Today is the third post in a series of 5 posts about blogging: why to start, how to start, how to get readers, how to build community and how to monetize your blog.

A lot of you are terrified that no one will ever read your blog.  Believe me, someone will read it BUT only if they your blog exists! Today I’ll give you 10 ways to grow your blog’s traffic.  Following these tips from the beginning is the best way to ensure your blog’s readership will continue to grow.

1. Guest Post on other Blogs.

The BEST way to get people to your site is to get in front of new (and relevant) audiences.  You can easily do this by writing entertaining and informative guest posts for other bloggers.  A lot of people I’ve talked to with large blog followings say they got to where they are thanks to guest posting.  For example, check out my friend Matt Cheuvront’s blog tour.  Impressive, right!?

Make a focused effort of reaching out to a few bloggers per week when they were new on the scene.  If you’re emailing a more established/high traffic blog, I suggest having your post already written.  Make it as easy for the blogger as possible!  Put a link to your blog in your bio at the end of each guest post so people can visit your site.  A lot of bloggers are happy to publish guest writers because it diversifies their content and perspective.  In many cases, they’re just happy not to have to write a post themselves for a day!

2. Make sure you have a large, clearly-defined, easy-to-find RSS button.

That obnoxiously huge orange button pictured in this post is what I’m talking about.  With so many people reading blogs on the go via their smartphones, tablets and readers, you must make it as easy as possible for people to access your content.  Personally, I rarely go into a browswer and type in a blog’s URL. Rather, I go to my Google Reader and read all my favorite blogs’ newest posts from one screen. Lots of people do this- don’t miss out.  If I can’t subscribe to a blog’s content, I usually leave the site immediately.

Are any of you wondering what the heck RSS is?  It stands for “Really Simple Syndication.”  The easiest comparison is to think about your Facebook feed.  RSS constantly puts all the newest updates in one place for easy access.  Even if you don’t personally use RSS buttons, you’d be surprised at how many people do.  This is a must have!

How do I get an RSS button on my site? You’ll need to “burn a feed” first.  Do that by going to feedburner.com.  This (oddly silent) 1 minute video will show you just how to burn a feed.

Once you’ve followed all the instructions in this video and have copied the code for the big orange icon, you’ll need to add it to your site which is super easy! All you have to do is login to your WordPress “Dashboard” (the back end of your site) and then:

• Go to the “Appearance” menu on the lower left side of the screen and click “Widgets”
• Drag the box that says “text” into the right hand side of your screen
• Click on the box that says text
• Then paste that code in there and click save
• Refresh your site and you should have an RSS button!

3. Include the link to your blog in your personal email signature.

4. Comment on other Blogs.

5.  Join Twitter

6.  Share Your Posts with your Social Networks (if appropriate)

7. Read Seth Godin’s article on “How to get Traffic to your Blog”

8. Submit your blog to directories like Alltop.com and Technorati.com

9. Make it easy for people to share your posts by adding the “Sexy Bookmarks” plugin to your site.

Sexy Bookmarks adds social media buttons to every post and makes it super easy for people to “like” it on facebook, tweet the article and bookmark your article on sites like Stumbleupon, Digg, Delicious & Reddit.  Anytime you’re sharing content with a network, you have the power of scalability and the tiny minute chance that your article could “go viral” as more people share it with one another.

How do I add plugins?  It’s easier than you’d think.  It requires you to download the plugin and activate it.  There are hundreds of great instructional YouTube videos out there.  Whatever you do, don’t fear this task so much that you don’t do it!  Social media buttons will be a huge factor in growing your blog’s traffic!

10. Write Strategically.

There are 2 big reasons people read blogs: to solve a problem or to be entertained.  Think about what people might be Googling in order to find your site then incorporate those phrases into your posts or write posts that revolve around answering those Google searches.

