But first..

What do we mean by sticky post?

Normally a post will slip further down your blog as you publish fresh content – but by making a post “sticky” it can stay at the top of your main blog page regardless of the date you originally published it.

Why would you want to make a post sticky?

Maybe you have a popular blog post you would like to highlight, or an offer or event you would like to give prominence to, by making the post sticky this will help keep it on display for as long as you wish.

How to make posts sticky

While still in the edit mode of your post, go to the publish options box to the right of your edit screen. Click edit on the Visibility option. This will bring up a drop down menu which includes the option “stick this post to the front page.” Check the box and hit the ok button.

That’s all there is to it. When you wish to remove a sticky post, simply go back into the edit mode and uncheck the box. You also have the option to go back at any time to any of your posts to make them sticky.

Do you use the sticky post function on your blog? What kind of posts do you like to keep highlighted?

The post Blog Tip Tuesday: How To Create A Sticky Post For Your Blog appeared first on Write On Track.

Since then I have discovered two new cool Twitter tools to recommend to you. The first one is for fun – a video snapshot of my Twitter profile (click here to watch). Why not try to create your own Vizify at www.vizify.com? Do let us see the results.

The second Twitter tool I discovered is for more serious engagement and I highly recommend you check it out.

Commun.it  analyzes thousands of tweets from your stream, identifies your top members and segments them into smart and powerful lists. It then provides actionable insights that helps you focus on relationships that make a difference for your business.

Here is a screen grab of my Commun.it dashboard.

 

Let’s take a closer look at how it works.

1. ‘Prioritized Feed’ List

Prioritized Feed is your starting point in Commun.it. It showcases the most important and relevant members for you.

2. High-Value Members

This list features your influencers, your supporters, engaged members and top leads.

3.  Followers Insights

This list helps you focus on the most relevant people to act on now – saving you time and making you more effective.

4. Take Action

You can reply, retweet and thank your new followers with the click of a button.

The post Two Twitter Tools To Try Today appeared first on Write On Track.

How do you get around that? The simplest way is to picture your target customer in your mind and even pin a picture of that kind of person (age/appearance/gender) to your office wall behind your desk.

(I was delighted to hear Philippa Davies talking about this last week at the ACT conference in Wales as I’ve written about it before and it was great to hear someone else having the same opinion)

Fill in the following details to help you visualise your target customer:

Demographics – age, gender, location, income,

Behaviour – What social media platforms do they use? Are they online to look for information?  Are they accessing your website via a smartphone or laptop?

Aims – What are their aims? Why are they coming to your website (or your competitors’ websites as let’s face it, if they don’t find yours, they will go to your competitors).

Needs – What do they need? (this is different to what do they want). Do they need your service or product? Why?

Concerns – What are their worries? Their problems? Their questions? If you can answer their queries and resolve their problems (sometimes before they even realise it is a problem), not only will they find you but they are more likely to do business with you.

By meeting the needs and addressing the concerns of your target audience, you are making them centred to each blog post, thus maximising your success.

If you are struggling with the tone of the blog post, imagine you are chatting over a cup of tea while you are writing the post. Pin a picture of a suitable person in front of you and write as if you are chatting to that target customer. Make it conversational and edit it later once the tone is correct. Don’t use jargon for the sake of it – eliminate it if possible.

Do you think that makes it easier to write a more targeted and effective post?

Image: Free Digital Photos

The post Blog Tip Tuesday: How To Blog For Your Target Customer appeared first on Write On Track.

Today’s Blog Tip Tuesday post will teach you how to add the Archive Widget  (a list of your previous blog posts in chronological order) to a WordPress.com blog.

Step 1

When you are logged into your WordPress.com account, open your Dashboard and navigate to the Widgets link on the Appearance menu.

Step 2

A listing of all the Widgets available for your chosen WordPress.com theme appears on the left side of your screen. On the right side of the screen you can see the Widgets that are already activated.

Step 3

Click on the Widget of your choice and add to your sidebar (in the example above the Archives Widget is already activated) by dragging and dropping the Widget over to the Primary Sidebar.

