Alex Goad, Brian Johnson, and Jared Croslow’s new Auto Content Cash system is *live* and people are jumping all over it…

SAVE 10% HERE => Auto Content Cash Discount

Here’s why you should be interested. Alex and his partners have figured out a dead-simple formula for automating the process of building of tiny niche websites. A simple 35 minute setup will leave you with a website that keeps growing in traffic, rankings, and best of all the amount of passive income it earns.

This is truly “set and forget” at its core, and like nothing I’ve ever seen released to the market before. Check it out here:

=> Auto Content Cash

Here’s the cool thing about how ACC works:

[+] It doesn’t require you to write at all; in fact it uses other
people’s content to push your sites quality through the roof…

[+] You can start with little to no experience – everything is
laid out in clear step by step in the training area…

[+] Even if you’re super-strapped for time and can only put in a
couple hours a week, then this will work for you…

[+] This is the ultimate “lazy marketers” system, but it’s 10x as
effective at grabbing top 10 rankings and sending you streams of
red-hot free traffic to your money sites.

=> Auto Content Cash

—————————————
Auto Content Cash Exposes
—————————————

* How to build sites lightning fast… spending less than an hour
building a fully functional and SEO-optimized niche site where
their proprietary automation tools do 95% of the work for you…

* How to turn every 35-50 minutes of work into an average of $340
in pure profit…

* The secret formula they use to skyrocket these automated niche
sites to the top of Google rankings nearly without fail…

* How to make a “quick cash grab” whenever you want, raking in
$400-$1500 nearly on demand…

* How to grow and attract even more traffic with these sites
automatically without ever lifting another finger…

* The secret Google shortcut that will blast your sites to the top
of Google with little to no effort on your part – leveraging on the
work of other people…

* Where to get a full time employee that can build dozens of these
profit streams for you monthly for just about $200-$300 a month.

* A lot more than I can fit in this email…

This is a massive training course and the result of months of
research and extensive testing. The system just plain works…

For the first 3 days, Alex and his partners have decided to place
this at a massive discount which basically means, they put this
well within anyone’s grasp who want to take advantage. If you’re
not making at $300 a day online then I highly recommend you check
this out now:

Steven Johnson, the creator of the Clickbank Profit System, has joined forces with Chad Michaels to bring you The Instant Money Code.  It will be available on March 23rd.  Stay tuned for all of the details as the highly anticipated new product nears it’s official release date.  I will also be offering The Instant Money Code Bonus for purchasing from this website.

All the Best!

Learn The Secret No One Else Will Tell You On How To Make Instant Money Online. 50% Commissions To Affiliates.
The Secret To Making Money Online.

Now, I am going to give you 9 powerful tips you must take into your action seriously for your blog online marketing. With those tips, you can build highly successful and profitable blog online and earn money on the internet. All you have to do is to take those tips in your action and marketing plan seriously.

My investigations show that blog is one of the most popular and effective ways to earn money on the internet. Now, most of people have their own blog online. Also, most internet entrepreneurs use blog as their internet marketing tools to advertise and sell their products or services.

Actually, blog online marketing is not all that hard if you know what you are doing. However, if this is your very first blog and you are wondering how to get readers or subscribers to it then you are in the right place. First let me just say that marketing your blog is going to require patience, and being consistent.

READ THIS: If you are looking for how to build successful and profitable blog online. I am sure that those tips in this article will help you get the ideas of how to setup your own blog in the right way.

Here are some great tips to use when trying to get your blog out there and get new readers. You’ll discover workable tips and secrets of how to build successful blog and earn money with your blog.

1) The first key for your successful in blog online marketing is to update your blog frequently. We can not put enough emphasis on this tip. If you tell your readers that you are going to update your blog daily, then do it. If you tell them that you will be writing in your blog weekly, don’t let them down. Your readers are what make your blog successful. You may not realize this in the beginning, and you will have few readers in the beginning as well, but you will eventually build a readership base and have people checking out your blog regularly. Maybe you do not plan on telling your readers how often you will update your blog. That is ok too. However, think about this, if you were reading a blog on a weekly basis, and you expected to see the blog that you like to read updated at least once a week, you would be very disappointed to find out that it was not. Sure, things happen that might prevent you from updating, and that is expected, and excused, but week after week can hurt you and cause you to lose readers.

