Image by Mike Rohde via Flickr

We consult with clients all the time on optimizing their web sites, creating new and fresh content and tips on making their web sites “sticky” and encouraging visitors to return to them time and time again. One of the best ways to accomplish all of these goals is to write a blog.

I know, you just asked yourself what in the world you have to write about. And, how will you ever find time to write a blog? Well, it’s truly as easy as this blog post by Jim Osterman makes it out to be. Just write it.

Sure, you’re first few posts may be short. They may not offer a lot of depthor comment-inspiring content, but they are a start. And, once you begin to blog, it will become easier and easier. You’ll then start reading other blogs; you’ll find out what others in your industry are saying; and then you can write about or disagree with their ideas. Other blogs are a great way to find inspiration, and there’s no easier way to find content and writing ideas. Before you know it, people will be visiting your site to see what you’re writing and reading about. They will see you as a leader in your industry.

So take our advice, and that of Jim Osterman. Just write!

Now that you’re ready to blog, read more blog tips:

Related articles:

• The 3 Main Pillars Of Blogging (shoutmeloud.com)
• The Benefits Of Business Blogging (slideshare.net)

I’ve been a busy bee!

Wow, I didn’t realize how much of a slacker I’ve been at getting something out here lately.  With everything else going on lately, the blog has definitely fallen down on the list of priorities.

To recap:  we’ve had some smashing victories in February.  Valeo inked our deal with Boom, LLC and have begun production on a new LMS system that is going to be revolutionary.  We’re all very excited about this, becuase it represents some of the most cutting edge work that we’ve ever been able to take on.   I have to imagine that any of our (at least local) competitors would be crushed by a project of this magnitude- 2000 hours of development time to be delivered for an August 1 go-live (that’s a 6 month turnaround!).   The ideas are flying like crazy around the office, and working on the UI/UX (user interface/user experience) for this project has everyone here really excited!  More to come on that down the road.  As soon as we get past the initial UI designs we’ll begin work on the demo commercial that will be showcased on the site and in our other marketing efforts.  This project is going to be the JAM!

We’ve also had some victories internally on completing some processes that were long overdue, and we’ve had a promotion!  Matt Mauck has been promoted to his new position that is going to give him more responsibility and will put him in a role that entails more client/dev team interaction.  Its time for me to step into a more passive project management role as I’ve been busy on my own.

I had several proposals for some meaty projects to get out this week, so that has been a struggle to fit into the schedule along with my presentation that I had to get done for the Sales & Marketing Society on ROI Marketing for your business:  driving top-line growth through your website. As soon as I can, I’ll get that up on here since I know several of you who attended were requesting a copy of the PowerPoint.

That lecture was also a success – I had a lot of fun with it, and have subsequently been asked to join the Sales & Marketing Society as a board member to fill a position that is being created for me: director of social media.  I’m thrilled to be asked to join this organization and I’m excited about what I can bring to the board in the coming year.   In similar news, I was accepted as a Fellow into the 2009/2010 class of the Leadership Academy.  This is an amazing opportunity and I’m so honored to be chosen.  I think that is going to teach me a lot about being a leader in our organization, as well as in the community.

Some of you may be aware, but community support is very dear to me- which is why I founded the MemphisCares.US program.  Unfortunately, running a business and trying to get a community support program off the ground at the same time in a down economy has been difficult, but I refuse to give up because I believe that we have a responsibility to give back.  I hope to learn how to more effectively do that through the Leadership Academy.

I’ve been talking to some people about getting a new marketing/PR person to come into the organization and help us continue to grow, and I think that the time for that is drawing near.  Hopefully sooner than later- I need a break and some help would hopefully do that for me!  If you’re a local and you know of anyone who would be a good fit for what we do then please contact us!

I will get back to the blog soon, I promise.  I have scores of great content that I want to get out to you- just finding the time is tough sometimes. I know every person reading this can relate!  For the moment- this is my blog post, read me search engines.  I think I used a keyword or two in here =)

If you’re like me (and 90% of other people out there) and you don’t have your entire day to play with social media sites and read blogs so you need to maximize your time online and still find and digest large amounts of information that is relative to you or your business.

One of the problems that I come across is just the amount of time that it takes to find the great blogs to follow. Weeding out the ones that are irrelevant or a waste of time can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, so you need some help.

A cool tool that I came across is called Toluu which let’s you add a feed that you like, and it will find the best results for other, similar blogs. Unfortunately, you have to get invited at this point- they are trying to control the number of registrations so that they don’t overload their system, but that’s how Gmail started out and it won’t last long if they keep up the good work. You can check the site out and request an invite and they will send you one when they have the capacity.

I think this marks the beginning of yet another new breed of web based applications and SaaS (Software as a Service) that will cater to the exponentially growing number of blogs and other social media content that exists. To see a really cool video of the times we live in and how quickly our world is both shrinking and expanding then see our post from a couple of weeks ago about The Speed of Things

The first time I wrote about a three-step process for organizations to participate in social media was in February of 2007. While my thinking on how it works has gotten much more complex over time, it still is a simple framework by which a company can start think about social media strategy.

I would love to hear what others think each of these steps should entail. What does it mean to listen? How can you participate? What can a company do to contribute?

I will be covering these concepts and more at my upcoming half-day seminar at the PRSA International Conference in Detroit, Building Integrated Social Media Campaigns: How to Leverage New Media in Existing Communication Plans. I will also be doing a master class on the Strategist and Social Media during the conference itself, so your advanced input is welcome. [From Three Steps: How Companies Can Participate Successfully in Social Media]