www.fathomseo.com – Blogging Tips from an Expert. What makes some blogs better than others? How important are subscribers, Google pagerank, and Technorati score? What can you do to make your blog stand out? Jim Kukral and Paul Richlovsky of www.fathomseo.com discuss some blogging tips for what really makes a good blog in the age of social media/Web 2.0.

Do you Tweet? If not, maybe you should.

Perhaps it would be misleading to say that as a job searcher you MUST be on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other social and business networking sites. But, assuming that you use social media in appropriate and professional ways, being connected and networking in these ways can only help. And, few people would argue that you shouldn’t seize on any edge that you can give yourself in a job market that is widely being called the most competitive in a quarter-century.

Twitter, for those unfamiliar, is a service that allows you to communicate and stay connected with your colleagues, current and former co-workers, friends, family, and other contacts through the exchange of quick, simple answers (140 characters or less) to the question, “What are you doing now?” While the premise is simple-so simple that you might at first question how “Tweeting” (Twitter-speak for posting an update to Twitter) could be helpful in your job search-I would urge you to take another look. Twitter has become vastly popular and you might be surprised at how many of your colleagues, friends, and even top experts in your field or profession are on Twitter.

If you are actively involved with managing your career or conducting a job search, here are just a few benefits that will justify the time you spend setting up your free Twitter account and learning how to use it:

1) Twitter can be a great tool to help you build, enhance, and promote your personal brand. Briefly, your personal brand (as it relates to your career) is what differentiates you and makes you and your contributions uniquely valuable in the workplace. As a job searcher, you can use Twitter to make your followers aware of your expertise, post links to interesting news stories about your industry, or post tips related to your profession. All of these are brand-building activities that will make you memorable to your contacts, boost your credibility, and help set you apart as a leader in your field.

2) Twitter is an extraordinary networking tool. Remember that networking is all about building relationships. Twitter helps you stay in contact with people in your network in a quick and easy way that was never before possible. It will allow you to keep your contacts up-to-date on your job search, it is a great way to learn about unadvertised job openings, and it is often an easy way to get referrals to people you should talk to. Of course, it is important to remember that networking is also about providing reciprocal help, and Twitter allows you a fast, easy way to let people in your network know about job openings you’ve heard about, or give other help or advice to your contacts when they need it.

3) Twitter provides you with a way to connect almost instantly with recruiters and other hiring authorities in your field. More and more recruiters are using Twitter and other social media tools to find candidates for job postings. Some companies are actively encouraging their employees to Tweet about (or discuss on LinkedIn or Facebook) job openings that they are trying to fill. If you are regularly Tweeting about your job search and posting other on-brand Twitter posts, it is just a matter of time before you start uncovering and being referred for attractive job or business opportunities.

Are you convinced? Even for the time-challenged professional (does that describe nearly all of us?), Twitter is easy to use. You don’t even need to be sitting at your computer as Twitter is mobile and can easily be used on your iPhone, Blackberry, or cell phone.

When you are ready to get started, here are some quick tips:

1. Sign up for your free Twitter account and fill out your profile. Remember that you will be using your account for networking and professional purposes, so use discretion and only include information or a photo that you would be comfortable sharing with recruiters, your colleagues, and the world. If you have a reason to keep your business and personal life separate, you should create separate accounts.

2. Search for and “follow” people that you know. Twitter provides easy tools and instructions for doing this. Consider friends, family, current and former co-workers, industry contacts, people you went to college with, etc. Once you are following these people, look through their contacts and selectively follow some of their contacts. Even if you don’t know someone, if you have a reason to do so, follow them. This is a way to build new relationships.

3. As you begin to build your list of people you are following, many will begin to follow you. When you are getting started, try to post Tweets daily-perhaps twice daily. Besides just answering the basic question “What are you doing now?” (always keeping in mind that your Tweets should be appropriate and follow basic rules of etiquette) try to regularly post useful, on-brand information and links.

4. When your contacts Tweet, respond if you can answer a question or have useful information or tips for them. Twitter gives you two ways to do this: direct messages and replies. Be selective about which method you use. A direct message will only be seen by the person you are responding to. A reply will go to everyone that follows you.

5. Search Twitter for keywords. This is a good way to find out what is going on and being discussed on topics of interest to you among people that you aren’t already following. You may also find interesting people that you will want to follow. The place to do that is search.twitter.com

5. Do you have a Facebook account, a LinkedIn profile, a blog, or another website? There are options to link them all and post status updates simultaneously to all of them. This can be a great timesaver, so it is worth taking the time to learn how to link them. You could also consider including your Twitter user name in your email signature files or on business cards. Doing so will quickly build your following, and the larger your following, the more beneficial Twitter will be to your job search and career.

