If you haven’t been introduced to Twitter, it is a micro-blogging service in which you get 140 characters per post to tell the world what you’re doing right this second.

Just how useful is Twitter?

• Is it yet another of the myriad time-wasting social networks?
• It it a passing fad?
• Or is it a truly beneficial way to promote your business?

We’ve been experimenting with Twitter for several months now, and in the coming weeks, we’ll share our thoughts about how the experiment is working. But for now, we want to point you to a couple of excellent Twitter posts on our friend Brandilyn Collins’ blog, Forensics & Faith.

In Twitter-Dee-Dee, Brandilyn, best-selling author of “Seatbelt Suspense” novels, debates whether she should start “tweeting” on Twitter.  She writes:

“I’ve been thinking what any self-respecting, calamity-minded suspense author would think: Twitter is a stalker’s dream come true.”

Check out the many comments on her post that debate the usefulness of Twitter (including a lengthy comment from me, of course!).

In Twitter Tools, Brandilyn references my comment and provides links to several helpful Twitter tools, courtesy of another one of our blogging buddies, literary agent Terry Whalin.

If you’re a Twitter Novice (Twovice?), check out both these posts. They’ll help prep you for our upcoming discussions.

Oh, and be sure to follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeBlogsSheBlogs

Tags: Brandilyn Collins, Terry Whalin, Twitter, Twitter tools

Aren’t stats cool? They tell us which posts have been the most popular on He Blogs, She Blogs. So for those you who haven’t been with us since the beginning—way back in March of this year, we present our most visited posts.

#1: Yellow Page Advertising: Waste? Or Essential Marketing?
Here we slice-and-dice advertising in the yellow pages. (Yes, the death threats have died way down.)

#2: 10 Commandments for Christian Bloggers
Great advice whether you’re a Christian or not.

#3: How to Prepare to Guest on a TV or Radio Talk Show
You’re a star. Well, at least you’ll get closer using these tips.

#4: Putrid Prose: ‘Consumer Reports’ Features Funny Chinese > English Translations
Fun and funny.

#5: ‘Alexandria Impolite’: Spell Checker Mangles Names in High School Yearbook
Spell checker did fascinating things to the names in a Pennsylvania yearbook.

#6: How to Write Entertaining Interview Questions
Inspiration for writing intriguing interview questions.

#7: How to Create a Hyperlink Inside a Blog Post
Apparently this isn’t common knowledge. Get educated here.

#8: Self-editing for Wordiness
Get rid of all those words you don’t need.

#9: Rick Browne’s Cedar Plank Swordfish With Pineapple Salsa
Food = popular.

#10: Lesson # 8: The Law of Line Extension-Marketing 101
Can a business successfully introduce new products under an established brand name? We say it’s next to impossible.

Which He Blogs, She Blogs post is your fave?

Last November a cow in Manson, Washington fell out of the sky and crushed a couple’s mini-van and (sorry for the horrible pun) almost made hamburger out of them as well.

In the immortal words of Dave Barry, no, I’m not kidding.

My family and I travel to Manson often, so when I was there earlier this month I snapped a few pics; one of the 200-foot cliff the cow launched itself off of, and one showing the well-developed humor of the folks from Chelan.

The falling cow incident made local and national news last November, then like most bizarre news stories faded quickly into the dust bin of cyber space.

But not for everyone.

A winemaker with an overactive entrepreneurial streak said, “Hey! This is marketing opportunity.”

Voila! Ray Sandidge has introduced the world to Falling Cow Wine. (It’s quite good.)

Ray even held a grand opening celebration with the owner of Michelle (the deceased cow) on hand. If you’re not into wine you can always buy a t-shirt.

The point is great marketing opportunities are everywhere.

Have you seen any lately?

Tags: brainstorming, innovative ideas, Marketing, seeing ideas everywhere

Boring writing drives me nuts. And you?

The problem? Most writers don’t have a distinct voice.

My good friend Randy Ingermanson is a genius in a number of areas, but the one I appreciate most is his voice that makes everything he writes fun to read.

Rather than give a (boring) explanation of what “voice” is let’s peek at an e-mail Randy sent recently to a writers loop Laura, he, and I belong to.

The question to the loop was What was your first sale? Here’s Randy’s answer:

“My first article had the scintillating title ‘Another Look At The Gauged Wess-Zumino Effective Action’ and was published by the first magazine I submitted it to, NUCLEAR PHYSICS B, the standard journal in elementary particle physics theory. But the dirty rats didn’t pay me a dime for my article.

