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News from Dawn - Spring Clean A Blog? 
 	 	 
Hello Dawn 

Spring's definitely arrived here. The weather's warm, the recession 
is over (although 71% of small businesses aren't planning for it - 
more >> http://www.bit.ly/aVNShv ) and now's a great time to spring 
clean your online marketing plan.

The popularity of blogs continues to grow and blogs can form an 
important part of online marketing, as well as being good fun. I 
would encourage everyone with a blog to plan blog posts carefully 
and schedule them regularly. A little extra time making sure your 
posts give the right impression can add to the credibility and 
professionalism of your blog - as well as improve those elusive 
search engine rankings.
 
If you don't have a blog but think you might need one, then spend 
some time investigating the benefits and costs before making the 
decision. There's a wealth of information available to help you - 
see the two articles below - or call me 01403 560123 for a chat 
(always happy to talk as most of you know!)
 
What to Blog About?
====================
It can be a challenge to blog: Faced with a blank screen or page 
it's easy for our minds to go blank too. Here are six ideas to help 
you find a topic to blog about: 

- Read today's newspaper and find an article that you find 
  interesting. Blog about the item (and link to the online version), 
  giving your opinion as that helps make your blog personal.
- What was the last Tweet you read? (assuming you're on Twitter of 
  course) Blog about it - what did you think? What ideas did it 
  spark?
- What was the last book you read, or listened to? Did you like it 
  or hate it? Add a short review to your blog.
- What was the last product you bought that you love? Pen, notebook, 
  PC, glasses case... Why do you like it so much and how could it 
  help your readers?
- Pick up a newspaper your blog readers are likely to read (yes you 
  should know that!) and find an article your readers would find 
  interesting. Blog about how your organisation, company or service 
  can help in that area.
- Who has impressed you with their service recently? In what way? 
  What could your readers learn from that?

Five Tips for Better Blog Posts
================================
Once you've decided on a topic for your blog post and you've written 
the first draft, then you need to make the most of your work. 

Here are five tips to improve most blog posts: 

1. Keep the post focused on one topic. This probably means keeping 
   it short too - attention span is not long when reading online 
   (especially for visitors using mobile devices).
2. Ban 'click here' and similar. Instead, state what the 'click 
   here' will give your reader. For example: Find out about AIDA
   http://bit.ly/dBp9FO have you noticed these Twitter benefits 
   http://www.bit.ly/cYi52s ?
3. Choose a relevant title. Make sure your blog post title is 
   relevant to the content of the blog post - really! You want 
   people to find it don't you?
4. Include an image. Images add interest, so does audio and video 
   - just make sure your post is interesting.
5. Check the spelling. Spell check, then check spelling ... then 
   check spelling again. What impression does it give if a blog post 
   contains spelling mistakes and poor grammar?

Blogging Options 
==================
If your business would benefit from a blog, then take time to 
investigate the options http://www.dawnb.co.uk/web-writing-services/ 



How to Begin a Blog
=================
Setting up a new blog is not difficult but it can be confusing at 
first. Read six simple steps to start blogging http://bit.ly/9FhWiL  


Blogging Terminology
==================
Understanding blog terminology and software features can help 
beginners start a blog with confidence. 
 
For example, what is the difference between a blog post and a blog 
page? To find out, read A Beginners Guide to Blog Terminology. 
http://bit.ly/amjNhZ  


News and Events
==============

29 April, Dorking
-----------------
I'm speaking to Peer to Peer, the Social Enterprise network again. 
More >> http://www.dawnb.co.uk/2010/02/speaking-about-the-web-and-content/ 

18 May, Mannings Heath
----------------------
I have a stand at Horsham Women in Business. Come and talk to me there >>
http://www.dawnb.co.uk/2010/04/horsham-women-in-business-18-may-2010/ 

10 June, Dorking
----------------
Tweets & Things. Masterclass in Dorking on Twitter & all things web 
and social media. 
More on the blog soon >> http://www.dawnb.co.uk/dawnb-blog/ 



Have Any Questions?
====================
Hit the reply button to any of the messages you receive and ask me 
a question.


Have A Topic Idea?
==================
I'd love to hear it! Just reply any time and let me know what topics 
you'd like to know more about.


 
Make sure you're one of the 29% of small businesses who are planning 
for recovery and plan your online marketing campaigns as part of that 
too, including a spring clean of your online presence. A first step 
can be a Spring Clean of your blog by revisiting and improving your 
existing blog posts.
 
Happy Spring Cleaning! 
Dawn 
For more hints and tips, visit the DawnB website: http://www.dawnb.co.uk  
Follow me on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/dawnbwriter