A press release is a news release or press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. Typically, it is mailed or faxed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio stations, television stations, and/or television networks. Commercial newswire services are also used to distribute news releases. Sometimes news releases are sent for the purpose of announcing news conferences.

1. Make your press release newsworthy and not just advertising for your business. The media wants you to pay for the advertising they offer.

2. Send your press release to the media that relates to it only. Blanket press releases to all media is a waste of everyones time.

3. Press releases should never be more than one page long.

4. Put your header, contact information and release date at the top of your press release.

5. When writing your press release use short sentences and double space your lines.

6. Your header and first few sentences should grab the readers attention.

7. Use the body of the press release to talk about your business, and products or services you have. One way to do that is to tell a story about your business.

8. Proofread your press release several times. This is important. You do not want a press release going out with spelling or grammar errors.

9. Do you have a website? Write a press release about the new products or services you’re offering on your web site.

10. Create a press release about the results of an online survey or poll you have completed.

11. Submit a press release about a trade show or seminar you’re hosting or attending.

12. Write a press release about a no cost class you are teaching that would be of interest to the public.

13. Create a press release about your opening of a new web site, or any awards your web site has one.

14. Write a press release about a free internet newsletter you’re publishing.

15. Create a press release about online products or services you’re giving away.

16. Submit a press release about a business association or club you’re starting.

17. Write a press release about a famous person that’s endorsing your business.

18. Create a press release about a partnership you are creating with another business.

19. Submit a press release about a new book or e-book you wrote.

20. Write a press release about major sponsorships you’re doing online.

You can see there are many different ways to use press releases to announce what is going on in your business. Can you think of any others? Thanks to the internet it has become easier to create and announce press releases online.

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One of the best ways to get free publicity is by writing a press release and sending it to your local media.  The problem is that your local media gets bombarded with press releases day after day and the majority of them end up in the waste basket.  So how can you increase the chances of your press release actually making it to print?  Follow these guidelines and more often than not, your press release will turn into a news story that gets you the free publicity you seek.

Over the years, we’ve identified these 22 traits to help your press release stand above the crowd. Feel free to download our sample press release to follow along.

Trait #1 – Make sure the organization you belong to is very clear.  Placing this information at the top is a good start.

Trait #2 – If your press release doesn’t contain news, you may as well not even send it.  Promise news at the top with “NEWS RELEASE” in a larger font than the rest of the press release.

Trait #3 – One of the main traits of news is that it is current.  Since you are offering news, make sure it is as current as possible.

Trait #4 – Get the name of the person you are sending your press release to and place it in a prominent position.  Be sure to double check the spelling.

Trait #5 – Provide a specific contact person with a phone number where they can be reached. Don’t make contacting you a challenge.

Trait #6 – It’s important to inform your contact when specifically you’d like your press release to be run.  If you don’t have a specific date, be sure to allow for immediate release.

Trait #7 – Just like your other marketing materials, headlines are a must.  Include a newsworthy angle in your headline for best results.

Trait #8 – Where is your press release being released from?  It’s always best to use a local angle, so try to place the story from a local perspective.

Trait #9 – Try to tell your entire story in the first paragraph.  If everything else is cut, at least you got your main points in.

Trait #10 - Turn the story in a personal angle as soon as possible.  Use quotes from known individuals if possible.

Trait #11 – Use subheads to highlight important parts of your story.  People are busy and only read the parts that interest them, so include subheads for each of your target markets.

Trait #12 – Beware of sexism and humor.  What is funny to some groups may be offensive to others.

Trait #13 – Use quotes from each of your target markets.  Be sure to include quotes from groups that read the publications you have targeted with your press release.

Trait #14 – Use later paragraphs for dispelling or confirming rumors. It’s always best to cover your bases with a little objectivity.

Trait #15 – Include quotes from senior executives to build credibility. News releases are taken a little more serious when the boss’s name is on the line.

Trait #16 – Could the local community perceive your news in a negative manner?  If so, highlight the potential positives.

Trait #17 – If promising a specific future result, be flexible.  Not reaching your specific results on time will always bring bad publicity.

Trait #18 – If space permits, allow your executive to inject some human interest to the story.  Use these quotes as a transition back to a more positive tone.

