content Archives | Kristi Dement

Tag Archives: content

How To Ask for a Link Request

Posted on July 8, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

Do you wonder how to ask for a link request? I am going to sum up the main points in the awesome book published by Entrepreneur Press called Ultimate Guide to Link Building: Build Backlinks, Earn a Higher Search Engine Rank, Increase the Authority and Popularity of Your Site by Eric Ward and Garrett French.

Steps:

Look over the website you want to have your link on to make sure it is relevant
Do not put the words “link request” in the email subject line
Start the e-mail off addressing the website owner by name
Introduce yourself, your website, and why you would like to the link
Identify the exact URL on their site where you think the link is a fit
List the exact URL from your site that you want them to link to
Give a valid email address and respond to any email requests they send
Provide your phone number–something a spammer would not do
Follow any link request instructions they give
If a reciprocal link, confirm that you have linked to their site and provide the URL
Be attentive, professional, courteous, and to the point

This book also lists Link Building Strategies written by Jon Cooper of Point Blank SEO:

Start blogging on your website
Have internal links to other content on your website
List resources and outside links
Build relationships with others
Find niche-specific directories
Write guest posts or have guests write posts for your blog
Provide educational content
Write compelling testimonials
Provide useful lists–there is power in making lists!
Be interviewed or interview someone in your industry
Offer timely/seasonal content
Use humor
Provide printable resources
Host contests
Cover news first
Give helpful infographics
Host online webinars
Promote National Days and Events
Survey people and post results
Debunk popular myths
Comment on relevant blogs
Do question and answer blog post
Ask customers what they want to see more of
Connect with industry associations and organizations
Attend relevant conferences
Call people
Host local group meetings
Retweet Twitter tweets
Provide email signature listing website & ways to connect with you via social media
and much more!

There are always things you can do to draw bigger audiences to your website. By taking the steps to ask for link requests and implementing the link building strategies, you will be well on your way to developing more a popular website.

Readers, I welcome your responses to this post as well as other ideas related to the topic of link requests and link building. I read every comment and respond when appropriate. Thanks! Kristi

Posted in Associations and Ratings, Blog and Social Media, Conferences, Events, Promotion

5 Ways to Attract More Attention Online

Posted on June 13, 2014 by kdement 2 comments

What can we do to grab the attention of the online world and become more visible to our internet audience?

1) Words–The words we use really help determine our online visibility. In the online world, fresh content is everything. We need to make a list of keywords we want associated with us and our brand. We should consistently use those keywords in our content.

2) Actions–Ever hear the phrase, “What we do speaks louder than what we say“? People observe others. Whether we want them to or not, people see actions as well as lack of taking action. For example, if we consistently receive the same negative comments online, then we know we need to take action. This is not the time for us to ignore it and hope it goes away! We should appreciate comments and respond to both positive and negative feedback.

3) Formatting–People like easy to read content. Most people don’t read word for word online. They like to scan the page.

Use bullet points
Add numbers
Offer descriptive subheadings
Make important text bold
etc.

4) Links–We should provide links to other places in our website/blog as well as outside resources. This goes a long way in showing others that we like to be helpful and provide useful information. We are more likely to be seen as leaders on our subjects.

5) Get visual–Images and videos attract eyeballs. People notice meaningful pictures. Pinterest is a great visual social media platform that literally has billions of pins.

We should ask ourselves, “What does my target audience like to see online?” When we see things from their perspective, we can be more creative. Are we using the right keywords? Are we taking appropriate action? Does our formatting make our content easy to read? Have we provided great links? Have we featured attention-getting images or video? When we can say yes to all five questions, we will attract more attention online!

Posted in Blog and Social Media, Promotion, Success

How To Get Started Blogging

Posted on May 28, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

I recently received a comment from a reader asking about how they could get started blogging. As a professional blogger and librarian, the first thing I recommend to get started blogging is to read successful blogs and to read about blogging. I recommend the following resources:

Technorati is a website that lists the top 100 blogs. Since it is updated daily, the list stays current. By reading the top blogs, you can get a feel for different blogging styles and techniques as well as what is popularly read. You will have your own style of writing, but this is a great place to start. This website also offers a directory of blogs.

When you do read other blogs, ask yourself:

What do I like about this blog? What do I dislike?
What sort of content does it provide?
Does the blogger put a unique spin on the topic and/or share their opinions?
Do the readers give comments? Does the blogger respond to the comments?

Another cool website is ProBlogger. On the home page, you can sign up for free blogging tips to be sent to your e-mail. This website is run by Darren Rowse, co-author of the very informative book Problogger: Secrets For Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.

Some other blogging books I recommend:

Bloggers Boot Camp: learning how to build, write, and run a successful blog by Charlies White and John Biggs

Blogging for Creatives: how designers, artists, crafters, and writers can blog to make contacts, win business, and build success by Robin Houghton

Born To Blog: building your blog for personal and business success one post at a time by Mark W. Schaefer and Stanford A. Smith

Creative Blogging: your first steps to a successful blog by Heather Wright-Porto

A couple more websites about blogging I recommend:

Daily Blog Tips, Daniel Scocco

CopyBlogger, Brian Clark

In upcoming blog posts, I plan to write about how to blog and why some blogs become very successful. I appreciate your comments and questions below.