Here are some different types of articles you can create that will give people reasons to come to your site:

• Break a news story or write about a hot topic in the news
• Give your opinion- controversy often drives traffic big time
• Interview a blogger, author or industry-rockstar
• Write about the season, big events going on & holidays
• Create a list of your favorite blogs (the other bloggers will appreciate the links and may even link back to you which is huge!)
• Teach someone how to do something
• “Top 10 Reasons Why…”
• “5 ways to…”
• Hold a contest
• Review other sites
• Review books
• Post videos (of you and/or of others)
• Put lots of pictures in your posts

By, Patricia Brehm

Today I found a fascinating TechCrunch article by Aileen Lee, “Why Women Rule the Internet.” The idea is that women are now the matriachs of the vast web abyss. Namely, the idea goes that since women are more inclined to work with the social networks, engage in online networking, building e-based professional relationships etc. In another fascinating article posted on  SEOmoz, about “Tips for Link Builders” recommends “being a girl” and if you search through blog posts as well as forums, you’ll find numerous mentions of finding a female community manager or social media specialist.

In contrast, the realm of Information Technology, the driving force of code and script that creates social media, seems to be an industry containing mostly men. According to Wikipedia (source of all reliable information nowadays), the desire to drive women into computing careers seems high. In technology communities, a number of resources have sprung up to foster fellowship amongst females in high-tech industries. For example, Sarah Blow founded Geek Girl Dinners as the result of being fed up with a lack of females at technical events. Even geek chic pioneer ThinkGeek has started a line of heroine t-shirts, including Ada Lovelace,  who is considered to be the first female computer programmer. If you go to Slideshare you’ll find a presentation entitled “How to Be An Awesome Community Manager,” written by Marta Majewska, dealing with how to manage an effective social network.

According to Ms. Lee’s article, not only are women powerful in developing a business presence on the web, but female consumers also play a critical role in Internet commercial success. Her article cites astounding sales figures driven by female consumers. So whether it’s electronic retail or driving social networking, the idea of a matriarchal web presence seems to be pervasive and powerful concept.

What are YOUR thoughts?  Is being a female really an advantage when it comes to online branding?  Do females have more power?  If so, why?

If you make your to-do lists like most people, they probably consist of some low-tech, old-school items like lined paper and a pen.  Don’t be ashamed; many people still make all of their to-do lists this way even if they like to think they’ve fully embraced the computer age.  Speaking from personal experience?  No comment.

However, we live in an era where technology rules.  We communicate through social networking sites, get our news from Twitter, and carry our addresses in a pocket-sized piece of hardware (sorry, little black book).  So with our lives becoming busier and more stressful by the day, why shouldn’t we use software that allows us to make things a bit easier (and reduce clutter and waste)?

Here are a couple of ideas to get your to-do list up to date and help you manage all of life’s impending tasks.

1. Microsoft Outlook. Whether you use it at work or at home (or both) it is an extremely effective scheduling tool designed to help you manage your time and your daily, weekly, and monthly tasks.  Use it at the office to copy and paste job requests from your email to your calendar or set it up to forecast and prepare for personal events (your cousin’s wedding is in three months, so schedule in deadlines to purchase airline tickets, shop for a dress, and order the wedding gift online for delivery before departure), remind you of doctor’s appointments, or set up annual services (air conditioner/furnace cleaning, replace batteries in smoke alarms, etc.).
2. reQuall. This iPhone app is unique amongst its competitors for several reasons.  First off, information can be entered either verbally or through text.  And while you can use it for standard task management, it also has functionality for shopping lists (which, let’s face it, we can all use), recording ideas (hands free!), and a contact list (possibly redundant since your phone already has this feature, but you can tailor it to specific areas like work, groups, etc. associated with your lists), as well as a reminder service and the ability to sync with an online server.  The app is broken into three sections (time, things, and people) to help keep your info compartmentalized.
3. Zenbe. Another one for your phone, this handy to-do app may have simple functionality, but it has two features that others do not: it can sync up with an online account and it allows you to share your lists with others.  Don’t have time to get to the grocery store?  Send your husband a link to the list (while you run to the car) and let him do the shopping.
4. Remember the Milk (RTM). This program is more than just a clever name in the arena of web-based to-do list managers.  While it touts simple and streamlined functionality (create, organize, and complete your tasks), it offers the ingenious addition of integrating outside apps.  You can link it up to your online calendar, email, and even Twitter.  Bonus: it’s free!
5. Ta-da Lists. If you haven’t quite graduated from the tech-lite to the real deal, there’s still something out there for you, and Ta-da is it.  A super-simple program, it is almost like your pen-and-paper list in that it gives you just what you need in an electronic format (no crazy bells and whistles, just the ability to make, edit, and check-off your list).  It also boasts a sharing function that allows you to forward your list to others or simply make it public.

