Blogging

The Biggest Lesson Blogging Has Taught Me

The Biggest Lesson Blogging Has Taught Me

Garth Beyer

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People grow at a phenomenal rate.

That’s my nice way of saying people change, goals change, hopes change, circumstances change, problems change, purposes change.

The way I wrote is way different from how I write now. When I started blogging I wrote longer posts and made them more personal because I knew no one would be reading them and I was finding my way. Now I write shorter, more to-the-point posts in a way that is, quite frankly, safe. This will change in the coming year, the coming week, the coming few days.

Blogging is my business, it’s my foundation for acquiring social capital, and any successful business reinvests in itself.

My blog is the best place to see where I’ve been and to find patterns to see where I’m going. Right now, I’ve been about equally satisfied with my blog posts as I have been dissatisfied. To most readers, they may question why I bother blogging if I’m not satisfied with half the material I produce.

It goes back to what I said was my biggest lesson from blogging. Things change, and if we document, reflect, imagine different executions to past events, we can change for the better.

The only way to go once you blog is up.

Consider blogging for the new year that is fast approaching. And feel free to reach out to me to get set up, to get accountability, to get motivated about writing. thegarthbox@gmail.com or @thegarthbox

 

Stay Positive & Words Make Actions Powerful

Why I Ignore My Most Magnetic Posts

Why I Ignore My Most Magnetic Posts

Garth Beyer

Metrics Match The Message

The posts I’ve written that have gained the most traffic in the shortest amount of time were all how-to posts. Going through my archive of more than 1,200 posts, you’ll see I don’t write many of them. Why?

It’s easy to write posts that guarantee a spike in traffic, that have a giant (and often vague)  promise to boost your website analytics.

“How to attract a thousand unique visitors a day” and “How to start a multimillion dollar online business” are great examples of instant traffic posts.

I could write how-to posts every day for the next month and gain more traffic than I have had in the last year, but I don’t. I only write them when I can expand on the meaning of each step, when it’s pure fun for me and when it involves more direction than actual steps (because of reasons here).

Let’s point out that there is another type of post that may have less views, but is far more “successful.” It’s a type of post that gains a lot of attraction over a longer span of time because people are interested more in the story being told than the quick turnaround tips so many ego-centric writers present.

These popular posts are written as evergreen content. Content you can come back to, play off of, learn from again and again. When writing about steps, they are steps that can apply to business, to relationships, to work, to art, to life and so on.

These posts are often work to read and process because they challenge the reader to think differently, to try something new, to push themselves. These posts arn’t so much a read and then click over to my next tab… they are a read and come back again later to read again and think about again and play off of again.

The best art and relationships come from the blog posts, the ideas,  the pieces of work you ship into the world that one person views and then interacts with, not that a thousand people view and don’t interact with.

I ignore the most magnetic posts because they don’t represent the story I’m telling.

 

Stay Positive & Make Sure Your Metrics Match The Message

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Three Phases Of Trends

Three Phases Of Trends

Garth Beyer

Trends

First, people start a trend. Naturally they don’t know it’s a trend yet. Massive quick adoption of the act makes it a trend. Political blogging only had a trending impact once many others started blogging.

Second, people begin noticing the trend. Journalists start writing about political blogs. People other than the bloggers themselves talk about the impact of political blogging.

Third, people start following the trend. The increase of political blogs, not necessarily the immediate early flood of them, but the later consistent growth of them is a representation of following a trend. Instagram, Toms shoes, #scarystoriesin5words, Apple products – all examples too.

Although it is difficult to predict what action will become a trend, it is not impossible.

I had a dream the other night where I ran into Seth Godin at an eyewear store. Although he was dressed up as if he worked there, he wasn’t working. Instead, he was watching everyone who walked by, everyone who came inside and picked up frames to try on, and everyone who voiced their issues.

He was observing all three phases of trends.

1. He listened to the problems people came in with. After all, most trends are just solutions to a problem.

2. Those who entered the store to try on the frames were the ones noticing the trend. After all, the store pushes and showcases what they see is a recent trend in eyewear design.

3. Lastly, everyone who made the purchase of a showcase item or knew full well what they wanted when they entered the store were followers of a trend. After all, there’s not much convincing needed for followers of a trend.

I see it as this: there are actions taking place, things happening that are waiting to be written about, pointed out, learned from, and shared. We can play a role in any of the three phases of trends. We can start them by creating the solution to a problem or we can jump on the bandwagon.

 

Stay Positive & Do You See These Phases Happening?

if not, perhaps you need new glasses

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20 Actions To Increase Your Social Presence

20 Actions To Increase Your Social Presence

Garth Beyer

Increase Social Media Presence

1) Use incredible photos. Always.

2) Find small problems and solve them.

3) Connect with others on a personal and emotional level. You’re not a robot.

4) Update your social media profiles. Pics. Bios. Location. All that good stuff.