Step 4

Click the arrow to activate a drop-down menu with options for the Widget (each Widget has different options that you can configure).  With the Archives Widget, you can configure the title, the display of the post counts, and the display of the archives.

• Click the Save button. The options you’ve set are now saved.
• Click the Close link to close the Widget options menu.

The post Blog Tip Tuesday: How To Add The Archive Widget To A WordPress Blog appeared first on Write On Track.

In this post I’m going to show you how to pin effectively no matter whether your business is ‘visual’ or not.  I’m also going to mention one or two common errors that people are making when they first start to use this rapidly growing and hugely successful social media platform so that you won’t make these errors.

What Should I Pin?

Visual pins are the most popular, as demonstrated by these diagrams from Repinly.

If your business is visual e.g. travel, food, fashion, your photography needs to be of good quality in order for your images to be repinned and increase traffic to your website. The Better Homes & Gardens magazine has been using Pinterest to huge success, finding it to be their number one social referrer and gaining over a million repins.

However, what do you pin if your business isn’t ‘pretty’ or visual. Does it mean that Pinterest isn’t for you?

No, it doesn’t mean that at all.  It simply means that your pins have to be useful. They can either be infographics or instructographics. The former tends to show all the information in an attractive graphic, the latter either includes instructions within the graphic or makes it clear that if the image is clicked, the user will find the promised instructions in a blog post or on a website.

Our business isn’t ‘pretty’, it doesn’t include images of scrumptious desserts or beautiful scenery. It falls into the ‘instructographic’ useful area of Pinterest. We don’t have multiple product images to pin, we only pin our blog posts.  Yet, the traffic to our website from Pinterest is considerable – this month it is 45% of all the social network traffic, almost doubling that of Twitter (24%) and Facebook (21%).  Now that we are selling online social media courses that can be taken by any English speaking person anywhere in the world we will soon be able to tell the percentage of leads and sales generated by Pinterest.

Another social media business recently reported that while Pinterest  didn’t drive as much traffic to their website as Twitter or Facebook, it performed better in terms of leads.  Research shows that  people using Pinterest are more inclined to buy, that they are actively looking for a product, much more so than when they are using twitter or facebook.

Hence, if you have a visual product, you must use Pinterest for your business. If your business offers a service or a not-so-visual product, Pinterest can still pay dividends and it is certainly worthwhile using it for 3 or 6 months.

Benefits of Pinterest for your Business

• Each pin carries the link to where it is originally pinned from hence others can click the image and arrive at your website.
• Each pin can be repinned multiple times, hence, they have the opportunity to go viral.
• People using Pinterest are more inclined to spend.
• People use Pinterest as a means to shop and to find inspiration for gifts, their home and fashion choices.
• By looking at the boards of your followers, you can establish the interest of your target market and cater for it. Better Homes & Gardens magazine discovered that their new younger reader (whom they attracted because of their presence on Pinterest) is interested in DIY, step by step instructions, baking and gets inspired for the holidays much earlier that BHG anticipated.
• Pinterest boards are being displayed on the first page of google so do ensure each board’s title and description is well optimised.

How Do I Actually Pin Images?

• You must pin the images from your website. Do not make the mistake of uploading the images on Pinterest itself as then they won’t include a link to your website. Remember your aim is to use Pinterest to increase traffic to your website and leads.
• If the website has a pin it button beside the products or a pin it plug in on the blog posts, you can use those to pin images. Alternatively you can add the pin it bookmarklet tool to your toolbar and use it to pin images. You will find the pin it button here.

