How To Improve Your Content Marketing With Canva

image: http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/improve-content-marketing-canva.jpg.jpg

Images are an integral part of content marketing, they are required not just for blog posts, slides or infographics but for posts to social media itself. One of the challenges for content marketers is producing professional images quickly and efficiently. Your new best friend is Canva, an image tool designed for content marketers.

Images Matter in Content Marketing

At BuzzSumo we love data and the data on the importance of images is unequivocal. 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook are images. According to Neil Patel blog posts with images get up to 9 times more views than posts without images. Our own BuzzSumo study of 100 million articles found that articles with images got twice as many social shares as posts without images.

The power of images was demonstrated only last week by a Guardian post on Overpopulation and Overconsumption. The article amassed over 300,000 shares very quickly, ten times more than any of the Guardian’s other content last week. The post included dramatic images such as the one by Zak Noyle below, see more at @zaknoyle.

image: http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/surfer-zak-noyle.jpg.jpg

Images not only matter in blog posts or slides but in social media posts themselves including Facebook posts, LinkedIn updates, Google Plus posts and even Tweets. For example, you get much more attention in a Twitter stream by including images.

image: http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/twitter-image.jpg.jpg

The post from Martin stands out very clearly in the stream above. Guy Kawaski recommends that you use an image with every tweet.

Why Canva?

If you are part of a large content maarketing team you may have the luxury of access to designers or graphic artists. Even if you do, there will be times when you need produce images quickly but images which are also professional and reflect well on your brand. What you need is a tool that is easy to use, quick, flexible and that produces great images. Thanks to Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick your prayers have been answered. They have produced Canva, an image tool that has an easy to use interface but which also produces beautiful graphics.

The team at Canva really understand social media and this is more important than you might think. Whilst you can use sophisticated tools like Photoshop or Pix.lr, the Canva team understand the challenges you face in social media and have designed the tool around your needs.

This is immediately obvious when you open Canva. They have formats and image sizes set up for all your key images, some examples are shown below.

image: http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/canva-templates.jpg.jpg

Once you chose a format you can start creating your image. Canva are always ahead of you, thinking about what you need. For example, it is currently Easter and when I open up the format for my Twitter post image, Canva includes in the layout choices a range of Easter images that I can quickly change and edit.

image: http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/canva-easter.jpg.jpg

Canva allows you to quickly edit text and colours. They start with a simple palette but you can add your own colours.

image: http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/buzzsumo-easter.png.png

Canva provides a wide range of icons and images. Within the tool you can search their library of over 1m images. There is a good mix of free and paid images, which are typically $1. Whilst Canva’s Premium options are tempting, they also allow you to upload your own photos or graphics.

Canva have a wide range of icons, charts and images. For example, below is a search for ‘social media’ images which brings up all the logos and images I need.

image: http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/canva-social-media.jpg.jpg

The Canva interface is a joy to use, just drag across an image, text box or icon. For example, I can search for a PC, find the image I want and then drag this across to my design. To make this image my own I can add an image to the PC. I simply upload my image of the Chicago bean and then drag this to the PC screen and Canva drops it in automatically. Job done! See above image.

Adding text is a breeze. Just choose a text style from the left column and drag it over to your image. Then you can adjust, change and color as you wish.

If you are not using Canva, what are you waiting for? Did I mention it is also free? Yep, free. You can pay $1 for their library photos or upload your own. Head over to Canva’s site immediately. They have lots of guides and tutorials, not that you need them with this intuitive tool. In less than ten minutes you will be producing beautiful graphics to enhance your content marketing.

http://www.business2community.com/content-marketing/improve-content-marketing-canva-01199803

Sticking With It: 5 Tips For Keeping The Blogging Momentum

Starting a new business blog or maintaining an existing one isn’t easy. In order to have a successful blog, you need to blog consistently for a long period of time. Between holidays, vacations, illness, or other personal issues that require your time, it’s easy to put off writing blogs to deal with everything else life throws your way.

