By Michelle Salater

You have a business blog, and you want people to read it. And you know the best way to gain a loyal readership is to provide content that is useful to your readers, but you struggle to find something to write about on a consistent basis.

If this sounds like your current situation, fret not. Bloggers’ block happens to even the most prolific bloggers.

Your blog content should provide value to your reader. This means you should strive to show readers how to do something, offer tips on how to improve their lives or businesses, update them on industry happenings, or entertain them in some capacity. Readers should be able to come away having learned something or informed about a product or service, filled with knowledge they didn’t have before, or in better spirits because you made them laugh.

If you give readers what they want, they’ll subscribe to your blog. They’ll relish what you have to say. They’ll share your posts with their friends and colleagues.

So, what do you do when you haven’t the slightest idea what you should blog about? How do you get past the worry that no one will want to read what you have to say or the dread of having to write another dull post?

The solution is quite simple: you must get back to the basics.

Before you can write anything your readers will find valuable, you need to have a good understanding of the people whom you are writing for. You must define your blog readership. Sounds simple enough, but this is the one mistake I see bloggers make. It’s no wonder they don’t know what to write-they don’t know who their readers are.

This bears repeating: having a clearly defined target audience is absolutely essential if you want to build a loyal readership.

Not only will a clear understanding of your blog readership help generate ideas for blog content, but it will also help you structure your blog posts.

An example: Say your blog targets entrepreneurial women who work from home who are looking to maximize their work time and balance family and work life. They are mothers, they run the home and their business, and they are always on the go. Knowing this information, you wouldn’t want to write long blog posts that are over 500 words. If these women don’t have time and are seeking productivity tips in order to have more time, chances are they are looking for short and sweet posts that they can skim and learn from. Writing shorter posts for this uber-busy audience is also a way of showing them that you value their time and their readership.

Once you have a good idea of your readership, ask yourself, what does your audience want to know, read, and learn? I suggest you step away from your computer, take out a blank sheet of paper, and start brainstorming. Write down as many topics as you can; then see if you can group them into categories.

Another way to approach this is to write down questions customers ask you and topics you hear people in your industry discussing. Again, see if you can group this information into categories.

An example: Say you blog about anything and everything that pertains to baking. During your brainstorming session, you notice you can batch all the how-to posts. Similarly, all the cooking-utensil and hardware-product posts can go in a category.

Once you’ve finished brainstorming, look over your categories. Circle one idea in each category. Let’s say you have five categories. Now you have five blog posts right in front of you. All you have to do is start writing.

When writing your blog posts, keep in mind these three tips:

Tip 1: Don’t bore your reader to death: You might be providing readers with useful and important content, but don’t forget people also want to be entertained. When was the last time you enjoyed an industry-jargon-filled blog or a blog that rambled on and on and on? Chances are you never visited that blog again.

Tip 2: Let your personality come through. Don’t be afraid to inject some personality into each post and to let your brand personality shine. How much personality you want to share depends on your audience. If you have a corporate blog read by adventure-travel outfitters, most of whom happen to be male, you probably want to stay away from weaving stories about your new cat Fluffy into your posts. Again, think about your audience when you write.

Tip 3: Batch your writing. Set aside time each week or every other week to write blog posts. Batching helps prevent repetition and ensures you aren’t scrambling at the last moment to find something to blog about.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Salater

I remember being as young as 9 and 10 years old thinking about having my own business because even at that age, I knew I wanted to be a mom who worked from home. Fast forward 20 something years and I am living my childhood dream!

I contribute this to me having never lost sight over the years….I never forgot my vision.

Have you forgotten YOUR vision?

Thinking back to those carefree days of your youth, have you now, in your adulthood, found yourself in a career you truly do not love? Is your life not at all what you thought it would be? Are you doing the types of things you never imagined you would be doing?

Maybe it is because you forgot your vision. Somewhere down the road of life, something caused you to put your dreams to the side and focus on reality. Life just took over…right?

Believe me, I understand that. I am no stranger to the harsh circumstances life can seem to throw your way over and over again. But even in the midst of all that, you can’t forget your vision.

Don’t forget…

When you forget your vision, you lose your purpose. When you lose your purpose, you diminish your passions. When you diminish your passions, you become accustomed to doing things to get by…to survive.

