It’s been a long time since we’ve blogged here at TwentySix2 Marketing. As online marketers ourselves, we know better, but a growing business and client demands just got in the way.

The consequences of stopping a blog are dire. It took us a long time to get our blog up and running and to attract subscribers, but after stopping for many months, we’ve probably lost most of those subscribers. Fortunately, we blog more for fun than fortune. We enjoy sharing what we learn about online marketing with clients and friends.

As I re-read all of our old blog posts, I deleted some because they are no longer relevant, and I updated others. The thing that keeps us in business is that things change fast in the online marketing world. One day MySpace is the next big thing, and a few months later it’s all about Facebook and Twitter. As things change, our agency has to evolve, update our expertise, and change how we deliver value. Blogs are one of the best ways to stay up to date on what’s happening in your industry.

So, our apologies for stopping, but we’re glad you’re here. Check back soon. We promise to keep up.

According to Technorati, there are over 80+ million blogs and counting. So how do you start marketing your blog so that it stands out in the clutter?

Here are some basic blog marketing tactics:

• Post regularly (we’ve been slack lately – too busy)
• Claim your blog on Techorati
• Submit you blog to Google Blog Search
• Sign up for Feedburner
• Create keyword rich headlines, such as “Marketing Your Blog“
• Link to other well known blogs
• Add WordPress plugins for SEO
• Submit your blog URL to paid directories with categories for blogs (Yahoo, bCentral, BOTW, JoeAnt)
• Submit a search engine friendly press release about your blog through PRWeb
• Build links to your blog
• Comment on other blogs
• Setup Google Analytics and track your blog
• Print your blog on your collateral / Add it to your email signature

For more advice on marketing your blog, check out these entries on marketing your blog from ProBlogger or TopRankBlog.

Most everyone has a blog, or two. There are about 75 million bloggers out there and the one thing we all have in common is the desire to gain readers. We write to inform or entertain and we want our words to be read by others.

But how can that be done you say? I have compiled a list of five ways that readers will turn into your trusty right hand (wo)man:
Continue reading “5 ways to instill reader loyalty on your blog” »

With all the buzz about blogs, you’d think that people with really popular blogs would make tons of money. There are people in the blogosphere claiming to get $100,000 checks each month from Google for their AdWords campaigns. And maybe they do, but how many of those bloggers are out there and should we all aspire to this lofty goal?
Continue reading “The Truth About Blogs” »

With over 70 million blogs on the Web, searching for the best blogs can be an overwhelming process.  The good news is, there are a lot of “Top Blog” lists out there.  Everyone likes a Top 10 list – especially in the blogosphere where we like to scan.

The most well known top blog list is from Technorati.  This a list of the Top 100 Most Popular Blogs on the Web.  This list is based on the number unique links acquired in the last six months.

Another great list that focuses on marketing blogs is The Power 150 Top Marketing Blogs by Todd And.  Todd’s rating system is based on:

1. Google PageRank
2. Bloglines Subscribers
3. Technorati Ranking
4. Subjective Ranking by the List Author

There is also a list of over 300 Search Engine Marketing Blogs.  Of course, our favorite search engine marketing blog is right here.

These top blog lists serve two purposes.  First, these lists help us all find the best of the best.  Second, they serve as link bait for these sites.  People all over the Web link to these lists of top blogs and check them regularly for updates. 

Once you have found a few blogs you like, you should check out NetVibes.  They have a great tool that enables you to browse the lastest headlines from your favorite blogs all in one place.  And you can setup different tabs for the different types of blogs you like to read. 

I read over 100 blogs using this great tool on topics ranging from search engine marketing to leadership to blogging.  I think that knowledge is the only thing that separates our Atlanta search engine marketing firm from the competition, so I read all the time.  My favorite blog is Be Excellent from Six Disciplines.

If you need help setting up or marketing your blog, give us a call at 404-541-9780.  Happy reading.

After building and marketing blogs for many of our clients, we finally got around to creating our own blog dedicated to online marketing. I often make excuses for the state of our own online marketing program, which needs more work. My favorite excuse is the old expression “the cobbler’s children have no shoes”, which refers to the story of a cobbler who doesn’t have enough time to make shoes for his own children, so they walk around with bare feet.

Well, the excuses are over. It’s 2007, time to stop planning, and time to get things done. We have redesigned our website and launched this new blog to help our customers learn more about search.

Continue reading “Taking It From the Top” »