This is a guest post by Jessica Sanders. If you would like to submit a guest article, please check out our guest post guidelines.

Keeping up with your business blog can be time consuming. Between brainstorming thought-provoking post ideas and getting the time to put it all on paper, it takes a good amount of effort to be sure you’ve pleased your readers and customers.

Yet, once that is done, your job is not finished. Creating a great blog post is fantastic, but once it’s finished there are a few more boxes to check off.

• Link It

The goal of writing a blog is to reach your customers. Once you complete your post you should immediately get it out to all of your other sources. If you have a Facebook account, update your status. Tweet it, get it on LinkedIn, and perhaps get it out on your customer mailing list.

• Interact

If your blog has frequent visitors, you want to thank them for reading your post. You can also address questions or concerns here. Building community around your blog is a strategic way to keep people coming back.

• Pose a Question

Instead of waiting for readers to find courage to comment, pose a thought-provoking question to start the conversation. This invites answers, potentially motivating those who normally stay mum to speak up. This is positive way to get feedback from valuable members.

• Re-Purpose the Content

If you have a team dedicated to the blogging process, or extra time on your hands, consider reinventing your content in a different format. Some readers may not have time to keep up with your blog at work, but can listen to it while they sit in traffic. Not only will this please your readers, but opens your posts up to a wider audience.

• Syndicate with Other Sites

Consider working with niche blog-collection sites such as AllTop, that gather together posts. Various larger business blogs also do this. By getting your blog on other sites, you can reach an audience much larger than your immediate contact circle.

Creating a great blog post means nothing if it doesn’t reach the people you are writing for. Post-blogging steps are part of the process and will earn you a larger, more interactive, readership. When it comes down to it, that is the ultimate goal, right?

Jessica Sanders is an avid small business writer touching on topics ranging from social media to merchant services. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including telemarketing for b2b lead generation resource, Resource Nation.

52 Headline Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Writing Blog Posts That Go Viral

This 55-page report is a crash course in blog headline writing – it details 52 different styles of headlines and gives examples of each. A must-read for every blogger. PDF of the report: https://s3.amazonaws.com/boostblogtraffic/Headline-Hacks-12-12-2011.pdf [Jon MorrowCopyBlogger]

How to Write a How-To Post: 7 Simple Steps

How-to posts are the most-read type of blog article. [Ali Luke, DailyBlogTips]

Your “How-To” Post Will Fail If You Don’t Use These Techniques

[Neil Patel, ProBlogger]

5 Tips for Beefing Up a Short Blog Post

[Linda Dessau, Build a Better Blog]

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Join me for five social media workshops — take one or take ‘em all. The workshops are sponsored by Everett Community College Corporate & Continuing Education Center and are at the beautiful new East County campus in Monroe, WA.

You do NOT have to be a student at Everett Community College to take these workshops. These workshops are geared for adult entrepreneurs, small business owners, lifelong learners, and cubicle dwellers who are interested in learning how to use social media tools. The workshops are targeted for people who consider themselves “technologically challenged.”

To register for a workshop, click the link at the end of each course description.

*Note that this series will also be offered Spring Quarter, so if you can’t fit it in your schedule this winter, pencil the course in on your calendar for:

• April 12 – Facebook
• April 26  – Blogging
• May 10 – LinkedIn
• May 24 – Twitter
• June 7 – YouTube

Social Media For Business Series

Sign up for all five classes and save $45. Fee $300
For information on how to get the series discount, contact Everett Community College Corporate & Continuing Education Center (425) 267-0150.

Business Blogging Basics

Thursday, February 2, 2012
6-8 PM
Everett Community College Corporate & Continuing Education Center East County Campus
Tye 303, Monroe, WA
Fee: $69

If you want to build your business online, blogging can give you a very good return on investment. Learn to identify blogging topics and blogging strategies to increase your company’s visibility and credibility. We’ll evaluate several blogging platforms, and you’ll learn how to create blog posts that lure readers and keep them coming back for more. This class meets at the East County Campus in Monroe.

