Seven Missteps to Avoid in Your Business Blog

Seven Missteps to Avoid in Your Business Blog According to data analysis by HubSpot, small businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors and 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not blog. If you own a small business and dont blog, you are missing out on a valuable opportunity to generate traffic to your website and position yourself as an expert in your field.However, as with any endeavor, the process of blogging for your business often comes with a few missteps, especially for businesses that are new to the concept of blogging to increase their potential customer base. Whether you have blogged for your business for years or are just now starting to take advantage of this wonderful marketing opportunity, learning to avoid these common errors will help ensure your blog is a success.Misstep 1 - It isnt your personal blog - dont write it like oneWhile personal anecdotes and observations can help your clients get to know you as a business owner, focusing too much on yourself and not enough on your business will drive customers away. Your companys blog should be a space for discourse and education on topics related to the companys focus. Specific things to avoid are politics (unless you run a political organization); religion (unless you run a religious organization); or controversial topics that have nothing to do with your business, your product, or the services you offer.Misstep 2 - Avoid discussing insider informationRemember- anything you put in print (whether online or otherwise) could have potential for litigation. Discussing insider information, particularly if you are a franchise of a larger company, could have legal consequences and might end up being more trouble that you anticipated. Beyond this, it is unprofessional to go public with information that should be kept private, or among your employees.Misstep 3 - Dont discuss company dramaEvery workplace has its share of drama- some more than others. However, airing that dirty laundry through the company blog is unprofessional. Keep workplace conflict out of the publics eye in order to maintain your companys reputation, and never use a blog for a personal vendetta against a co-worker, co-owner, or the competition.Misstep 4 - Dont relate news, statistics, or published information without citing the sourceBeyond the fact that its plagiarism, including information on your blog that is not properly cited looks sloppy and untrustworthy. With so much information available on the web, and so much misinformation published daily, you dont want your business blog to run the risk of being seen as misleading. You will lose readers quickly by doing this.Citing sources can be as simple as including where you found it within your text, creating a hyperlink to the original source, or including a citation at the bottom of the blog- just as you would do if you were writing an academic paper. Particularly if your blog is written to show your expertise to potential clients, youll want to make sure your writing is seen as a l egitimate and valid source of trustworthy information.Misstep 5 - Dont limit your blog to written contentInternet users are accustomed to a wide variety of content online, including videos, photos, graphs, music, and written words. Limiting your blog to the written word not only makes it boring to read (regardless of how great your content is)- it also limits your audience. Ask any marketing professional and theyll tell you that using a variety of tactics and media is the best way to attract potential customers. For this reason, you can immediately make your blog more interesting and more likely to have a larger audience if you include photos, videos, graphs, or other types of media. These media also work well as posts on social media to attract readers to your blog.Misstep 6 - Dont allow your blog to become outdatedYouve seen it before- a business has a great website with a blog, but when you start reading the content, you find that most of the information was written years ago. This is bad for two reasons. First, outdated content makes your business appear outdated. If the last blog entry you posted was in 2010 and it is now 2014, anyone reading that content or visiting your website will wonder if you are still in business. Second, if the purpose of your blog is to draw more traffic to your website, the only way this will happen is if you continue to add fresh content on a regular basis. Constant activity on a website not only helps search engines like Google find your pages, it also makes your page rank higher when those search engine results are returned to an internet user. Higher page rankings mean more traffic.Misstep 7 - Dont neglect your audienceMost blogging platforms allow for comments from readers. This is a great asset to your blog because it shows that people are reading and that your content is generating interest. Responding to these comments allows your readers the opportunity to interact with you and benefit from your expertise, which ulti mately draws customers to your door. Responding to criticism is equally as important, since criticism will help you improve your business and will show that you care about your customers or clients.Blogs are also easy targets for spammers, so not paying attention to the comments could make your blog appear unprofessional. One way to avoid the spamming is to set your blog to post only comments that you approve. If you do this, be sure to also approve the comments that question the content youve written. Replying to that questioning not only shows your expertise- it shows that you are confident enough in your content to defend it. Just keep the replies professional.

Famous Education Quotes

Famous Education Quotes Education is the bedrock of social and economic development. Throughout history, philosophers like Aristotle and Plato recognized the importance of education. Use these famous education quotes to inspire others to follow the path of knowledge. It is only through education that we can hope to eradicate social evils. Quotes About Formal Education Some of the greatest thinkers believe that access to formal education is the key to equality and social justice. Many of those thinkers, including Horace Mann and Thomas Jefferson, founded schools and universities to provide the type of education they espoused. Here are some of their thoughts on formal education. Horace MannEducation, then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery.AristotleThe roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.Thomas JeffersonBigotry is the disease of ignorance, of morbid minds; enthusiasm of the free and buoyant. Education and free discussion are the antidotes of both.Benjamin FranklinGenius without education is like silver in the mine.Helen Keller  The highest result of education is tolerance.Victor HugoHe who opens a school door closes a prison.Malala Yousafzaiâ€Å"One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.†Ã‚  Nelson Mandela   Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Quotes About Informal Learning Many great thinkers believe that formal learning in a school setting is less valuable than experience and informal learning. Some even believe that formal education can slow down or warp the process of discovery and learning. Here are some of their thoughts. Jim Rohn  Ã‚  Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.Albert Einstein  Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.Oscar Wilde  Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.Galileo Galilei  You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.†Ã‚   Quotes About Teachers and Teaching Teaching has always been considered one of the most important professions. Over time, the actual day to day experience of teaching and learning has changed. The basic purpose and outcome, however, remain the same. C. S. LewisThe task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.Henry Brooks AdamsA teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.Ralph Waldo Emerson  The secret in education lies in respecting the student.William Arthur Wardâ€Å"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.†Ã‚  Nikos Kazantzakisâ€Å"True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their   own.†Ã‚  Aristotleâ€Å"Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.†Ã‚  Henry Brooks AdamsTeachers affect eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops.