Our good friend Ross Goldberg (aka Mr Traffic) says in his typical no BS style – “Your blog is the cornerstone of your social traffic campaign”.  While most of us share his enthusiasm for blogging not everybody is sure what is needed to create a brilliant blog that stands out from the crowd. To assist you in creating that awesome blog we would like to share with you “7 Brilliant Blogging Tips”

1. Get Serious and Buy Your Own domain
It’s important to be in control of your own destiny. If you are in it for the long haul you will want to have your own domain. Although it might sound complicated it’s not. There are heaps of hosting sites and domain purchasing sites that have great help desks and instructions for newbies. Personally we use Hostgator, and are a huge fan of its live chat feature.

 2. Choose a domain name that suits your blog 
I know it sound as blatantly obvious…But lots of people overlook this step. It’s no use having a  domain name like www.carwidgetsRus and having a blog that talks about growing tulips.

3. Use WordPress and wordpress plugins
WordPress blogs are easy to use, manipulate and there are thousands of themes. Don’t forget  to install wordpress plugins. There are heaps of wordpress plugins with specific functions so make sure you pick wordpress plugins that suit your blog, and assist with SEO and social  traffic optimisation.

 4. A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Blah Blah Blah…Personally we get bored with lots and lots of words in a post. Make your post brilliant by the inclusion of pictures. Give the words a break every now and then by including a picture. Pictures serve two purposes they make the post more interesting and they can  convey a concept quicker than the words in lengthy paragraph 

5. The three C’s
Consistency, consistency, consistency…It’s important to blog with consistency. Resist the urge  to go off on a tangent, stick to the topic of your blog. Try to publish a blog post at least once a week. You want to deliver to your readers consistent information on a regular basis, this will assist in developing a relationship with your readers.

 6. Don’t Ignore Comments
We get a real buzz out of people leaving us comments. It means that people have read our post   and it had an impact on them… Make sure you approve the valid comments, and disapprove the spam. If the comment includes a question it’s imperative that you reply to the comment. A  blog is supposed to be interactive and you should take any opportunity to interact with your readers.

 7. Content is King
People visit your blog looking for useful information. Provide useful information with heaps of content and you will have them coming back for more. Remember that blogs are supposed to be interactive and your readers are no different to you. They want interesting and informative content. Our previous blog post 7 Reasons Why Blogs Are Vitally Important can assist with more blogging info.

We hope that you found these 7 Brilliant Blogging Tips useful. If you liked this post feel free to share it with your friends or leave a comment.

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Finally its here…. Its been 8 months in the making , BUT its HERE!  The complete collection of  12 Social Media Experts caught on tape spilling the secret tactics and strategies they use to make 6 figure incomes without spending one cent on marketing or advertising.  The mover and shakers of the Social Media world shared valuable information with us and now we would like to share it with you.

Twitter experts , LinkedIn experts, Blogs experts, Podcasting experts,  StumbleUpon experts, MySpace experts, Forums experts, Squidoo experts and more… Ross Goldberg, Mari Smith, Frank Sousa, Leesa Barnes are just a few of the experts who shared there secrets with us. Click here  to see  the complete list of experts.

Listen carefully as Ross Goldberg (aka  Mr Traffic) reveals how he gets a 30% conversion rate using just one of his many Social Media Traffic Strategies… I bet you could profit from a 30% conversion… 

Too many people spend too much time and they get too little traffic. They don’t know the secrets to Social Media Traffic. So what happens is that they end up spending all day on twitter, all day on Facebook, all day on MySpace and at the end of the day they have no money in their bank account.
 
Social Media traffic is some of the best   and easiest traffic to get and   best of all its completely free. However there is a catch – if you don’t know what you are doing Social Media Traffic is like navigating a jungle without a guide. 

Wouldn’t you just love to learn from the experts how to conquer these traffic blasting social media sites?Couldn’t you do with the inside scoop on social media…

Isn’t it time that you used a little Social Traffic Espionage? Click here to get instant access to the experts.

If you liked this post share it with your friends or better still leave us a comment.

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Behind the scenes we have been involved in an awesome project. We had the privilege of interviewing 12 Social Media Experts; the movers and shakers in Facebook, Twitter, Squidoo, YouTube, LinkedIn, Forums, Podcasting, Social Bookmarking, Blogging, MySpace, StumbleUpon and more!