2) You are going to want to be sure that all of your posts are formatted. Doing so will leave out any confusion for the search engines and you will have everything nice and neat and all organized. The label tags are there for a reason when you are dealing with blogs. So using them and not leaving them out is a great idea.

3) I would recommend you to ensure that your blog has the track back feature. Let me tell you why. When you have the track back feature on your blog, you are allowing other people to link back to your blog. Maybe someone has a post to post on their blog that is relevant to one of yours. They can use the talkback to your post, and send their readers to your blog so that they know what they are referring to. Another good thing to remember is that if someone gives you a track back, it is a courtesy to return that to their blog if at all possible.

4) Having a Google account and submitting a sitemap is almost a must when you are blog online marketing. Doing so will allow Google to know how often you are updating your blog and they will automatically know of any changes that you have made to it as well. This will let Google get those new pages indexed faster and get them into search results much quicker than if you did not have the sitemap. There is a certain way you have to do the sitemap for Google, and they can explain that to you. Just know this is an important step to blog online marketing.

5) Exchanging links with authority blogs and websites that are in your same market is another great way to get the word out about your blog. The authority sites are going to have a higher page rank, and will also be listed high in Google’s search results. So do some searches and check those out and see if they are up to exchanging links. If they are not, you could always just add those into your blogroll. You do not need permission to do that if they are not into linking. However, in the world of blogs, most blog owners are thankful for all links, and are willing to return the favour.

6) Tracking is another part of blog marketing that is so very important. You want to be able to track your visitors and clickers to know where they are coming from. You want to be able to tell what keywords they searched on to find your blog and where they did their searching. Doing so will help take out all of the guess work when it comes to blog marketing. You will know what keywords are working, and which are not.

7) Allowing RSS feeds from your blog is also another great blog online marketing tool. You are going to find that when you allow RSS feeds, your blog is going to end up all over the internet with a link back to it and that is a good thing. This is a wonderful way to get links to your blog with little or no effort. People that subscribe to your blog’s RSS feeds are able to then post your blog posts on their sites or blogs. This in return gives you a link on their site or page that they have you on.

While you are working on your readership base, and trying to gain readers, you are going to find that commenting on blogs that are relevant to yours will surely help. Find a blog that is on the same topic to yours, or close to it and leave comments. You can also make a track back with your blog postings to comment on your own blog. Doing so will probably more than likely give someone else the urge to track back to your blog. This will be good for it as well. Commenting on blogs that get many comments will make your blog seen by those interested in that market. You will gain traffic and readers that way, and it is easy as well as free.

9) Learn and apply SEO to your blogs. SEO is search engine optimization. You are going to find that if you want your blog to go anywhere, you need SEO, and you need to know how to use it to the advantage of your blog. Just like a website, a blog will be better off optimized.

Final thoughts, blog online marketing is only as hard as you make it. Use these powerful tips and get your blog out there and seen today!
Learn more now about blog online marketing to start & grow your highly profitable and successful home based internet marketing business with your blog today! You’ll discover great tips, workable & proven techniques, top secrets and steps-by-steps of how to get your blog been #1 ranking in major search engines, drive a ton of relevancy traffic and earn money on the internet with your blogs. Also, you will save a lot of your time & money to learn by yourself.

Read more articles, news and up-to-date information about home based internet marketing business and how to earn money on the internet at:
http://www.zMakeMoney.com/blog

*Reprint Policy: Reprint in full with writer’s name, contact information, active links and brief bio.

Now, I am going to give you the reasons why you have to use business promotion internet affiliate marketing online network called “LinkShare”. You’ll discover a couple reasons why you need to use LinkShare for your own business promotion internet affiliate marketing online.

READ THIS: If you are truly serious about the business promotion internet affiliate marketing online.

Online affiliate marketing is one of the most effective, cheapest and fastest ways to promote merchandise. With millions of people getting access to the Internet everyday, there’s a great real home based business opportunity for a merchant to introduce his products and services to a wider market, thereby, maximizing his revenue.

Likewise, business promotion internet affiliate marketing online is an excellent way to generate full-time income for a home-based affiliate marketing entrepreneur. For someone who is jaded of going through a grueling eight-hour work routine, business promotion internet affiliate marketing online offers a great real home based business opportunity to earn big without wearing himself out—physically, mentally and emotionally.

In business promotion internet affiliate marketing online, both parties are benefited since as the merchant earns from each item sold, the affiliate marketing entrepreneur likewise earns an affiliate commission.