Even I’m guilty of not updating my blog as much as I should. Recently, I thought to myself, “How can I do a better job at not getting behind on my blogs?” I started thinking about how I handle blogs for my clients, and I realized that a lot of the same rules apply. Blogging can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. If you find yourself having a hard time keeping up with blogging, you’re not alone. Here are five tips for maintaining the momentum with your blog:

Have brainstorming sessions for topics

One of the biggest roadblocks I’ve encountered with blogging is coming up with topics. It doesn’t just happen when I’m writing blogs for my clients; it’s also a problem I run into when I write for my personal blog. Not having topics and ideas ready makes it really difficult to keep up the momentum with blogging.

I’ve found that one of the best ways to come up with topics is to have brainstorming sessions. Meet with friends, coworkers, employees, or anyone else that’s familiar with your business and what you do. Having a list of blog topics ready makes it really easy to write a blog. Once you have some free time, all you have to do is go to your list, pick a topic and then you can start writing. Use apps such as Trello , Evernote, or Google Docs to help you keep track of all of your blog topics, and make sure to delete a topic once it’s been used. How often you have brainstorming sessions is up to you. I’ve found that a one to two hour session once a month is enough for me to brainstorm all of my topics for the month.

Set aside time in your schedule to blog

It’s essential that you set a blogging schedule for yourself early on. Even though you may have the best intentions when it comes to writing, life gets in the way. Make blogging a consistent part of your weekly routine. Set aside time in your calendar that you’ll dedicate to blogging, and treat this time like you’d treat any other important meeting or deadline. This isn’t always easy to do at first, especially because you can probably think of a million other things you need to do that are more important. Just remember: Your blog is important too.

Use different types of content

Your blog posts don’t just have to be paragraphs of text. If you’re having trouble writing blogs, try other types of content including infographics, photos, videos and presentations. Sometimes, pictures and videos are easier to consume than text, and you may even find that these posts attract more attention. However, if you do choose to use visual content, make sure you give it some context. Start out the post by explaining what the visual content means and the importance behind it. And if you use someone else’s content, always make sure you provide attribution and link to the original source.

Don’t lose sight of the big picture

It’s easy to get frustrated when you start out blogging. Trust me, I get it. Never let short-term setbacks keep you from remembering why you started blogging in the first place. Whenever you get frustrated or want to give up because it’s not as easy as you thought, just remember what you’re hoping to accomplish through your company’s blog.

Have fun!

Blogging can seem daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before. But one of the best ways to help keep the blogging momentum going is to have fun with it. If you enjoy writing and posting blogs, you’ll have an easier time with keeping up with it. If you’re not having fun, step back and figure out why. Then, find ways to enjoy it more. Maybe that means writing at a local coffee shop instead of in the office or writing first thing Saturday morning instead of staying late on Friday. Whatever it is, find ways to make blog writing fun!

Building and maintaining an awesome blog takes time and effort, but it’s always worth it once you start seeing the results. Following the tips above will help you keep up the momentum with blogging for your business.

http://www.business2community.com/blogging/sticking-5-tips-keeping-blogging-momentum-01149380

Internet Marketing Tips For Your Service Business

The blessing and the curse of Internet marketing is that it’s there for you to manipulate as much or as little as you’d like. Internet marketing can do scores for you but if it’s not done properly or with the right fail-safes in place then all of your effort could be for naught. Here is a beginner’s guide to Internet marketing for your service industry business that you can follow to online viability.

Decide On What You Want From Your Internet Marketing

The first key to success for Internet marketing will actually take a lot of navel gazing. What is your business? Who is your customer? Where does your service reach? Where would you like your service to reach? You may think that something like this has nothing to do with your online marketing but it actually does. Say you opened up a corner bistro cafe in a suburban neighborhood. You may have always imagined your customer would be the upper-crust literati of your town. But if the reality is that your biggest customers are kids with skateboards who like your dessert selections, then that is your customer. That doesn’t mean that it will always be that way but you need to embrace the full reality of your business. If you don’t want those kids in your cafe anymore that’s something that an Internet marketing campaign can help you alleviate.

