Social Media With Chris Brogan

Chris Brogan

by Catherine L. Tully

 

If you are trying to get the hang of social media but are tired of all the same old information, check out Chris Brogan for some enlightenment. Well known as a social media guru, Brogan gives advice on his site in a “best of” section that hits some pretty good highlights. Learn “50 Ways To Take Your Blog To The Next Level” or read “Framing Your Social Media Efforts”.

Social media has pretty much become a must for the writer, so if you have yet to dip your toe in the pool, there is no time like the present. Brogan also offers advice for those who have been around a while and are looking to maximize their presence on the web.

You can also sign up for his newsletter.

Working Ahead Pays Off

by Catherine L. Tully

I hope that everyone enjoyed the time off for the holiday. Another one is around the bend, and I don’t know about you, but I intend to work ahead so that I can really spend the time relaxing with family. At least that is my plan.

Working ahead is really a form of delayed gratification. Doing my blog posts ahead of time means more on my plate now. But…it also means that I won’t have them staring me in the face right when I should be winding down to spend quality time with those I love. 

Since I’ll be traveling again soon (which means more plane time, airport time and general down time), I plan on taking advantage of those days by preparing queries to send out when I return. In the meantime, I’ll be wrapping up what I can here at home before I hit the friendly skies.

So here goes…my top five tips for working ahead this holiday season… … Continue Reading

Help A Writer

by Catherine L. Tully

Today is a pay it forward post. Something to encourage you to help someone else out. Give an aspiring writer a lead on some work. Sit down with someone who is interested in learning the ropes and fill them in on how to get a foothold. Post a nice comment on a blog that you like. It can be easy to forget how hard things were in the beginning once you have had some success.

One of the reasons that Joe and I started this blog was to be in a spot where we could share our knowledge with other writers. This is a labor of love, and we take it very seriously. After all, we were once newbies too.

So today…do something for someone else in the field…no matter how small. Take a minute to share a bit of your know how with someone else, or, if you are new to the writing game, post a comment on someone’s blog and make their day.

Linked Up With LinkedIn

 by Catherine L. Tully

Did you know that you can link your Wordpress blog up with LinkedIn? You can–and it is really easy. As a matter-of-fact, there are a number of cool things you can do with the applications on this social networking site. Be sure to check them out and see if there is something there that can help you save time or be more organized. LinkedIn is a great resource–I strongly advise setting a page up if you don’t have one already.

Freelancing Horror Stories Contest–Win A $10 Prize!

Sitemeter For Your Blog

by Catherine L. Tully

If you have a blog, you’ll want to keep track of how many visits you are getting to your site. There are many ways to do this, including Google Analytics (which I also highly recommend), but for simplicity, I like Sitemeter…. … Continue Reading

Starting Your Blog On Wordpress

by Catherine L. Tully

If you are just not tech-savvy and have always wanted to start a blog–today is your lucky day. James Plouf has created a video that takes you step by step through the process of setting up a blog on Wordpress. You don’t have to know anything other than how to follow along. Get started today!

Writers: If You Want Work–Be Visible

I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times that somebody found me one way or another and then offered me a job. I can tell you that it pays off to invest some of your time and effort into marketing yourself as a writer. If you are visible, you will get work. The question is…how visible are you? Here are some smart ways to extend your reach and let people know you are out there:

• Have a website. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate creature. Mine is fairly simple, but has enough for people to get an idea of what I have done and what I can do.
• Start a blog. If you want to write on the web, a blog is great practice. I had never done one before Freelance-Zone and now that I have the hang of it, I really enjoy it. Just make sure you are aware that anyone can read what you put on there. Keep it professional.
• Stay in touch. Yes, I send holiday cards. I e-mail editors and let them know what I’m up to–or just touch base and say hello from time to time. Staying on their radar means they won’t forget about you when work comes through. Plus, it’s nice.
• Add a bio. Whenever possible, see if you can add a one-line bio to articles that you write. Include an e-mail or website where people can get in touch with you.
• Use a signature block. I have said this before and I’ll say it again….the signature block is your best friend. All e-mail correspondence should have one. I have gotten a lot of additional work through this. It should at the very least include your full name, a telephone number and your website and e-mail address.
• Use social media. Not on Twitter? Today is a good day to set up the account. Do you have a Facebook account? If not, perhaps it is time. Social media can really get your name out there and it is FREE. Take advantage!

Guest Blogging is the New PR

When the Gotham police department wants to get Batman’s attention, they have it easy. Shine the Bat-Signal on the clouds and hope he’s not sleeping it off somewhere. When bloggers want to attract attention, they have to do a bit more work.

Know we all know that guest blogging can help you build traffic to your site, but let’s think a bit outside the box for a second. Many freelancers don’t have enough business to write full time…yet. Some freelancer who ARE full time have steady contract gigs that keep them busy like a regular day job (that would include me as editor of Cheap Today) but who use mad time-management skills and a massive influx of caffeine to keep the off-duty output higher than a kite.
… Continue Reading

10 Ways to Market Your Blog

So you took my advice from last time; you added transparent and honest content, are working one feature at a time until they shine, did some cross-linking with your fellow freelancer sites and have something to say. What’s the next step in making your blog an attention-getter?

Try these ten steps to promote your blog, make yourself more visible on the web and get yourself some exposure. As always, there are plenty of blogs who break these rules, disregard the advice or just plain don’t follow the pack. The successful blogs obviously found something that works. Until you locate your own magic bullet, these tactics will help you enormously:

10. USE KEYWORDS. Folks, if you aren’t optimizing your headlines, inserting freelance-friendly keywords as tags and giving Google every possible chance to latch on to your blog posts, you’re cheating yourself out of some traffic. No, you might not be indexed by Google very quickly in the beginning, but Google-friendly headlines, tags and blog content will help you get there.

9. SUBMIT YOUR BLOG. There are plenty of web directories, local blog link lists and search engine submission forms. Use them all.

8. INVITE GUEST BLOGGERS. Anyone you have on as a guest blogger will (or SHOULD) direct their own readers to check out the post on your blog. Guest blogging is a great way to increase visibility. Most bloggers spend time trying to get on other people’s blogs as a guest…but the reverse is an effective tool, too.

7. LINK LOVE. Tell the world about your favorite and most helpful blog reading, and drop the creators of those blogs to let them know you’ve blogged about them. Spread the love, but spread the NEWS about it, too. … Continue Reading

Search Engine Savvy

This is a terrific resource for learning more about search engine placement and website promotion. SearchEngineWatch has beginner, intermediate and advanced information on these subjects and it is organized in a very user-friendly fashion. Get more hits on your blog or website by learning how to master the search engine…