Articles by Enzo F. Cesario on ArticleSnatch.com

Some Thoughts on Specialty Blogging

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:11:35 -0400

Blogging is held up in many circles as the epitome of the personal project. Blogs are praised for their focus on the personality of the blogger, the flexibility of the medium (text only, vlog, podcast) and the relatively limitless topics that can be blogged on. Given that the division of labor allows for the formation of specialized approaches, it shouldn't be a surprise that niche and specialty blogs have become part of this great journalistic movement. There are blogs covering all manner of specialties, from arts and craft-focused publications to hard-hitting diatribes on the political situation in foreign hotspots. The powers of SEO and keyword writing allow these blogs to stand out to their intended audiences during searches, so clearly all that remains is for the next blogging genius to unleash his specialized knowledge upon the world, yes? Well, as ever, the situation is perhaps slightly more complex than that, and for good reason. Let's have a look at some of the pros and cons alike of dedicating a blog to a particular topic. **End Summary** Topics: Blogging]]> Blogs]]> blog writing]]> blog creation]]> blog management]]> specialty blogging]]> specialty blogs]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Blog Management - Go Blog Wild

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:31:30 -0400

Maintaining a blog is about much more than simply presenting the latest news in the life of a person or a brand. A good blog is about conveying the writer's personality and interests to his audience. To that end, the comments section should be one of the liveliest parts of a blog. In addition, there should be an array of links available to promote similar or interesting sites for the readers, and the content should be on-topic and creative. One of the most interesting things about the web is the ease with which people can organize events. Flash mobs are a great example of this: A quick handful of tweets or SMS messages, and kids show up at a public school to perform an elaborate dance routine in protest against bullying. Blogging can take advantage of this same phenomenon, using the web to advocate causes or interests that appeal to their readers, increasing readership by making waves in the online pool. Blog-a-Thon The original signature blogging event, and likely the one that did the most work in bringing blogging to the mainstream that it now enjoys, Blog-a-Thon is an annual, 24-hour event. **End Summary** Topics: Blog maintenance]]> blog management]]> blogging. Blogs]]> blog writing]]> writing for blogs]]> blogging tips]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Blog Management - Know When to Let Go

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:16:57 -0500

Sometimes a topic just isn't working - you can tell when you're writing it, and you can tell when you're reading it. Maybe the humor is forced, tired, or rote. Maybe the blogger didn't go into the same level of interesting side detail that he usually does, or perhaps her topic looks like she fell back on a safe and reliable piece, rather than going somewhere new like her last eight. Whatever the reason, not every topic is created equal, and sometimes a post just isn't up to anything like your usual standards. There are a lot of reasons, most of them hard to pin down, for why a post might not be making the cut. Perhaps the details are just too sparse to get ahold of, or the interview that the post is based on just went poorly and the subject has almost no personality to do a piece on, or maybe it's just mind-numbingly dull to the writer and he can't work up any enthusiasm for it. These things happen, not necessarily to every writer, but they are likely to happen to most. So the question becomes, how do you deal with a bad topic? **End Summary** Topics: Blog Management]]> Blogging]]> Bloggers]]> Blog writing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Brand Management - Press Release Fundamentals

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 03:13:24 -0500

Certain concepts just carry over well from print journalism. The press release, the tried and true method of updating the public on an organization's affairs, is an example of just how well such a concept can survive. While there have been a few adjustments to the specifics, such as the use of keywords and SEO-oriented writing, the core structure of the press release remains the same. Of course, as with all well-established writing conventions, the press release has seen its share of abuses. Press releases are such a routine part of any organization's operations that they often see quality sacrificed in the name of quantity. They're viewed as a source of easy SEO rankings if they're given any thought at all, and naturally the quality of these publications suffers in line with the degree of neglect. Of course, no one has to follow this trend. There are a number of things one can do to create a solid press release. Here are a few of the simpler but oft-overlooked steps that can redeem this marketing tool into a primary force. Hook with the Lede The lede is that first sentence in a journalism story, a press release included. **End Summary** Topics: Press release]]> press releases]]> online writing]]> brand management]]> blog writing]]> social media marketing]]> online marketing]]> internet marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Trans-tangental: The Value of Off-topic Blogging Posts