When you submit to survival mode, fear is able to creep in. We all know (whether we want to admit it or not), when fear enters, it brings a whole lot of distraction and excuse with it.

When we forget, our mindset become distorted and our thinking becomes limited. So limited that we begin to embrace other people’s false opinions about ourselves, as our own. We begin to relate our own strengths and abilities to doubt.

We’ve created personal insecurities without even realizing the pattern. All because we forgot our vision. How scary is that?

One big struggle women have is…

How to overcome. If we even recognize what is going on in the first place. So how do you overcome? You start by getting reacquainted with your vision. Take some time to just let your imagination go…

Then, you work on putting a STOP to negative thoughts, self-sabotaging talk, and counter productive habits. This is the difficult part because it is a process…not a one shot deal.

Next, you enlist support. That’s right, you acknowledge you need some hand holding and encouragement and you go get it. You surround yourself with those who can not only help you get unstuck, but with those who want to see you be your absolute best and guide you because they believe in your potential.

I want to support you to your greatness!

Because I understand the challenges we as women entrepreneurs face with having a full plate and little to no support, I’ve created a safe and secure place just for us. Somewhere you can receive the motivation and inspiration you need to fuel your business growth while also benefiting from the support and guidance through your personal development.

Beginning in March, the Freedom Creators Inner Circle Mentor Club will open its doors to you! If you have been feeling lost or out of touch with how to truly step into your element with focus and clarity and need direction with building a profitable, freedom based business…the Inner Circle Mentor Club is for YOU!

TWO ways to get plugged in:

1. Visit the Inner Circle Mentor Club for complete details. Our primary focus is to provide ongoing personal and business mentoring and support for women entrepreneurs, small business owners and solo-preneurs.

2. Visit WAHMs WIN for specific details. Our goal is to offer ongoing support to work at home moms while providing 90 day access to the Inner Circle Mentor Club.

You deserve to see your vision, live your purpose and pursue your passion. Choose today and go for it!

Can’t wait to see you,

For one full day of motivation, information, and powerful connections these 10 savvy women are going to rock your world and expand it too! The speakers are going to show you how to become a leader, build your brand, fix your finances, enhance your blog, take your marketing to the next level and ultimately live your best life.

The SistaSense Power Circle TeleSummit for Web Women Entrepreneurs – March 1, 2012 hosted by SistaSense Founder LaShanda Henry including speakers Pam Perry, Jai Stone, Richelle Shaw, Deborah Owens, Katrina Harrell, Beverly Mahone, Ananda Leeke, Tara Jefferson Pringle, and Artiatesia Deal – The mission of this TeleSummit is to help women entrepreneurs take their online businesses to the next level with solid pr, branding, blogs, marketing, and more.

Register HERE

*Early Bird Registration Special Discount Code: EAR10

In part 6 of my Content Marketing Series, you will discover the benefits of using audio to create community  and increase traffic to your blog. Audio is a way for you to provide a unique and welcoming  experience for your visitors.

Adding audio to your website can be a fun way to draw in more traffic and create variety for your readers. You have a lot of choices when it comes to what type of audio to add. The following are a few ways you can start incorporating audio into your website or blog.

At times, the internet can feel like a very cold and unfeeling place. By creating a welcome greeting, you will create a warm and personable feeling around your website. Your visitors will feel that you value them and will appreciate that you took the extra time to personally greet them.

When you walk into a store, you may not notice it, but more often than not, music is playing in the background. Music can create an ambiance and set a calm and soothing mood. Setting this type of atmosphere may induce your visitors to linger longer.

If you are using your website to sell something, you more than likely have a testimonial page. Instead of only having a written testimonial, why not include a picture of the person providing the testimonial as well as an audio clip? Your viewers can hear the testimonial straight from the proverbial horse’s mouth.

Blogs are a great place to add audio. Blogs are generally a bit more personal and relaxed than a business website. Adding a bit of audio will help your readers get to know you and your personality. Plus, if you are in a rush and do not have time to type a post, you could simply record a few minutes of audio and post that instead.

Podcasts are very popular and new ones are being developed every day. It seems that people can’t get enough of them. Adding one to your website can give your current readers a new type of content, as well as attract new visitors.