Interested? Watch the video and stay tuned…

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Its interesting  that most people with Blogs think of the Blog as being  totally different to Social Media Networks such Twitter, Facebook or MySpace. Don’t be fooled, believe it or not blogs are Social Media vehicles and the most important Social Media tool you have.

Recently we were able to talk to Ross Goldberg about Social Media, he told us that your Blog is the cornerstone of your product or business. In fact he said that  every Social Media activity that you use should be linked back to your Blog.

Why are Blogs so important? Why does Ross Goldberg refer to them as the cornerstone or your product and business. To help demystify the importance of your Blog, we would like to share 7 reasons why  your Blog is the most important piece in your Social Media strategy.

1. Content Is King!
   Your Social Media credibility is tied to the amount of content you provide.  To have a significant Social Media presence you must have a certain amount of  content. Blogs are a fantastic tool for creating lots and lots of relevant content. Each time you add a post you increase your Blogs  content creating a  smorgasboard of relevant content that Google and other  search engines love. Generally the more posts you have the  higher  your Blog will rank and the more Social Media  traffic you will get.
2. Desperately Seeking Answers
   Searching for answers is one of  the top 3 main reasons why people use the Internet. People use the search engines to find the answers to their most pressing questions. This is gives you,  the Blog owner a fantastic opportunity, by making sure that your Blog contains the answers to the most searched questions in your content you will attract traffic.  Blogs that have content designed to answer the most pressing questions that  people have in a particular niche can generate massive amounts of traffic for their business. 
3. Blog Stucture,
   The basic structure of a Blog makes it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for.  A Blog organizes your information  effortlessly for the benefit of your visitors. You divide your post topics into categories and subcategories so that your visitors find exactly what they want with minimal effort. They can move easily through the categories, post archives,  move from page to page or simply scroll down the posts.  Social Media is all about developing relationships with your visitors. The structure of a Blog facilitates an enjoyable experience for the visitor who will be likely to return and tell others about the Blog.  
4. Backlinking, Plugins, Pinging, RSS Feed, Comments
   The interactive nature of  Blogs is hard to beat. Plugins, Pinging, Backlinking, RSS Feed capability and the ability of people to add comments all contribute to its interactive nature.  Blogs have some neat  plugins that make SEO optimisation and interacting with other forms of  Social Media effortless. We at Social Traffic Espionage recommend and use the following plugins All in One SEO Pack, Sociable, Twitme. Also don’t forget to have and RSS feed button on your Blog.   
5. Hello World
   Blogs are universal. It’s a fact  that anybody who uses the internet can  access your blog. Social Media networks such as Twitter,  Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn  are accessible only when you join. A Blog allows you to achieve a potentially infinite number of customers for your business.
6. Create Instant and Comprehensive Information
   Posting on a Blog sends instantaneous  and comprehensive information to the web. Social Media networks such as Twitter,  Facebook, LinkedIn send instant information but cannot compete with a Blogs capacity for  comprehensive content.  Blog posts can be as comprehensive as necessary, include links, and  integrate with other Social Media networks.
7. All Roads Should  Lead To Your Blog
   The cornerstone of  your Social Media strategy is your Blog. All of your social media activities should be organised to link back to your blog. Your profiles on Social Media sites  such as  Facebook and Twitter should include a link back to your blog. Articles, YouTube videos, Podcasts should all include a link to your Blog.

By now I am sure you have got the picture, your Blog is the most important part of your Social Media strategy. If you don’t already have a Blog  start one today.  It’s that important. 

If you like the information in this post, feel free to  share it with your friends or leave a comment.

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You know what its  like you build your blog, website, and squidoo lens,  you have a great product  that you are sure people will buy.  BUT you can’t  get any of  the FREE Social  Traffic that everybody tells you is out there.  You have heard the statistics,  facebook 200  million, youtube 80 million. Why aren’t you getting FREE Social Traffic… everybody else is!  Here are 6  great traffic tips that should get you started

1. Don’t just sign up to a Social Media Site , YOU need to participate
You can’t expect to get your share of  the Social Traffic market if you are not participating in Social Media Sites.  Yes,  we know that there are lots and lots of Social Media sites, but you don’t need to join all of them at once. Start with baby steps join one or two of the Social Media Sites, you can always join others later.  Most importantly don’t just sign up and consider that the jobs done, you need to participate not just stand on the sidelines.  How do you participate? That’s easy, join discussions, offer information, include links to useful tools or sites, tips, reply to people who make contact with you. 

