The Blog Squad Recommends...

Guest Posting Ebook - How to Boost Traffic, Authority and Credibility

I'm often asked how to drive more traffic to a blog and my initial response is that you have to post on your own blog consistently and constantly.

However, there are other ways and one of them is to post on other blogs...and I don't mean commenting on blogs (which I often refer to as blog outreach). I mean being a guest blogger on influential blogs in your niche. I confess that it's not something I do a lot of though I am a guest author on Social Media Examiner and for several years I had a regular blog column on AllBusiness.com.

You might have heard of my friend, blogging consultant, Chris Garrett. He wrote the Problogger book with Darren Rowse. Chris is a very smart guy, a thorough teacher, and I read his stuff religiously.

Well Chris Garrett has a new ebook out that tells you everything you need to know to get quality authority links and a boost in traffic, all through a quick and easy approach to guest blogging.

Right now he is offering it for the crazy low price of only $17! It would be a steal at twice the price and it is sure to go up over time as the reviews and testimonials start to pour in, so make sure you grab your copy and check out all the bonuses fast.

Check it out here. Having studied the "Guest Posting" ebook, I have to say it's quite thorough and is an excellent step by step tutorial on how to get started. This is a terrific way to establish yourself quickly as an authority in your niche, boost your visibility and drive more traffic back to your home base.

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Disclosure: I'm an affiliate for this product.

The Ultimate Collection of Marketing Graphics for Your Sites

I love a great deal and I was recently turned on to one -- a suite of graphic images you can use on your sales pages, web sites, powerpoints, landing pages -- for only $10.95 (at the time of publication).

I'm not a graphic designer by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes I need images for my sales pages. A well designed call to action button can encourage more sales. A stylish check mark for your bullet points can turn a boring sales page into a credible tool to sell your product.

It can cost a fortune to have a designer create custom "buy now" or guarantee badges or cool check marks and arrows for your sales pages.

This package - the Marketing Graphics Toolkit - has hundreds of options and multiple color versions of every button and badge. For some of the images you will need Photoshop to manipulate them, but at least half are jpg or png files you can simply upload to your pages. For the images that require customization, give the files to your designer and that will save you time and money since she won't have to recreate the wheel (that's what I'm going to do!).

The package is a great deal and these kinds of graphic images are important for your business. It's my obligation to let you know about hot deals on tools you can use to do business better. Obviously you'll make up your own mind. But seriously, even if you use just a few of the images, you'll have made your investment back and then some. That's why I jumped on it and encourage you to at least check out what you get and see if you can use any of the graphic images for your websites.*

I've looked at other graphics packages in the past, but this one has the most variety and best range of color and styles.

Check out the Marketing Graphics Toolkit here.

 

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*I'm an affiliate for this product.

Online Videopolis - Recommended Video Resource

I finally got a chance to join and check out my pal Lou Bortone's Online Videopolis membership site. I'm so impressed with what he's created. Lou and I have partnered in the past on a couple of online video training programs. Now, he's taken it to another level.

There are so many business advantages to doing video marketing, it’s no longer a question of IF you should be using video, but HOW to best use it to your advantage.

Video accelerates the sales process, drives traffic to your website and turns leads into loyal customers! Online Video creates a strong connection with your prospects, and provides opportunities to get seen, get known, get ahead and get paid!

Despite the effectiveness of online video as a powerful marketing tool, many entrepreneurs are still hesitant to dive in. Most are intimidated by appearing on camera, or just don’t know where to begin. That's how I felt a few years ago.

Fortunately, Lou Bortone has created the new Online Videopolis Video Resource Center that makes it easy to get started.

Online Videopolis is the new one-stop destination on the web for online video tools, tips and tutorials. The website features everything you need to maximize your video marketing efforts, including a free “Easy Online Video Editor,” so you can edit your videos right on the site without having to download software. This is a really cool feature. Video editing has never been easier!

In addition, there are tons of video “how-to” tutorials, a video “vault” full of marketing tools, and even a video “wiki” to help get all your video questions answered. AND new content will be available every month!