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:53:07 -0500

Brand-oriented blogs by necessity have to focus on a particular topic. People are coming to the blog because of the brand, and they want content related to the brand in most cases. Readers are creatures of habit, and routine is comfortable to them. A blog should put out on-topic content for the same reason it should update on a consistent schedule. A blog that doesn't maintain a consistent voice or message is probably not going to maintain its target audience's long-term interest, by and large for the same reason that a book that can't decide if it's an adventure story or a romance won't hold a reader's attention. That said, there are many very good reasons to go into off-topic posting as well. Habit and routine are important, but so is variety. Creativity and a smart change of pace can make a blog more lively and keep the readers guessing. The trick is to balance the needs of on-topic commentary with the occasional bit of off-the-wall entertainment that brings some lively discussion with it. As an example, consider a blog dedicated to political journalism. The author has a modest audience of several thousand people interested in his posts. **End Summary** Topics: Blogging]]> Blogs]]> Blog Management]]> Branding]]> Blogging posts]]> off topic blog posts]]> off-topic blog posts]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Dynamic Content: Using Analytics to Write Your Blog

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:32:18 -0500

The role of web analytics in setting useful metrics for a site has been discussed in-depth in any number of places, but this is far from the only useful function that web analytic practices can offer. As in any field, a little thinking outside the box can offer extensive rewards to the creative researcher. Perhaps most usefully, creative cultivation of web analytics can help conquer blogger's block and help a good writer come up with some unique angles for content they thought they had peaked out on. First, of course, there are keywords. Analyzing keyword trends is an important part of any attempt to create an optimized site. There are some people who can get away with ignoring this because they write gripping enough topics, but by and large a good site will make at least a few genuflections in the direction of keyword-oriented content. If stuck without a good topic idea, a blogger can easily hop over to Google's AdWords or any other publicly accessible keyword-evaluating site and put in words relating to the topic the blog tends to cover. **End Summary** Topics: Writing]]> blog writing]]> web analytics]]> keywords]]> AdWords]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Yes You Can Judge a Book By Its Cover: Blog Design Considerations

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:32:18 -0500

Many of us have an almost childlike desire to have ideas judged on their own merits rather than on their presentation. We imagine it would be nice if every idea could be heard out for the validity of its claims instead of judged by the merits or flaws of the messenger. But in practice, none of us actually believes this. When is the last time you actually appreciated the look of a spinning .gif? Has Comic Sans font actually ever made you stop and look more closely at an article? Can you honestly say that a mingled mash of very bright colors doesn't put you off of a website? All right, so these are perhaps extreme examples, but they do illustrate the point that appearance is still considered important. And not all examples are so cut and dried; sometimes the text is just too small and poorly-spaced to read properly, the lack of pictures makes a site too text-dense, the color tone is just subtly off in a way that looks unpleasant and drives off potential readers or all the images and videos are on the front page, making it take excessively long to load. **End Summary** Topics: Blog Design]]> Blogging]]> Brand Management]]> Social Media Management]]> Blog Creation]]> Social Media Marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Social Media Marketing Tools - Putting Your Finger on the Pulse of the Web

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:12:01 -0500

Time makes a mockery of most predictions. Once derided as the tools and hobbies of hopeless shut-ins and intellectual ivory tower sorts, social media sites such as PayPal, Facebook and LinkedIn have become the home of an entirely new, powerhouse economy. Where hundreds of years of war and diplomacy have failed, social media marketing has succeeded in bringing people around the globe together in the pursuit of common interests and open markets. Social media marketing is the home of successful brand promotion, and finding the right mix of tools to take advantage of it has become the defining issue of the modern brand. When people refer to SMM tools, they are discussing a host of applications and programs that allow real-time and long-term feedback on the performance of their social networks. This kind of information goes beyond the purely mechanistic approach of SEO and website performance, moving into the realm of genuine social engineering. Social media tools can track the number of times a brand is being mentioned across each network, compare traffic between networks, determine where the buzz is starting and which path it took to get from, say, Digg to Facebook. **End Summary** Topics: Social Media Marketing]]> Social Media Management]]> Social Media]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Good Press: Promoting Your Blog