How To Use Pinterest Successfully For Your Business

• When blogging, always ensure that at least one image encapsulates what the post is about so that image is mostly likely to be pinned by readers.  Always name the images with the title of the blog post (this saves the reader doing it and helps to ensure that your carefully chosen, keyword loaded, title travels with the pin. Our post on naming photographs explains how to do this correctly.
• Ensure the photographs on your blog are of good quality.
• If your product or service isn’t visual, use a photograph that includes some text so it is clear to others that if they click on the image, they will be able to obtain information (as our image above does).
• Ensure that your boards are in the correct categories and that you have written an optimised description for each board.
• Because of the column layout of Pinterest, ensure that some of the photographs on your website are portrait. I’ve noticed that many gallery pages have only landscape photographs which won’t attract as much interest on the Pinterest gallery page. Longer pins take up more space – see our post ‘How to create a great Pinterest pin‘.
• Show your company’s personality via one or two pinterest boards. Have a ‘behind the scenes’ board to show your company’s involvement in community or charity work or to demonstrate  the ‘staff of the week’ or similar. Make it fun.
• Consider holding a contest on Pinterest to grow your followers and reward loyalty.  See our post on holding effective pinterest contests.
• Apparently product pins with prices gain more repins that those without prices. Create boards devoted to products or to specific designers.
• Pinning pins to popular and active shared boards can result in more repins and more traffic to your website. – See How to create shared boards.
• Pin little and often – that means pinning almost every day and pinning a few pins at a time (or using a scheduling tool such as Pingraphy)
• People usually glance at your boards when deciding whether to follow your account or not.  Set your board covers so that the cover image symbolises what the whole board is about and ensures it looks attractive. Don’t forget to move unseasonal boards to the bottom of the page. See how to set your Pinterest board covers.
• Pin content that you know your followers will appreciate by pinning quality images from related websites and blogs. Don’t limit your pinterest account to your own images. Be seen as a thought leader in your field by pinning original and quality content.
• People love ‘how to’ and ‘step by step’ instructions so provide these either with multi image pins, an instructographic, an infographic or a link to your blog post.
• Gain more Pinterest followers by including the Pinterest widget or link in the sidebar of your blog, your email signature, your facebook page and on your website.

Pinterest Errors To Avoid

• Remember to pin images from your own website – do not upload them from the Pinterest account.
• If you have an online store, ensure that the pin it button is placed beside each image as a reminder (and permission) to visitors to pin.
• Do not pin 20 pins in 5 minutes, particularly if they are of similar content. Your followers will almost view it as spam when they see their gallery page filled up with pins from one pinner. Pin little and often.
• Remember to re-organise your boards, particularly to move seasonal ones after the event. E.g. Christmas boards should not be at the top of your boards page in January.

I hope I have covered everything – do add a comment below if you have found a successful way how to use pinterest for your business that I haven’t included.

If you wish to learn how to use Pinterest more effectively for your business and you have just started or are thinking of starting an account, do sign up for our Pinterest online course which starts on 10th June – next Monday.

The post How To Use Pinterest For Your Business appeared first on Write On Track.

The key to a successful blog is great content, but we know that sometimes it can be hard to come up with new content ideas for your business blog. One suggestion is to use a case study to showcase your business -  ideally one that solves a problem your customers are likely to share.

Once you’ve decided which case study will provide a compelling testimonial for your business,  put my 5 point action plan into place.

1. The Introduction 

Introduce the reader to your client, who they are, where they are based and what business they are in (if that is relevant). Personalise it further by including a photograph.

2. The Challenge

Outline the problem facing your client – use as much detail as you can in setting the scene. Describe the particular challenges they were presented with.

3. The Solution

Now we come to the meat of the story. What did you do to help your client solve their problem? Highlight your particular skills and expertise in helping them.

4. The Conclusion

Since your client has used your services, what has happened to their business? Have they seen growth or other positive outcomes? Include them in this section, accompanied by some quotes from the client, which will serve as testimonials for your business.

5. Call To Action

Don’t forget to include your call to action. Ask if your readers have experienced similar challenges and if so, how have they dealt with them? Provide a link to the product or service you have showcased and your contact details if readers would like more information.

Read Carol Tallon of Buyers Broker’s case study which we featured last year on our blog. 

photo credit: Xenomurphy via photopin cc

The post How To Craft A Compelling Case Study For Your Business Blog appeared first on Write On Track.

If you need a reminder or an explanation for using this tool, check out our post on using the google keyword tool.

The google keyword tool provides you with an indication of the number of people per month (locally and globally) who are searching with a particular keyword.

Blog Titles For Fashion Boutiques

If you are a fashion boutique selling skinny jeans, by typing ‘skinny jeans’ into the tool, it will provide you with an indication of the numbers looking for that keyword. However, it will also give you ideas of the kinds of questions people may be asking.

