Harness the Power of Wordpress Future Posts By Installing This Plugin

One of the most powerful features of Wordpress is that you can load up a bunch of posts and set the publish date to sometime in the future.

In fact, I just got finished adding a bunch of posts to this site for the next several weeks.

But as I was about to get started, I thought it would be great if there was a way to see which dates already had posts scheduled and which ones didn't.  You know, just in case you schedule one for the wrong day or want to see which dates down the road you already have covered.

So a quick search on Google led me to this resource, a future posts calendar plugin for Wordpress that allows you to see when future posts are scheduled.

Of course, you can see this on your dashboard or in your Manage –> Posts menu, but it's so much more useful to see it right there on the calendar, with several weeks worth of posts scheduled, all highlighted in green on the calendar.  Good positive feedback.

It's pretty simple to install and use.  Just follow the instructions on the site or check out the readme file that comes with the download.

 

Popularity: 4% [?]

6 Surefire Strategies for Writing Better Articles or Blog Posts

Writing articles and blog posts is one thing.  Getting them read is a whole other animal!  Here are 5 quick tips for writing better articles and blog posts.

1.  Use a Compelling Headline

The headline of the article is arguably more important than the content of the article itself, as long as the content isn't complete garbage.  Keep in mind that some people may only see your headline (people skimming your site, those that see it as an entry in a blog carnival, some people that subscribe to your RSS feed, etc). 

You should spend a good bit of time working on your headline, either adapting headlines from other sources known to have great headlines (you ARE keeping a headline cheat sheet aren't you?) or using copywriting software like Glyphius to come up with better scoring headlines (just Google "glyphius" without the quotes and you should be able to find a reseller - that's the only way you can purchase it now). 

Most likely you'll use a combination of the two…a cheat sheet to get you started and software (or trial and error) to make the headline even better.

2.  Write Using Numbered Lists

The easiest article to write is the "numbered list" article.  Simply come up with a list of resources, tips, roadblocks, stumbling blocks, challenges, reasons, secrets, improvements, etc. that apply to your market.  Write them down in a list.  Then go back and fill in the details for each item.  Then add a couple of intro sentences, maybe a call-to-action at the end, spell check and you're all set. 

In addition, you can do a separate article for each item in the list if you have enough info.  So if you have 5 killer resources, that can turn into 6 articles (an overview of all the resources, plus an article about each of the five).

3.  Write in Short, Easy-to-Read Chunks

Write your article in easy to digest chunks - your readers will love you for it.  Having huge fields of text makes reading your article look like it'll be a lot of work.  Your visitors might move on to something else rather than actually trying to read your article.  But an article with smaller chunks of info appears easier to read…less work.  Chunk your article into smaller pieces.

4.  If Your Title is "X # of Ways to _______", Break Up the Article & Number Each Section

If you write an article titled "3 tips" or "7 useful resources" or some other numbered type article, be sure to actually number the sections of your article or at least separate the different items into sections.  There's nothing more annoying than seeing an article like "25 traffic generation tips" followed by a huge bunch of text all strung together.  Lots of people will just want to know what the 25 traffic tips are and if there are any that they're not using.  If they see something new, they'll go back and read the article in more detail.   But if those numbered items aren't sectioned off or numbered somehow, many people will just skip the whole article and move on to something else.

5.  Keep a List of Topics You Come Up With

One of the biggest problems people face when writing articles or blog posts is coming up with ideas for things to write about.  Since you never know when you might come across a good idea, it's best to keep them all in one place when they do come to mind.  That way, you'll build an inventory of blog topics to write about which will hopefully help you overcome that all-too-common writer's block. 

6.  Keep an Eye Out for Good Article Ideas You Can Adapt to Your Topic/Expertise

Be sure to keep an eye out for things that help you generate good ideas for articles such as:

• Headlines that give you an idea for a topic
• "Back to Basics" type info that would be good for beginners in your market (or a good refresher for more experienced folks )
• Other articles in your market that can serve as idea generators for your own article or spin on that particular subject

For example, in the online business market, you could easily take the title of this article and reuse it as:

• "## Surefire Strategies for Better Conversions" or
• "…Better AdWords Results" or
• "…Smarter Outsourcing". 

Feel free to do that if you're so inclined because I'd like to see some ideas for those things. 

Popularity: 52% [?]

Why Every Business Owner Should Have a Blog

The idea of business blogging has been around for quite some time now.  I'm totally convinced that every business owner can benefit from having their own blog and that such a site can become more valuable than the typical "online brochure" type website used by most businesses.  Here are just a few of reasons why…

Blogs are Easy to Setup

Blogs are probably the easiest type of website to setup, making them perfect for the novice webmaster or busy business owner who doesn't have time to learn all the "web geek" stuff.  I would suggest having your own domain name (rather than hosting your site on Wordpress or Blogger) and getting an inexpensive web hosting account.  The good news is that domains and web hosting are CHEAP and just about any web hosting service worth paying for will offer "Fantastico" which allows you to 1-click install a wide range of programs, including my favorite blogging software, Wordpress.  Starting from scratch, you can register a good domain name, sign up for hosting and have a basic blog installed and ready to go in about a day, and most of that is waiting for the information on your new domain to make its way around the Internet so your site can be found.

Blogs are Easy to Manage

One thing you don't want to do as a business owner is add additional complexity to what you already have going on.  That's one of the reasons I prefer Wordpress - because it's easy to manage.  In fact, if you can type up something in a word processor, you can run a Wordpress site.  And once you get the hang of it, you'll pick up some additional tips and tricks along the way that make it even easier.

Blogs Help You Build and Maintain Contact With Your List

No matter what business you're in, one of the primary goals for your business should be building and maintaining a list.  That means being able to keep in contact with interested prospects, existing customers or others who are potential customers.  This is extremely easy to do online, especially if you have a blog.  With features like RSS or by building a list of email subscribers, you can provide useful information to your website visitors and continue to build a relationship with them even after they leave your site.  Since most visitors will likely visit your site and then leave without returning, this is an important method for increasing repeat visits to your site.

Blogs Can Help You Establish Your Expertise

Being viewed as the expert in your field has obvious benefits for any business owner, regardless of what your core business is.  But you don't have to be on TV, radio or have a best-selling book to establish yourself as an expert (though those things would certainly help).  By simply providing good, quality information that your prospective customers, existing customers and other website visitors can use, you'll automatically put yourself in the position of "expert". 

For instance, say you're interested in buying or selling a house.  You search online and find several real estate websites.  Most look exactly the same - search for properties, get a free market analysis or buyer's analysis, etc.  But one site features a local REALTOR with month's worth of articles and posts on the changing market, why prices are changing, how to determine if it's a good time to buy or sell, a free report for buyers on how to find the perfect home, a free report for sellers on how to sell for top dollar fast, etc.  On this site, you almost get to know this agent - his/her personality, their area of expertise (specific types of properties or specific areas of town) and other great information that leaves you completely HOOKED!

This is just one example of how a business blog can help you establish a better relationship with your market.  And the best part is that it's not something you have to do everyday.  With only a few quality posts per week, you can turn your new blog site into your most effective marketing tool.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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