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:03:15 -0500

There are numerous ways to get a blog noticed and mentioned online. Some are good and others are atrocious. We're all aware of "that guy" who simply joins conversations online and says, "Wow, that's interesting. Hey, have you read my blog about..." Sometimes the blog covers the topic being discussed - but usually it doesn't. Sometimes our "friend" doesn't even go to the trouble of actually even trying to comment on the conversation and simply spams his blog's links everywhere he can, hoping someone somewhere will accidentally click the link instead of the block button. So how do we avoid becoming "that guy?" The blog needs promoting; blogs that people don't know about don't get read... it's as simple as that. But there are polite ways to promote your blog in an active sense without becoming a blog-spamming troll. Directories There are a number of website and blog-specific directories out there. Most of us are familiar with these, so a short summary is all I'll include here. In essence, these are websites that will host and promote various other sites for a subscription of sorts. **End Summary** Topics: Blogging]]> Directories]]> SEO]]> Social Media]]> Social Media Marketing]]> blogging tips]]> great content]]> blog writing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Response and Rebuttal: Having a Good Argument on a Blog

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:23:31 -0500

According to one theory of knowledge, there are no original facts. All knowing is gained through more knowing, each fact tied to every other fact like a spider web - none supported completely on its own, but all working beautifully in concert. Whether this is ultimately true philosophically, it illustrates a key point of online knowledge: Everything worthwhile refers back to something else. This is particularly true of the many arguments on the web. The strongest arguments are those that can relate their case to other fields of knowledge and understanding. While there are always those who will buy into constantly debunked arguments, by and large the web is a place where the meritocracy of truth can hold court. So, how exactly does one harness this for his or her own blog? First, understand that an argument always produces hard feelings. This is the inherent risk of it; people do not like to be proven wrong. Whether it is cultural or evolutionary in nature, there is an almost gut-level need to be right in an argument. If you have a discussion of this sort, you will run the risk of alienating some audience members. **End Summary** Topics: Blogging]]> blog writing]]> blog management]]> social media marketing]]> blog marketing]]> writing for blogs]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Making Corporate Blogging Credible

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:19:10 -0500

Most blogs are personal. Blogging's beginnings are closely associated with personal sites such as livejournal. Thus, blogs have tended to center around a single personality, and that person's emphases and interests. But as more and more people come to understand the power of a blog for leveraging client interest, that trend is changing. Corporations in particular now are taking part in the blogging scene, given that in many cases companies with blogs tend to attract half again as much traffic as sites without them. Still, there is a sense of cynicism about corporations in the world. The greedy advertisers, the soulless profiteers - these images tend to stick with people even when they aren't necessarily appropriate. Corporate blogs need to stop catering to this mindset, as well. Blogging is about communication. It is a dynamic medium. (That's why blogging software comes with a comments function.) Yet so many corporations just use it as another type of newsletter or circular, not really taking advantage of the chance to break out and take advantage of the blogging ethos the way it was intended. So what are some ways a corporation can make its blog more credible? **End Summary** Topics: Blogging]]> Writing]]> Blog Writing]]> Corporate Blogging]]> Blog Management]]> Social Media Marketing]]> Blogging tips]]> Blog tips]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Once More, With Feeling: Producing Consistent, Quality Blog Content

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:16:10 -0500

Quality is a key element in good blogging. If the material isn't interesting, it isn't going to be read. Of course, there are different standards of what is interesting. Some people find the day-to-day tweets of a celebrity interesting, while others can't get worked up about anything other than a discussion over literature that more closely resembles a bare-knuckle brawl than academic discourse. The celebrity effect can be discounted - it isn't necessarily that Lady Gaga or Stephen Fry's tweets are composed in a particular way. It's the careers these stars have had and the interest in what such a career celebrity is saying that draws the people. Since most writers (and in particular most bloggers) are not cult celebrities, the focus on quality content is a safe focus to assume. But what is it that makes content quality? How does one get those good ideas and, more importantly, convey them week after week with a steady updating schedule? Worth Arguing Over A good idea is one people can take sides on. Talk radio is based on this premise, as is the modern media system. Controversy sells brands like nothing else in this world. **End Summary** Topics: Quality blog content]]> Blogging]]> blog writing]]> blogging content]]> brand management]]> social media management]]> blog management]]> social media marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Leveraging the "Social" in Social Media