5) Only use the social media outlets that matter.

6) Connect with other social media folk in your realm.

7) Post daily or fairly regularly.

8) Give remarkable content away. eBooks anyone? Tickets? Gear? T-shirts?

9) Always deliver.

10) Always be learning and thanking those who you learn from.

11) Ask for testimonials.

12) Time your posts. There is research out there telling the peak times to post.

13) On any “about me” page, give something away.

14) Forget the RT/Share button, your work is in the Comment/Reply.

15) Be in it for the long run.

16) Have a target market. Fill in the blank for your target “People like us …..”

17) Trend, news, and holiday jack.

18) Share what others want to hear, not what you think they want to hear.

19) Try something new each week.

20) Write blog posts like this.

Need any clarification on these or want to chat about using one (or more) of these tips for your brand? Shoot me a tweet @thegarthbox

 

Stay Positive & Get Goin

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Expecting Conversation

Expecting Conversation

Garth Beyer

Instagram Photo

I see a lot of social media posts and talk to others who create online content wondering why they are not getting any engagement, why no one is commenting on their Instagram photo or replying to any Tweets. My reply is two-fold.

Lack Of Communication

Those who see the blog post, the Instagram photo, the podcast, don’t know what they are supposed to do next. Amateurs – and I don’t mean it as an insult – simply state what they want the viewer to do. Some write “leave a comment in the comments section below” at the end of their blogpost or ask “please share this video with your friends” at the end of their YouTube bit. It works!

The more experienced communicators can craft the message in a way that asks the viewer to participate, to communicate in some way without asking straightforward. The wording, the voice, the structure matters, but takes hours of practice to get right.

Writing into a void is easy, writing to interact without requesting the interaction is di-fi-cult.

Take care how you craft your next message, when you write your next blog post, when you post an Instagram photo description. Be sure an objective viewer will know what you want them to do.

Lack Of Emotion

Simply stating, a lot of created social media content is safe. It’s banal. It’s all numbered, bolded, bulleted and smells like a PowerPoint.

If you’re not getting interaction (when interaction is what you want) you’re lacking emotion in your content. The Instagram photo isn’t moving enough, the YouTube channel doesn’t make the viewer feel like anything has changed after watching, the blog post doesn’t make the reader giddy to start something new.

The question to ask before you start anything, before you tweet, before you share a photo on FB: how do you want viewers to feel?

Just as important, the question to ask before you finish anything, before you hit send, before you upload: will the viewers feel what you want them to feel?

 

Stay Positive & Voice Matters

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It’s A Process

Garth Beyer
Long exposure is remarkable
Long exposure is remarkable

Blogging (daily, mind you)… it’s a process

staying active on social media… it’s a process

regular email conversations… it’s a process

hosting google hangouts… it’s a process

writing thank you letters… it’s a process

Processes are difficult. Processes show you’re in it for the long run. Processes are as much branding as branding is a bundle of processes. The more processes the more remarkable. Even the word in plural form is difficult to say. Difficult is good. Difficult isn’t an event. Nor is success.

 

Stay Positive & Remember Every Process Needs A Purpose

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Creating Chief Content For Your Landing Pad

Garth Beyer

Your blog is your landing pad. All properties and social media outlets change without your control, but not your blog.

Recently I’ve blogged about independent PR blogs and how to face Goliath, the mass content producing sites like Pursuitist. I was privileged recently to sit in on a talk by Christopher Parr, founder of Pursuitist. I heard the story of how he made Pursuitist what it is now, a success.

Worth noting, not once did he say he couldn’t have done it without the help of all his contributing writers (group blog model). Perhaps he may think it, but I would still respond with disagreement. He could have done it by himself too. Why do I believe that?

Below you will find a list of ways he swears by to create blogging success. Bare with me 10 seconds before you scroll down to read them. As you do read them, ask yourself if you could do the action by yourself. Matters of speed and time aside, it is purely a matter of what you think you can and can’t do. You can take on the content machines. You can.

 

 

 

 

Chief Content Officer Takeaways:

  • Engage your community with questions.
  • Share amazing photos.
  • Create content that can be easily consumed on mobile devices.
  • Keep it “human.” Don’t be a bland corporation.
  • The best posts or videos come from the frequently asked questions people have.
  • Interviews make great content.
  • Share original, behind-the-scenes photos of you and your team.
  • Create interesting, brief product and service demos with videos.
  • Testimonials are great, especially if you can highlight the hero, your customer, and not your product.
  • Point out the great people in your community with videos and interviews.
  • Deliver instruction and teach someone how to do something. Create a “how to” series.
  • Keep publishing, keep creating great content. Don’t give up.

 

What do you think? Think you’re up for it. I do.

And again. You don’t need to neglect the benefits of them, by all means participate, but also withhold your own landing pad.

 

Stay Positive & Imagine David And Goliath As Friends