show it off! For those of you on the shy side, just write out the steps and then make sure it’s in plain English for people who have no prior experience and WAALAA, done!!

# 3 – Present a Case Study… keep in mind that you will need data that you have collected over a period of time. That could wind up being over the course of a day or a year, etc.

# 4 – Make  a List of Top Posts… simple to do when you have been gathering content from your favorite sources, so create a folder on your desktop or iPad now and get started!

# 5 – Review a Tool or Product… whether you are you a Neurophysicist or a Chef  – show some tools of your trade and how they help you achieve your end product.

# 6 – Give a Personal Take on Industry News… this one is simple, watch the news and then share your opinions.

# 7 – Talk About Survey Research… again you will need to be speaking about a topic you are well versed in, but don’t hold back, share your knowledge!

# 8 – Illustrate Company Goals… Don’t just illustrate, share, ask questions, even go as far as prying into your customer’s desires… if they tell you what they want or need, find a way to make it happen! A very wise man once drilled into my head, ‘You can have everything you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.’ ~ Zig Ziglar

HOMEWORK: before next week when I cover the next 8 ideas choose ONE from the list above. Then write, edit and publish a blog post using the idea as a framework. When you are done I want you to email the blog post to madsen.erika@gmail.com Be sure to let me know if you’d like any input and  I will guarantee you a personal email response!

Yours to Count On,

Erika Madsen
Madsen Avenue Promotions
(602) 849-6576 cell

P.S. Madsen Avenue Promotions will customize marketing to fit YOUR business; No matter what your need! We specialize in social media integration, business planning, event coordination and even website design)

Blogging Sample: Apex Home Sales, Beaver Creek Area

Blogging Smaple: Apex Home Sales, Beaver Creek Area

It’s a glorious afternoon, here in Apex, NC we have had a measurable amount of snow fall since mid-morning. I have enjoyed the day at home, snuggled on the couch watching movies with my sister & kids.

Every once in awhile I have completed a task on my never ending to-do list. Just a few moments ago I was running comparable sales for a friend (& client) of mine who lives in Apex, NC. Then a simple but brilliant idea flashed before me…. SHARE this information with the world!

I am sure many homeowners in Apex, NC would also love to know about current home sales. With that simple thought I decided I had to share Apex’s local real estate market conditions with everyone. The Apex, Holly Springs real estate market is poised to thaw out this spring… just take into consideration the statistics below regarding the Beaver Creek area.

My client needed to know the rough value of her home which is in good condition on a nice private lot. The home itself is 1947 sqft built in 1996, great local schools and any store you could possibly need within a few miles. So let’s get down to business!

This graphic is a comparison page, Realtors refer to them as a CMA (comparitive market analysis). The links below have different formats of the info I have gathered.

“In the last 6 months there are only 6 homes that are comparable in your size, they are either sold or pending, we are at a VERY low inventory level at the moment.

Many homeowners have finally realized they are not able to attain pricing they want, having removed their homes from the market our inventory is very low. (Good thing)

Appraisals remain very tight, but at the same time things are FLYING off the market if they are priced properly – because there is not many choices due to inventory shortage. In market conditions like this the appraisers begin to be scrutinized and subject to more regulation with the hope that prices will not climb too fast becoming overinflated.”

Here are some of the other homes in an appraisal type format;

Blogging; How often and what topics? (part 1 of 5)

Blogging; How often and what topics? (part 1 of 5)

Do you feel like your biggest challenge with maintaining a blog is knowing where to start?  Or how you will be able to keep content flowing?  Over the next few weeks we are going to share a bunch of ideas.  Keep those that pertain to your business and shelve the rest where you can recall them from memory, just in case you can ever tweak them to apply to your business.  Some of the best ideas I ever used in my real estate career I “lifted” from seeing them used within other professional fields.

Stay tuned… More is coming… regulary according to my blogging schedule ;>>

Yours to Count On,

Erika Madsen
Madsen Avenue Promotions
(602) 849-6576 cell

P.S. Madsen Avenue Promotions will customize marketing to fit YOUR business; No matter what your need! We specialize in social media integration, business planning, event coordination and even website design)

Best Times to Post on Social Networks

Best Times to Post on Social Networks – Have you ever wondered WHEN you should be posting your content so it is seen at the highest level of eyeballs possible?

– 1 to 4 p.m. is the best time to post about a website on Facebook (tweet this)
– 1 to 3 p.m. is the best time to post about a website on Twitter (tweet this)
– Best time to post about a site on LinkedIn is before or after business hours (tweet this)
– 9 to 11 a.m. is the best time to post about a website on Google+ (tweet this)
– 2 to 4 pm or 8 pm to 1 am are best times to post about a site on Pinterest (tweet this)

Best and Worst Times to Post to Social Media #Infographic

Best time to post on social networks

Yours to Count On,

Erika Madsen
Madsen Avenue Promotions
(602) 849-6576 cell

P.S. Madsen Avenue Promotions will customize marketing to fit YOUR business; No matter what your need! We specialize in social media integration, business planning, event coordination and even website design)