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:38:34 -0500

So, social media marketing is about the conversation, not the pitch. People are starting to get that. This is a good step, but what does it mean in practical terms? Having conversations with people is nice, but the goal of a brand is ultimately to get people interested in spending their time or money on the brand, after all. What does having this conversation accomplish, and just how does a brand use that conversation to get the critical conversion from conversation to customers? The Key Thing: Customer Investment Just about everyone's familiar with the smart and trendy Mac commercials. They've been seen, redone, spun off and parodied just about to death, and will stand as icons of excellent advertising. But think about it - when was the last time you saw one of these commercials on TV? How often do they actually come up anymore? The fact is, Mac's most consistent and open advocates are its users. People with an Apple notebook can't wait to tell their friends about it, take it around in public and talk up its virtues. **End Summary** Topics: Social Media Management]]> brand management]]> social media marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Blog Writing - Finding the Right "Person"

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 03:08:25 -0500

Every blogger has a different approach to things. Some talk about politics, others about their personal fiction projects. Some adopt a more serious tone, while others go for satire or outright comedy. Certain blogs might be more confrontational than others, and the topics covered can range from niche to popular appeal, often within the same blog. There are a host of articles and sites covering advice on how to address various topics, but one area that doesn't get a lot of attention is what "person" to write the blog in. Each linguistic person has its own strengths and weaknesses, depending on the message that needs to be covered. Ultimately, most will simply write in whatever person is most natural to them, but there is some merit in taking a bit of time to think about the implications, advantages and disadvantages of each. First Person I think, I want, I feel, I know... the first person is generally the default for blogging purposes. It's an instinctive way to think: We view the world from our own frame of reference and it's entirely natural to carry that perspective into the realm of blogging. **End Summary** Topics: Blog Writing]]> Writing]]> Writing tips]]> blog writing tips]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

That First Impression: Title Considerations

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 03:03:33 -0500

While it certainly isn't as much work as crafting the body of a superior article, selecting a title for a piece is definitely an important element of the entire process of content creation. The title of an article is a multifunction web tool, providing opportunities for engagement with the reader and search engine in equal measure. Putting some thought into the title and how best to leverage its effects will help title choices provide a solid return on investment instead of burdening an otherwise good project needlessly. Making Wordplay Work The necessity of a good title is rather self evident if one plays a small game. Borrowed from Christopher Hitchens' autobiography, Hitch 22, the game basically goes like this: Pick a popular movie title and change it just slightly to get a "title that didn't quite make it" - Quiet of the Lambs, American Pastry, Mister Zhivago, the American Samurai and such all demonstrate the importance of getting things just right. A small change can eliminate the value of good wordplay or an entertaining twist of phrase in favor of something more bland and pointless. To that end, try to put some thought into the title. **End Summary** Topics: Writing]]> blog writing]]> creating content]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Blog Writing - Ghostwriting Dos and Don'ts

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 20:35:37 -0500

Much of the content on the web is produced by ghostwriters. This isn't immediately obvious, but it really has become a standard practice across the web as a whole, mainly because it's an efficient and reasonable compromise. Sometimes the creator of a product or website just doesn't have the written communication skills necessary to actively promote their brand via blog. Similarly, a talented writer might lack the name credibility to break into writing about something on his or her own reputation. These two talents join their resources and produce a blog in the name of the creator, but with the talents of the writer, and everyone goes home in a limousine; the writer gains valuable experience and hopefully a good recommendation when they eventually move on to other projects, and the content promotes the brand. That said, there are still some misconceptions about ghostwriting that pop up from time to time. To that end, it can be helpful to clarify the nature of ghostwriting and how it relates to creating a high-quality blog, particularly through examples of some of the best and worst practices that can pop up when employing a ghostwriter. **End Summary** Topics: Blogging]]> Blog writing]]> ghostwriting]]> ghost writing]]> blog management]]> writing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Beyond Expectations - Getting the Most out of "Like" and "Share"