Many internet marketers have sales pages full of great copywriting that provides product descriptions and highlights the product’s features and benefits. Creating an audio sales page would put a new spin on the standard sales page. You may not realize it, but QVC, the home shopping channel, is one of America’s largest television networks and their ratings are very high. The hosts on this channel are very friendly and enthusiastic. The hosts’ enthusiasm transfers to the viewers, and that motivates the viewer to buy the products being featured. Creating an enthusiastic audio for your sales page could have similar effects on your profits.

Audio enables you to connect with your customers in a whole new way. Why create a “question of the week” audio for your website? You could put up a form on your website or simply ask your readers to email you with their questions. Each week, you could take a few moments and read one of the questions and provide an answer. Your visitors will return each week to see if you chose their question. They’ll get a thrill if you read their name on your audio message.

There are many, many ways to add excitement and variety to your website by adding audio. Get creative and think up some ways to integrate audio into your business plan, and see if it helps you grow your customer base.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/995620

You also know that I like to help other woman entrepreneurs learn how to use blogging as a way for them to build a brand online and create income.

With all the feedback and emails I’ve received over the past year or so, I decided to developed the Business Blogger Bootcamp for entrepreneurs who wanted to learn from me, step-by-step, how to setup, create and market a business with a blog.

I know that everyone is not in a position to invest in their business or themselves yet, so…I decided to offer a place to get some of your most nagging questions about blogging, answered!

ARE YOU GAME???

If so, simply leave your question in the comments below and I will begin answering them on my Facebook page!

Ready…Set…ASK:

However, it is much easier said than done, wouldn’t you agree?

We all know that it is possible to build an online business and make money with a blog because there are many entrepreneurs doing so each and every day. Even so, you may be one of the thousands upon thousands who are ready to get started but don’t know how to begin or make it happen for your blog.

So the question is…”What do I do?”

Before you start a blog for your business, you need to have an overall goal and a purpose. And no, money cannot be the winning factor here. Blogging for business is different than blogging for fun. You have to think long term and you have to consider the projected growth of your business.

Really understanding your purpose and mission along with how you will present your message to the world with an impact, is a key component to the success of your blog. The foundation you create in the beginning is what will ultimately, mold and shape your credibility. Building and branding (or re-branding) a blog for your business with a solid and structured plan, will position you more easily, as an industry leader.

 Serve a targeted niche market

The way to establish influence is to deliver your expertise to ONLY those who recognize and value your ability to make a meaningful impact. In other words, you must use your business blog to serve a specific market.

You establish a credible brand by being consistent in the way you develop your blog platform and in how you inform, educate and share your expertise and build relationships. It doesn’t matter if you are a small business owner, service based professional, network marketer or direct sales business owner, your business blog is an exclusive marketing tool that provides an effective platform for you to design a profitable business online.

Have a Plan, Design a Process and Execute Delivery

Just like every other area of your business, a plan, process and delivery method are important to how you will attract your ideal clients and generate regular traffic. Without an actionable plan in place and a clear strategy to execute, you are setting yourself up for failure.

The good news is, you can learn the steps it takes to create a business blog with purpose and increase your influence and income with my Business Blogger Bootcamp program. It is a step-by-step system that will walk you through each phase of building a blog for your business from compelling content creation, all the way through the marketing process.

Over the course of 12 weeks, you will learn how to build your online presence, establish a credible brand and how to use your blog to generate multiple streams of income. Along with a complimentary blog strategy session and life long access to my private blogger group, you will discover the techniques needed to build your blog and make money.

Ready to learn more? Click Here to watch a quick video presentation.

To your business blogging success,

Be yourself and allow your personality to shine through in a way that is comfortable to you! In part 5 of this series, you will discover different ways to use video and its value to build your brand and credibility.

By LeaAnn Morris

If you are new to creating videos it can be a little intimidating. Appearing in front of a camera can cause anxiety for some while others are a natural. Just remember that overcoming your fear of the camera is a must if you want to brand yourself in today’s Internet world. Speak directly to your audience and it will become easier in time.

The hardest part may be trying to figure out just what type of video you need to create. There are several options to look at when it comes to creating video content. Here are seven ideas that may help you to get started.

•    Article Videos

These are the easiest to create. Use any written article and turn it into a video. You can do this by using power point slides and adding an audio narration of the text. If in the beginning you are a little leery of adding a personal narration try using a music back ground until you become more comfortable.