Using broad search – I can see that 4,400 people in Ireland are searching with ‘skinny jeans’ within their search term per month. 590 people per month have searched for ‘What to wear with skinny jeans’.  Using ‘exact search’, only 36 people have searched for it but it should still pay dividends if that is used as a blog post title.

Remember too that list posts prove popular with readers so titles such as

• Ten Ways To Wear Skinny Jeans
• 5 Shoe Styles That Look Great With Skinny Jeans
• Skinny Jeans – How To Wear Them
• 5 Tips To Make Your Skinny Jeans Look Stunning
• The 5 Best Skinny Jeans For Women

Blog Titles For Outdoor Activity Businesses 

• 10 Fun Activities For Kids
• 7 Great Holiday Activities For Teenagers
• Kayaking – Why It Is A Great Activity  For Families
• Best Activities for Teenagers
• All You Need To Know About Rock Climbing

Blog Titles For Interiors Shops  

If you own an interiors stop and sell wallpaper and fabric, writing blog posts describing the various wallpaper you stock won’t attract traffic to your website. Writing posts which answer questions and solve problems for your readers will results in traffic and sales – your blog should provide decorating ideas, solve problems, emphasise the benefits of various wallpapers and suggest various styles of wallpapers for different rooms.

Examples might include:

The post Blog Tip Tuesday: How To Write Great Blog Titles appeared first on Write On Track.

It’s likely you are wishing to increase your numbers of followers and repins as a means to building traffic to your website and increasing conversions. To do so, you will need to educate others, show your expertise, convince others of the value of your products or services, demonstrate the fun side of your business and promote your products.

A recent post by Spiderworking shows how choosing two elements from three choices of ‘Fun’,  ’Give Info’ and ‘Help’ can keep you on track with your tone of voice and messaging in your strategy.  For example, this blog fulfils ‘Give Info’ and ‘Help’ whereas my personal blog is moreso  ’Fun’ and ‘Gives Info’.

However, I believe that a Pinterest account and a pinterest strategy can include all three and if it does, it is well on the way to engaging followers, ensuring repins and building on conversions.

‘Giving Info’ on Pinterest 

While Pinterest may be viewed by some as purely visual, as a tool for those with pretty pictures, this is not necessarily the case. We find that Pinterest delivers three times the amount of traffic that comes from Facebook and all of our pins tend to provide information, they link to blog posts which provide information on social media.

Giving Info: If you are a nutritionist, a chef or a food blogger, providing information on recipes, on cooking, on dietary tips and on the sourcing of food is much needed by many people. Creating pins that demonstrate what the information is (such as this one by Herbi & Carni) will deliver more click throughs to your website.

Instructographics/infographics –  If these can provide useful information in a concise, easy to read, easy to comprehend, attractive and user-friendly graphic, they are well on the way to being repinned and generating traffic for the creator.  These tend to look professional and ooze knowledge and expertise.  Infographics tend to travel well on Pinterest and receive significant numbers of repins.

Help

Your boards can answer the questions and solve the problems of potential customers. 

Fashion Advice: A fashion boutique can post pins to a board entitled ‘Skinny Jeans – how to wear them’ and demonstrate how they can be worn by people of varying shapes and with different styles of shoes, thereby showing people how to wear this fashion item and increase sales.

Home Decor Help: An interior designer can include pins on ‘Smart Storage Solutions’ to demonstrate her expertise in this area and solve problems that people may not even realise they have.

Help With Social Media: A social media company (like us) can pin from blog posts – posts which explain how to use the social media platforms effectively, and title the board ‘Social Media Tips for  Businesses’.

Holiday Advice: A travel company or an accommodation provider could name a board ‘Travel Tips’ to provide potential visitors/travellers with tips  with the aim of generating some business for themselves.

Fun

Pinterest is where every business can show the personality behind the business, show what makes them tick, their involvement in the community or in charity events.  There’s many different ways to do this.

Quotes always do well on Pinterest – having a board for quotes related to your industry e.g. if you have a clothing boutique, create a board for suitable quotes.