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:51:22 -0400

People long have loved to find new and innovative uses for the most innocuous technologies and advances. In the late 19th century, "moving pictures" were a nickel-arcade novelty. Today films such as Avatar are made on budgets comparable to military-grade hardware investments. Alexander Graham Bell's telephone could barely call from one room to another; now the average iPhone has more uses and computing power than all the computers used in World War II combined. This trend is repeating itself with the rise of social media network marketing practices. What started as socialization programs only slightly more complex than the average e-mail client has grown into one of the newest and most promising marketing niches in the entire world. Taking advantage of this means familiarizing oneself with a few surprisingly simple concepts that have unusually far-reaching implications. In particular, marketers are finding that the "Like" and "Share" features on Facebook have become the newest and best tool in the online marketing arsenal. We "Like" It The "Like" function is a pretty simple one - people click "Like" for things that interest them. On the surface, this seems almost irrelevant, but thinking so ignores the way Facebook operates. **End Summary** Topics: Brand management]]> social media management]]> social media expertise]]> social media marketing]]> social media]]> social media company]]> social media experts]]> F]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Four Types of Blogs and How To Use Them

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:14:58 -0400

Blogging clearly has arrived and is here to stay, according to the buzzword-slinging set. It's the "next big thing" or the "wave of the future" - even a "revolution." Still, most of the people commenting on the blogging trend aren't sure exactly what it is, how it works or even what the different kinds of blogs are. Blogging already has taken a myriad of forms. Born when dial-up was still the standard, it came of age during the rise of broadband and now its text-based roots are giving way to podcasts and video blogging. To that end, here are a handful of blogging types and what sets them apart from the others. Type 1 - Classic/Personal This most basic blog type harkens back to the earliest days of Livejournal. These blogs serve as simple, personal accounts of thoughts and experiences. They're records of the user's life, things that interest him or appeal to her. They can record personal journeys both physical and mental, as in the case of blogging an exciting road trip or a reader's attempt to get through the entire canon of a particular author. Brand It: The real value of personal blogs is twofold. **End Summary** Topics: brand management]]> social media management]]> blog writing]]> blog creation]]> blog management]]> blogging]]> types of blogs]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Tips for Escaping Writer's Block

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:21:07 -0400

Most writers will experience at least some form of writer's block in the course of their efforts. It takes different forms for various people, as evidenced by the many expressions used to explain it. "I don't have any ideas." "Everything I write sounds stupid." "I just can't get motivated." At the root of it, most writer's block comes from fear or at least from uncertainty. Writing is like any other art - the writer must create something that will go out before the public for examination. This is a personal process, and carries with it the risk of rejection. Any artist can understand the fear of being mocked for his or her hard work, and it's equally understandable that this would intimidate some people into hesitating when the time comes to write. Before going much further, it must be said that there is no cure for writer's block - those who suffer it push through to the other side with sheer willpower. The writer must exercise his or her judgment and forge ahead. **End Summary** Topics: Writing]]> ghostwriting]]> blog writing]]> writing tips]]> tip on writing]]> writer's block]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Blog Writing Tips - Where to Find Great Guest Posters

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:21:36 -0400

One of the best ways to keep a fresh angle in blogging is the guest blogger. They can provide good content, take some of the work load off the primary blogger and can bring new perspectives and ideas that the parent blogger can follow up on in later posts as he or she sees fit. Guest blogging also promotes inter-community relations, resulting in shared links and audiences, and can bring together previously unrelated audiences who find they share interests. It may not be for everyone, but those who embrace guest posting have a lot going for them. So where, exactly, does one find these mysterious guest posters? Guest #1 - The Ascended Commenter An active and successful blog should have an equally active comments section. Comments are a great way to gauge the level of interest a group has in the message of a blog. Sometimes a blog post will spawn a series of comments that end up being as or even more enriching than the blog itself, including links to other sites and videos that further expand on the message. **End Summary** Topics: Blog writing]]> Blog management]]> Writing]]> Blogging]]> Social Media Marketing]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Why the Two-way Street? - Marketing in a Social Media World

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:51:10 -0400

A lot of focus has been placed on the role that social media services have on the world. Exhibit A: The release of The Social Network, an entire movie devoted to the subject. The rule of thumb regarding cultural phenomena is that by the time a film is made about a matter, it's already a firmly established part of the world we live in. By the time Sandra Bullock starred in The Net and Hackers made digital crime famous and sexy, these matters were truly part of the national dialog. Social media is no different. It is here, it already has changed absolutely everything about how we communicate and market, and the only thing left to do is adapt to it. One of the major discussions that comes up when talking about social media is the "two-way street" or conversation method of marketing. In previous ages marketing and advertising were almost exclusively dependent on the broadcast method, wherein the advertiser simply stated his case as attractively and widely as possible, hoping for the appeal through volume. The web has made this method far less dominant, and ultimately will render it entirely obsolete. **End Summary** Topics: Social Media Services]]> The Social Network]]> Social Media]]> Social Media Marketing]]> Social Media Management]]> Social Media Experts]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Blog Writing Tips: Keeping Content Fresh