To register for this course, click this link: http://www.campusce.net/everett/course/course.aspx?C=687&pc=14&mc=&sc=

Facebook Pages for Business

Thursday, February 9, 2012
6-9 PM
Everett Community College Corporate & Continuing Education Center East County Campus
Tye 303, Monroe, WA
Fee: $69

Use the world’s largest social networking site to promote your business. During this intermediate level hands-on class, you will create and customize your Facebook Business (Fan) Page and learn how to publish enticing updates that help you build your business. Participants must have a personal Facebook profile set up prior to enrolling in this class, and should have basic proficiency with Facebook.

To register for this course, click this link: http://www.campusce.net/everett/course/course.aspx?C=598&pc=14&mc=&sc=

Boost Your Business With LinkedIn

Thursday, February 16, 2012
6-8 PM
Everett Community College Corporate & Continuing Education Center East County Campus
Tye 303, Monroe, WA
Fee: $69

Learn how LinkedIn can help you network with other professionals, attract new customers, and discover job opportunities. We’ll discuss how to craft an enhanced profile and solicit recommendations. You’ll learn techniques for growing your network through Groups, applications, and a Company Page.

To register for this course, click this link: http://www.campusce.net/Everett/Course/Course.aspx?c=733

Expand Your Brand, One Tweet at A Time

Thursday, March 1, 2012
6-8 PM
Everett Community College Corporate & Continuing Education Center East County Campus
Tye 303, Monroe, WA
Fee: $69

Known as a micro-blog, Twitter is ideal for building your brand reputation, 140 characters at a time. During this workshop, you’ll learn how to craft tweets that provide value, how to cross-promote your Twitter updates on other social networks, and how to entice your followers to pass on your brand message.

To register for this course, click this link: http://www.campusce.net/Everett/Course/Course.aspx?c=734

Broadcast Your Business with a YouTube Channel

Thursday, March 15, 2012
6-8 PM
Everett Community College Corporate & Continuing Education Center East County Campus
Tye 303, Monroe, WA
Fee: $69

Forty-eight hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. It’s no wonder that YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. With users who range from 18 to 54 years old, YouTube is an ideal medium for local businesses to broadcast product launches, interviews, tutorials, ads, and more. Learn how to create, customize, and optimize a YouTube channel that will increase your company’s reach.

To register for this course, click this link: http://www.campusce.net/Everett/Course/Course.aspx?c=735

Share With a Friend

If you are unable to attend these workshops but have friends who might be interested, please share the link to this post with them: http://www.bloggingbistro.com/?p=10023

Book Laura to Speak With Your Group

Laura Christianson is available to teach workshops and keynote at your conference or event. For more speaking topics and to book Laura, visit the Speaking page.

This is a guest post by Tal Baron. If you would like to submit a guest article, please check out our guest post guidelines.

You’ve been looking forward to an upcoming conference, and now the time is here. How can you get the most from attending, and keep your readers up-to-speed?

Follow these five strategies for blogging in real-time at a conference.

1.  Straight Transcription

Typing what someone says word for word takes accuracy and speed that most people don’t possess. If you can’t keep up, you can’t expect to get all the words right, and speakers do not take kindly to being misquoted. (Neither, incidentally, do their lawyers.)

For someone who does have the skills, straight transcription offers your readers something other blogs won’t. They’ll be able to get their information straight from the source, without anyone else’s interpretations.

2.  Real-Time Commentary

Because most people truly cannot type quickly enough to quote, verbatim, a 20-minute presentation, many bloggers opt to capture snippets that stick with them. IF you can remember the words, use them. If you’re in doubt, paraphrase; use your own words, and share your opinion.

Depending upon your blog audience, commentary may be preferred to straight transcription. One, your personality can shine through. Blog readers stick around because they identify with your voice. They “get” you, and you “get” them. You can explain how a something affects them in a way they’ll appreciate, and understand.

