This article is a guest post by Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42 Match, a free resource to help businesses find expert content providers. Joe blogs regularly at blog.junta42.com.

 

One of the most frequent questions I receive while traveling is about blogging. The questions revolve around how to get started, what to talk about, and what software to use.

I usually reply to these people with questions of my own, which startles them, because so many start thinking about blogging in terms of what they want to say, instead of what their target audience needs to hear. 

Here are 10 questions I frequently ask bloggers just getting started:

1.  Who are your primary and secondary targets for your blog?

2.  What do you want to tell them?

3.  Do you understand what the key informational needs of the audience are?

4.  Are you reading other blogs on that topic, and ones targeting your customers and prospects?

5.  If you are reading, are you leaving comments that add to the online conversation on the blogs you cover?

6.  Do you have a firm grasp on the types of keywords to focus on that would be relevant to your blog?

7.  Do you follow those keywords on Technorati and Google Blog Search?  Do you have alerts set up around those keywords at Google Alerts? (or possibly even use a reputation management system?)

8.  Can you commit to blogging at least two-to-three times per week? (consistency is key, based on the expectations you set with your audience)

9.  What is your ultimate goal in starting a blog?  In one year from when you start blogging, how will your life be different?

10.  Are you looking at blogging as a challenge or something that could be fun?

Of course, I don’t ask all of these in fear I would scare them off, but these are the general starter questions.  These questions should be the same for individuals as well as businesses.

The majority of blogs out there don’t make it.  The worst thing you can do as a business is start a consistent dialogue with your customers and then stop.  Better not to do one at all.

Remember, blogging is just a tool.  Some businesses aren’t ready to commit resources or change their culture (full transparency) to adapt to a blog.  That’s okay.  But all businesses must understand the power of blogging.  Your brand is what people read about and talk about online. You have to decide if you want to be a part of shaping that conversation around your brand.

 

 

This article is a guest post by Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42 Match, a free resource to help businesses find expert content providers. Joe blogs regularly at blog.junta42.com.

 

One of the most frequent questions I receive while traveling is about blogging. The questions revolve around how to get started, what to talk about, and what software to use.

I usually reply to these people with questions of my own, which startles them, because so many start thinking about blogging in terms of what they want to say, instead of what their target audience needs to hear. 

Here are 10 questions I frequently ask bloggers just getting started:

1.  Who are your primary and secondary targets for your blog?

2.  What do you want to tell them?

3.  Do you understand what the key informational needs of the audience are?

4.  Are you reading other blogs on that topic, and ones targeting your customers and prospects?

5.  If you are reading, are you leaving comments that add to the online conversation on the blogs you cover?

6.  Do you have a firm grasp on the types of keywords to focus on that would be relevant to your blog?

7.  Do you follow those keywords on Technorati and Google Blog Search?  Do you have alerts set up around those keywords at Google Alerts? (or possibly even use a reputation management system?)

8.  Can you commit to blogging at least two-to-three times per week? (consistency is key, based on the expectations you set with your audience)

9.  What is your ultimate goal in starting a blog?  In one year from when you start blogging, how will your life be different?

10.  Are you looking at blogging as a challenge or something that could be fun?

Of course, I don’t ask all of these in fear I would scare them off, but these are the general starter questions.  These questions should be the same for individuals as well as businesses.

The majority of blogs out there don’t make it.  The worst thing you can do as a business is start a consistent dialogue with your customers and then stop.  Better not to do one at all.

Remember, blogging is just a tool.  Some businesses aren’t ready to commit resources or change their culture (full transparency) to adapt to a blog.  That’s okay.  But all businesses must understand the power of blogging.  Your brand is what people read about and talk about online. You have to decide if you want to be a part of shaping that conversation around your brand.

 

What Failing Marketers Miss In Requesting Joint Ventures
Copyright 2008 by Willie Crawford

As I travel from seminar to seminar, and meet people new
to internet marketing, I witness a lot of people quickly
discovering the power of setting up joint ventures.

Many of these people understand that if they could get large
list owners (and people with busy websites) to recommend
their products, they could make a lot of sales really fast.

They understand that one big joint venture partner can make
or break a product launch.

They understand that one successful product launch can propel
them to an incredible level of success.

So the light bulb comes on, and the marketers start trying
to figure out how to set up join ventures. They start
tracking down prospects left and right, and frantically
trying to set up those lucrative joint ventures.

However, most of the newer internet marketers completely
miss the most important part. They neglect to consider
what the wants and needs of their potential joint venture
partners are.

They “know” that they have a great product (or a great
product idea) and they believe that a lot of people will
want and benefit from it.

They also believe that all of the potential joint venture
partners on their “hit list” will absolutely love their
joint venture proposals.

What they fail to consider is:

1) These potential joint partners already have projects
that they are launching -their own or their clients.’

2) These potential joint venture partners already have
their own products that they are trying to sell and are
even looking for joint partners for.

3) These joint venture partners are often constantly
being approached by dozens of others seeking the same
type of joint ventures that you seek.

4) These potential joint venture partners, if they are in
the same niche, may already have a product that competes
directly with yours.

Identifying these all-to-common mistakes, you can now avoid
making them, and in the process dramatically increase your
chances of getting a “YES” to your joint venture proposal.

Just having that knowledge gives you a huge potential
advantage over the hordes of others seeking joint ventures
with the same potential joint venture partners.

However, having that knowledge is not enough – you need to
actually use it.

Setting up lucrative joint ventures is not really an
insurmountable challenge. It just involves framing your
offer in terms of how it will benefit your potential joint
venture partners.

It has to answer the question “Why would I spend time
promoting your products rather than focusing on my own?”

Very few less-experienced internet marketers answer that
question, or are even aware that this is what’s really on
potential joint venture partners’ minds.

Now you have a distinct advantage. You know what many
marketers miss in requesting joint ventures. Your next
step is to use that knowledge. It really is that simple.

————
Willie Crawford is a joint venture brokers who has been
launching products over the internet for 12 years. For more
of Willie’s joint venture tips and strategies, register for
his teleclass at: http://WillieCrawford.com/JVTeleseminar/