Tip: Make sure you know the amount and volume of traffic coming through then target the traffic you want! All of this information comes from installing Google Analytics. Now here’s a sneaky Google Analytics tip. Check out Google Webmaster Tools, Google Insights, and Google Trends. All of these tools are free and will give you exactly what you’ll need.

What does your competitor have for breakfast?

The next thing you need to do, once you know the customer you have and the customer you’re trying to reach, is you need to get deep in the weeds. That is you need to know your industry and your local competition inside and out. What are the nearest competition doing in their Internet marketing campaigns? What are similar businesses in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Rio, Japan, or London doing? This is going to take a little bit of work on your part but by looking to what others are doing you can see what works, what doesn’t, what you think is brilliant, and what you’d rather not do. One good idea is to find out what these businesses are doing on social media and follow them. You might get some great free advice from a business owner in another part of the world which you can take and use for your business!

Tip: If you find something that works somewhere else, it can’t hurt to “borrow” what’s successful! It’s called “Adapting” and you’ll find adaptable marketing strategies all around you. Stopping for lunch at McDonald’s? Swipe their upsell strategy and ask if your customers want a complementary product or service or maybe you can create a sort of “value meal” bundle of products and services.

Stake Your Claim

The next step in your Internet marketing manifesto is you need to establish yourself in the online world. The same way you would go around to local businesses and introduce yourself in person, so too do you need to do the same thing in the online world. That may be something as simple as becoming a Twitter follower or it may actually mean partnering with neighborhood businesses which complement one another. If you’re a dry cleaner and you’re out in front of a strip of hotels with banquet facilities it would make a lot of sense to try and corner that market by offering discounts to banquet customers. The good news is that everyone is looking to score some kind of “online-only” deal so if you offer them a percentage discount, that’s only going to earn you more traffic. If it’s a wedding party then the chances of the local wedding guests using your cleaners for their finery is even more pronounced. Plant the seed in the guests mind and then let it grow!

Tip: Set a goal to have at least ten conversations a day where you ask what you can contribute to a fellow small business owner and be sure to share your business, who your ideal customer is and how folks might recognize them.

Choose a social platform that YOU love and enjoy where your customers also hang out

Concurrent with your laying down virtual roots then you need to of course get on the social media front. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are three of the big players in this sphere but it’s something you can’t be passive about. If you set up a Facebook page, make one offer for a limited time and then fall off the face of the earth you’re going to lose the interest of your subscribers. You shouldn’t make hourly notices either; that’s the other end of the extreme. But if you’re a bar, restaurant, or masseuse and you make a weekly post about your service business, that’s fine. If you’re an accountant you probably want to ramp up your social media and Internet marketing campaign around the end of the year and during tax season. That is something you may not have time for but doing so will only enhance your Internet marketing presence.

Tip: Social media is the place to play, offer contests, and get customers sharing with their networks! Don’t be overwhelmed by contests, there are lots of different platforms that can help you successfully launch social contests and drive traffic and generate leads and sales. One platform I’ve tried is HEYO. It’s really easy and has had a lot of success, especially on Facebook.

Create Some Content

Once you’ve had some success with social media marketing then you can start a blog. This is where you can “pull back the curtain” so to speak and really begin to let your devoted customers get a peek at how things run. People love videos so YouTube is a good place to get familiar with as well. But you can post notes about specific deals for customers on your blog for that night. You can also show people the prep for some of your favorite dishes, the mixing of your best cocktails, or the best tricks which have been turned at your skate park. Brainstorm with the youngsters; they know what’s up!

Tip: Don’t worry, you don’t have to be overwhelmed by creating a ton of content. Brainstorm a list of topics and then you can create a variety of content around the same topic. Write an article, turn it into a podcast or video, interview an expert or a customer on the same topic. The possibilities are endless!.