If you are interested in business promotion internet affiliate marketing online but are finding it hard to look for webmaster affiliates programs, affiliate marketing entrepreneurs or merchants, you can start by checking sites of various affiliate marketing networks. Many webmaster affiliates programs in the Internet are being offered through a webmaster affiliates program network, which acts as a link between the merchants and individual affiliate marketing entrepreneurs.

Among the most popular is LinkShare, it is through it that merchants and affiliate marketing entrepreneurs meet. LinkShare maintains and manages affiliate marketing programs for a great number of merchants with various kinds of businesses, products and services. It also has over 6,000 affiliate site members in its affiliate marketing network. It gains profit from the set-up fees, monthly account maintenance fees and affiliate commissions.

Joining networks like LinkShare can be of great help in establishing your online home based affiliate marketing business. Whether you are a merchant or an affiliate marketing entrepreneur, you need to research well on your partners in order to choose the best for you.

LinkShare provides the facility of acquiring access to a large affiliate marketing network of advertisers (merchants) who offer their web affiliate programs to publishers (affiliates) who are willing to promote their products. In the same manner, it gives the merchants access to a large affiliate marketing network of affiliate marketing entrepreneurs who are searching for business promotion internet affiliate marketing online & high income business opportunities.

LinkShare is especially beneficial for an affiliate marketing entrepreneur in choosing his partners since he can find his options all in one location. It would be easier for him to compare products, affiliate commission rates and other benefits given by the merchant. The merchant usually just waits for interested affiliate marketing entrepreneurs to sign up in his affiliate marketing program but being in the network increases his real home based business opportunity to promote his products to a larger market, thus, maximizing his potential to gain huge profit.

To help you decide whether to use large affiliate networks such as LinkShare or not, let us try to look deeper into its positive and negative sides. The primary advantage of LinkShare to you as an affiliate marketing entrepreneur is convenience.

As earlier mentioned, you find different pieces of information about your choices simultaneously all in a single location, so you save time and effort looking for web affiliate programs or merchants.

It’s also easier to track your business partner’s performance through monthly reports and statements, as well as its sales and affiliate commission rates, so you know whether the affiliate program is still worth continuing. If you have signed up for several affiliate programs, you can check all your statistics for each merchandiser you are affiliated with by logging in just once.

LinkShare helps you manage and maintain all records of your visitors’ click-through and sales transaction. It takes care of your affiliate commissions and gives it to you monthly in lump sum. Especially when you have more than one merchant partner, it would be easier for you to manage your accounts and track your earnings when you are affiliated through a marketing program network.

Furthermore, every information you get is accurate and secured, so you are protected from all the risk you might encounter. Above all, you can enjoy LinkShare’s benefits for free. You just have to go to their site and register your website. Instantly, you get access to a great variety of affiliate programs available for you.

Sign up now for LinkShare affiliate marketing network. You’ll start earning money in your business promotion internet affiliate marketing online now! Also, you’ll discover a ton of web affiliate programs to promote online.

So, what’s on the negative side? Although, it is indeed helpful to join business promotion internet affiliate marketing online networks such as LinkShare, there are some disadvantages, too.

For one, merchants offer lower affiliate commissions to affiliate marketing entrepreneurs who partner with them through the third party program network. This because they still have to pay for the use of service and the technology provided by LinkShare.

Direct partnership with the merchant cuts costs of advertising through the affiliate marketing network and so the affiliate has bigger potential to earn more. Moreover, it is possible that your payment may be delayed for a month or more since program networks would pay you only after the advertiser or the merchant has paid them.

Do you need to use LinkShare or other networks? It depends, actually. You can opt for direct partnership with the merchant, but this choice is not applicable all the time. There are a lot of merchandisers who offer their affiliate program only through affiliate program networks and thus, you have no choice other than joining the network to get into the affiliate marketing program.

So you are faced with “take it or leave it” situation. But LinkShare and other program networks are not that disadvantageous. After all, whether you join it or not, earning big would depend more on your promotional strategies and persistence.

Finally, LinkShare affiliate marketing network is another place for starting promoting web affiliate programs and earning money in a minute. Personally, there are a lot of quality webmaster affiliates programs waiting for you to tap-in.

