Shannon's thoughts on marketing, public relations, social technology, entrepreneurship and other things

Shannon Mouton
Shannon Mouton

the principal at Topaz Consulting, is a relationship marketing professional, with a passion for utilizing social technology for building B2B/B2C relationships, sharing information, networking and advancing the greater good. She has over 20 years of public relations, marketing and community building experience. Her combination of political, nonprofit, higher ed and corporate experience has afforded her opportunities to build communities where none existed, develop and launch innovative programming and bridge generational, economic and racial divides.

Shannon serves on the board of directors for the In Series, a Washington, DC performing arts organization. She is a regular contributor to Women Grow Business and Discover Exceptionalism, and her blog, Shannon Sez So, examines life's joys, pains and idiosyncrasies. Shannon is the founder of Topaz Consulting, a DC based marketing consultancy with a nationwide portfolio of clients. She graduated from Mount Vernon College (now part of The George Washington University) and is a proud native Washingtonian.

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2011 (31)
2010 (74)
 

10 Super Easy Ways to Increase Your Blog Traffic

This is short, sweet and to the point, let's go:

  1. Boost your SEO by spending the little bit of money required to purchase your domain --> once you have it, it's yours

  2. Ask open-ended questions and request comments at the end of your blog post --> see the bottom of this post

  3. Write about something other than your organization, your products and your services --> remember, it isn't always about you

  4. Mix up your type of posts: long posts, shorter posts, lists, videos, interviews, audio, polls, photos, testimonials, reviews, etc. --> mixing the format keeps your readers interested

  5. Have your blog posts go to your other online properties --> whether someone reads it on your Facebook page or goes to the URL, they're reading it

  6. Bring in guest bloggers and be a guest blogger

  7. Participate in other online and IRL social networks: Twitter chats, networking events, blog commemorative days, meetups and tweetups --> constantly work for new readers

  8. Have your blog as part of your email signature, most services allow for hyperlinking --> easiest way to increase passive traffic

  9. List your blog on your business card, your Facebook page, your LinkedIn profile and your Twitter bio --> let people know where to find you

  10. Regularly read and leave valuable comments on other blogs in your niche, such as "nice post, have you considered...," "I disagree because..." or "these are additional resources..." -->conversation, conversation, conversation

What techniques have you used to increase your blog traffic?
What seemed like a good idea to increase your blog traffic, but turned out not to be?


Additional resources:
Blogging Basics 101
Mack Collier

 

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Nuggets of Knowledge (excerpts from 8/15 #blogchat)

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Every Sunday at 9:00 pm (ET), Mack Collier hosts #blogchat on Twitter, which utilizes the micro-blog's platform to harness the collective intelligence of the Twitterverse. This past week, Mack's guest was Chris Brogan, who shared learnings and best practices on the topic "How to Use Other Social Media Sites to Improve Your Blog."


In 60 minutes, Chris dropped several social media nuggets of knowledge (nok), some of them are below*. You can read the full transcript here.

#blogchat - one thing #NOT to do is use LinkedIn only for Business, FB only for fun, etc.
 
#blogchat Remember this: the goal of using networks to enhance your blog is to thread your ideas into other like-minded streams. (nok)

#blogchat The #1 social network you're neglecting: email marketing. 93% of people opt into a daily brand relationship via email.

#blogchat: @fianxu - interesting question. Blogs can be more freeform. Books should stick to one thesis. Blogs-to-magazines, more true.

#blogchat (@MackCollier) - outposts are off-main-site places, like Twitter, like FB, like LinkedIn, like forums.
#blogchat I recommend spending 50% of your social time on outposts, making relationships, prospecting, building connections. (nok)
#blogchat Then, because those places are the outpost and not the home base, put the occasional "conversion" fork in there, to invite them (nok)
#blogchat by "conversion fork," I mean a gentle invitation to your home base. Nothing too spammy. Certainly nothing overly repetitive.

#blogchat @CoachKarenG - no. Frequency certainly doesn't improve open rates. #RELEVANCE improves open rates. (nok)

#blogchat Promoting your own stuff over and over again is lame. Promote others 12x to ever[y] 1x of your own stuff.
#blogchat - @MackCollier - outposts is about meeting with people on neutral ground, where THEY are, vs always trying to make them come in. (nok)
#blogchat When I say promote others 12/1 over your own stuff, I mean on Twitter. Like, when @JasonFalls has a killer post, promote IT, not u
 
#blogchat If you're looking to build from outposts, do good things for others on those outposts. Write referrals in LinkedIn, ...
#blogchat Do good things elsewhere. Promote great causes on Facebook. Do TONS of not-promoting-you stuff with no hope or ask of reciprocity.
#blogchat Want more readers? Stop writing about yourself, except as a way to relate to others. Give THEM new tools to succeed. (nok)

#blogchat Ask yourself this: what's the GOAL of your blog. And don't lie. Sales? "Thought leadership?" A channel? Media property? (nok)

What nuggets of knowledge would you add?
Which nuggets are you interested in learning more about?

Additional information:
Mack Collier's blog
Chris Brogan's blog
Jason Falls' blog

 

 

*These tweets are taken out of context and reading the transcript is recommended to receive complete understanding of Chris Brogran's tweets and the full value of the #blogchat.

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Networking 101: Make a Memorable Impression

You may not get a second chance to make a first impression, but you will get hundreds of chances to make memorable impressions. When you think of all of the business cards you have collected, do you remember any of the people, their products or services?

Nugget of knowledge: It's about making a memorable impression.

How to make a memorable impression:

  • Be present in the conversation, focus on who is speaking and what is being said
  • Look people in the eye when you speak to them
  • Shhhh...listen and repeat back what is said
  • Ask relevant, thoughtful and insight questions about his/her product or organization
  • Say their name and organization name at least three times during the conversation
  • BEFORE you hand over your business card, write something on the back to remind him/her of the conversation

To be unforgettable, follow-up with a same day email. Not only will you be ahead of everyone else, you'll make a memorable and good impression.
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The 4:45pm Checklist

This helps me keep track of how muchof the elephant is still on my plate.*

Before leaving the office, I go through a mental checklist to make sure I have accomplished the goals I had for the day and that I'm ready for tomorrow. Try it for a week and see if you aren't more organized, better prepared and ready to take charge.

Before you turn off your computer, ask yourself:

  1. Did I answer the emails that required a response and file the informational ones?
  2. Did I update my calendar, what time is my first meeting tomorrow and am I ready for it?
  3. Did I prepare my desk for tomorrow?
  4. Did I do the one thing I absolutely had to do today?
  5. Did I say "thank you" or give a co-worker a complement?
*How to Eat an Elephant
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