Some of the resources are free, but if you want full access – including monthly coaching calls with Lou and other exclusive benefits, then you’ll want to bump up to “Mogul” or “Maven” status to access all the extras. (I’m one of Lou’s promotional partners and I get a piece of the action if you join – you can too!) Check it out today at http://www.LouBortone.com/OnlineVideopolis - you can't lose with a free membership!

Related posts:

More YouTube Views Equals More Visibility for Your Business

Online Video for Branding and Visibility - An Interview with Lou Bortone

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Wordpress Do-It-Yourself Training - Isn't It Time You Set Up A Blog?

If you're a do-it-yourselfer and want to learn how to build and manage sites/blogs built on Wordpress, you're in luck. Several of my colleagues have created comprephensive and excellent training programs that take you step by step through the details of how to set up a site on Wordpress.

Recently I wrote a short review about Beginner to Blogger, an affordable video training for Wordpress offered by Traci Knoppe.

My online marketing mentor Tom Antion has also released a Wordpress ecourse. Tom no longer uses anything but Wordpress to create ALL his ecommerce sites (and he has hundreds!). I didn't get a review copy. I bought the program so I could check it out and let you know what I think.

True to form, Tom Antion over delivers. The course is delivered by email with links to pdf documents and videos that take you step by step through choosing a domain, setting up your hosting account, installing the Wordpress software and then through all the nuances of choosing a theme and the right plug-ins to make your site optimized for search engines and to work as a selling machine.

Tom knows how to make money - he's a millionaire several times over - so any training he creates, I get it and I've never been disappointed. Check out Tom Antion's Wordpress Website Creation Ecourse. It's only $97 though I'm pretty sure that he'll be raising that fee soon. It's worth several times that.

Don't want to set up a blog yourself? You can get a very simple blog set up for FREE (that's right, I said free) when you purchase a hosting account. You must have a hosting account in order to have a wordpress blog live on the web.

Disclosure: the links are all affiliate links which means I make a small commission if you invest in one of these programs. I personally know each of these experts. I have either worked with them, trained with them, experienced their teaching, and/or have used their products. That's the only way I would make these recommendations for you.

If you prefer to have an expert build your site, my go-to expert is Jody Jelas at Big Fish Web Design and if you are looking for coaching on how to effectively use your blog as a marketing tool, let's talk. I have a blog consulting program that may be right for you. Use my support desk to submit your request and we'll connect.

If you don't have a blog yet, what are you waiting for? No matter your budget, there's a way for you to get a blog set up fast and easy in just a few hours.

Blog on!

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Wordpress SEO Secrets for Bloggers

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a mystery to most bloggers. I don't claim to be an SEO expert -- far from it -- but knowing a bit about how search engines work and how to find and use appropriate keywords for your content is useful (some would say critical) for creating an effective business blog.

Recently I reviewed a training program called Wordpress SEO Secrets created by my colleague Michael Martine (@Remarkablogger on twitter). Like the title says, the program is directed primarily at bloggers who use Wordpress, but in my opinion, much of the content is important for all bloggers to know, regardless of the platform you use. 

The tutorials however, are all created for Wordpress. And since I know there are millions of Wordpress bloggers and some of them actually read this blog (even though it's on TypePad! :-) ) I thought it important to share this program with you.

When I work with clients, one of the first things I talk about is the fact that if you want to be found on the web by your ideal client, there are a few things that will greatly help:

Boost Your Business with Online Video

In these turbulent and unpredictable times, you need every competitive advantage you can get to stay ahead.  One powerful and low-cost tool is Online Video.  Video has a small learning curve, but can create big results.  In fact, video can become your secret weapon in the battle to buck the recession.

Using video to build your brand and boost your business – whether on the now ubiquitous YouTube or on your own website – actually attracts new customers and accelerates the sales process.  There are many compelling arguments for adding video to your marketing mix, but none more important than the simple fact that video brings you closer to your customers and closer to the sale!

Adding online video to your marketing efforts also leverages your time and increases your online presence, 24/7.  Your video can be promoting you and working for you even while you sleep.  However, to make the most of your video, you’ve got to get it “out there,” and blast it to the widest possible audience.