Join FREE now to get up-to-date and secrets of how to make big money on the internet at home through your own business promotion internet affiliate marketing online. You’ll discover a ton of top-secrets you’ve never thought of! Also, you’ll save your time for learning in home based affiliate business.

The Internet marketing business is a booming industry. Individuals who have started from scratch became among the successful Internet marketers who capitalized on their Internet-connected personal computer unit, basic knowledge on Internet marketing, wildest imagination, creativity, and some self-confidence just to earn the money that they want. They are not afraid of the possible losses they might incur along their Internet marketing career. All they have in mind is just there is always a tomorrow that will give them the chance to fulfill their goals they have missed the previous days. 

Fortunately, they did it. 

Because of their hard work and determination in earning through Internet marketing business, the industry has flourished rapidly due to the increased offerings of various products and services for lower prices. For more help go to www.the-forum-list.com

Aside from the increased volume of online shoppers over the Internet, the industry opened its doors for aspiring Internet marketers to grab a huge slice of the luxurious Internet marketing business. With several noted benefits such as 24/7 availability, international coverage, and low start-up costs, Internet marketing became the key to business growth not just on a consistent but also on an exponential basis. Just imagine generating $40,000 last month and jumping to $50,000 this month. 

Despite of the opportunity of earning huge amounts of money from Internet marketing, there are still online entrepreneurs who do not have the capability and sufficient knowledge of making their sites sell to the public, mainly because of the very stiff competition rocking the Internet-based marketing industry. Even the site that is designed carefully with a shopping cart and inventory listing facilities, if it is not generating web traffic, the site can be considered as a total failure so as the effort of the website owner to earn on Internet marketing. 

At this point, the services of an Internet marketing agency must be an important factor to consider. In exchange for a corresponding fee, they will help you increase web traffic to your websites, thus increasing your chances of earning more. Such Internet marketing agency can do it in several ways such as affiliate marketing programs, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising schemes, and search engine optimization (SEO). Although you are relatively familiar with these marketing concepts, you still lack time and expertise to perfect the concept. The Internet marketing agency, through their consultants and technical people, will be the one to apply the necessary strategies for your site to build necessary traffic and increase generated sales along the process. For more details go to www.ultimate-internet-marketing-tricks.com .The core of Internet marketing agency business is dependent on your efforts and skills. As a matter of fact, if your online-based business is service-oriented, the start-up costs in setting it up is relatively low since it does not require inventories at all. However, you need to have the necessary knowledge, skills, and expertise on Internet marketing before you can start your business. These factors are commonly provided from self-study, attending actual or seminars (seminars over the Web), or getting a mentor from the Internet marketing agency who will guide you along the course. The start-up costs on acquiring necessary knowledge may vary, depending on the type of education you have obtained. Other costs may revolve on several factors such as server maintenance and support as well as website design and development. 

This will also include building a concrete business plan that will indicate the potential growth of your online-based business. Aside from using it is the main guide of your Internet marketing business, you can also use it to obtain necessary funding for your business either from venture capitalists or commercial lenders. 

Internet Marketing, Internet, Marketing, Money, Make Money

There use to be many make money online scams out there, and there still are some out there you should worry about. There are also alot of agencies dedicated to stopping these scams before they get out of control.

If you ask me 10 years ago there was nothing, but make money online scams, now I’m sure some people will beg to differ, but that is just the way things are.

Back in the day, so to speak there wasn’t really any laws to protect us from these make money online scams, now it is a very serious crime to spam or screw someone out of there money online.

It is pretty easy to spot a scam today, if you get an email from a royal prince in some country you never heard of, and there asking for your info so they can send you $25 million dollars to split, this should tip you off that this is a scam, some people do fall for this type of scam though

If you get an email saying you have won the foreign lottery, and all you have to do is pay $5,000 dollars to receive it, what does that tell you? SCAM!!!! Well or at least it should.

Those are two of the most popular make money online scams out there, and honestly any home business system or product I have reviewed, has never taught me how to rob people of their identities, or steal there bank account information, and if they did I definitely wouldn’t say they were good.

I am not willing to destroy my business, or my integrity over a couple bucks, and I hope you wouldn’t either.  One of the key principles of a home business is help others first, and add as much value to your customer as you possibly can.

I and many others have built our businesses on this principle alone. Sure there are many other factors as well, but if you run your business based on these principles you will have a much better chance at success.

