3 Ways to Drive Visitors to Your Blog & Increase Blog Traffic

August 31, 2009

Want to drive more visitors to your blog? Want to increase your blog traffic? One of the best ways to do this is to find out what your audience is thinking. But, how do you do that?

Following are three methods you can use to find out what your customers are thinking so you can increase your blog traffic.

1. Poll: With free online software offered by sites like CoolSurveys.com and PollDaddy.com, all you have to do to poll your readers is cut and paste a snippet of code into your site and you’re done.

Polling Tip: Don’t get carried away. Ask maybe one or two questions – tops. This will force you to really think about what area of your business you want/need to know more about. Hint, hint: the area that leads customers to take action (ie, purchase your product service).

2. Comments Section: The comments section of your blog will yield a lot of information. Have some posts garnered more comments than others? Was there a particular posts that generated more heat than others?

Even when your readers disagree with you (perhaps especially when), you should pay attention to them. Dig deep into negative feedback to see if you can find the kernel that can be turned to your marketing advantage.

For example, a reader visited my site from an article of mine posted to a social bookmarking site. The reader had some unkind words about the design of my site. While the comment rankled, I knew that the foundation of what they were saying was correct. A new design was something I’d been putting off for a while.

And, while it took another year to get around to redesigning my site, that comment stuck with me because it was, in essence true.

3. Reader Feedback: Are your readers constantly asking you for things you don’t have? Then maybe it’s time you provide it.

How One Website Owner Listened to Reader Feedback & Literally Had a List of Customers Anxiously Waiting to Buyer Her New Ebook — Before She Ever Wrote It!

A Prime Example: A friend of mine who is a realtor started a very successful side business. Realtors and professionals from other states were emailing and calling her practically every other day wanting to know how to start the same kind of business in their state.

Instead of trying to dispense information to each one individually and/or simply not responding, I advised her to write an ebook about it and sell it on her site. (The business included a lot detail that couldn’t be dispensed in a 2-minute or even a 2-hour phone conversation).

She now has a waiting list of people who are lining up to buy it once she’s done. She plans to sell it for between $39.95 and $49.95. I advised her to charge much more because what’s she’s really selling is a “business in a box” to a niche market (realtors) who are looking for other ways to make money in an economy that is slumping. I think this deserves a premium. But, that’s her call.

My point here is, if you go back over three months to a year of reader feedback – whether it was a question, a congratulations or a not-so-nice comment, you will get a handle on what your readers want more of. Then, all you have to do is figure out how to give it to them.

If you take the time to find out what your customers want, driving more traffic to your blog is not difficult.

Inkwell Editorial Resume Tips

August 31, 2009

NOTE: Please do not send us a resume. Inkwell Editorial’s last day of staffing operation was 12/31/04. We now serve as an  information portal only for those interested in a career in the editorial field (primarily freelance writing).

Below are some suggestions to help your resume stand out. Please note, these suggestions are from our personal point of view. No industry standard is set or implied.

Length: Most resumes should be one page unless: 1) you are in a highly specialized discipline with extensive certification that can’t be captured on one page; or 2) you have more than 15 years in one field.

To shorten your resume, focus on the three most important aspects of each position you’ve held. Three to six bullet points is usually sufficient to capture the essence of a given position. Positions that were held more than five years ago can have as little as two to four bullet points.

Rule of thumb: the more time that passes the less emphasis you need to place on a particular job. Unless, of course, the position was at a noted institution, or you worked with a well-known person, or you received a prestigious award.A note about bullet points:  We always preferred bullet-pointed to “paragraphy” resumes because they: 1) are easier to absorb at a glance; 2) look cleaner and more streamlined; and 3) are quicker to read. Your bulleted points should be no more than three lines long, with one or two being ideal.

 

Errors:  Editorial workers, especially, should present resumes that are 100% error-free. This includes those minor errors that you may think don’t make a difference, e.g., spacing, periods, font changes, etc.