Posted in Blog and Social Media, Promotion

Can We Grab Your Attention?!

Posted on April 21, 2014 by kdement Leave a comment

Did this title or sign grab your attention? People who read things online do not take the time to read everything they see. It is important to put the key information up front and to use bullet points often:

Keep content short and punchy
This is a world of instant gratification
Another website is just one mouse click away
Do not tell the reader more than they want to know
Use graphs, images, and other visual forms
Make a clear call to action for what you want your readers to do next

In the case of bed and breakfast owners, you want your readers to subscribe to your blog, like you on Facebook, follow you on Twitter, connect with you on Linked In, follow you on Pinterest, subscribe to your YouTube channel, etc.

If this sounds like too much work, then have Bed and Breakfast Blogging do the work for you. Contact us today at 919-931-6168. Search engines love the fresh content that our blog posts provide and we can give you an active social media presence so you stay on the minds of potential guests!

Posted in Blog and Social Media, Guests

Kristi’s Promise to You

Posted on January 3, 2014 by kdement

I am 100% dedicated and committed to my clients. I love writing and I love bed and breakfasts. If I say that something will be completed by a particular date, it will be. Honesty, integrity, and respect are important to me. I keep my word and always strive to exceed my clients’ expectations.

I love learning. That is why I write blogs. I get to investigate whatever I write about to make sure I have the best and most attention-grabbing information for my clients’ audiences. Bed and breakfast owners can count on me to discuss issues that are important to their potential guests and it can range from their area’s attractions to each bed and breakfast’s history to the delicious breakfast they serve to the decor and amenities of their inn’s rooms.

I make it my passion to be passionate about my clients’ bed and breakfasts. When you succeed, I succeed. I enjoy helping bed and breakfast owners reach new business goals such as increasing and consistently full occupancy rates! When you need a blog with regularly updated fresh content or a greater social media presence, I have the friendly personality and attention to detail you need to get it done right.

Posted in Kristi, Success

Top 5 Reasons to Stay at a B&B

Posted on December 24, 2013 by kdement

Do you know that your blog is the perfect place to promote reasons why travelers should want to stay at your bed and breakfast? Bed and Breakfast Blogging will write a blog for your B&B that entices your website visitors to book rooms!

The following are excellent reasons why a potential guest should choose to stay at your bed and breakfast versus a hotel.

1. Bed and breakfasts treat all of their guests with special care and attention. You may personalize their visits with little extras like flowers in their room and chocolate on their pillow.

2. B&B’s can be very romantic places to stay at. Several bed and breakfasts have honeymoon suites! You may offer dessert and wine served to their room in the evening.

3. Your guests will enjoy the best home-cooked breakfast they ever have because you cook delicious gourmet food including Eggs Benedict and French toast!

4. Your visitors will be staying in the comforts of your bed and breakfast home and have the amenities of a hotel. It is important to have pictures (even a video tour) of your bed and breakfast on your website for potential guests to see all your B&B has to offer.

5. Their special event is happening at your B&B. Many bed and breakfasts specialize in doing weddings or hosting meetings–yours may be one of them.

Bed and breakfast owners, it is important for your blog to highlight what makes your particular bed and breakfast unique. Bed and Breakfast Blogging can write you online content that is targeted to market to your ideal B&B guests.

Posted in Amenities, Blog and Social Media, Food

Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence

Posted on December 18, 2013 by kdement

TripAdvisor^®, one of the world’s largest travel sites, offers trusted advice from real travelers on a wide variety of travel choices (including bed and breakfasts). TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 200 million unique monthly visitors and over 100 million reviews and opinions covering more than 2.5 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions.

Trip Advisor also awards hospitality excellence only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor. Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO, TripAdvisor said, “The Certificate of Excellence award provides top performing establishments the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers.”

Winning bed and breakfasts can showcase their success a number of ways, including displaying the Certificate of Excellence they receive, uploading the award to their own website, or by promoting the achievement to local media with a press release. Last year’s winners promoted their award to great advantage through social media, highlighted their success on Twitter and on their business’s Facebook page, as well as notified past guests and customers of their win, thereby encouraging repeat visits!

TripAdvisor provides access to promotional services and tips for successful PR campaigns through the Management Center. To qualify for the Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

If your bed and breakfast earns awards, Bed and Breakfast Blogging, can write about it in a blog for your website. Awards of this caliber make a great impression on potential guests and make great content for your website!

Posted in Associations and Ratings

Ten Things to Blog About

Posted on November 17, 2013 by kdement Leave a comment

We need a hook to “reel” our audiences in. If we provide enough useful content on a regular basis, visitors will continue coming back. Here is a list of ideas of things we can all blog about:

Instructional–tell people how to do something, include tips
Insider information–Share some of our trade secrets
People love lists–top 10, reasons why, favorite, mistakes, etc.
Review a produce or service relevant for our readers
Interview a relevant expert and focus on their career
Write a how-to blog post
Hypothetical–answer a “what if…”
Content curating–tie together the ideas of others, adding value by sharing our input
Inspirational–motivational posts of good-news stories, examples of success, and writing about “what could be”
Informational–give information on a particular topic of interest to our readers
and the list goes on………..

The point is to be ever present in the minds of our blog readers through our words on the screen! Graphics don’t hurt either!!

A picture is worth a thousand words!

Posted in Blog and Social Media