So are there any real opportunities to make money online. YES! There are many different ways to make money online, there is:

Niche Marketing (which allows you to make money talking about the things you love)

Internet Marketing

Flipping Websites

Affiliate marketing

Blogging (which is another way to make money talking about what you love)

Network Marketing

Drop-shipping

eBay

Creating information products

There are more ways to make money online, but these are the ways I have tried and have had success with. You will have to see which method you like best, and do what works out easiest for you.

Everybody is different, one person may love internet marketing another may hate it. Drop-shipping may earn one person thousands of dollars while another may struggle to, see a cent.

A lot my my friends make a nice living online, I was a bit skeptical at first, but that is only human nature I’m sure. Just try not to let a few scammers scare you out of following your dreams.

Affiliate marketing has become one of the most effective ways to advertise online. It is also one of the easiest ways for anyone with a website to make a profit online. Affiliate Marketing is an agreement between a merchant and a website owner. The website owner, or the affiliate, allows the use of their site for the promotion of the merchant’s products by linking to the merchant’s website. In exchange, the merchant pays a commission to the affiliate on all sales generated by the affiliate. Every time someone clicks on the link on the affiliate website and proceeds to make a purchase, the affiliate gets a commission. The merchant will pay the affiliate only when a customer clicks on the product link and makes a purchase. Affiliate marketing programs are described as a win-win situation for both the merchant and the affiliate because of the pay-for-performance scheme. Both the merchant and the affiliate enjoy some benefits in affiliate marketing. There are many benefits on the merchant’s side. It gives the merchant a wider market in which to advertise a product or service. Affiliate marketing will give the product or service the maximum exposure that it may not get with other traditional advertising techniques. The more affiliate sites a merchant has, the higher the traffic, which can convert to sales. Affiliate marketing is the equivalent of having an army of sales people who will do the advertising and will only get a commission if a customer purchases you can visit www.greatpromotionsite.com meanwhile, since an affiliate marketing relationship is a win-win situation, the affiliate also enjoys many benefits. Foremost among these is the easy way to make a profit. The affiliate can earn by having an ad or link to the merchant’s website, which prospective customers will hopefully click and proceed to make a purchase. As soon as the customer clicks on the ad on the affiliate’s site, is redirected to the merchant’s website and goes on to buy that particular product, the affiliate earns a commission. The more referrals there are the more profit for the affiliate. Affiliate marketing is an excellent way to earn money while at home. There are virtually no production costs. The product is already developed and proven by the merchant, and all you have to do to is find, as many prospects as you can that will bring in the profit for both the merchant and the affiliate. Affiliate programs are usually free to join, so affiliates do not have to worry about start-up costs. There are thousands of products and services you can choose from. You can find affiliate programs for every product under the sun. Surely, there is a product or service out there that is relevant to your website. In addition, there is absolutely no sales experience necessary. Most affiliate programs offer excellent support when it comes to providing marketing material. The simplicity of affiliate marketing allows you to be an affiliate marketer at the least cost and the most comfort you can visit www.boost-websie-traffic.com
You can even build a successful affiliate marketing business right in the convenience of your own home. In affiliate marketing, your responsibility is simply to find prospects for the merchant; you do not have to worry about inventory, order processing, and product shipping. These, along with customer service support are the duties of the merchant. Because of the global reach of the internet, you can easily find thousands of prospects. You can intensify your advertising campaign by exploiting more aggressive and productive strategies such as viral marketing. By attracting more prospects, you also maximize your potential to earn. Another benefit of an affiliate marketer is the minimal risk involved. If the product you are advertising is not making money then you can dump it and choose another. There are no long-term binding contracts tying you to products that are not making enough money. All the same, the best benefit of being an affiliate marketer is the opportunity to increase your income; and you can make a profit even if affiliate marketing is only a sideline business. With your own affiliate business, you can earn easily earn extra income, although you do have to exert effort and use your imagination to maximize your earning potential. Indeed, affiliate marketing is one of the simplest and most effective business opportunities on the web today.

If you are new to internet marketing you may find yourself a little overwhelmed. There is so much to learn, but there are few mistakes that are the biggest barriers to online success. If you can learn to avoid them you will succeed online, because the rest will work itself out.

Internet Marketing Mistake #: FAILURE TO TAKE ACTION

The number one reason that new internet marketers don’t succeed is that they never get started. For more details go to: www.sell-using-the-web.com to succeed in internet marketing you need to take action. It almost doesn’t matter what action as long as you actually start something and follow through on it.