My friend and colleague Lou Bortone is an online video branding specialist who has developed a complete, step-by-step process for maximizing your video distribution.  You can get a look at his “Video Traffic Blast” system here.

Everyone who makes a video hopes it will go “viral” and spread like wildfire, but that rarely happens by accident.  You’ve got to make your video easy to share, and make sure it’s optimized to get the most mileage.

Fortunately, video sites like YouTube and Blip.tv make it simple to share your video to other social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.  Once your video is uploaded to Blip.tv, for example, you can cross post to your blog or to a number of social networking sites with one click.  You can also use TubeMogul.com to blast your video to many sites at once.  Best of all, all of the video hosting sites are free to use.

You can learn much more and find out about the new “Video Traffic Blast” system by visiting the website here.

See you online!

P.S. Not yet producing video? Check out Online Video Made Easy...perfect if you're new to video.

Online Video Made Easy

Online Video Made Easy, a program I presented with The Online Video Guy, Lou Bortone, is now available as a self study course. We were getting a lot of requests from people who couldn't make it to the live event. Lou's video below tells the story and it's good stuff if I do say so myself! But don't take my word for it. Check out the testimonials from happy new videographers, in a video montage Lou created on the sales page.

Tom Antion's Great Internet Marketing Mentor Program

Our mentor, Tom Antion, has put a call out for video testimonials.  Here's a brief review of The Blog Squad's success working with Tom Antion and his Great Internet Marketing Mentor Program.

Teaching Sells: A Must-Do Program for Every Professional

"Every so often a product is launched that I wish I had created. Brian Clark has done that with a methodical program that elegantly guides you step by step through the process of creating and selling multimedia teaching programs. Teaching Sells is my top recommendation for professionals doing business on the Web."

Every so often a product is launched that I wish I had created. This week that happened to me. Brian Clark of Copyblogger fame, launched his Teaching Sells program. After reviewing the free report and the first module of his educational program, I wish I had developed this comprehensive program on how to leverage your expertise into powerful multimedia teaching  systems that can create additional streams of income for you.

Patsi and I have been engaged in content development for years. We preach content development and product creation to all our clients. We assist our clients with creating info products and then marketing them on the web. We advise professionals to start blogging in order to create content that can be turned into books and info products.

But if you haven't been convinced by us, Brian Clark has come up with a methodical program that takes this concept and elegantly guides you step by step through the process of creating multimedia teaching programs.  As Brian says:

Our accelerated world demands that everyone become a lifelong learner, and that's why those who can effectively teach online will never worry about income. These teachers will live where they want, make as much money as they desire, and enjoy their lives as they see fit.

Check out the Teaching Sells free report and decide for yourself. 

Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing

When Tom Antion talks, The Blog Squad listens. And now we have over 800 pages of Internet Marketing expertise to read.

Tom has been working on the third revision to his gigantic Internet Marketing tome, Click, and for months and we've been bugging him about when we can get a copy. Finally, got it this weekend!

Tom invited us to contribute a chapter on blogging -- 57 pages with info about the basics of blogging, what makes a great blog, what you need to know about blogging, and a guide to get you started. Plus we included the transcript from a teleseminar we did with Tom about using a blog to write and market your book.

Here's the announcement from Tom Antion with information about what you can expect in Version 3 of Click.

InstantTeleseminar.com: The Easiest Way to do Teleseminars

If you are currently hosting teleseminars or if you are thinking about getting started with it, I have a recommendation for you.

I have been using InstantTeleseminar for the last couple of months and I wanted to wait to make any recommendation until after I had some experience with it. Now I have and I can honestly say, I love it.

In one system, for one monthly fee, InstantTeleseminar provides bridge lines, instant online webcasting, automatic call recording, mp3 file download, online interaction so listeners can ask questions before and during the event, and templates for your web pages.

I'm always looking for tools to make my business easier, even if it costs a bit of money. In the end, the investment can be worth all the time saved.

In the last two weeks, we have put the system to a true test, hosting two teleseminars with 350 and 400+ participants. The system worked like a charm.

You can see the service and what it does at InstantTeleseminar.com.
Plus you can get a 21-day trial for only $1. That's a great deal if you're ready to host a teleseminar.