Not long after that, I started writing fiction and I spent NINE YEARS writing about 500 hours per year without selling one blessed thing. Then in the tenth year, I sold a short story to the local computer geek magazine. The story was titled “Computers in Hell” and it speculated on what sort of computers they use, um, Way Down Under. I earned $150 for this masterpiece, which works out to $15 per year, or (if you do the math, @ 500 hours per year) 3 cents per hour.

“Computers In Hell” was widely read (by several of my co-workers), all of whom thought it was not bad at all.

A postscript: In my eleventh year of writing, I sold my first nonfiction book and a novel, and I was, as they say, launched.”

Randy doesn’t overdo it. But adding words and phrases like “scintillating title” next to an obviously non-scintillating title, “dirty rats”, “geek magazine” “computers they use, um, Way Down Under” “this masterpiece” “widely read (by several of my co-workers)” all take his e-mail from being a mundane report, to entertainment.

I’m not saying you have to have the same voice as Randy, but strive to keep your writing from sounding like everyone else. No one listens to Charlie Brown’s parents and teachers saying, “Wah, wah, wah.” Why? Because to kids, they all sound the same. Same with writing.

By the way, if you write fiction and are one of the five remaining authors who don’t know about Randy’s stellar blog, check it out here: http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/

Often prose isn’t putrid, it’s merely weak. We can strenghten it.

From a newsletter in Friday’s mail: “I was flipping through my journal this morning …”

One of the golden rules of good writing is to kill passive voice. Let’s grab ye ol’  hatchet and and see what happens:

“I flipped through my journal this morning ….”

Better? I think so.

Making this change also allows us to turn “flipping” into “flipped.” Get rid of ings in your prose. Your writing will be stronger.

From a blog I enjoy: “What I mean today is that you not only need to be reading books …”

If good writing is tight writing, can we cut words? Yea, verily. Almost half; without losing what she meant.

Try, “You not only need to be reading books …”

Now let’s use our ing lesson:“You not only need to read books …”

We went from 14 words to seven, and the sentence is far stronger.

Think tight. Think active voice. Dump the ings.

Your readers will love ya for it. So will Laura.

Tags: passive voice, strong writing, tight writing, Writing

We enjoy reading our clients’ blogs, especially on the days they post celeb recipes!

Pro chef Maureen Petrosky contributed this delish recipe for Slow-Cooked Baby Back Ribs to the Rich’s for the Home blog.

You’ll find fresh recipes every week at Rich’s blog.

Here are some recent ones:

• Oven-Roasted Pepperoni Sandwiches
• Kale With Lemon Sauce

And at Flora’s Northwest Flower & Garden Show blog:

• Microwave Spaghetti Squash and Yellow Crookneck Squash from celeb Candy Clark
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (just in time for Halloween!)

I am a list maker. I jot lists on yellow legal pads, on my computer, and on scraps of paper. I even make lists of lists.About once a month, I get overwhelmed with all my lists and do a marathon weeding session. During this month’s clutter-busting session, I had a flash of inspiration:

I have about 1,000 outdated business cards that I can’t bear to throw away. They’re blank on one side. Why not make lists out of them?

Stop laughing! I’m not brainstorming MORE ways to make lists; I’m trying to consolidate all my lists into one manageable list. The bane of my list-making obsession is that I can see too many “to do” items when I glance at my lists. And that’s depressing, because one list is eight typed, single-spaced pages long!

I know I’ll never accomplish all 1,000-plus tasks on my list. But every time I glance at that list, I get distracted because I think, I should be doing item number 102, and I’m only on number 2!

The Biz Card System

I needed a freeing system that would help me prioritize and complete my “must-do” items.

So… on the back of each business card I wrote one “to-do.” For example, the card I’m looking at says, “Edit onesheet copy & send to graphic designer.”

Simple. Doable.

As I finish each task, I (gleefully) toss the card in the recycling bin. It’s gone forever. Out of sight; out of mind.

Shuffling the Deck

I’ve been using my new system for two weeks now, and it’s working like a charm. When I first made my cards, I color-coded them to indicate high priority, medium priority, and low priority. But I abandoned the color coding after a couple of days.

Instead, I shuffle through the stack of cards each morning and select three or four tasks that I vow to accomplish that day. I put the most important card on top of the stack. Then I systematically work my way through the deck.

I keep the cards that list tasks for the upcoming days and weeks out of sight so they don’t distract me. And I keep a few blank cards in strategic places around my home so when a new “to-do” item pops into my head, I can jot it down. Into the stack it goes!

I know I’m not the only person who struggles to organize her “to-do” list. What works for you?

Tags: Business Cards, lists, office management, organization

Jim asked: “What’s the best piece of copy you’ve seen lately?”

