How to Get Rid of Spam on Your Blog

How to, Online marketing0 comments

As I mentioned in To Blog or Not to Blog, blogging is a great way to promote your expertise to a wider audience.  However, one of the downsides to your content becoming popular is that you will start to attract unwanted comments – otherwise known as spam.   Basically these are people who are using your blog to promote their own products which are not usually ones that you would want to advertise on your website!  If you don’t filter these out then it make your blog look really unprofessional.

So how can you prevent these unwanted comments from taking over your blog?

Well there are two ways – you can either add a spam filter or CAPTCHA form on to your blog.

A spam filter will block the comments from appearing until you approve them.  One of the most well known spam filters is Akismet, which will hold your comments so that you can review them and approve or delete as necessary.  In fact, if you’ve got a WordPress website then the Akismet plugin is added as standard.

However, you can be clever with your spam comments.  If you get one that is praising your blog post then you can edit it and take out the link to the website.  This means that you can keep the comment on your blog but you won’t be adding backlinks to any dodgy websites!

A CAPTCHA form is when the person has to key in some characters or a mathematical equation before they can post their comment.  You can download a CAPTCHA plugin if you have a WordPress website or you can get a free CAPTCHA for your site.  You’ve probably seen the image below when you’ve completed online forms.

Because I’ve got a WordPress website, I personally use Akismet and it gets rid of around 100 spam comments a week which would otherwise be appearing on my blog.  But either option will help you to keep your blog looking professional and spam free.

Where to get content for your blog

How to, Online marketing1 comment

Because one of the services that I provide as a virtual assistant is to design and manage blogs, I do get asked by clients if I can write the content for them too.  Now I can totally understand this question because as someone who writes their own blogs, I know how difficult it is to think of new ideas to write about.  But in my opinion, a blog is a great way to promote yourself to your contacts, and for them to get to know the person behind the business.  If someone else writes your blog, how are they going to do this?

So if you’ve been thinking about setting up a blog but have been put off by the thought of having to struggle to find new things to write about, then here are some tips to help you get content for your blog.

First of all you need to think about what would interest your target market.  Remember, a blog is like any form of marketing, you’re using it to attract people to find out more about your business.  If you write about topics that interest them, then they will bookmark or subscribe to your blog, and take time to find out more about what you do.

Search the internet.  Once you’ve decided on the kind of topics that would interest your contacts, then you can carry out a search on the web and set up a Google Alert for each topic.  These Alerts can then be added to your Google Reader so you can keep track of them. This means that you will be seen as someone who is aware of the latest news in your industry and is keeping track of the hot topics being discussed.

Ideas from online discussions.  If you use online forums or social media, keep a look out for any topics that attract a lot of questions or comments.  If there’s a recurring question or theme and it falls within your area of expertise, then write a blog which answers the question and post a link to it on the forum or appropriate social media profile.

Questions from contacts.  When you’re talking to people either online or at networking events, it’s likely that people will ask you questions about your services or products.  Again, if there’s a recurring question or theme, you can write a blog which answers it and share it with your online and offline contacts.

Use guest bloggers.  And if you do run out of ideas or just don’t have the time to write anything, then you can get round this by inviting someone else to contribute a blog.  This is actually a good way of showing off your connections, especially if the guest blogger is someone who is highly regarded within your industry.

I hope this has given you some ideas and if you’ve got any suggestions, then let me know in the comments below.

If you don’t have a blog and want to get one up and running, then find out more about our blog design and management service.

5 Ways a Virtual Assistant Can Manage Your Blog

How to, Online marketing, Virtual Assistant0 comments

Whether you currently have a blog or not, I’m sure you’ve heard how blogging can attract visitors to your website and be a great way to build relationships with your contacts.  As someone who runs their own business, I know how beneficial it is to have a means of sharing your knowledge and expertise directly with your readers.

So if most business owners understand the benefits of having a blog, why do so few of them actually do it?   Well from talking to them, I’ve found that either people don’t know how to set one up or they have got one but just never have the time to post regularly.  And let’s face it, an out of date blog is worse than not having one at all.

So if you want to start a blog or reinstate an existing one, how can you go about it without too much effort?   Well, here are 5 ways that a virtual assistant can help you with setting up and managing your blog.

• Advise you of which software to use.  The best blogging platform is WordPress as you can integrate it easily with your website, especially if your site is already built in WordPress.   It also has plug-ins to help with SEO, spam, and social sharing etc.  There are other options such as Blogger, TypePad and Posterous and a VA can help you make a decision based on your requirements.

• Format it so it fits in with your branding.  If the virtual assistant has the appropriate skills, they can design your blog with the same colour scheme and logo as you use on your website.  It helps to keep your branding seamless across all your online marketing activities so your readers can instantly recognise it’s you when they land on a particular site.
• Research and add content.  A virtual assistant can research content that is relevant to the products or services associated with your business, and follow what the leaders in your industry are saying so you are aware of the hot topics.  Once you have written your article, the VA can post the content on to your blog.