Be Consistent, Persistent, and Creative

Once you begin Internet marketing it’s like the scarlet letter; you’ve got to keep doing it or your business will become stale. The problem with this is that the online marketing world is always changing; you have to “keep up with the times” or your business is going to be as stale as a buggy whip!

Tip: Your marketing has got to keep pace with the current trends! My favorite source for the latest trends is Trendwatching.com. They do extensive research on consumer trends and report on them. But here’s the other sneaky tip. Their web site is ALWAYS state of the art. So you’ll kill two birds with one stone with this one.

Baby Your Brand

It may seem like you’re constantly talking about your business, product and services, it’s new to your customers. Just when you think you’re repeating yourself and being boring — keep at it at least another five times! This means that your brand has to have a solid logo, an easy to repeat and remember message and a way to stick in your customers brain. Protect your brand, feed it and nourish it. It’s worth the effort.

Tip: Is your logo stale or too complicated? You may need to do a redesign. When I need a logo on a budget, I go to 99Designs where you can submit a project and for one price you can see dozens of potential new designs. Get your customers involved in helping you choose your updated look, it’s a great way to engage with your customers and build your brand at the same time.

Service businesses are so focused on delivering on great customer experiences, there often isn’t time to bulk up your marketing or your brand. Just remember, don’t make your marketing a drudgery or just one more thing on your to-do-list. Make your marketing an opportunity to engage and enroll your customers in with your business. It will not only build loyal customers, it will attract even more new customers.
http://www.business2community.com/online-marketing/internet-marketing-tips-service-business-01167979

Jeff Bullas's Killer Tips to get your article go viral on LinkedIn

image: http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/6-Ways-to-Create-and-Publish-a-Killer-Article-on-LinkedIn.jpg.jpg

In February last year, LinkedIn gave every member in the U.S. the ability to publish posts on LinkedIn – and the response was swift and enthusiastic. In fact just recently, LinkedIn reached more than one million posts.

Now since LinkedIn wants each one of more than 330 million members to be able to share their insights with other professionals across the globe, they’ve taken another big step toward that goal as they expand the ability to publish on LinkedIn to all members in English-speaking countries.

That’s 230 million users around the globe who can now tell their stories, show their expertise, and express their ideas on LinkedIn.

image: http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/linkedin-notifications.png-300x288.png

Recommended for YouWebcast: Video Marketing: 3 Building Blocks to Get You Started

Becoming a publisher on LinkedIn can be a powerful way to reach your target market and generate new leads. The new platform promises to match the blog’s topic with users who share an interest in that particular vertical.

It also gives you greater exposure to your current network given every blog you post is distributed to their news feed and displayed within their notification settings located at the very top of their LinkedIn profile.

If your contacts like the article and decide to share that on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, this will not only create greater exposure but those who aren’t connected with you; may like your work that much that they end up “FOLLOWING” you to receive future posts helping you create a following of raving fans for years to come!!

My blog post results so far:

• Appeared on the homepage of LinkedIn four times now
• Reached over 128,000 blog views and 1000 comments
• Shared more than 20,193 times
• Generated over 430 leads
• Increased my following by an extra 2,300

Here’s a screenshot of a few articles I’ve written:

image: http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/linkedin-posts.png.png

How to know if you’ve been approved to publish

To know whether or not you’ve been approved to start publishing content, simply go into your LinkedIn account. If you’ve been approved there will be a grey pencil icon on the status box at the top of your home page as illustrated within the image to your right.

image: http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/approved-publishing-on-linkedin.png.png

If this pencil icon is not displayed, it means that they have not rolled out the publishing feature to your account. Not to worry, simply email their customer service team and request an upgrade to your profile so you can start publishing on LinkedIn.

Publishing your blog is real easy

Simply go to the home page of your account, hover over the pencil icon I showed you earlier. When you do this it will reveal the text “create a post.”