Two, you’ll know what information will matter most to them. A three-day conference on autism may be highly geared to professionals. If your blog speaks to parents, scanning through pages of science-speak might be overwhelming for your readers. Reading through a handful of comments, and your opinions on how they pertain to families would help get them information they need more effectively.

3.  Reflection After the Fact

Some blogs will require to-the-minute updates during a conference, and others can wait a few hours. Depending on your topic, it may be perfectly acceptable to your readers to wait until a speaker is done to reflect on what they’ve said, and how it affects your audience.

4.  Journalistic Approach

Reporters go to conventions regularly, but they don’t publish play-by-plays. Instead, they use information from presentations in other articles. Instead of dissecting an entire session, they’ll use things shared as support for articles on related topics.

5.  Social Networks

Twitter and Facebook provide excellent opportunities for keeping an audience involved at a conference, to the point where you may find yourself relaying questions from your readers. If you don’t have a smartphone, get one. Send quotes or paraphrased ideas to your readers as the speakers say them, and wait for the conversations to begin.

Tal Baron writes for Smart Meetings, a corporate events guide for planning San Diego meetings.

Should you purchase .xxx domain extensions to protect yourself?

Businesses and colleges are rushing to prevent their names from falling into the hands of the pornography industry by buying up the new “.xxx” website extension. [The Seattle Times]

The average British person is under the influence of alcohol in three-quarters of his or her tagged Facebook photos

…According to a new study. [ZDNet]

When Should You Launch Your New Blog?

How much planning should you do before you launch your blog? Or should you launch it on the fly? [Darren Rowse, ProBlogger]

5 Email Marketing Tips for Increased Open Rates

You want people to open and read your e-newsletter, right? But sadly, the vast majority of all e-newsletters don’t even get opened. Here’s why, along with tips to help yours get opened. [Ashley Zeckman, TopRank]

Top 15 Most Popular Social Networking Sites

[Raul Kaevand, DreamGrow]

After sending a Twitter tip to Blogging Bistro, Laura asked me to expand on it in a guest post. I am happy to do so, and I welcome your feedback.

• Do you feel like Twitter is a time waster?
• How do you make the most of your account?

Most Twitter users are information disseminators, but they don’t take much time to read about their followers, connect with other users, or even to read or share other Tweets.

To set yourself apart, check out your followers and see what they’re up to. You can generally tell from the short bio if it’s worth your time to go further.

I probably don’t do this as often as I should, but the time I have spent doing this has been very beneficial for networking. One Twitter follower I received ended up to be a multi-published marriage book author and psychiatrist. (Since I am a marriage blogger and was writing a marriage book, this piqued my interest.)

Step 1: Research

I checked out his web site from his Twitter link and watched a couple of videos in which he was interviewed on major TV shows. One of his comments intrigued me, so I emailed him requesting an interview for Marriage Gems.

Step 2: Interview

He agreed, and we scheduled a 15-minute phone interview. Using some of the comments from the interview, I wrote my most successful blog post ever. It was called, “We all married the wrong person,” which went viral the day I published it.

The post reached more than 54,000 readers in four days and was featured on the WordPress page “Freshly Pressed” for several days.

The post was also republished in more languages than I could recognize in countries across the world.

Step 3: Forge Real-Life Friendships

It was an exciting experience, and it helped me to forge a friendship with the author I interviewed, Scott Haltzman, M.D. He has been extremely helpful with my new book, First Kiss to Lasting Bliss: Hope & Inspiration for Your Marriage, even providing a marvelous testimonial for it. We have discussed the possibility of partnering on projects in the future, and we’ve talked many times.

If I hadn’t been checking out my followers, I would have missed this great learning and networking opportunity, not to mention the inspiration for a great post that hundreds of people have told me changed their perspective on love and marriage.

I’d say that was a good investment of maybe 30 minutes of my time.

I’ve met other great contacts online as well through similar ways, although this one was the most dramatic.

Your Assignment

• Who on your follower list might be an important contact?
• Are you seeking to connect with Twitter users in your industry who have meaningful things to share?
• Are you listening and reading or simply using Twitter to send out regular posts and updates?