•    How to Videos

These types of videos have become quite popular. The subjects for this type of video are endless. They can include topics on everything from teaching someone how to build their own website to showing someone how to make their own videos. Use this type of video to boost your own business. By creating a video of what you have to offer and how to use it, prospective customers can get a bird’s eye view and may be more apt to purchase what you have to sell.

Continue Reading > 7 Types of Videos Anyone Can Create

Even though you know how important it is to blog for your business on a regular basis, it can be a challenge to find the time.

The most asked questions around this topic are , “how often should I blog?”,  ”what should I blog about?”, and “how do I find the time?”…sound familiar?

In order for you to learn how to blog consistently, you must have an answer to each of these questions, so let’s jump on in!

How Often Should I blog? That all depends on your schedule and how much time you can realistically dedicate to your business blog. It is recommended you blog as often as you want to be noticed but at the very minimum, you should be blogging regularly at least 3 times per week. To be consistent, you will want to choose the days of the week you will post and the time of day. Just to be clear, you don’t have to write at those times, there are ways to automate your posts so you can schedule them to go out on a set date and time.

The key here is to create a consistent and regular schedule that helps your readers begin to expect your content while at the same time, helping you develop more awareness for your blog.

What should I blog about? It is important to have a blog that remains focused and centered around a particular topic or subject. You can blog about your industry trends and latest news, educational information for your readers, tips and strategies, any combination of information that will be of interest to your readers.

You can get creative and even select one day of the week that you answer a customers question in a blog post. Another idea is to choose a monthly theme to make it easier to stay on topic and engage your audience.

How do I find time? Every blogger has dealt with this at one point and come to the realization that you just have to make the time. No excuses. Get out your paper calendar, Blackberry or iphone and block out time to create and write your posts. If writing on a daily basis is not doable for you, select a large block of time one or two days out of a week to write and schedule your posts on WordPress or by using a tool like HootSuite.

Blogging for business is a powerful way to brand your business and be seen as an expert, thought-leader in your industry. Keeping your blog content fresh and consistent should be high on your priority list when it comes to establishing your online business presence.

What do you think? What are some ways you keep your blog content fresh and consistent? Share in the comments below:

As a business blogger, more than likely your blogs audience falls into a particular niche. Regardless of what area of interest you choose to focus on, you can always find someone willing to share their expertise on your subject matter.

An example of this is how my Co-Founder of WAHMs WIN, Donna Marie Johnson, has incorporated expert interviews into content for our blog.

What’s great about this is that you don’t have to create the content yourself, yet you still bring great value to your readers.

It can also be a way for you and the expert to bundle and package the information for marketing purposes or to even sell for a profit, in the future.

Most experts are willing to do an interview without charging a fee because it provides them another platform to expand their reach and gain more exposure for their business.

So, who in your industry do you follow or know, who could offer a new perspective or insight on your topic? Reach out to a few people and make the connection!

When you are crystal clear on who your target audience is, it becomes much easier to create the kind of compelling content that is attractive to them.

3 Easy Ways to Grow Your Social Influence

Solve a real problem. When you A) know your market and B) have identified their biggest challenges, you can share the steps or process they can use to overcome the problem. As you design your content and take into account the emotional aspect your ideal clients are facing, you will be better able to acknowledge and address the issue while providing resolution.

Tell a story. Hopefully your business is an extension of your purpose and passion which can make room for you to not only share your personal experience but tell a story and make it more real for your audience. Telling a relevant story using content is a great way to boost your social influential by allowing others to see you as a real person and relate to you on a personal level.

Stay on topic. Whether you are a new or seasoned social networker, to effectively establish a recognizable social influence, staying on topic is very important. There is nothing more detrimental to your business brand then being all over the place and displaying lack of focus. It is important to own your niche and demonstrate your strengths by staying centered on the needs of your ideal audience.

Since the primary objective of creating a credible online presence is to attract your ideal clients and win over new customers, the most significant impact you can make on your social influence is to be able to ”back it up” with social proof, such as:

• Prominently display testimonials of happy clients/customers
• Share quotes from raving fans and followers
• Display statics to show and prove what you are saying
• Demonstrate a case study with before and after results

How are you currently growing your influence across social networks? Share your tips in the comments below: