8 Cool Things About Blogging

BLOGS VS TRADITIONAL WEBSITES

Let’s first start with some of the positive things about blogs. When blogs started, they were seen as personal diaries – although this is not the case anymore, one can still find blogs which contain personal aspects of someone’s life. Nowadays blogs are mainly a place where one posts VALUABLE information – and I can’t stress enough the value in the word ‘Valuable’ – blogs are NOT a place where one writes garbage and scammed articles, as like this the life of the blog will be very short lived. Readers don’t visit blogs to read constantly about this and that product, where the author is pushing a sale – unless the posts are professional reviews, where the reader can actually benefit from reading the post.

LET’S NOW REVIEW 8 COOL THINGS ABOUT BLOGS:

1. They are alive. Whereas traditional websites are static, blogs are constantly changing – and this depends on how often the ‘author’ adds pages and posts to the blog. Once there is always valuable information being added to a blog, readers keep coming to the blog to read the latest post, they will even subscribe to the feed, leave comments, and so on – and eventually the ‘author’ is viewed as the-person-to-go-to in his / her niche.

2. They are interactive. I write a post, someone leaves a comment, I comment back, another person leaves a comment, I comment back, and on and on it goes. Withing blogs there is a sense of something ‘alive’ behind the scenes, since there is communication going on – unlike with traditional websites. And people LOVE leaving and reading comments, especially when the ‘author’ comments back. I have seen blogs where the post was written 3 years back and people are still leaving comments. The more comments one has, the more the blog is viewed as professional and the ‘author’ as an expert, because it’s the way people psychologically think.

3. Posts are placed in an ‘archive’. Your posts will still be accessible and ‘pulled’ by the search engines when someone researches one of your keywords – even years on. So all the hard work that one puts into writing articles will not die after a few days or months. In addition, the posts go in archives, and one can easily access them through a search box, or by means of category or date, through your blog. So, although on the page of your blog where you have your posts, there might appear to be only a few posts, at the back there is loads of articles that are easily accessible. So one can spend hours on a good blog.

4. Easy to create & update. Another positive things about blogs is that one does not need to know any html or special computer ‘language’, to be able to create a blog. Nowadays it’s so easy to build a blog and to update it regularly.I am in favour of self-hosted blogs where you own the blog, as opposed to a blog where it is hosted somewhere else where you don’t have any control. Although building such a blog (self-hosted) takes a bit more time and determination, it’s worth the effort, knowing that you can fully customize it how you want and that you own it. In addition, it is very easy to add pictures, links to social media accounts, videos, audio recordings, recorded training calls, shopping carts, forums…

5. Your blog is your voice. The blogger or ‘author’ has total control on what information to give out and what kind of message he / she wants to pass on to his / her readers. Moreover, the blogger usually chooses a topic that she / he wants to write about – usually a blog revolves around 1 topic, and the blogger also chooses whether to blog as a hobby, part-time or as a professional – the difference being the amount of articles posted per week, the amount of time spent on the blog each week, and hence how much money is to be earned from the blog.

6. Can be a stand-alone business. Those who blog professionally, earn an income from their blogs. There are various ways in which one can monetize one’s blog – I will be dedicating a future article dealing with ‘Monetizing Your Blog’.

7. Blogs can supplement an offline existing business. Keeping a blog, can help your company to be regarded as a leader within your industry. In addition, prospective clients can read your blog, interact, and purchase products and services from you.

8. Can enhance your career. Through your blog, and hence a greater visibility, you can experience positive changes in your career and business, and build a reputation for leadership in your particular industry.

THE VERY FEW DISADVANTAGES THAT I CAN THINK OF

1. One has to commit. If you want your readers to keep coming back for more, there needs to be articles or other type of information posted regularly for them to read, as otherwise your blog will die a slow sure death. Depending on your purpose of blogging, should be a clear indication of how often you should post a new article. I recommend, at least 2 posts weekly – or you can go down the route of having a ‘solid’ post weekly, and other small supporting articles the rest of the week.

2. Too personal. One has to balance out what to write. Some people keep it strictly business, although a lot of readers like reading blogs because it makes the blogger human – so some might decide to put in a bit of personal information. One has to be prudent and realistic what information to place on one’s blog – you don’t want your reputation, business or career to be put in jeopardy.

3. Hot topics. Same goes for controversial and radical topics – one has to weigh really well what to write about. It’s OK to place your opinion about someone or something, but remember too much negativity will after a while get boring, and a blog can be potentially viewed by 1.6 billion people.

4. Too much spam. I bring up this topic once more, as it is the basis of a good blog with many viewers and subscribers, and a ‘ghost’ blog. People search the internet for valuable information – the more ‘free’ value you can give your readers the more they will visit again and again. Then once you build a relationship and you are viewed as an ‘expert’ in your field, then you can start looking for ways to monetize your blog.