Once you’ve clicked on the link, it will then direct you to a page where you will see a blank blog post ready for you to populate with your headline and main copy.

Start by thinking about your headline! Make sure it’s short, sharp and compelling. Once you have your headline figured out, go ahead and write your copy. I find generally anywhere between 500-700 words is a good length.

image: http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/publishing-platform.png.png

Given that any content you publish on LinkedIn is going to be associated with your profile (and be visible to your network), you will want to ensure that the content you publish on LinkedIn is of the highest quality. Your LinkedIn profile, after all, is your professional online identity. That means your reputation is at stake. Don’t publish anything that could jeopardize or harm your reputation.

Plus the better the content and the more compelling your headline, LinkedIn may end up featuring your article on one of the categories within the “Pulse” network or better yet feature it on the home page giving you visibility to over 300 million members worldwide.

Six tips to implement before publishing

Here are the top tips to create and publish a killer article on LinkedIn.

1. Best dates and times: Generally I have found Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday morning between 8 a.m.-9 a.m. is the best times to post. I should note that these times are based on EST, you may want to test out your own time zone to see what works well for you.

2. Importance of quality content: I touched on this briefly before but the better and more valuable your content the greater impact you will make on your existing and new followers.

3. Preview your content: Before publishing your post always make sure to preview your work. This will allow you to see whether or not your text are aligned with any pictures or videos you have inserted, if heading are properly spaced out, and if your article is properly laid out, etc.

4. Include videos & images: Break up your text with images and videos so that people don’t get information overwhelm when they first visit your blog. Always make it a habit of listing a few tips or provide a how to guide within a section of the blog. Most people will skim through your article, so this is a great way to provide quick rich content.

5. Ask questions: Doing this demonstrates your genuine interest in feedback. It also makes it an interactive opportunity that encourages participation. Simple questions like “do you agree?” or “how have you seen this done?” are a call to action that can start the ball rolling.

6. Check the analytics: LinkedIn gives you great analytics to show you the success of your articles. This gives you a great opportunity to pay attention to which types of articles are getting the most views, comments, and social shares.

Following the same suggestions listed above, below is a screenshot of a blog I wrote on LinkedIn. Within 1 hour, it was featured on the home page and stayed as the top story within the “Entrepreneurship & Small Business” category of LinkedIn’s Pulse network for an entire day helping me reach over 9,000 views and over 100 comments.

Now that you know what steps are required to start blogging on LinkedIn, hopefully its inspired you to get your next article out there for the whole world to read.

You never know, you’re post may start that conversation with your next investor or business partner; it may get you noticed by others in your company or industry and help enhance your reputation as a thought leader. But most of all, it may simply help others.

Whether you’ve just written your first post or have a few under your belt. I’d be interested to know what strategies you’ve implemented on LinkedIn to grow your following and engagement with that audience.

http://www.business2community.com/linkedin/6-tips-create-publish-killer-article-linkedin-01153304

The Ultimate List of Blogs that Accept Guest Posts

This page contains links to lists of blogs in over 25 categories that accept guest posts. Each category has around 20 blogs listed, making it a total of over 500 blogs; the biggest list of personally-added-and-moderated blogs that accept guest posts online! This list is currently a work-in-progress as new categories will be added daily.

More categories will be added over time and the list will be routinely checked. If you’re in need of a professional guest blogger to help you handle guest blogging, blogging or content marketing as a whole, then you can hire me!

If you have feedback about any of the blogs in any of these categories, please contact me!

Category #1: Art Blogs that Accept Guest Posts

There are around 20 blogs in total listed in the above category; at the time of compiling this list it has been verified that each blog listed accepts guest posts.

The list contains details about the authority of each blog listed as well as how you can submit guest posts to these blogs.

Click here for blogs in the art category!