If you don’t put your product on a website, you won’t sell it no matter how much you have learned. If you don’t find some product to sell, you won’t succeed no matter how much you know about product creation or affiliate marketing. The point is if you do nothing, you will gain nothing. Take action!

Internet Marketing Mistake #: TRYING TO BE PERFECT

Another major mistake new internet marketers make is they try to be perfect. Just a few more tweaks of the site and then it will be perfect. Just a few more, just this little adjustment, you can go on and on. Nothing you do will ever be absolutely perfect. If you wait until you think your product is perfect or you wait until your website is perfect you will always be waiting.

Nothing is perfect, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. Does it do the job it is supposed to do? Does it look like it will sell a product? Then that’s good enough to start with. Trying to be perfect is really another way of procrastinating. Gets it going? You can improve the product or the website or anything else as you go along. Nothing happens until you finally decide to move ahead.

Internet Marketing Mistake #: AFRAID YOU DON’T KNOW ENOUGH YET

Many new internet marketers don’t ever get started because they think they need to know everything before they start. They buy every course and every e-book they can get their hands on. They study and read and study and read, but that is all they ever do. You will never know everything there is to know about internet marketing. Learning is an ongoing process. For can visit to: www.inside-the-minds-of-winner.com you will learn more by doing than you ever will learn from a course or a book. Just start and the knowledge will come.

Internet Marketing Mistake #: AFRAID OF FAILURE

This may be the mistake that holds more new internet marketers back more than any other mistake. They are afraid if they market their product it will be a failure, so they never market it. How can you know something will be a failure before you try? If you don’t try it’s guaranteed you will fail.
www.achieving-liftoffs.com
www.impacts-popup.com
New internet marketers, heck even great internet marketers fail alot. But there is no such thing as failure. All failure means is the next time you need to make some changes. It was failure that ultimately taught every internet marketer how to really market. Failure allowed them to find out what didn’t work so the next time they could do different things that would work.

If you are aware of the few mistakes that most new internet marketers make, then you are already ahead of the curve. Don’t fall into those traps.

Get started, don’t try and be perfect, don’t worry about how much you don’t know and don’t be afraid of failure. If you can do those things avoiding the few mistakes, you will be on your way to online success.

You know, normally you can find a definition of a word or phrase by typing “define: your phrase here” into google and come up with a lot of results. Currently there are millions of blogs and there are hundreds of people who call themselves “Blog or Blogging Consultants”, yet when you type “define: Blogging Consultant or Blogging Consultant” into google you get no definition.

That is probably a good thing for most blogging consultants because without a definition, there is no standard to hold them to. I’m not claiming to be the blogging guru of all time or anything of the sort. So before you “blogging consultants” out there start getting defensive about this, think before you write. If you get too nasty about the post I may ask you to define “blogging consultant” and without google many of you couldn’t do it.

Now that is out of the way, lets talk business. Every business should have a blog. There are so many reasons for your business to have a blog it would be hard to write them all in one blog post, so lets assume you know your company needs a blog.

So do you hire a blogging consultant? What qualifications do you look for in a blogging consultant? What does a blogging consultant look like? How much should I pay a blogging consultant?

Lets start with “Should you hire a blogging consultant?”

The quick answer is yes, but lets go into why first. There are a lot of things that go into making a blog popular. Technorati tags, submissions and pings to bloglists and blogsearch websites, learning how to get on the right blogrolls, etc.

If you are new to blogging it takes awhile to catch on to most of these things and most blogging consultants say that all of the above is necessary if you are going to have a successful blog.

There are more things to add to the list but this article isn’t about how to run a successful blog, it’s about blogging consultants. Hiring a blogging consultant can save you from making a lot of early mistakes and get your blog found a lot quicker than trying to do it on your own.

Now all the blogging consultants are liking me again. I can tell. But will it last?

What qualifications do you look for in a blogging consultant?

Here is where things get ugly between me and the blogging consultants. Most blogging consultants are . . . well . . . bloggers. Many of them have what they think is a successful blog although many bloggers have different ideas for what success is.

Some think it’s defined as how much they made on google adnonsense last month. Others count success by number of visitors to their website or the number of comments that appear on their blog. Still others measure their success by what the other bloggers think about them.