What makes marketing financial institutions very different today than ten years ago?  Trust.

Ten years ago, trust was assumed.  The stock market was booming,successful dot-coms were popping up everywhere and jobs were plentiful. But then September 11^th happened.  And  the dot-com “burst.” And let’s not forget about the stock market crash, the fall of Lehman Brothers, government bailouts, the real estate market hitting an all-time low and the highest unemployment rate in decades. Today, trust is non-existent.

Marketers who focus on regaining trust will make it into the next era.  Companies- especially financial institutions- will start earning trust by reaching their customers exactly when and where they need something.

Simply put, that means better customer service.  But today’s definition of superb customer service goes beyond, “thank you for your business ma’am.”  Customers today expect instant gratification.  Customers want to be seen as individuals.  And today’s customers have bigger problems to solve and bigger voices than ever before.

Old Components of Great “Customer Service Marketing” for Financial Institutions

• A friendly smile and a thank you.
• A fancy lobby, suits & nylons.
• A call center.
• Great interest rates.
• Online banking, conveniently located ATM’s and longer hours of operation.

New Components of Great “Customer Service Marketing” for Financial Institutions

• A totally awesome iPhone app.
• A response from a real person when tweeting a complaint about the financial institution.
• Listening to the blogosphere and making adjustments.
• Creating financial products that offer value, rather than offer high interest rates.
• A customizable online banking interface that allows the customer to create a budget, track investments, create a plan to payoff debt, get financial education and earn rewards that are relevant to their situation.

My online marketing business card says, “get into your customers hands” (yes, it’s a sassy play on another common phrase). Today, customer service marketing is about getting in your customers hands-meaning getting into their iPhone, Blackberry, text messages, emails and social media networks-at the right moment.  It’s about paying attention to individual needs and providing ways to solve their financial problems.

It’s easy for consumers to blame large financial institutions for the economic downturn.  Smart financial marketers should accept this and turn their focus on regaining trust.  Financial institutions in particular should change their definition of “customer service marketing” and prove that they can once again be trusted by providing instant,  applicable and individualized customer service beyond high interest rates.

What do you wish your financial institutions would do differently?  Do you trust financial institutions?  What would make you trust them more?

Iphone and ipod users know how annoying it is to operate your devices during the winter as it requires removing your gloves in the cold! My Mom sent me a pair of these awesome iphone-compatible gloves and I had to share them with you! My gloves are by echo (which has tons of other cool stuff too!) and work like a charm. The magic is in the material on the thumb and index fingers. Check them out here, they are $30.

How annoying is it when you are super excited to upload your pictures from the weekend, and then you can’t find your stupid cord ANYWHERE?  I hate it.  I also hate the times when I avoid uploading pictures for weeks at a time and then have to deal with organizing them and waiting for everything to load.

Well fret no more!  Technology just keeps getting cooler and cooler.  Check out the eye-fi: a new way to wirelessly upload pictures and videos to your computer (Mac or PC) or favorite photo sharing community (like Flickr, Picasaand over 25 others) as long as you are within range of a wi-fi network.  The Eye-fi share is $59.99-79.99.

No worries, the whole world won’t see your pics.  You can easily change your privacy settings to your liking.

To make this product even cooler- and perhaps creepier- the Eye-fi Explore ($99) is also capable of  “geo-tagging” your photos.  In other words, it can tell you WHERE you took the pictures!  No, it’s not equipped with a GPS system the size of a tiny memory card.  Instead it uses WPS technology- which is Wi-fi positioning.  It locates you based on the wireless networks surrounding you. 

Awesome!

You can “cut the cord” for as low as $49.99 with the Eye-fi Home (uploads photos only to your home computer). 

And for you iphone people, there is a free iphone app when you own the Eye-fi too.  (I mean what ISN’Tthere an iphone app for, right?!)

Has anyone tried this yet?  I’m tempted to get it!