This morning in our sales meeting, our agenda includes training on blogging on Active Rain. I've been sending invitations to my coworkers and trying to get them to join, but there was very little interest. I've mentioned a little business from it and higher ratings on search engines ... NOW there's some interest! :o)
So, if you're one of my coworkers peeking at my blog and wondering what this is all about, or if you're just new on AR (Active Rain) and want to know where to begin, I'll tell you what little I know. Hey, I've only been doing this a short while myself! But it's fun, you DO get referrals and you'll learn a lot.
First, fill out your Profile completely. Be creative and thorough, a lot of people are going to look at it.
Now, look around. Click on Blogs at the top of the page. You will find literally THOUSANDS of people telling you about their business ideas, how they do things, what their area is like. If you are trying to find information on a specific topic, use that Search feature and find more than you ever thought there was to know about the topic.
Read a blog entry. Read some more. Soon you'll find that you like the style of certain bloggers. You'll start looking for their posts and you want to hear more from them. Subscribe to their blog, and you'll be notified on your Blogs page each time they have a new post. Their blog will shoot to the top of your Subscribed Blog list each time they have a new post. Comment on a blog. You just got points for that!! See how easy it can be? You're moving up already.
***WARNING: This will get addictive.***
Ready to try your hand at it yourself? Go back to My Home. At the left you'll see My Blog (post). Click on post and start writing. For your first post you can even do something as simple as just introducing yourself and admitting you have no clue what you're doing. Don't worry, the Rainers are friendly and they will take pity on you and say hello.
After an initial Hello, start blogging away. Talk about what you do and why. Talk about what you want your clients to know. You will love being able to tell someone, "I covered that in my blog, let me send you the link." As you write, you'll begin to find your "voice". This is a blogging term that simply means your own writing is not going to sound like anyone else's. You are an original and that is a wonderful thing.
USE your blog. Send your favorite blog entry as a Newsletter to your SOI. Sharing your own writing is so much more personal than just mailing out an article someone else wrote. You'll get a reaction, I promise. Talk about what's important to you and you'll draw in people with similar interests.
***WARNING: This too will get addictive. Your brain will start thinking about blogging and catch you unaware. You may miss out on your regular life while you get your Active Rain fix. This is normal. However, I have not found out yet if there is a cure.***
Once you start to get the hang of blogging, look into Groups. Whatever your interest, you're going to find something here for you. Join and participate. You can submit your posts to the groups you think will find them of interest. The Active Rain Newbies group might be a good place to start.
The AR members are FRIENDLY. Do not be afraid to try. They will leave you encouraging comments. Eventually you will get a phone call from someone who liked what you had to say. You'll make friends. And did I say you'll learn a lot?
Another good rule is keep it brief. In keeping with that rule, this entry is over. :o) Questions? Feel free to ask me.
Comments(51)