What do all of those bloggers who are blogging consultants have in common? They all think that having a successful blog automatically makes you a qualified blogging consultant. I told you it was going to get nasty. After this article if I measured my success by what the other bloggers think of me then I’m doomed!

Fortunately I don’t measure my success in terms of what the other bloggers and blogging consultants think. Lets get back to those qualifications for a blogging consultant.

First of all a blog is a website. It is a website that is updated often in most cases, but it is still a website. Each blogpost becomes a page of that website. So with a blog you are creating more webpages to your website as often as you post to your blog.

Now I have a question for you. Would you first look to hire a blogger to do search engine optimization for your website? Would you first look to hire a blogger to handle your AdWords campaign? Would you first look for a blogger to build your website for you?

The answer to all of the above is probably no, unless the blogger also has experience in those fields and not just for their blog. Actual websites they have built, optimized, and marketed for themselves and for clients.

A blogging consultant should not just be a blogger. They should also have all of the skills necessary to run a website. Now the blogging consultants are all mad at me again. But think about it. Many bloggers know how to write. They know how to get into the right circle of blogger friends who will link to them. They know about blogging.

So if all you need to know is how to write a blog, then hiring a blogger who knows how to write is the answer, but if you need someone who is going to manage your blog for you including posting to the blog, search engine optimization, link popularity, (and not just from blogrolls), and marketing, then you need to hire a webmaster who also blogs.

Okay, How much should I pay a blogging consultant?

How much do you have? Just kidding. A lot depends on the type of blog you want or have. A corporation blog has to pay more, not because they have more, but because there are all kinds of legal and policy matters that have to be considered with every single blog post and every single link to or from another blog or website. A small business blog doesn’t have many of the same issues as the corporate blog, but still has certain standards that need to be met.

If you have ever hired a webmaster, not a web designer, a webmaster, (Thats another article), or a Search Engine Optimization Company, or a Search Engine Marketer, or even just a Marketing Consultant, (The just was in there just so I could make consultants mad again.), then you have an idea of what a blogging consultant should cost.

Now keep in mind, if you are hiring a blogging consultant to strictly teach you how to blog, then it’s not worth as much money as when you hire a blogging consultant who is also going to perform all of the services a Webmaster and Internet Marketer would provide plus search engine optimization.

Ha ha! I still didn’t say how much it costs. It’s coming. Read on.

What does a Blogging Consultant look like?

He or she looks like someone who has more than just a blog or blogs. Someone who also owns and manages several websites for themselves and for clients. As I said before a blog is still a website.

The blogging phenomenon has started to make companies view the potential benefits of corporate blogging. They all agree that blogs achieve a mass media effect through the high level of networking in the blogosphere wherein news disseminates very rapidly. The blogosphere (online community of blogs and their writings) has heralded a new communication tool that can influence public opinion of a company. However, companies are slow to react to the growing credibility of corporate blogs as communication channels.

A recent list of Fortune 500 company blogs shows that only 5% of the United States’ corporations have joined the blogging arena. Companies are treading this still unfamiliar territory with caution and skepticism. Company executives, public relations people and legal experts are just starting to figure out how they can utilize the potential of business blogs without subjecting themselves especially their companies to possible complications. Indeed, some companies are hesitant to plunge into the “scary” world of blogging for fear of encountering legal and business risks inherent in blogging such as libel, slander, lawsuits and disclosure of confidential and proprietary information.

Despite the fear, some industry leaders like Microsoft, IBM, Sun Microsystems and General Motors, to name a few, have dived headlong into corporate blogging. These companies recognize that a blog is an immensely effective yet low cost way to boost corporate communications and marketing objectives and at the same time connect with customers and prospects.

Basically, a blog (short for weblog) is published with easy to use software that enables a blogger (blog author) to create and update blog pages from which he can express his thoughts on a particular subject. Written article on a blog is called a “post” and can be linked to other blogs, websites, news features, photo images and audio files. Links added to the text of blog posts allow blog content to be indexed and accessed by popular search engines such as Technorati and then disseminated in the web.

