You might already have seen these videos from Michael Stelzner, maybe on another blog or you might have seen me tweet (about four times, heh) how good they are. If not, go take a look now. Why am I pushing you to go look at videos on White Papers? Very simple reason really. It's because this approach to attracting business is exactly in line with what I have been telling people with Authority Blogging. You give away unique and useful information, you set out a compelling argument or … [Read more...]

The last few posts have a bit of a theme. I have been thinking about the Cluetrain Manifesto and the books impact on our current Social Media thinking. I asked if the authors authority had diminished, due to so many people having not heard of the book. Most people agree that this legacy will live on. The proof I guess is that we are still talking about it. What is your legacy? What are you leaving to future generations? Are you working for profit today or something longer lasting? … [Read more...]

In the last post we saw that Business Blogs can provide many benefits. How do you gain those benefits without turning your role into full time blogger? It's a common question. Clients often object to me that they just don't have time to blog so much and they worry that if you don't put in the effort then you can't expect to reap the rewards. Not all businesses have the money to outsource all the work, and sometimes finding people who can blog on your topic is a challenge in … [Read more...]

In the last post in this series I explained my preferred approach to business blogs. Let's take a look at why you would bother creating a business blog. What benefits can you acquire by blogging? As you would expect, I am a firm believer in the benefits of blogging for business, but I do know that blogs are hard work and that puts a lot of businesses off or leads them to have a half-hearted approach. Business blogs are amongst the toughest type of sites to do well. I can't name a single … [Read more...]

Business Blogs are a mystery to many people. How does content produce customers? Aren't blogs a lot of work? What is the least you can do to make a blog work for your business? In this overview I aim to show you that, yes, there is work to be done, but it need not consume all your time. Let's start with the standard small business web approach of the last ten years. Brochure website containing some content Contact us form Adventurous might pay for some advertising, but not … [Read more...]

Have you seen Kevin Kelly's "1,000 True Fans"? You will likely see this excellent article mentioned on other blogs. It's one of those posts I wish I had written, because I have tried to recommend similar ideas, just not as well. What he says is that an artist can make a living from 1,000 true fans. Rather than aim to be mainstream success, or scrape a living from the long tail, you can earn a decent income by appealing directly to a fan base. When I talk about Marillion and not trying to … [Read more...]

One of the best things I have gained from blogging have been friendships and contacts. This should have been anticipated but instead still surprises me now. This networking side of blogging and social media is something that has come increasingly to the fore in recent years. I see it both as a good and bad thing. Right from the start it was the social side of computer communications that drew me in. First the primative Bulletin Board systems over slow, noisy modems, then usenet and of course … [Read more...]

Since I wrote about affiliate marketing I have had quite a lot of feedback. While there are a lot of people saying they are cautiously going to give it a go, many more have told me one of two things: I didn't make a lot of money right away so I gave up! I'm removing all other monetization methods and going 100% aff! Woooah! Yes there is a great deal of money to be made in affiliate marketing, and it is possible to get a nice fat windfall occasionally, I did not intend to give … [Read more...]

It was interesting to see Yaro talk about Affiliate Marketing as I had also been having a discussion on the topic and wanted to share my own advice. Do check out Yaro's post. The key point I want to repeat is this one: Those early days taught me that patience is a virtue when it comes to building an affiliate marketing business based on a blog. I've learned a lot about what goes into effective affiliate marketing since then, yet in many ways, I still walk into most promotions completely blind … [Read more...]

As most people who read this blog know, giving away information is what I do. I write, answer emails, give away ebooks, give talks. Thankfully I also pay the bills. The way I do that is by charging for information. Specific, bespoke advice, workshops, consulting calls, teaching classes. So many times people have queried the strategy, they do not understand that I get to charge because of all the stuff I give away. As Chris Anderson says though in this interview, it is a model that … [Read more...]