Category #2: Business/Small Business Blogs that Accept Guest Posts

This business/small business category lists 20 blogs which you can apply to write for. Each blog is exceptional in its own way and will give you the valuable, high traffic links you need for your site.

At a glance you can see the details of each blog and know exactly where and how to apply to write for them – with all the links you’ll need provided.

Click here for blogs in the business/small business category

Category #3 Photography Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

If you run a photography business or blog/website and need vital links to potential clients and new readers/subscribers for your blog, you should write for some or all of these photography blogs. There are 20 high-ranking and high-traffic photography blogs on the page, with all the details you need to apply to them.

Click here for blogs in the photography category

Category #4 Finance Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

You can find the Google Page Rank, Mozrank and Alexa Page rank of 20 of the best finance blogs on the Internet. Use your knowledge of finance and business to pick which one of these blogs is suitable for you. We also give you a brief description of what the blogs accept and what kind of articles they look for.

Click here for blogs in the finance category

Category #5 Freelancing Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

This definitive list of freelancing blogs tells you what works and what doesn’t with the blogs listed – as it relates to writing for them. You can find some of the best freelancing blogs on the Internet which you can apply to write for in order to extend your brand.

Click here for blogs in the freelancing category

Category #6 Blogging Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

If you have ever wanted to write for blogs within the blogging theme, this is the list you need! Guest blogging couldn’t be easier with these descriptions, ratings and links to blogs which will actually take your work. You can see exactly what you need to do for your guest post to be accepted.

Click here for blogs in the blogging category

Category #7 Travel Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

If you’re a travel writer looking to expand your business or brand through guest posting, this list is for you. There are 20 travel blogs on this list, all of which accept guest posts. The list shows you the right links you need, and what you have to do in order for your post to be accepted. You’ll also find the ratings of each blog listed.

Click here for blogs in the travel category

Category #8 Gaming Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

Gaming writers will be excited by this list of blogs. This list contains details of the authority of each of the blogs. You’ll also find short descriptions and what to do in order to apply to write for them, what other opportunities are open to you, and how to make contact.

Click here for blogs in the gaming category

Category #9 Health Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

Health writers, this is the list you were waiting for. This post will show you who the blogs on the list are aimed at, how to apply to write for them, the rankings of the sites, and even how to contact the blog with your submission. You can also see what benefits you can attract by writing for the blogs on the list.

Click here for blogs in the health category

Category #10 Science Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

There are 20 fantastic science blogs in this list. You’re shown how to submit your guest post, what the blog owners are looking for and what science topics the blogs are most likely to publish. Each blog is superb in it’s own way. At a glance you can see their Alexa, Google and Mozrank ratings to help you make your decision.

Click here for blogs in the science category

Category #11 Celebrity Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

The definitive list of the 20 celebrity blogs on the Internet which will accept guest posts from you. The post will provide you with all the details you need to get your post accepted. It’ll tell you what the blogs are most likely to publish, conditions of publication, and how to contact them.

Click here for blogs in the celebrity category

Category #12 Green Energy Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

If you run a green energy business or blog/website and need links to potential clients and new readers/subscribers for your blog, you should write for some or all of these green energy blogs. There are 20 high-quality green energy blogs on the page, with all the details you need to apply to them.

Click here for blogs in the green energy category

Category #13 Book Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

Sending pitches couldn’t be easier if you write for or run a book blog. There are 20 high-traffic blogs on this page, all with details you need to write and submit the perfect guest post to them. At a glance you can see their rating, their requirements, and how to contact them to write for them.

Click here for blogs in the book category

Category #14 Family Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

If you write about, or have knowledge of family topics you should choose one of these blogs to guest post on. We also give you a brief description of what the blogs accept and what kind of articles they require.You can find the Google Page Rank, Mozrank and Alexa Page rank of 20 of the best family blogs on the web.

Click here for blogs in the family category

Category #15 Gadget Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

If you have a gadget blog that needs backlinks from top-quality gadget sites, this is the list you need. We provide you with all the information you need to get your guest post accepted, how to make contact, and how to qualify. There are 20 high-traffic gadget blogs on this list.