A corporate blog makes it easy for readers, be they customers or prospects, to find the latest and most accurate information about its new products and services. It can help achieve customer familiarity with the company products or services. Through the corporate blog, a company can converse directly with customers and prospects. Two-way communication creates trust and builds customer relationships. A corporate blog is the perfect choice for interacting with existing and potential clients. Corporate blogging serves as a channel for a company and its customers to meet on common ground and to know each other more. A corporate blog allows a company to closely track where and under what condition its products or services are being discussed online. Through the corporate blog, a company can keep an ear to the ground to hear what is being said about the company and speaking up when the situation calls for it. A more personal or understated benefit of a corporate blog is that it gives a human face to a perceived faceless and detached business entity. A corporate blog conjures images of people who are passionate about their products or services and are eager to engage customers and prospects.

It is a risky world out there and the blogosphere is no exception. For companies who are contemplating on setting out into the world of corporate blogging, it is in your best interests to have knowledge of some basic dos and don’ts of corporate blogging.

First on the agenda is do determine whether your company needs a corporate blog. A blog might be inappropriate for your company. Not all corporate cultures can tolerate the open, direct communication inherent to make a corporate blog successful. There are instances where blogs could not be reconciled with business practices and regulations. Clearly, there are risks to consider. Risks lie mainly in the content and the character or tone of comments which admittedly can only be censored to a limited degree.

If a corporate blog can fit your company culture, selecting the individual or employee who will write your blog is doubtless to say the most important decision. An ideal corporate blogger is one who is an expert in his field. He should also write with passion and sincerity. The object of your blog is to engage your customers and prospects in conversation and the most effective way to start a conversation is to be sincere and honest in your blog while writing about topics that are important to your company. He should have good writing skills. More importantly, he should be one who is respected by his peers and reacts calmly to outbursts. Blogging is an intense medium. The individuals who will blog for your company should be the ones who can keep their cool despite critical comments. Most likely, the ideal individual is not your CEO. Corporate speak won’t thrive in the blogosphere.

In corporate blogging, goals/missions are of prime importance. For a blog to yield value, it has to be created with specific goals in mind. Some of these goals may be to increase company credibility, enhance customer service and interaction, and give customers a peek of the behind-the-scenes “feel” of the corporate culture, showcase new products or services and more. The important thing is to be clear about your goals. You have to be sure about what you are trying to get done and stick to them. As with any corporate undertaking, you also need to periodically evaluate how well you are meeting these goals. If blogging is proving to be futile, then make changes. If it still does not work, then discontinue blogging.

Do take time to know your customers or prospects. Find out what your audience care about, what they are interested in. You have to identify what their needs are and what service you can perform for them. To get their attention, work out a way to participate in a conversation credibly. To be credible, come up with worthwhile content – ideas, insights, news and information. Content need not be long but should be interesting. Corporate blogs should not veer away from its chosen categories or topics. This is not to say you cannot be personal in your blog posts because you should, but the audience you are trying to connect with do not want to read through your blog if it is injected with a litany of personal rumblings.

Do engage your audience in lively and substantial conversations. Take into account what they say and reply to their comments. Respond in a professional and businesslike manner whether the comment is positive or negative. Allowing comments from your audience will definitely mean some complaints and criticisms. Don’t take them personally. Respond honestly and your company credibility will rise. Allowing audience to make comments is a distinct characteristic of blogs. Openness is important for successful blogging. That said, use a feedback filter or comment moderation to monitor and control comments and delete comment spam (useless comments).

For a blog to accomplish its mission, do update regularly. Post frequently and consistently, daily or weekly, at least. Do be generous with your links. Linking is one reason why blogging has become a popular online communication medium. The best corporate blogs, more often than not, have lots of links in each blog post.

Do draw up a set of corporate blogging policies. Set limits on what information can be made public. Make clear what is allowed and what is not. Legal issues crop up in blogging. It is better to have some safety nets. In drafting blogging policies, it is advisable to do some research on it and publish proposed policies to get some feedback.

As for what not to do, do not close down existing employee blogs. More often than not, an employee is already writing a blog. It might be full of grievances about the recent spate of oil increases or it could be snapshots of a relaxing vacation in the Maldives. Maybe this employee is singing praises of the company’s new product. Why not engage this employee blogger in a dialogue about what your corporate blog aims to achieve. Don’t wait for a crisis to break out before creating a corporate blog. It takes time to see potential results of blogging. Don’t keep your corporate bloggers anonymous or hidden behind some make-believe characters. The audience will know and it will have detrimental effects.

Lastly, a blog is not a miracle cure. It will not single-handedly turn your distressed company around. Corporate blogging should be incorporated with other marketing and communication tools to achieve desired results.