Michelle Salater

Forget about yourself! I know it seems difficult to do but, you can't create an effective marketing message when all you talk about is your business and how great you are. Instead, think about your target audience. Your marketing message has everything to do with your target audience and how the service / product you provide benefits them in some way.

Are you trying to desperately hold onto your beautiful Valentine's Day flowers just a few more days, thinking that water and a few under-your-breath words of encouragement might help revive them? If so, you're in denial, holding onto something that is withering away and shedding its crinkly, blackened pedals all over the place.

Wouldn't you want to know if you were doing something wrong on social media so that you could stop wasting your time and start creating compelling online content that produces tangible results? Well, the best way to know if you're doing something wrong is by tracking your social media efforts and organizing your results so that you can visualize where you're seeing success and where you're seeing poor results. When you can pick out ineffective patterns, you can start making changes...

You've heard us rant and rave about blog editorial calendar and their role in creating a more efficient marketing routine, but have you ever considered creating a social media editorial calendar? If not, here are a few reasons why you should create one:

Whether you offer a product or a service, there is always room for providing your customers with extra value. And don't just add extra value to your services, tell your customers about it. They'll be delighted with the bonus!

I recently read a post on In Over Your Head blog, which is written by Julien Smith, an acclaimed New York Times author. The post, titled The Future of Blogs is Paid Access, ignited a strong opinion within me. Julien's post, The Future of Blogs is Paid Access, primary focused on bloggers charging readers for access to their valuable blog articles.

Overstuffing blog posts—and even websites, for that matter—with keywords is a universal no-no. Not only do readers have difficulty remaining focused throughout the post, but search engines also frown upon the unnatural use of keywords.

Keywords play a crucial role in the ranking of your blog posts. When used effectively throughout the content of your posts, keywords can dramatically increase your search engine rankings. Although there are other essential factors that help to increase page ranking—such as page load time, image alt tags, inbound and outbound links, and posting frequency—keywords must also be considered when optimizing your posts.

Writing a blog shouldn't be a stressful obligation for you. If it is, you're doing something wrong. Maybe you're forcing yourself to write about a topic that bores you, you're not organized, you don't understand how to upload your blog, or you hate writing. These are all problems that can easily be solved.

Are you continuously trying to jump on the technology bandwagon by attempting to use every social media platform available, only to find yourself going in circles with no solid results? I know exactly why, and I'm confident I can help you find your way to success as the crow flies.