Animal pictures – cute and funny pictures of animals tend to do well too – perfect for if your business is in any way animal related. I noticed Mashable have a board entitled Pets Gone Digital which includes photos of animals with a digital gadget and ties in their digital marketing business with a photo to be seen as fun.

Colour – create a board that is dedicated to beautiful objects in the same colour as that of your logo.

Always Consider Your Target Customers Interests

When creating your strategy and building your Pinterest boards, think about what your ideal target customer is interested in.

If you clean horse rugs, your target customer is going to be a horse-owner – how can you engage them? With boards showing pictures of beautiful horses (some wearing very clean rugs), horse grooming tips, jumping tips, dressage, funny pictures of horses, horsy quotes, horse-related publications and of course, your own horses as well as boards dedicated to keeping horses warm, why rugs are necessary, how to clean horse rugs …..

If you are an accountant, most of your boards are going to be related to accountacy tips, tax returns advice, financial planning,  business growth, who you are – all board fulfilling the ‘give information’ and ‘help’. But what about fun? What will show the personality of your accountancy firm and propel people to repin pins and engage your services? Start a ‘Charities’ or ‘Community Events’ board to show your involvement. If your logo is blue, create a ‘blue’ board including beautiful objects in vivid blues. Create a board for quotes that are somehow related to money or accountancy. Offer a board for  fun ‘Money Saving Tips’ or ‘How To Start Kids Saving’. Create a ‘Fun Facts’ board.

Whatever your business, Pinterest will work for you – if you provide information, give help and have fun with it. You also have to use keywords in your board titles, keywords in your board descriptions, categories your boards and pin regularly.  Create your own pinterest strategy, make Pinterest part of your working day for 3 months and evaluate the results.

We have launched our new sister site We Teach Social and our first Pinterest course (for beginners) starts on 10th June for 5 weeks. The courses will be delivered online so you can complete the course from the comfort of your own home.

The post How To Build Your Pinterest Strategy appeared first on Write On Track.

Do you have a business blog? Have you set clearly defined goals for what you want to achieve with your blog? And more importantly, are you achieving those goals?

There are so many things to consider when it comes to business blogging that it can be easy to get side-tracked from your main goal(s) and find you have wandered down a path that is leading you nowhere.  Setting goals for your business blog will help keep your blogging on the right track to achieve the results you want.

If you would like to learn more about how to set effective goals for your business blog and how to achieve those goals then you won’t want to miss #BlogChatIE – our fortnightlyTwitter chat on the topic.

Here is a list of topics we will be discussing.

• If you are new to the chat, catch up here
• Learn how to take part in a Twitter Chat
• Check the world clock to see what time #BlogChatIE takes place in your particular time zone.

Sign up now for #BlogChatIE via our Facebook page

The post How To Set SMART Goals For Your Business Blog appeared first on Write On Track.

And speaking of posts… many bloggers when starting out are confused about the difference between a blog post and a blog page. Let’s take a closer look at the difference in today’s post.

Blog Post

Your blog posts are the most important part of your blog as they contain the content you want to share with the world. They usually appear in reverse chronological order on your blog’s home page. However depending on the theme you have chosen, you have the option of arranging your posts by creating a sticky post (literally sticking a post to your front page) so that your chosen post will stay at the top of your list of posts, no matter how many new posts you have created.

You will need to tick the option “Stick post to front page” to activate this feature. You can untick it at a later date by editing your post.

A reader can search for a post you have written by searching your blog archive, your RSS feed and the various tags and categories you have listed.

Blog Page

The main difference between your blog’s posts and pages is that pages do not appear chronologically and they cannot be archived or tagged or categorized.  Depending on the theme you have chosen for your blog, your Pages may appear at the top of your blog or in a sidebar.  Similar to posts, there is no limit to the number of pages you can have, but for blog readability,  less is probably more when it comes to pages. You can always create sub pages at a later date to add more information (see below).

We hope that has cleared up any confusion between your blog’s posts and pages, but of course as always, if you have any further questions on the topic, do please ask us in the comment section below.

The post Blog Tip Tuesday: What’s The Difference Between A Blog Post And A Blog Page? appeared first on Write On Track.