Making real connections online will help you get the most out of a great social networking tool.

About the Author

Lori Lowe is a journalist, GenXer, and child of divorce. Her book, First Kiss to Lasting Bliss: Hope & Inspiration for Your Marriage, has just been released on Amazon.com and in various e-book formats at LoriDLowe.com.

Couples featured in the book experienced many challenges, including infertility, stranger rape, child loss, infidelity, drug addiction, unsupportive families, faith differences, military separation, life-threatening illness, raising a special-needs child, financial crises and much more.

You can also connect with Lori at www.Facebook.com/LastingBliss or on Twitter @LoriLowe.

Share what you’re learning about the power of social tools.

Check out our guest post guidelines, and then submit your own guest column to Blogging Bistro.

After blogging for a few years, I came to the point where I didn’t think I was going anywhere with my website or blogs. That’s when I e-mailed Laura Christianson of Blogging Bistro. I remembered her speaking at a Christian Writers Conference in Castro Valley, California.

Five days after our first phone coaching session, blog traffic on my Kid Konnection blog at www.missue4kids.com increased by 200 page views per month, and traffic tripled within five weeks.

Blog traffic on my Reflections of God’s Glory at www.missue.blogspot.com blog increased by 100 page views per month in the first week. I’m thrilled!

Some of the things Laura encouraged me to do reminded me of basic desktop publishing techniques I learned a few years ago. Other things are more related to the networking and growing relationships with other bloggers.

I have used the following seven ways to increase blog traffic, and I’m excited to see what is happening:

1.  Make your website and blogs easy for skimmers and scanners by using sub headings, short sentences and short paragraphs.

2.  Use attention-grabbing titles the same as you would for articles you submit for publication.

3.  Engage your readers by inviting discussion, responding to comments, and reading/commenting on the blogs written by your visitors.

4.  When linking your blogs or blog list, be sure they open in another window or tab. This will keep readers on your site.

-Using the link button on Weebly for my website, I found a box, “open in another window,” I can check.
-Using Blogger for my blogs, I learned that using the “blog roll” will open in another window. Using “favorite links” will take your readers to the other site.

5.  By using page management tools, you can define your pages so they will be found in Google searches.

6.  If your blog is not within the pages of your website (for example, I have a Weebly website and Blogspot blogs), be sure to build as much consistency as possible. Laura found a theme consistency in my blogs and website, but my templates were drastically different. By using similar colors and layout, my readers feel like they’re in the same place, even though they aren’t.

7.  Create a space balance on each page. Don’t have a long post with a short sidebar or a long sidebar with a short post. You might have to change blog settings for longer or shorter posts. Making things pleasant to the eye makes readers feel more comfortable so they stick around longer.

Why would someone like me be concerned about blog traffic outside of a business concept?

Because blogging for Jesus is what I’m called to do—to tell the truth about His amazing love. And since He’s my boss, I want to do it the best I can and reach as many readers as possible.

Why do you blog? Business, passion, fun or ministry?

About Sue: Author of more than eighty articles and stories, Sue Tornai lives with her husband John and dog Maggie in Carmichael, California. She writes for Christian magazines, anthologies and Sunday school curriculum.

When someone asks her what her most rewarding experience is as a writer, she says it is when someone says something she wrote touched a heart or changed a life. “That’s why I write,” she says. “I write for God’s glory.” Visit her website at www.suetornai.com.

Image: Ohmega1982 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is a guest post by Joe Pawlikowski. If you would like to submit a guest article, please check out our guest post guidelines.

Running your blog from your smartphone has become a breeze. As Spencer Hogg wrote in a previous guest post, there are plenty of smartphone blogging apps. These can help you create and edit posts, and keep track of some housekeeping tasks.

The only problem is that they only cover the blog itself. We know that blogging has extended beyond simply writing posts and commenting. Here are some non-blogging apps that can get you going on your smartphone.