Click here for blogs in the gadget category

Category #16 Computer Blogs that Accept Guest Posts

The details on this list of computer blogs shows you what posts work best for the blogs on the list, how you can increase your chances of being published and where and how to apply. Having all this information will make it very easy for you to plan your guest posting strategy – to write for some of the best computer blogs on the web.

Click here for blogs in the computer category

Category #17 Entrepreneurship Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

This list of entrepreneurship blogs will give you some of the best sites on the Internet which you can apply to write for in order to expand your brand/blog rating. This definitive list tells you what works and what doesn’t with the blogs listed – as it relates to guest blogging for them.

Click here for blogs in the entrepreneurship category

Category #18 Food Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

This definitive compilation will show you exactly what you need to do for your guest post to be accepted on the 20 food blogs featured. If you’ve ever wanted to guest post for blogs within the food niche, this is the list for you to bookmark. Expanding your website and brand couldn’t be easier with these descriptions, ratings and links to blogs which will actually take your work.

Click here for blogs in the food category

Category #19 Sport Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

Are you a sport writer or a blogger with a sport site? Are you looking to extend your business or brand through guest posting? This list is for you. There are 20 sports blogs on this list, all of which will accept your guest posts. You’ll also find the ratings of each blog listed.

Click here for blogs in the sport category

Category #20 Writing Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

This list of 20 top quality writing blogs will appeal to you if you write for, or run a writing blog. This list contains details of the authority of each of the blogs. You’ll also find short descriptions and what to do in order to apply to write for them, what to look out for, and how to make contact.

Click here for blogs in the writing category

Category #21 Internet Marketing/Make Money Online Blogs that Accept Guest posts

There are 20 of the best Internet Marketing/Make Money Online blogs included on the list – each with all the details you need to apply to write for them. If you manage a blog or website within these 2 niches and need links to potential clients and new readers/subscribers, you should write for some or all of these blogs.

Click here for blogs in the internet marketing/make money online category

Category #22 Politics Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

At a glance you can see these blogs’ rating, their requirements, and how to contact them to write guest posts for them. This list makes sending a pitch easy  if you write for, or run a politics blog. There are 20 high-traffic blogs on this page – all with details you need to write and submit the perfect guest article to them.

Click here for blogs in the politics category

Category #23 Fashion Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

There are 20 top-quality, high-traffic fashion blogs in this list. You’re told how to submit your guest post, what the blog owners are looking for and what fashion topics the blogs are most likely to publish. At a glance you can see their Alexa, Google and Mozrank ratings to help you make your decision to guest post for them.

Click here for blogs in the fashion category

Category #24 Religion Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

You can find the Google Page Rank, Mozrank and Alexa Page rank of 20 of the best religion blogs on the web. If you write about, or have knowledge of religion topics you should choose one of these blogs to guest post on. We also give you a brief description of each blog and what their target audience is like.

Click here for blogs in the religion category

Category #25 Pet Blogs That Accept Guest Posts

There are 20 high-traffic and top quality pet blogs on this list. If you have a pet blog that needs backlinks and an expansion of brand, this is the list you need. We provide you with all the information you need to get your guest post accepted, how to make contact, and how to qualify.

http://www.guestbloggingtactics.com/blogs-that-accept-guest-posts/

4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Business Blogging Efforts

There are plenty of reasons why businesses blog. Business blogging is one of the fundamental aspects of inbound strategy and if you are not doing it, there is something seriously wrong with your inbound marketing strategy.

Marketers swear by blogging as a marketing tactic because it helps drive traffic to a website, converts this traffic into leads, and keeps delivering long-term results in the form of enhanced brand awareness, improved reputation and niche authority.The problem is not every business can optimally leverage the potential of blogging. The ‘blogging nirvana’ so to speak, eludes them. While some see a spike in traffic due to their blogging efforts, they find they are unable to convert a large percentage of this traffic into leads. For others, their blogging efforts do not deliver consistent results. In spite of using a truckload of blogging best practices, they still can’t get on top of their blogging efforts. The results are ordinary at best.