Categories: Uncategorized

5 Steps On How Blogging Can Help You Master Internet Marketing

Blogging is not as new as you may think, it has been around since the late 1990’s. Only now is it becoming really main stream and coming to the fore. It started out as being a means to post simple one line comments on a webpage, where surfers could give feedback on products or services. Since then, these basic sentences have now blossomed into pages of dialogue about diverse subjects ranging from personal interest to corporate issues.

But the really interesting thing is that advertisers have cottoned on to the power of blogging. As blogging evolves in its importance, it is becoming clear to anyone serious about establishing and maintaining a strong internet presence that blogging is the must have new internet marketing tool.

To help you exploit blogging as an online marketing tool, follow these five tips:

1. Blogging Is Simple, Easy and Fun.

It is one of the most straight forward ways of getting your views about hot topics, products or services aired online. You don’t need fancy qualifications to set- up a half decent blog. As long as you have an average command of English and can use a PC, you are half way there. All you need are ideas and the commitment to get writing, typing fast always helps but that improves with time.

Blogging allows you to publish your own take on life, health, wealth and relationships amongst others. It’s like having your own magazine and you’re your own editor. You can review anything from TV shows, music, fashion, food, developments in current affairs along with a multitude of products and services. The more genuine and informed you are the better your articles will be.

2. Blogging Is Believable.

Advertising is inundating people from every angle with “buy this and buy that”, so much so it makes people immune to publicity or at the very least less suggestible. The difference with blogging is that, it is about ordinary folk talking about what interests and matters to them.

Blogging is like listening to your friend and there is nothing more powerful than word of mouth which has huge power to persuade. If you get a recommendation with a balanced argument from someone you trust, you are more likely to try that product. You feel that you have insider information, a heads up if you will!

3. Blogging Is Cheap.

Most people blog for free because blogging is still a novel medium, there hasn’t been wide spread charging for it. It is still evolving organically, and it would appear that advertising is where providers are covering their costs.

The majority blog on dedicated free sites specifically designed to cater for bloggers. Other generic websites offer blogging sections for visitors to chat and share feedback, or they have an informal section where their own staff or personalities blog in a chatty style to attract fans. More serious bloggers especially businesses should consider paid blogs as you have so much more control over your content. You can advertise and can generate revenue from advertising on a paid blog.

4. Blogging Builds Reputation.

The more you educate your readers about your area of interest and the more you demonstrate you know what you are talking about, the more authority you develop. Readers become to trust you and your word. As your credibility increases you start to attract more hits, firstly because of word of mouth but also because your blog gets linked to by other blogs and websites.

If you have managed to become a real authority in an area, you could find interest from the commercial sector who want to associate their business with you. Success breeds success because you have established a good reputation, you will find that industry may want to advertise with you or you could get paid for referrals from your blog as an affiliate.

5. Blogging Grows Market Share.

You can build market share by following these steps:

• Maximise the use of email.

Use your email contacts to let them know about your blog. Send short emails or headlines to your list directing recipients to your updated blog. This way you drive more traffic to your site, or if you’re lucky you’ll get forwarded on to their friends and family.

People like to keep a good newsletter to read time and time again. The good thing about blogs are that they are in cyber space indefinitely and easy to find. So when your readers have gotten your email notification, they know they can go to your blog site and that the content is there at anytime for a browse. This allows them to delete the earlier notification and keep their inbox clutter free.

• Encourage subscriptions.

By requesting a subscription from a reader for full access to your blog site, you get the reader’s name and email address in return. Email addresses are a valuable commodity, they help you communicate directly with qualified prospects so you can promote to a targeted and responsive audience and get conversions or in lay man’s terms sales.

You should ask permission by asking your reader to opt in before signing them up to your blog subscription. Don’t pimp your list, and by that we mean, don’t sell it on, or spam your list with irrelevant information that they didn’t sign up for. You don’t want to get a name as sending junk mail or risk a post on your blog about unwanted subscriptions.

• Know Your Audience.

Ask questions! When readers subscribe to your blog, ask them to fill out a short questionnaire so you can better meet their needs in terms of how you communicate and advertise to them. Once you have their profile details and preferences, you can be sure you are not wasting your time on irrelevant topics and advertising. Don’t be frightened of conducting surveys, or asking for comments on a recent blog post or advertisement.

• Join blog-Groups.

What blog networks have is something in common. They’re generally in the same sector, field, demographic or gender. By grouping your blog with similar bloggers in a network blog, you reassure the reader that you are a credible trustworthy source because a community of bloggers have accredited you simply by being in the same network.

It is also easier for readers to find resources in a single location rather than having to search endlessly online. It adds value to them by saving them time. Remember the bigger the group the better.

• Add RSS Feeds.

This technology is growing in prevalence daily on the net. RSS feeds have the ability to make your site look professional. They also keep your site fresh looking. RSS feeds also generate interest in your blog which is the end game for any blogger.

So to conclude, don’t get left behind in the online space. Blogging is creating a new internet culture for individuals, it is also the next must have marketing tool for businesses. Embrace it or be left behind.