1. Facebook

Gander, if you will, to the right of your screen. Here you’ll see a list of popular posts from Blogging Bistro. These posts cover a variety of topics, but there is one word that appears more frequently than the rest: Facebook. In the past few years Facebook has become an integral part of any growing blog. Mobile Facebook apps, then, have also become essential.

As with most apps on this list, Facebook is available on the three major smartphone platforms: iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry. It’s free, and lately Facebook has made some big improvements to the apps.

2. Twitter

While Facebook might reach a larger audience, Twitter is another essential social media tool for bloggers. In fact, Twitter can be a more helpful social media tool in many ways. It’s not only a place where readers can immediately find links to your latest posts, but it’s also a place where you can interact with readers in a real-time setting.

The best part about mobile Twitter is that there are so many apps. Many of these, such as Echofon, TweetDeck, and HootSuite, mimic the desktop experience. Others take great advantage of the mobile aspects of Twitter. Any way you want to experience Twitter on your smartphone, it’s available.

3. Image Editor

Image Editor is not an app itself. Rather, it’s a category of app that exists on all smartphone platforms. Anyone who blogs from his or her smartphone is in great need of one. It’s one of the only surefire ways to make sure that an image looks right.

While most blogging apps will resize images for the post, that doesn’t always take care of business. Oftentimes bloggers need to do more than resize the image. These tasks include cropping, blacking out sensitive data, adding commentary, and changing the resolution.

Just do a quick search for “image editor” in any smartphone app store. It will bring up a bevy of options that will work for any blogger.

4. Evernote

Each smartphone platform has its own notes app, but Evernote transcends the smartphone. It’s a purely cloud-based service that can store all of your notes, whether they be audio, visual, or simply text. Maybe you won’t get around to blogging until later, but you can jot down ideas now.

The best part of Evernote is that it serves as not only a notes app, but also a reminder. You can take notes, record audio, and shoot pictures while you’re out and about with your smartphone. Evernote automatically uploads them. Then, when you’re home and check the desktop app, you’ll see all that you did while out. That’s a reminder to put the media to use in a post.

Even better: Evernote is available on all smartphone platforms, and it’s free.

5. Remote Desktop

Again, this is a category of app that bloggers might find essential. Smartphones might contain all sorts of data, but they don’t cover everything that’s on your computer. Yet sometimes we need data that is only stored at home. That can cause a frustrating situation if you don’t have a remote desktop app.

A remote desktop app allows users to access information on their computers, while using their smartphones. Some of these apps allow complete access, including video playback and app functions. Others offer file browsing. Either way, the ability to access parts of a desktop or laptop while away is an invaluable service.

Each smartphone platform has a selection of remote desktop apps. Just search your app store for “remote desktop.” Chances are you’ll have to pay a few dollars, since these are relatively advanced apps. But they’re absolutely worth the cost.

Joe Pawlikowski is the editor of BBGeeks, a site dedicated to helping BlackBerry users get the most out of their devices. He most frequently uses the BlackBerry Facebook app.

Panic and fear come in different size packages. For some the thought of confronting their boss or giving a speech to an auditorium full of people are cause for more than just heart palpitations.

For me, panic comes when my computer doesn’t do what I want it to do, I’m on a deadline and I know if I push the wrong button the problem will be worse.

With a good set of instructions I do just fine. Without it, I am like a ship without a rudder. My daughter tells me I was born without the “technical” gene. And she is right! I’d rather give a speech any day.

When I entered the world of writing and blogging, I knew I would need all the technical help I could get. So I hired a local company to design a website for me from which I could blog. Unfortunately, the technical support I received was insufficient for my needs.

But my prayers were answered when I attended a workshop led by Laura Christianson at one of the NW Christian Writers Conferences. I asked if she would give me some personal tutoring and the rest is history. She not only has helped me with my lack of computer skills but has helped me understand and navigate the social media sites. Her patience and clear instructions were exactly what I needed and I asked her to take over the management of my site.