The one I’m about to show you–from the world-famous Herbfarm in Woodinville, WA–arrived in the mail several months ago. I kept it because it’s so intriguing and well-written. Here’s the first page of the 2-page letter (my comments will follow):

Laura’s comments:

First of all, if you’re unfamiliar with The Herbfarm , it is the only AAA 5-Diamond restaurant in the Pacific Northwest. My hubby and I went there for our 25th anniversary, and we marveled over the nine-course meal (yes, I said NINE courses), accompanied by SIX wine pairings (I strongly recommend booking a night’s stay in the adjacent Willows Lodge).

Why I read this letter
I toss 99.9% of all direct mail advertising immediately into my recycling bin, but I opened this letter (probably to see if The Herbfarm was gonna offer me a great deal on another meal, because the place is darn spendy).

The hook
They had me at “The Red Wheelbarrow,” my favorite William Carlos Williams poem. My eyes roved straight from the short poem (note the poem’s larger font size and contrasting color) into the body of the letter.

“Dear Friend.”
Not a great start. They should have personalized it with my name.

“Dumb cluck? Or dumb luck? Who can say for sure.”
Punchy, one-line lead. Intriguing play on words.

The story.
Personal, conversational, interesting. Fresh phrases, “pidgin chickenese” and “yolks were molten gold” put me right there, with the writer.

The back page.
Chicken and egg analogy leads into an explanation of how they raise their own food (”we gather our own eggs, churn our own butter, age and cure our own meats,” etc. etc.)

The appearance.
Heavy bond, off-white paper printed in two colors. Classy font. The 1.5 spacing between lines gives my aging eyes breathing room.

The pitch.
When I finished the letter, I considered booking another reservation right then and there. (I didn’t; they “forgot” to enclose a coupon for $100 off. Maybe Jim and I can host our company “picnic” at The Herbfarm…whaddya say, Jim?)

The payoff.
I kept the letter, and I’m sharing it with you. Maybe you’ll book a reservation at The Herbfarm, based on my recommendation (the food is to die for).

Now you try it.
Compose your own direct mail marketing piece for one of your products or services.

• How do you want it to look? (size, shape, length, colors, type font, graphics)
• How do you want it to sound? (first person “I” point of view? Second person “you”? Or third person? Should your tone be cozy, homey, brash, enlightening?)
• How will you hook readers in the first line?
• How will you make the sale at the end of the piece?

Give it a shot right here in the Comments area. We promise to write back with our feedback.

Tags: Advertising, Herbfarm, Marketing, Writing, writing compelling copy

Yesterday we discussed the top eight reasons why people decide not to blog. Today we’ll chew on the top 10 reasons why people blog.

1.  To make new friends

Everyone longs to feel like part of a community. Blogging connects you with a worldwide community of like-minded people with whom you can engage in conversation on a regular basis (heck, you even get to LEAD the conversation).

Many people love the virtual support group aspect of blogging, and they relish the opportunity to belong to a creative team of bloggers in their topic area or geographic area.

Even better, blogging provides opportunities for virtual friends to meet in real life. Just yesterday, I ran into an acquaintance I’d met through my blog. She re-introduced herself, saying, “Hi, I’m e-mom!”

2.  To share thoughts, insights, memories, updates, information

Whether you enjoy keeping friends and family updated or entertaining an audience of thousands, blogging gives you a publishing platform. Your job is to tap into what interests your readers and deliver W.I.I.F.M. (What’s In It For Me) content.

3.  To encourage and support others

Every blogger I know views blogging as a labor of love.

Blogging is a calling… a passion… a mission field.

We bloggers sincerely care about supporting others who face a particular challenge or dilemma.

4.  To keep your brain oiled

The best bloggers are not satisfied with mediocrity; they strive for excellence. If you want to become proactive about promoting your expertise, a blog is a terrific training ground.

Regularly practicing the craft of writing can unjam writer’s block and fine-tune your writing skills.

The adage says, “Practice makes perfect.” Blogging may not perfect your writing, but it’ll help.

5.  To develop a writing voice

Blogging gives you a public canvas on which to paint your words. You are actually publishing, Baby! And people are reading your writing! As you paint with words, your honest, authentic, unique voice will begin to emerge.

6.  To relieve stress

Some say blogging creates stress, but many bloggers view it as a relaxing, enriching hobby. And a few of us crazies are so into blogging that it morphs into our full-time job.

7.  To promote products and services

In these troubled economic times, many businesses are cutting back on spendy advertising. Instead, they’re funneling their marketing budget into an investment that gives them the biggest bang for their buck: blogging.

A blog is an affordable, viral means of establishing brand recognition, building and nurturing a cadre of loyal influencers, and marketing yourself to prospective customers.