So, why is blogging ‘pure undiluted joy’ for some businesses in terms of deliverables while for others, it is a thankless task that fails to deliver?How do you make sure your business attains blogging nirvana (success)? Is there a set of rules you can follow that helps your business achieve blogging success? Considering that content marketing budgets are increasing, how do you make sure your blogging endeavors deliver the results you are looking for?

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Create Really Shareable Content Assets

You need to ask yourself this question, all the time. A new post doesn’t guarantee ‘shareability’. If it’s not good enough, it won’t get shared. So, you need to come up with a blogging plan that helps you come up with shareable assets. For that to happen, you must push the blogging envelope. Diversify and focus on posts that will help you earn more traffic and shares. For example, how-to’s and lists are the kind of posts that will always work.

However, don’t limit diversification to the ‘types’ of blog posts. Extend it to the kind of content formats you choose to publish. Videos, infographics, and even podcasts should be a part of your monthly publishing calendar. Mix it up.

Thumb rule of business blogging: Don’t be boring; let your creativity run wild.

2. It’s All in the Appeal

Is your website blog appealing? And I mean really appealing. This appeal isn’t just about the visuals. It is also about the kind of information you are offering on your blog.

Look Both Ways is Ann Taylor’s website blog and a text-book example of an “appealing” blog. It has great visuals, but the focus is on delivering information that will appeal to its audience. It packs a punch with its guest blogs, DIY articles, gift ideas, and a whole lot more. It’s the kind of blog that Ann Taylor’s target audience will love coming to, again and again, regardless of whether they shop from Ann Taylor or not. It acts like a comprehensive fashion resource that is updated daily. This is the essence of its appeal.

Now, take a look at your blog. While it might look appealing to you, do you really think it delivers recurring value to its target audience? If the answer is NO, it’s time you overhauled your blog.

3. Expert Speak

If you want your blog to function as an industry mouthpiece and a thought leadership resource, you must get experts into the act. These experts are niche influencers and it makes perfect sense to either ask them to write for your blog or have a presence on it in some form.

But why should they want to publish posts on your blog? One word – influence! If they believe an article on your blog will help their personal branding efforts, they will definitely take up your offer to publish posts on your blog. It’s important to remember most ‘industry experts’ are looking for an opportunity to showcase their expertise; and if your blog looks like a good opportunity to improve their visibility, they will grab it with both hands.

In the event they are not willing to publish, you could even think about interviewing them on your blog. Think of innovative ways and means you could have expert presence on your blog. This will help improve brand reputation and trigger conversations centered on your brand.

4. Approach the Right Blogs

Another question for you – If you are publishing posts on third-party websites/blogs (guest blogging), are you making the right choices? You must pick high authority blogs/websites reputed for the quality of information they bring to the table. Getting your posts published on these blogs isn’t easy -but don’t give up.

One of the reasons why a business’s blogging efforts fail to deliver returns is they give up. If the high authority sites are not accepting their posts, they publish on low quality sites, not realizing that in doing so, their reputation is taking a hit. What’s more, the posts on these sites are delivering zero value to them.

So why post on such sites?

Create a list of reputed sites in your niche and develop a solid blogger outreach strategy. Make sure you follow site owners/editors on social media and interact with them. Try to connect with them on a personal level and think about building relationships. This is important because, more often than not, site owners prefer to publish articles of people they know. It’s therefore important that you are able to showcase your niche expertise while interacting with them on social media.

Your Turn

There is no clear set of rules that can help you get the best out of business blogging. You need to think out of the box and play to your strengths. What’s more, you shouldn’t expect quick results. Sometimes the results are a long time in coming, but if you go about business blogging in the right manner, the results will come.

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/4-ways-get-business-blogging-efforts/123780/