Blogs. Web sites. Social Networking.

When you ponder the plethora of the online venues from which you can promote your products and services, it’s hard to know where to start.

Prospective customers need 8-to-10 “touches” from you before they remember you or your brand. Cyberspace is a great place to reach out and touch someone. NOW is the time to begin making those touches.

Here are a few tips for building your online presence:

Build your hub.
Think about the International Space Station. Construction began in 1998 with the Control Module. Gradually, additional modules have been added.

Your online hub should be a Web site and/or a blog.
A Web site generally contains static content that changes infrequently. A blog is an interactive Web site-its content is updated on a regular basis (at least weekly).

More and more often, businesses are creating sites that seamlessly integrate blog content with static content. For example, here at HeBlogsSheBlogs.com, our blog is on our Home page. Navigation buttons on the Home page lead to inside pages that function more like a traditional Web site.

Gradually add spokes or “modules” to your hub. I consider social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace) and social bookmarking sites (Delicious, Digg, StumbleUpon) as spokes. You’ll create a profile at each site (registration is free) and link to and from your hub. Millions of people subscribe to social networking sites, substantially increasing your chances of being found and “touched.”

• Don’t feel compelled to instantly sign up for each of them. Spend time looking around, visiting others’ profiles, and studying how members market themselves.
• After you’ve visited a site several times, ask yourself whether you feel comfortable joining the community, and whether it’ll be worth your time investment to become an active member.

Here are some sites to explore:

General Networking:

• Facebook - http://www.facebook.com
• LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/
• Ziggs - http://www.ziggs.com/ (for business professionals)

Targeted Networking:

• MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/
• Shoutlife - http://www.shoutlife.com/ - Christian social networking for authors, music artists, comics, organizations, and regular folks.

Video Sharing

• YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/
• GodTube - http://www.godtube.com/ - Christian version of YouTube

Book Sharing

• Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/
• Shelfari - www.shelfari.com
• BookTour - http://www.booktour.com
• Book Marketing Network http://bookmarket.ning.com/ - You can set up your own customized social network at ning.com

Micro Blogging

• Twitter - https://twitter.com
• Plurk - http://www.plurk.com/

Social Bookmarking

• Digg - http://digg.com/
• Delicious - http://delicious.com
• StumbleUpon - http://www.stumbleupon.com/

What sites do you use/recommend? Leave us a comment!

This article was originally published on the WinePress Publishing Company blog, Oct. 20, 2008. WinePress is the leading company in the Christian custom publishing industry.

Tags: blogs, book sharing, internet marketing, Marketing, micro-blogging, promoting, social bookmarking, Social Networking, video sharing, Web sites

“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

Earlier this week I led a “biz blogging basics” coffee chat with a group of Seattle-area business owners. We discussed everything from how to carve out blogging time during a hectic day to which blogging platform to use.

It was great fun to watch people’s eyes light up as they had an “ah ha” moment and to encourage one another in our blogging endeavors.

I’d like to introduce you to the sites of several of the women who attended; perhaps you’ll find something that strikes a chord with you… or gives you an idea for your own biz blog.

Travel Rx Bag
http://www.travelrxbag.com/
This cool carry-on medication and first aid bag was developed by two nurses. Bev and Chris share their medical expertise on their blog.

Banana Blossom Press
http://www.bananablossompress.com/default.asp
Need a greeting card to inspire and encourage the athletes in your life? Laura and Maria sell a line of “uncomplicated” greeting cards for runners.

ScrapRack and More
http://www.scraprack-and-more.com
If you’re a scrapbooker, Suzette and Beth’s unique organizational kits will help you keep all your scrapping materials organized.

Occasions Wedding and Event Planning
http://www.occasionsllc.com/
Jennifer plans to add a blog to her lovely Web site.

5focus
http://www.5focus.com/#
Christina owns Café Mae at 5focus, a holistic wellness center.

Simple Serenity
http://www.simpleserenity.com/
Lorrie does wellness consulting and presents seminars that nurture a woman’s whole being.

Say Something Creative
http://www.saysomethingcreative.com/
Bridget and Erin are talented graphic Web designers/developers who also provide brand development services.

Tamra Fleming
http://www.tamrafleming.com
Tamra is a life coach and guide who hosts healing retreats in central Oregon.

Tags: Blogging, blogging consultant, blogs, business blogging, corporate blogging, Seattle