8.  To establish an online presence

Because blogs are inexpensive and easy to set up and update, blogging converts are dumping static Web sites and making their blog their online home. Many of the new blog platforms look like a Web site, but offer the interactivity that’s the hallmark of blogs.

9.  To learn to use a computer

While blogging doesn’t require much technical expertise, for neophyte computer users, it’s a great way to learn to use various computer functions. And the best part: you don’t have to be a techno-whiz to blog.

10.  Because it’s fun

Talk about cheap thrills. Compose a blog post, hit “publish,” and watch what happens.

Tags: blog, Blogging, business blogging, reasons to blog

“Do I need a blog?”

Nope. You don’t. You can live a purpose-filled life minus a blog. Don’t let anyone convince you that you have to blog, just for the sake of blogging.

But you might want to blog. Whether you’re a small business owner, an author who’s looking to promote your upcoming book, or the CEO of a large corporation, you need to dispassionately evaluate whether blogging can and should be a critical component of your marketing strategy.

We’re going to help you do that. Right now. During the next two days, we’ll examine the pros and cons of blogging, with a particular emphasis on business blogging.

Let’s start with the eight most common reasons people give for NOT blogging:

1.  Not committed enough to keep it updated

Time and lack of commitment are the two biggest stumbling blocks for bloggers. Take a close look at your weekly calendar.

• Can you carve out an hour to create each new post? (That’s how long it takes the average blogger to research, write, and publish a decent blog entry.)
• Are you passionate enough about this venture to follow through with updating your blog 1-3 times per week? If not, consider outsourcing your blog to a business (such as HeBlogsSheBlogs.com) that provides turn-key blogging services.

2.  Don’t understand the point of blogging

Some folks assume that the only people who blog are losers with too much time on their hands and grandmas who post pictures of their grandkids.

“Blogging is a waste of the reader’s and writer’s time,” they say.

If you approach blogging with a laissez-faire attitude, it will be a huge time-waster. But if you approach it strategically, devising ways to incorporate blogging into your existing marketing plan, blogging has the potential to substantially expand your reach in ways that traditional marketing campaigns can’t.

3.  Lack confidence to create quality content

No one wants to embarrass themselves by publishing mediocre content.

• Don’t have the first clue of what to write about?
• Don’t trust your ability to string together a coherent sentence?

Then don’t blog!

Or outsource your blogging to someone (like us!) who will do the dirty work for you.

4.  Fear no one will read your blog

Imagine walking into crowded room where everyone is shouting at the top of their lungs, trying to get everyone else’s attention. That’s the blogosphere.

• How will anyone but your mom and your best friend find your blog amid all the chaos?
• How can little ol’ you compete with blogs that get half a million hits per day?

You have to approach blogging with a marathon mentality, rather than a sprint mentality. Over time, as you discover and nurture your unique voice (and stop worrying about being #1), your blog readership will grow.

5.  Not savvy about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or social networking

• It takes time and energy to join social networks and participate in other activities that will entice people to visit your blog.
• It takes savoir-faire-and a lot of trial and error-to determine how to use the all-important key words that search engines love.

Your blogging business plan needs to include not only time for blogging, but time for promoting your blog.

6.  Fear of commenters

Many normally-nice people take advantage of the anonymity of cyberspace to rip you apart in the Comments area of your blog. If you plan to blog, you must be prepared to develop a rhino-thick skin, fast.

To protect yourself from rabid commenters, create and publish a Comments Policy (we explain how to do that in our new e-book, Blogophobia Conquered).

7.  Wary of harming relationships

• What if you rant from your bully pulpit a bit too vehemently and alienate the very people you hope to reach?
• What if you inadvertently hurt someone’s feelings?

Blogging is relational, and there’s always a potential for hurt feelings in any relationship. That doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for you to whack readers over the head with your ideology while disregarding theirs.

Approach blogging with an open mind-be willing to learn from your readers and have the grace to apologize when you’ve overstepped your boundaries.

8.  Fear of getting addicted

Blogging can suck you into a black hole and drain the life out of you if you’re not careful.

• Schedule your blogging time so you don’t end up spending your entire day blogging.
  Make blogging part of your day, not the ultimate goal for your day.

The bottom line

Most people’s reluctance to blog boils down to one word: Strategy.

They jump into blogging without thinking through:

• why they want to blog
• who they hope to reach
• how blogging will impact their schedule
• how their blog will make a difference in the lives of time-strapped readers

If you’re wondering whether you should start blogging, take the time to do some strategic planning. Approach it as if you’re preparing a mini business plan. Brainstorm. Write out your plan. Ask other bloggers what works/doesn’t work. If your plan looks viable, go for it!

Tomorrow we’ll share 10 ideas why you should blog,

Tags: Blogging, blogs, business blogging, reasons not to blog, why blog