Trait #19 – Is there an executive that matches the demographics of your target audience?  If so, place them in your target audiences shoes to close the story with added trust.

Trait #20 – The notation “-30?- is the standard way of concluding a press release.  Keep your press release to one page!

Trait #21 – Including photographs is a great way to gain more attention for your story.  Make sure the photos you submit are easily reproducible and will hold their quality in both color and black and white.

Trait #22 – If you have other media you’d like to include or have available, be sure to provide the information here.  The more peripheral media you have available, the easier it is to use your press release in a story.

The most important things to remember are to include a newsworthy angle that is of interest to the local community or specific readers of the publications you send your release to.  By including as many of these traits in your next press release, you will drastically increase the likelihood of gaining some free publicity for your small business.

What is a Press Release?

Press releases are among the most effective ways – if not the most effective way – to get one-way links from high traffic news sites, but you must follow a certain set of guidelines or it will be nothing more than wasted time and your press release will never be published. A press release is a statement of announcement used for publishing and distributing company information or business news throughout the Internet via web media distribution channels. General news releases, event announcements, business news, new product release announcements, and social media news all qualify as valid content for a press release.

How Press Releases can help your SEO and Web Marketing

Press releases play a very important role in SEO and web site marketing. Currently, one-way links are more valuable to your search e rankings than ever before. This is due to the fact that two-way links – most often referred to as “reciprocal links” – have decreased in value with regard to Google’s “Page rank” system, with most others soon to follow if they have not already. With that in mind, playing an active role in generating news for PR web can serve as your best resource for getting one-way links and generating new traffic to your site without paying a dime. Be aware however, that credible PR web sites have strict criteria for the content that they publish. For example, it absolutely must be newsworthy, grammatically correct, without spelling errors, it must sound professional, and it must give the impression that a decent amount of time was put into it.

The benefit to you is that you may publish your company details including the services you offer, your web address and contact details along with your press release. Be careful not to make your press release sound like an advertisement though, or it will not be considered for publishing. The key here is to go into it with the objective of creating something valuable and informative for the reader.

There are a lot of news websites available that provide free services for publishing your news releases. The real advantage though, is that these websites provide services for distributing that news to subscribers of their news feeds. What this means, is that while you may publish your release to five PR web sites, it will likely end up on twenty or thirty different sites if it follows the criteria stated above. The important thing to remember is that the more valuable and informative that you make your content, the more it will be picked up by additional web sites. Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your press release:

Tips for writing an effective press release:

1) The press release headline should be short, clear and to the point. Treat press release headlines and sub-heads as the ultra-compact version of your entire press release content.

2) Your press release summary should be informative. Try to avoid the use long sentences and lengthy paragraphs.

3) Start your press release with the “5 Ws” – who, what, when, where, why, and sometimes how. This will make your press release more enlightening and attractive to the editors of the sites you are publishing to.

4) Don’t forget to include your company information below the press release content. Prepare a brief summary of your company services with the contact details, your website name, and email id for communicating. Most PR sites offer a “company bio” section, which appears under the published release.

www.articledictator.com If you want to learn how to outsource article writing for great content, then watch this video. You will discover how to train your outsource offshore freelance writers to write quality content. Basic Article Marketing Tips – Tell them to read your course before they write content. – Tell them to send you a first draft article before submitting so that you can test their quality prior to allowing them to write more articles. – Give them a short summary of your content to re-emphasize your content for your courses. For more website marketing strategy using article marketing, get my “Article Dictator” course at: www.articledictator.com Take care, BJ

www.steveweber.us The Good News About Article Marketing At some point, doing business on the internet will include article marketing. This is a particularly interesting concept from the marketing standpoint. Article marketing is a great venue as an informational resource without hardline aggressive sales promotion, often a user’s biggest turnoff. Turning out top quality article content leads traffic to business websites. For certain online businesses, article marketing is the perfect answer to generating new sales leads without having to create new sales scripts. Article Marketing – The New Online Business Journalism Article marketing offers a path to a whole new dimension of online business journalism. Some of the most well-known businesses are beginning to recognize the value of article marketing as an additional venue that enhances their products or services. Writing content for articlescan include product or service reviews, generating interviews and contact with users as well as providing solid information about your business. This is what article marketing is all about. The “How To” Of Article Marketing To begin with, creating enlightening content is crucial. This means choosing a topic about your business and creating several articles from an original article. Article marketing is a learning curve. The business learns what interests its prospects and the users learn more about a product or service they are considering for purchase. Thus, marketing with articles …

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