Categories: Uncategorized

Commercial Loan Refinance – Blood Bath of 08

We are now nearly 5 months into 2008 and who would have known that there would be so many problems with the banking industry and an individual’s ability to close a commercial loan refinance. Many banks and lenders have simply stopped quoting rates and a few have already gone out of business. Depending on which banks you talk to, their seems to be a real sense of fear on how and when this is going to straighten up.

Of course borrowers that are trying to deal with their own situation and complete/close their commercial loan refinance are to a degree, at the mercy of the greater markets. Some borrowers, with gray hair, bring up the Jimmy Carter days when Prime was in the 20%’s. A few have elected to refinance out of their current loan to get into longer fixed rate financing in an effort to better prepare themselves even though they incur prepayment penalties and the like.

Confusion

Besides the banks and lenders that have taken the brunt of it (that either held a large amounts of subprime securities or that were direct portfolio lenders in the residential subprime business) there seems to be a real level of confusion among banks that are in decent positions to lend. It seems all loan details are up for scrutiny and evaluation. Meaning what does the bank want to lend on? Do they still want hotels, restaurants, retail, etc? What about geographical markets, are they still looking at deals in the Midwest, for example?

Guidelines like loan to value and debt coverage ratios have been tightened pretty much across the board but less obviously guidelines like what vacancy and or management fees used for underwriting seem to be up for grabs as well.

Rates have been another issue that is worth noting. Normally the differences in rates between one bank and another is around .3 %. Meaning if one lender quotes 6% than the highest rate on the next quote would be around 6.3%. We have seen differences as high as 2.5% on the same transactions, which is pretty much unheard of in the industry.

For borrows looking at their refinance this can be pretty confusing as the media is talking about fed rates being lowered and residential lenders are advertising “historic lows”. The issue here is the difference between secondary CBS lenders vs. traditional portfolio lenders that receive their capital primarily from deposits.

The state of the market is frustrating to all involved, not just the borrower trying to get there commercial loan refinanced.

Categories: Uncategorized

Commercial Loans And Small Business Financing – What To Avoid

It is always advisable to have a detailed understanding of what can go wrong with commercial loans and working capital financing. The five factors described can have negative and long-lasting financial results for small business loans and commercial real estate loans. Business owners should be prepared for these real possibilities.

Most commercial borrowers do not want to experience a worst case for commercial real estate loans and small business loans. When present simultaneously, there are five particular factors which will usually result in a serious outcome that is nevertheless avoidable. Understanding each of the issues should enable borrowers to avoid a potentially devastating working capital financing outcome.

Here are the issues which we believe will usually result in a worst case scenario for commercial loans if all five are present: (1) Dealing with an inexperienced commercial finance advisor; (2) Using a lender which historically has an unacceptable track record for successfully completing commercial loans; (3) Obtaining business financing that includes a recall option for the lender; (4) Inappropriate and non-competitive business loan terms; and (5) Short-term financing in which a borrower is not also offered the opportunity to lengthen to a longer-term period.

Our primary advice is to totally avoid circumstances where all five factors exist at the same time. A secondary recommendation is to also seek alternative financing for commercial loans when either of the first two elements are present. There are likely to be many working capital management scenarios where it will be impractical to avoid all of the issues described in the preceding paragraph.

It is important for business owners to secure commercial financing which is not impacted by the worst case conditions. Business owners will subject themselves to inappropriate business financing terms for a very long time if they do not take appropriate action before they finalize commercial loans. There are two points which should be emphasized.

Our first point is that business loans are probably more complicated than realized by most commercial borrowers. There are a number of additional serious commercial funding obstacles beyond those noted in this brief article. Because of this, it is important for commercial borrowers not to narrowly focus on the factors included in the worst case scenario discussed here and simply avoid these specific issues.

A balanced analysis of both the worst case aspects and other critical business finance terms is essential for comprehensive working capital financing. The importance of this overall perspective is why we emphasized the critical nature of avoiding both inexperienced brokers and lenders.

Second, the worst case scenario for business loans described above is totally avoidable. But to avoid an obstacle, it is critical that you have a working understanding of what you are avoiding, what it looks like and any special techniques required to evade it. For example, if you are driving a car, it is common sense that you will not intentionally drive your vehicle over sharp pointed objects that are likely to puncture your tires.

With commercial loans and commercial real estate loans, the combination of the five factors noted previously in this article will typically produce an impact for small business funding that is equivalent to much worse than simply puncturing a tire. Unfortunately, without proper advice and knowledge, most business owners will not be prepared to recognize the appropriate warning signs for avoiding business financing hazards.

In this article we focused on problems with small business financing that will almost always have long-lasting and immediate negative results for business owners. Commercial borrowers should not overlook the multitude of other serious problems with commercial loans beyond those described. As with the circumstances noted above, most of the other potential difficulties with business loans can also be avoided.

Categories: Uncategorized