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Lisa Orrell, The Promote U Guru 
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Archive for February, 201250 Qualities of the Best Business BlogsFebruary 24th, 2012Hi All! As you know, I’m constantly doing research for tips, trends and strategies that pertain the branding, business, marketing, social media, sales, PR, etc…basically anything that can help people build their small businesses and achieve success! And today I came across this great blog post written by Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion, entitled: 50 Qualities of the Best Business Blogs in the World. I wanted to share several of the tips on his list here because SO many clients and people in my workshop audiences constantly ask,”What can I do to make my blog better?” Or, “I want to start a blog but don’t know what to do!” And after reading Marcus’s post, I felt many of you could benefit from the info. So, here are 15 of the 50 qualities he shared: 1. They answer the basic consumer questions first and foremost. 2. They don’t suffer from the curse of knowledge. 3. They don’t try to impress readers because they know that happens naturally with great teaching. 4. They don’t brag about themselves, their company, and why they’re so awesome. 5. They are willing to have a conversation below the post (in the comments section) or behind the scenes via email. 6. They don’t waste words, and if they can state it shorter, they do. 7. The owner/CEO of the company is involved and also is a blog contributor. 8. They include at least one image on every post. 9. They make it readable by using short paragraphs, bullets, headers, etc. 10. They include video as much as possible. 11. They address subjects no one else in their industry is willing to address. 12. If they see something wrong in their industry, they tactfully call-out the action, person, or company doing it. 13. They leverage as many employees as they can in the content curation process, and see every member of their staff as a “blog contributor.” 14. They don’t have a bunch of frivolous red tape, filters, and stupid management teams holding up every blog article that’s written. 15. They have thick skin and don’t back down as soon as someone doesn’t like what they have to say. To read the other 35 qualities he shared, simply click here! I hope that all you small business owners, speakers, authors, coaches, entertainers and consultants find this info helpful for improving your blogging efforts. If you’re going to take the time to have a blog, you should at least do your best to make your efforts effective! Cheers & Happy Marketing! Lisa  Beyond a Press Release: Two More Strategies to Get Media InterviewsFebruary 05th, 2012Hi All! By writing and distributing Press Releases for myself, I have been interviewed by well-known media such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, and many others. And when you give them a great interview or sound bite, they come back to you. I have one reporter who has contacted me 3 different times in the past 6 months for 3 different articles she was writing. That is FREE publicity to the world! Press Releases can also prompt the media to ask you to write an article for them. Why? They perceive you as an “expert”! In a short period of time I was asked by BNET.com, WomenEntrepreneur.com, and PersonalBrandingBlog.com to write articles for them – all because they received a Press Release from me and it put me on their radar as a “go to” expert in my niche. But once you’ve crafted a newsworthy Press Release, and deployed it through a distribution service like PRWeb.com, what else can you do as a small business owner on a budget to get media interviews? Here are 2 strategies to consider: Spoon Feeding the Media Segment Ideas In addition to sending out “mass news” Press Releases, there is another strategy for getting publicity. I call it “spoon feeding” the media. The media loves it when you approach them with specific story ideas. This can be along the lines of topics like: “Is Your Career Suffering? 5 Unique Tips for Success”, or “Do You Struggle With Money? 3 Surefire Tips for Finding Financial Bliss”, or “Is Stress Ruining Your Life? 4 Proven Ways to Overcome It”. The key here is you’re doing the “thinking” for the Reporters, Editors, Producers, etc. They are always looking for ideas, and appreciate when they get some! So focus on topics that fit within your niche as a Coach, develop compelling topics that would be great interview topics for print, online, radio or TV, find several media outlets that cover stories related to your expertise and that reach your target audience, and pitch them your idea(s). This strategy has worked very well for me, personally, and my clients! And you can approach the media contacts via phone or email. But, and here’s a key point, whether you send them a Press Release or contact them with a specific topic idea, you need to follow-up. Sending them one email or leaving one voicemail message is typically not enough. Try 3-5 follow up attempts before you give up. Most members of the media are approached with many news stories and topic ideas daily, so being the “squeaky wheel” is often necessary. And even if they don’t jump on the first one you present, continue to the send them new ones. Eventually you will get their attention! Sharing Your News Through Social Media Once you have uploaded and deployed your Press Release through PRWeb.com or another online distribution service, the services create a web page for it with a unique url. So not only post your Press Release on your website but also be sure share the link to it with all of your Social Media channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc. You can also use the Press Release as a post for your blog. And, when you start to get media interviews, be sure to add the links to the articles or appearances on your website. Plus, share links to those, too, with your Social Media communities. Please note, it’s not only totally acceptable to toot your own horn by sharing these things, it is necessary for building your business and brand! OKAY! There is your crash course in how implementing effective PR strategies can benefit your business. Again, this is a key marketing tool for building brand awareness, positioning yourself as an expert (ie: personal branding), generating sales for events and products, attracting new clients, and landing speaking engagements. Being persistent and consistent with your PR efforts can bring you substantial returns…and prospects will be impressed by the media coverage you post on your website. It really will build your credibility as an expert in your field! Cheers & Happy Marketing! Lisa
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