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 03:04:06 -0400

Content may be king, but to torture a metaphor somewhat, even the most brilliant crown can grow tarnished. Generating good content isn't always an easy thing, and it requires a great deal of effort to avoid getting into rote postings and halfhearted content that isn't of the quality a blog and its audience deserve. A lot already has been written about the common mistakes bloggers can make. Text walls, keyword cipher content, bland posts on stuff that's been covered before - these things are not good. But simply pointing out what not to do isn't very helpful. After all, anyone can "not do" certain things. But as any fiction writer worth the name will say, listing and focusing on all the things one isn't going to do results in one not doing anything at all. There has to be a positive focus and some manner of a goal. To that end, what are some of the things bloggers can do to keep their content fresh and interesting? Step 1 - Alternate Angles Keeping content interesting doesn't necessarily always involve doing something completely and utterly unrelated. **End Summary** Topics: Blog writing]]> Blog management]]> blog writing tips]]> ghostwriting]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Blog Writing - Beginner Blogging Mistakes

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:55:25 -0400

Blogging is not complicated, but it is hard. It's the same theory as lifting up a car - the action is a simple one, but it requires a great deal of effort to pull off. At the root of it, blogging is as simple as can be. The blogger logs in, writes a piece of appropriate length touching on a relevant topic, then posts and all is done. However, it is painfully clear that most blogs don't survive the inception phase, and even those that do manage a few opening posts don't tend to last more than a few days or weeks. There are a number of mistakes that beginning bloggers make, blunders that compromise their blogs and kill their chances of developing an interested audience. On the other hand, there is far too much criticism and far too little specific advice on the web. With that in mind, here are some of the common opening mistakes new bloggers make, followed by specific steps that can be taken to avoid them. **End Summary** Topics: Blog writing]]> blog management]]> social media management]]> blogging]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

Building Brand Identity - Monitoring the Numbers

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 11:25:18 -0400

Metrics are an important part of any online branding and advertising strategy. Suppose a site gets an average of 1,400 views per week. What does that mean? For a small blog that updates once or twice per week, with an average ad revenue of, say, a half cent per view, this might seem all right. For a major news outlet like Fox or MSNBC, it would be disastrous. The raw numbers aren't as important as the context the reviewer places them in; such is the nature of the metric. A metric is a unit of information used to gauge or measure the statistics that are coming in. Views per week is a metric, as is growth in views from week to week. The number of subscribers to a site might be important to one user, but less important than reciprocal linking rates to another. The choice of metric often is defined by the nature of the site being used, as noted above. Ad revenue sites often base their metrics on the number of clickthroughs on advertisements they host, while non-profit channels might prefer raw numbers of subscribers. **End Summary** Topics: online brand management]]> building brand identity]]> metrics]]> online branding strategy]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com

What's in a Word? Google AdWords and Keyword Strategy

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:45:24 -0400

Search engine optimization is a sticky wicket, one that Google AdWords is intended to help address. Keywords long have been seen as an integral part of the SEO process, since search engines often select articles based on the prevalence or relevance of keywords present in the article. However, it's also known that simply spamming keywords into a nonsensical article is not a viable option. Google in particular is known to look for such abuses and frequently blacklists such sites from their rankings entirely - the SEO equivalent to a death sentence. Increasingly, it is becoming necessary to integrate keywords properly into - wait for it - actual content. The first few lines of a document are particularly critical. Thus, providers interested in using keyword-oriented content not only have to integrate the keywords reasonably into an entire article of solid content, they have to provide the information up front. There are some indications that putting keywords in the second sentence of an entire page, or even more than 10 words into the first line is enough to reduce the hit rate. So, what steps can be taken to maximize keyword efficiency with a tool like Google's AdWords? **End Summary** Topics: SEO]]> Search Engine Optimization]]> Article Marketing Strategy]]> Article Marketing]]> Google Adwords]]> Keyword Strategy]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcasting.com