• Set up a schedule.  Depending how often you want to post a blog, a virtual assistant can set up a schedule and remind you when a blog is due.  It’s a good idea to have a regular schedule and stick to it because if your contacts like what they read, they will either subscribe to your blog or check back regularly to see what’s new.

• Promote your content.  Once you’ve written a blog then you want as many people to see it as possible, and a virtual assistant can help to promote it around the Internet.  They can do this by setting up social sharing buttons on your blog, posting links to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, and using websites that let the search engines know that your blog has been updated.

So by hiring a virtual assistant to help you manage your blog,  you need never miss a blog post!  If you want to know more, check out our Blog Design and Management Service to see how we can get your blog up and running so that you can engage directly with your contacts and drive traffic to your website.

How to get inspiration for your blog

How to, Marketing, Online marketing4 comments

We’ve all heard how blogging is a great way to raise your profile.  As I already mentioned in my previous blog “To blog or not to blog”, you can use it to show off your expertise and knowledge to a wide audience.  What I would call a “soft” way of marketing to them so that they can see that you can walk the talk without any hard sell.

But what about the challenge of knowing what to write about?  Well this is something that a lot of people struggle with and it’s what puts people off starting in the first place.  In fact I had this problem the other day when I realised that I was due to write another article but had a complete mental blank on what to say.  So what can you do when the muse doesn’t strike and you’re sitting there scratching your head trying to think of something to write?

Well, here are some tips that I use to get the creative juices flowing!

• Take a break.  If you’re sitting in front of the computer, staring at a blank document and there’s nothing happening, then get up and walk away.  Make a cup of coffee, have a chat with a work colleague, or just do something else.  I bet that when you come back later, you’ll find that inspiration will strike and you’ll be able to write what you want easily without any effort at all.
• Get some exercise.  Physical exercise doesn’t just motivate us physically, but also mentally.  Whether it’s going for a walk in the park, a run round the block or a session at the gym, taking exercise can help relieve stress and clear the mind.
• Be prepared.  Inspiration can hit us at any time so always have a pen and paper handy to write down any ideas as they come to you.  If you’re researching an answer to a question or found out some useful information that could be helpful to others, then share it in your blog.
• Ask for help.  Get ideas from other people.  Ask your contacts and clients for any subjects that they would like to know more about.  It’s great having your own ideas but if you are writing blogs to attract clients then wouldn’t it be better to write on subjects that they are interested in?
• Don’t do anything! If for some reason you can’t think of anything to write about then leave it.  Better not to write anything at all than to just put something on your blog for the sake of it.  Remember that your blog will only attract readers if you have something interesting to say.

These are just a few tips that I use to help me get some inspiration – I’d be interested to hear yours!

To blog or not to blog?

Marketing, Online marketing3 comments

So here’s a question: How would you like to be able to communicate directly with your customers and target market?  Keep them updated about the latest news on your products or services?  Create a two-way conversation where you can demonstrate your knowledge and expertise?  I’m guessing that as a business owner, you would answer with a resounding yes!  Well, you can have all this by using a blog.

Blogs are a great way of speaking directly to your contacts but it’s a form of communication that not all business owners use.  Either they think it’s too time consuming or they believe they don’t have anything interesting to write about.

If you’re someone who’s been thinking about setting up a blog, or have just started blogging, then here are some tips on how it can benefit your business.

Updated web content: For most businesses, especially those offering a service, it’s highly unlikely that the content on their website will change that frequently.  However, as I mentioned in my previous blog Why updating your website is crucial for online success, refreshing your website content is essential for good Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).  You can therefore achieve this by regularly posting blogs and it also gives you the opportunity to generate backlinks to your site as people share your posts around the internet – all good for SEO!

Interact with others: You can use your blogs to build up a two-way conversation with your readers.  Whether it is customers commenting on a product or service, or people sharing their views on a particular subject, this helps to build trust and respect between you and your contacts.  You can also maintain your reputation by quickly responding to any negative publicity.

Promote your brand: Blogs are an easy and cost effective way to raise awareness of your products and services. However, you must blog consistently and not use your posts as a sales pitch.  Instead inform readers with useful and interesting content so they subscribe to your posts and share them with others.  This is a great way to get your brand in front of thousands of people who otherwise would never know you existed.

Expert in your field: You can use a blog to promote yourself as an expert in your industry.  By sharing your expertise and knowledge with others, you could become known to the media as someone to come to for comments on topics related to your field.  This not only adds tremendously to your credibility but makes you look like one of the top opinion makers in your industry.

Stand out from your competitors: You can use the blog to tell your potential customers what makes you different from your competitors. Your posts can show them how you work, what sets you apart and the unique way you can solve their challenges.

SEO: As mentioned earlier, blogs can really help with SEO as search engines such as Google love websites that are regularly updated with fresh, well written, keyword-rich content.  Also, having people comment on your blogs means that search engines place a high value on your content. This means that your site will rank highly and people will be able to find you more easily.

Setting up a blog is fairly straightforward.  However, if you don’t have time to create and manage a blog yourself, then seek the assistance of a Virtual Assistant who can help you set one up and post content on your behalf.

If you’re blogging successfully already, then I’d love to know how it’s working for you.