2.  Look At Me! Look At Me! Be your own PR machine.
Don’t be shy, there are a number of ways that you can promote you and your business. We have listed just a few to get you thinking

• add your blog, website or squidoo lens url to  your social media sites profiles
•  include an RSS feed
•  include social bookmarking buttons on your blog or website 
•  add an “e-mail this” and “share” tab at the bottom of blog posts
•  add  your blog, website, squidoo lens  address to your e-mail signature
•  submit articles which have links to  your  blog or  website

3. Grab Peoples Attention
Does your blog, website or squidoo lens have neverending  blocks of  text,  text and more text…BORING!  C’Mon this is 2009, we have the tecnology. Make use of  video, podcasts, slide shows and other multimedia to create dynamic content. Don’t be boring

4. Link s
It is crucial that you include links,  links and more links.  You should link to other parts of your blog or website and externally to other peoples  blogs or sites.  Don’t forget about backlinking. Its OK to  ask other blogs to link back to you  and  to add your website to their blog rolls.  Submiiting your blog  to one or more blog  directories is a good idea.

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Marketing your product through videos made by you on YouTube is one of the most effective ways of advertising your product to potential customers. Not sure how to get started, what to do? Stay tuned here are  7 Amazing YouTube tips that will get you started.

 1. Make Your Own Video
Yep that’s right make your own video… you don’t need to hire a professional. All you need to do is to make sure your videos are interesting and unique while allowing your personality or brand to shine through. Remember to put yourself in the viewers shoes and include things that you yourself would probably want to see. Don’t hesitate to inject some humour into the video. Be realistic you will probably have to do a couple of takes, don’t expect to get it perfect the first time.

2. Keep it Short
How short should a YouTube video be? Recently we had the privelege of talking to Ross Goldberg aka Mr Traffic, Frank Sousa and Darren LeCroix. All of these Internet marketing experts agreed that a YouTube video should be precise in its content.  The viewer doesn’t want to know what you had for breakfast, they just want to know what you are giving them. As a guideline your video should be at least 2 minutes but less than 5 minutes.

3.Have A Plan
Think about the audience you want to target. You might be tempted to copy the popular internet marketers, but try to resist since their style may not be your style. As Dr Phil says keep it real, YouTube has millions of videos containing lots of different styles and niches. Take the time to create a draft script that contains what you want to say and how you want to say it. Practice a couple of times before you try to record the video. Saying the words out loud will tell you whether the collection of words you have chosen flow and make sense to the listener.

4. YouTube Video SEO
OK so you have made the video now you need to promote it. We all know it’s no use having it on YouTube if nobody finds it. There is a reason why YouTube has tags, text decriptions and categories for each video that is uploaded. The only way most people are going to find your videos is by searching. This means the words you use for tags, descriptions and categorization are extremely important. They need to match the content of your video.and target the audience you want to attract. You need to make the text description for your video accurate and interesting. Its important to use descriptive keywords and also the language that people will use when they search for videos like yours.

 5. One Video Is Not Enough
You might think that once you have made a video and uploaded it then jobs done. Think again! I am sure that you have been on YouTube and already know that the Internet Marketing Experts like Ross Goldberg and Micheal Chaney have a lot more than one video. The Internet Marketing Experts build a series of similar videos. For starters we recommend that you build at least 10 videos, and then add more videos on a regular basis. We know that 10 videos might seem a daunting task, just remember they dont have to be perfect and they only need to be 2 minutes in length.

6.Go Viral
The ultimate prize for every internet marketer is to have their YouTube videos go viral. Make no mistake this won’t just happen, you will need to take action and promote the videos. The best way to promote these videos is to use other Social Media sites such as twitter, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, and so on. But don’t panic it is really easy to post a youtube video on Social Media sites or at the very least to include a link. If you share your video with as many people as you can and they like it they will share it with others….hey presto your videos go viral.

7. Experiment To See What Works
The Internet Marketing Experts are always testing and tweaking their campaigns. Make use of statistics to identity how many people visit your video, how may people visit your product and how many people purchase your product. Its important to create a number of campaigns and see what works. Its similar to a singer writing a number of songs before they find that elusive hit.

Now you know how, stop hesitating, start your  YouTube internet marketing campaign today and get the FREE traffic you deserve.

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