However, after working hard to make the technical transfer, it was necessary to completely redo my website, FocusWithMarlene.com, and Laura’s team did it at a cost I could afford. A conference call between me, Laura and Marty (who did the amazing design work on the site) laid the groundwork for what I wanted. They not only improved the basic format, incorporated new ideas and details but made it user friendly. I now have a beautiful site I absolutely love.

[Editor's note: Below are BEFORE and AFTER screenshots of Marlene's Home page, so you can see how we updated her site, while retaining the violet and gray color scheme Marlene loves. Marlene's new website is custom-designed/programmed and is 100% self-hosted WordPress]:

BEFORE

AFTER

I think the greatest gift Laura gives to others is her listening skills, patience and ability to take difficulty with computer language and translate it into terms we can understand. Both she and Marty are extremely supportive and helpful and she is always just a phone call or e-mail away.

I can’t recommend Laura Christianson and Blogging Bistro enough. For someone who struggles with the mechanics of computers, I have been thrilled to find someone who is able to take my incoherent musings and make them compatible to the computer world.

I hope you will visit my new site at www.focuswithmarlene.com. My first series of blog posts are on managing and reducing the stress in your life.

Come visit and start a conversation with others about the Thought of the Day feature on my site’s Home page (see screenshot below). I welcome comments and feedback.

And if you too, are struggling with the design and operations of a website or social media, give Laura a call at 425.244.4242 (Pacific Time). You will wonder why you waited so long.

This is a guest post by Becky Canary-King. If you would like to submit a guest article, please check out our guest post guidelines.

There’s really too much to say about the benefit of a good blog for your business. A well done blog can:

• bring in new customers
• establish you as an expert in your field
• open up communication with your clients
• support your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) marketing

Recently I discovered that the blog I write for fun about body image issues has a higher Google page rank than my company’s blog! Of course, we get a fraction of the web views, but without pointed effort, I managed to make my personal blog keyword rich, get lots of backlinks and ranked high in Google’s page rankings. Now that I’m writing for my company’s blog, here are six lessons I’m taking with me:

Picking a Topic

Be specific

Want to be a catch-all related to everything about your industry? Great. But you’re going to have a lot of competition, and major competitors with more resources and established viewers. Instead, focus on what you do best, the niche area that you have a unique perspective. What is the blog that only your company could write?

Establish your credentials

Let your readers know why they would want to hear from you about the topic. Just the fact that you are selling the product or service is not necessarily enough to gain your reader’s trust.

Sharing your education or career path is a quick way to add credibility; but it’s not the only one. I never got a degree in “Body Image Sciences,” but my genuine interest in the topic makes me a credible source to readers.

Collaborating with Other Blogs

Know Your Part on the Blogosphere

Read other blogs on your topic! Getting to know what’s already out there helps you establish where your niche will be. You also get a feel for what readers on the topic are interested in and can borrow some tricks on what works.

Comment and Share

Guest post, link back, comment on other blogs. All these actions convey your interest in the topic and establish your unique point of view.

Blogs can act as a community of learners, experts and interested parties. Join in enthusiastically!

Interacting with Readers

Let your readers know what they can expect

Doing a series is a great way to get readers coming back for more. Or pick a day when you write on a certain topic, or have a certain type of post.

Personally, I do a body positive music post every Friday, featuring a song or two I enjoy. I have been linked back to as a place where you can consistently check out body positive music.

Encourage and Ask for Feedback

Trying to get commenters on your blog can be really frustrating at first — it normally doesn’t happen automatically, but keep at it!

At the end of every post ask questions or encourage them to give you feedback on the topic. Respond to comments right away with a real response, rather than just a thank you. Readers are a great resource for your blog, let them know they are valued.

For more tips on increasing your Google Page Rank, I enjoyed How We Got a Page Rank 5 in Two Months. I also learned a lot from this explanation of how page ranking works.

Now get writing!

Becky Canary-King is an Account Manager and Press Contact at Direct Incorporation, a company focused on providing a more economical and efficient alternative to using a law firm for common legal/entrepreneurial issues. She blogs for Direct Incorporation’s Blog, offering tips for the first 6 months of your small business.