Blogging Tips

Actionable Steps on How to Blog Regularly and Keep Your Blog from Stagnating

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 06:04 PM PDT

We all know the importance of keeping blogs updated but the question is can we stick to it?
Blogging consistently can be an uphill battle for many people. There are so many excuses for not being able to blog regularly. Business owners easily put blogging aside because they have more important stuff to do. Freelance writers who write for several clients can’t find the time to write on their own blogs.

blog regularly - find when you're most productive

The result can be frustrating. Your blog suffers and you’ll lose a lot of opportunities for creating more income.
So how do you make the habit stick?
I’ve read an article from Mike Sobol of Search Enging People and it featured 10 ways on how you can be consistent in blogging. He’s presented really simple and actionable steps that I’m sure will help you become more disciplined and consistent.
Here are some tips that have helped me blog regularly:

Find the most productive time for you

There’s a certain time of the day when you’re highly productive. Find it. You’ll get things done a lot faster if you know which time you’re more productive.
I write better in the early hours of the day. I discovered that words flow easily and I can digest info a lot better. This could be probably because no one’s up and everything’s quiet but I used to write better between 6 p.m.and 12 midnight and that’s a time when everyone’s at home so I’m guessing that it’s not just because I have the house to myself.
These times change. You could be more productive at 5 a.m. today and then at 2 p.m. a couple of weeks from now so be prepared to adjust.

Shut everyone out

Being around so many people can suck at times. You sure can’t write continuously when someone’s constantly bugging you so be brave enough to tell people you live with to leave you alone even for just a few hours.
When I was starting out, I was living with a lot of people and my work area was either the living room or the dining table. And it’s really hard to focus on writing when you’re constantly asked to do something or they call your attention for something you really don’t have anything to do with.
It breaks concentration and makes you just want to strangle someone.
What I did was to go out and work at coffee shops or the gym. Even though these are public places, people usually don’t bother you so it helped me get more stuff done.
Talk to your housemates. Tell them that as much as you enjoy their company, you need to work and that means leaving you undisturbed for at least 4 hours. Do it politely and explain your work flow. Most people would understand.

Set a specific amount of time for writing and take frequent breaks

Once you’re settled in, take a timer and set it to ring after 30, 40, or 50 minutes depending on how much work you need to do. Write continuously and don’t stop until the timer goes off. That means no Facebook, phone calls, text messages, or emails.
Imprison yourself for that time frame and you’ll be surprised at how quickly tasks can be done.
Taking frequent breaks is also advisable because it keeps your mind refreshed. If you work continuously for long hours, you’ll get exhausted easily and won’t get many tasks done.
This is a lot like the Pomodoro technique, which has worked really well for a lot of people.

Always be on the lookout for ideas

One reason for failing to blog regularly is the lack of something to blog about. Make sure that you already have a blog topic before you open your computer. You’ll waste a lot of time if you don’t.
That means always be ready to capture ideas. Look for inspiration everywhere and be sure to…

Always have your iPhone or a pen and notebook

I’ve written before that blog ideas can hit you unexpectedly so you must be ready to take note. That’s why you should always have a pen and paper or your iPhone. The notepad feature can be useful when jotting down ideas for titles, link sources, and even titles. You can also download apps like Evernote.

Make an editorial calendar.

It helps to plan your posts early. That way, you don’t have to continually rack your brains for possible topics. Use Google calendar or simply create an Excel sheet.
It’d be better if you can have at least a month’s worth of possible articles. Having an editorial calendar is also good in case you decide to outsource your posts.

Download distraction-free apps for writing

Even though you’ve promised yourself to not check Facebook or send a tweet while working, the temptation to do an Alt-Tab and open a new browser can be very hard to resist.
Download distraction-free apps like Omm Writer or Write Monkey. I’ve tried Write Monkey and it’s really cool. Your laptop monitor will rid all distractions and all you’ll see is a black background and the words you type.

Take baby steps

If you’re just starting out, don’t overwhelm yourself with huge goals or expectations. Take things slowly. Take baby steps. Don’t rush because you’re only going to encounter more problems.
If you think you’ll find it difficult to blog regularly, then start small. Aim for 1 post a week then work from there. Remember that slow and steady wins the race.
If all else fails, just go back to what matters to you the most: your love for writing. Stop thinking about failing to meet your client’s needs for a while and focus on why you’re blogging. That should help motivate you to stick to blogging regularly.

Copyright © 2013 Blogging Tips. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact us so we can take legal action immediately.
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10 Must-Have Social Profiles For Businesses and Individuals

Posted: 13 Sep 2013 08:10 AM PDT

A strong online presence is essential for businesses and business professionals. Having a positive and approachable presence online is a great way to bump customer satisfaction ratings. For individuals, a strong and positive online presence is an easy way to win over potential clients and peers in a professional setting. This is something I’ve always focused on with my brands. Not only do I want to make sure I have complete visibility with my main blog at ZacJohnson.com, but I also want to make sure I am creating high ranking social networking profiles as well. By doing this I can almost assure that I will have multiple rankings within the first several pages of any search results for my name.
If you're a business owner or an individual, consider these top ten must-have domains:
The top 10 domains for individuals, in no particular order:

Completed: The biographical style of Completed lets potential employers read through a diary of professional achievements with a sharp design.
Twitter: Tweets about current issues can help professionals gain followers, which equates to legitimacy in social media.
Google Plus: Having a social profile tied to the biggest search engine in the world can be incredibly beneficial to business pros.
Facebook: Probably one of the first places people will search for an individual, so keep it classy and professional.
Pinterest: Perfect for those artists and professionals in a visual medium who are looking to boost their profiles.
YouTube: The best platform available for someone to create their own videos and make a lasting impression.
Blogger: Writing a blog can give individuals an outlet to expand on their professions and interests.
Tumblr: The site has been known for its SEO friendliness, which can help anyone promote him or herself.
Quora: Offers anyone the ability to become a trusted source in a specialized field.
Brandyourself.com: Ensure that only the best and most important links show up first in Google searches.

You can take a look at my Zac Johnson Completed.com profile below. Right away you will notice that Completed.com offers a lot more personal information than many other social networking profiles.

Business domains, in no particular order:

Completed: Lay out the history of a company and explain what goals it has achieved and is currently working towards.
CrunchBase: An editable database of companies, people and investors in the technology world. Great place for a tech company to put up information and establish itself.
Twitter: One of the easiest ways for companies to address questions and concerns from their loyal customer bases.
Google Plus: With much of the population using Google for their search queries and email, it makes sense to be on the associated social network.
Facebook: Consumers choose to follow businesses and companies on Facebook so they can get the latest updates sent right to their news feed.
LinkedIn: Connect with top professionals. Job postings can be put directly onto LinkedIn, ensuring the best minds get an opportunity to apply.
YouTube: Create engaging content that can get the message across to demographics better than text ever could.
Quora: Consumers have questions, and your company has the answers. This site makes communicating and building brand loyalty even easier.
Vimeo: A PRO account with Vimeo gives businesses 50GB of storage, advanced analytics and more.
Daily Motion: The second largest video-sharing website behind YouTube allows users to sign up with Facebook.

Brand management is important for everyone no matter what stage in the game. Using the websites above is a vital first step in controlling your brand online and making sure you are ranking heavily for your personal and business name in the search results.

Copyright © 2013 Blogging Tips. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact us so we can take legal action immediately.
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