Setup:  We advise a summary of qualifications/skills/profile section first, followed by work experience, then education, and finally professional, RELEVANT affiliations. Rarely is attention given to hobbies, special and/or other interests sections.

Detailing Your Experience:  Make your resume as detailed, yet brief, as possible. Include such specifics as:

     ¶ word count of articles; how many per week, month, quarter, publication, etc., you were/are responsible for;

     ¶ whether or not you did the copyediting and proofreading, in addition to the editing and writing of each article;

     ¶ the style of editing used;

     ¶ the types of editing styles in which you are proficient;

     ¶ supervisory/managerial responsibilities:  did you oversee/hire freelance staff — if so, how
        many were you in charge of; were you in charge of a budget (how much); did you save the company money; etc.

     ¶ the type of publication: daily, weekly, monthly, etc.; on- or off-line; a magazine, book, journal, etc.;

     ¶ the types of software in which you are extremely proficient, have an average ability, are studying, etc.

Regarding Education: If you graduated three to five years ago, depending on how much relevant editorial experience you’ve gained, education can be placed at the top of your resume. This lets prospective employers know that you are still relatively new to the field. Otherwise, it should drop to the bottom.

Same Company/Different Positions:  If you’ve held more than one position at the same company, be careful to note continuity. To accomplish this, state the company name only once and the total time that you worked there. Then, state each position, putting the title and dates beside each position that you held. For example:

        ABCX Publishing, 1980-1991
        Editor (1988-1991)
             Duties: 
        Associate Editor (1983-1988)
             Duties: 
        Copy Editor (1980-1983)
             Duties: 

If you were promoted from one position to the next, be sure to state that. This serves a double purpose. One, it demonstrates longevity (a highly desired trait); and two, it highlights your effectiveness within the company. Namely, that you were talented enough, resourceful enough, worked hard enough, to be promoted.

Freelance Experience: Categorize all freelance experience separately, especially if you have many listings. This will make you seem less like a “hopper” (job hopper) and will clearly separate this experience from permanent and part-time employment.

Submission/Attachments: Submit your resume in the form in which it is requested. For example, if a newspaper ad requests MS word documents only, do not submit in Word Perfect; or, if the ad says “in the body of the e-mail”, please do not send an attachment. Many employers do not like attachments for the obvious reason of virus transmission. Also, submitting an attachment forces the reader to open programs that he or she may not be in or may not have. Many resumes go unopened because the reader simply does not have the time or inclination to open an attachment.

 

If the resume is submitted in the body of the e-mail, the reader has ready access to your information. If no specific form is requested, we suggest that you send your resume in the body of the e-mail and as an MS Word document. Why Word?  Because thanks to Bill Gates, this is the most widely used word processing software.

The Work-Flow Cycle of the Editorial Industry

August 31, 2009

If you’re new to the editorial profession (eg, freelance writing), you may not be aware that it is a seasonal profession. The pattern usually evolves like this:

Slow Times in Freelance Writing

From mid-June through Labor Day and from Christmas through the end of January are usually pretty slow. If you are a regular reader of a newspaper, ever notice how thin it is during the summer — especially the Help Wanted section?

Busy Times for Freelance Writers

The “pickup” months are usually September through mid-November and the first couple of weeks of December. Then it slows down for about three weeks, picking up again in late January/early February and going through May/early June.

What is the point in bringing this to your attention? Two reasons. First, relax and enjoy the really slow months: June July and August and the holiday season. When things pick up again, you’ll be glad you took advantage of the down time.

Secondly, focus on preparatory work during the slow months. For example, redesign your website, write and submit content to article directories, revise your professional profile and/or resume, update marketing materials, add more samples to your portfolio, etc.

Resume Tips for Editorial Professionals

FYI, if you’re looking for a job while continuing to freelance, there are some great resume tips geared specifically toward the editorial industry on this site. I hope you find them helpful.

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