Writing for Freight Broker Training – Top 3 Lessons in Business Blogging

I recently found a gig on oDesk writing for a freight broker training blog. It’s exciting work because (1) it feeds my thirst to learn, and (2) I’m discovering things about business blogging that I normally wouldn’t have if I’m just ghostwriting an ebook.

Writing an ebook is a one-off thing, so learning stuff will only be for a short period of time...unless you start liking the topic and you end up having a passion for it. Blogging, on the other hand, is more or less an on-going activity, so learning is also continuous.

image by trucktrend.com

Tooting My Horn

But first, since this is a portfolio blog, Imma gonna list down the recent articles I wrote for the blog:

Did You Know? Sitting Can Kill You

That is, sitting for long periods of time...which is a hazard of the business blogging occupation. At least, those who do it full time—8 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week. Like me.

A recent study from the University of Leicester says if you sit for long periods of time during the day—about 50-70%—you’re twice more likely to be at risk for diabetes, heart disease and death. The “most consistent” link though is between sitting and diabetes...maybe, because sitting—the hallmark of a sedentary lifestyle—leads to obesity, which is one of the risk factors for diabetes. Chilling findings, that.

Key Lessons from Top 10 Fails in Marketing History

When you’ve got a new idea for a promotion, take care that you're not making these cringe-worthy mistakes that even the best minds in marketing made:

Takeaways:

15 Inconsequential Things About Me...

...you might want to know.

Though I don't know why you'd want to, heh.

(A totally self-serving post, I know. But it might help you to get to know the, er, (usually) sane person behind this blog.)

that's me in my natural habitat

1. I’m obsessed with vegetable gardening—I particularly love growing Asian vegetables.

2. I received my driver's license when I was 35, and only after I got a Toyota Corolla (model '96) as a gift from a boss who got tired of me getting stuck in traffic. Before I could get to his confidential office, I had to wade through an hour and a half of EDSA traffic—a stretch of highway that’s actually a 20-minute drive (from house to office) sans the vehicular obstacle course.

image by taralets! photography

3. I’m terrified of lizards of any kind and size. Ditto with shrimp. Don’t ask why.

Top 7 Ways Journaling Can Boost Your Business Blogging Groove

Starting a business blog—in fact, any blog at all—is easy. Updating it regularly and consistently with fresh content isn’t.

That’s because maintaining a blog requires focus, creativity, and a lot of energy. You need these long after the excitement of doing something new wears thin. I always have to bribe myself with my favorite Korean drama just to sit down and come up with something new to upload to this site.

Coming up with blog post ideas make keeping a blog doubly difficult if you don’t have a plan for the next 52 weeks of posts. There’s a way to get around this hurdle though.

The Benefits of Journaling

One of the main things that keeps me blogging is my journaling habit. Every day—or every other day, when there are lots of deadlines to meet and errands to keep—I whip out my trusty notebook to scribble anything I could think of.

Monday Mashups Episode 2 – Storytelling and Getting to Know Your Audience

Welcome to the second episode of our Monday Mashups!

It’s been a difficult couple of hours trying to select from a long list of resources that could help you with your business blogging. I wanted to include everything that I found this week but the human mind can only deal with so much.

As promised previously, I’ll only give you 10 articles that could help you improve your blogging task. ;) I don’t want your brains to reel from the information overload, heh.

Top takeaways this week:

• Storytelling is a very effective technique in B2B content marketing. Stock characters like the hero, villain and the mentor can help elicit response and engagement with your market if you know how to employ them.
• Knowing your audience is the secret to compelling, remarkable copy that gets your prospects and customers responding positively to your blog posts and sales copy.
• Social media and SEO are key factors to a good inbound marketing strategy. Employ both for your business blog to get found on the internet.

 

Episode 2 of the Monday Mashups:

Storytelling, Positioning & Personas for More Effective B2B Content Marketing. Storytelling can be a potent tool for your business blog. Stories can engage your prospects and customers if they can quickly identify with them. Learn how to use storytelling to inform, educate and entertain your target market. Bonus: 6 mistakes commonly made in content marketing storytelling.

Little Nemo in Google Land

Google's doodles for today is a hat tip to the 107th anniversary of Winsor McCay's comic Little Nemo in Slumberland, launched this day in 1905. The comic strip featured the little dreamer's nighttime escapades.

The artwork reflects McCay's style which used vivid colors, elegant lines...and "eccentric" dialogue that pointed to the artist's deadpan wit.

The Art of {Business} Blogging

Penny Power, founder of social business network Ecademy, shares some pointers on the art of blogging in this video:

Main takeaways:

Top 3 Ways A Business Blog Can Improve Your Bottom Line

You’re reading this article right now because you're curious about business blogs and you want to know you one can help you get new customers, improve sales and generally grow your company. A business partner or an employee may have suggested putting up one so you can get your brand out there.

But what’s a blog, you ask, and why should you care?

What’s In A Business Blog

Blog is Net speak for web log, a website that’s updated regularly, where the articles are arranged in chronological order, and some form of interaction is possible—usually through the comments section. It’s the real-world counterpart of daily journals and diaries.

Writers and diarists pioneered blogging but there’s a world of difference between personal blogs and business blogs. Personal blogs publish highly subjective posts that reflect the blogger’s views, beliefs, and opinions. You’d often find spirited debates going on in the comments because of the many perspectives that come with so many people sharing their (equally subjective) thoughts.

Monday Mashups Episode 1

Beginning this week, I’ll be sharing a mashup of tips and advice from the experts on how to be better at business blogging, search engine optimization, social media marketing and inbound marketing. Reading on the Web isn’t as easy as reading a real-world, printed, magazine article so I’m keeping the resource links to less than 10 (wfc).

Top takeaways this week:

• Google’s tightening the noose on search results so that you only get quality SERPs when you look for stuff. The company’s recent target: exact match domains.
• Social media has an influence on search results...and although it’s an emerging trend, there’s no time like the present to take advantage of the opportunities it presents.

The first edition of Monday Mashups:

The Exact Match Domain Playbook: A Guide and Best Practices for EMDs. Ranking better on Google with an exact match domain (EMD) for your website or blog has just become harder. Here are some best practices on how to make EMDs work for you still.

A Crystal Clear Explanation of How Social Media Influences SEO. Social search is an emerging trend and here's a step-by-step guide on how to integrate your SEO and social media strategies to get ahead of your niche.