So what are the benefits of blogging? Here's my top ten:

Want to get high up in Google results? Then blog. Google and other search engines love nothing more than dynamic, changing content and a blog provides just that. Ensure your blog talks about topics and themes relevant to your business; place strategic keywords in the content and if this is what your ideal customer will be searching for; hey presto, you're there in the search results.

In line with number 1, changing content will keep current visitors coming back for more as well as attracting new visitors. This in turn will lead to new client/customers if you play your cards right.

Writing blog posts that provide answers to common questions and problems establishes you as an expert in that field and the "go to" person in that industry. SO find out what problems your potential customers are having, solve that problem in a detailed post and let them find you.

Once people start to realise that you provide a timely and useful blog you will create an army of fans that wait for each edition and are willing to recommend you to their friends/network.

Use a blog post to detail your new product and service, share it with your network and get them to spread the word.

Every blog should have a comments section. This allows your readers to tell you what they think of you, your writing, your business and/or your service/product. This helps you make changes quickly and appropriately.

The comments section is also a great way of collating emails (just warn people if you are going to use them in this way). You can then add these to your mailing list and offer further products/services to them.

Researching topics for blog posts is a great way of learning more. To write, you must read and to read is to learn.

Asking for guest posts/bloggers will widen your network. You'll find other people and businesses that have the same and different interests to you. How can you collaborate? How does their business compliment yours?

Writing blogs is hard but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Honestly.

So when was the last time you blogged? Share your blogs links below.

Until next time ...

NBS

Good for small business bad for batteries by NBSAssist on GoAnimate

NBS

The "Thanks for following, please buy my stuff" Direct messages that can be sent when a user follows you are the black sheep of Twitter. Nobody likes them and using them will often result in an immediate unfollow. Instead send a public reply thanking the follower for following you and strike up a conversation. Direct messages are only to be used for private conversations, when permission has been expressly given by the follower or you want some private information that you are entitled to.

TrueTwit valiation asks user to input certain information into an online form before they are allowed to follow you. Why would you want to put this wall up between you and your followers. You're basically telling them they're nor good enough for you. I don't use TrueTwit and won't follow anyone that does. Social media expert @Fondalo explains succinctly why it is bad here.

#ff stands for follow Friday and you use that hashtag to recommend users worth following to your own followers. In my opinion there is nothing worse then seeing a tweet that begins #ff then lists a plethora of usernames. I want to know why I should follow someone that you are recommending therefore one tweet per user is best, with a short reason as to why they should be followed. Are they funny, informative or what? If you put them in with other people I don't have the time or inclination (and neither do others) to click on each profile and see if they do warrant a follow.

Additionally, retweeting the tweets that recommend you is pointless. Who are you showing it to? People that already follow you? They know you are worth following they don't need to be told buy someone else. By all means thank the person that #ff'd you and if you want to show your appreciation return the favour (obviously heeding the advice about giving reasons)

I don't like teaching a granny to suck eggs but at the same time I do like to see people getting the most out of Twitter and other social media so if I can stop the unsuspecting falling into the trap of disgruntling their followers then I will!

Is there anything that turns you off social media-wise? Let us know below.

Until next time ... 

NBS

Well thanks to facebookemoticons.com I've discovered a WHOLE lot more. You can even create your own by using that bunch of numbers after your profile name and sticking it between parentheses. 

Find one you like, hop on over to NBS Admin Assist's Facebook page and show me your favourite. :) (They tend to work better in comments than statuses though for some reason)

DO you know how FAB you are? Do you know how FAB your business is? 

No, this is not some sort of motivational exercise it's a proven method of marketing. Get to know your Features, Advantages and Benefits so you know how best to sell your product and service to your ideal client/customer.

What does your business do/provide? These are the features. 

For example NBS Admin Assist provides admin support. Simples

Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” Here are so more quotes about entrepreneurship:The best reason to start an organization is to make meaning – to create a product or service to make the world a better place.”

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?”

You must fall in love with what you do, because being an entrepreneur is a lot of hard work, and overcoming a lot of adversity. From that love will come the dedication that will get you out of bed at 4 a.m. because of a great idea you just had and get you to work till 11 p.m. and not feel tired.”

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.


Choose a job that you like, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph: a beginning, a struggle and a victory.

Once you say you’re going to settle for second, that’s what happens to you in life.”
Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.”

The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect.”
A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.”

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”


In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”

You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.”

A goal is a dream with a deadline.”

Vision without action is daydreaming and action without vision is a nightmare.”

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

I’ve always worked very, very hard, and the harder I worked, the luckier I got.”

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”

Money won’t make you happy… but everybody wants to find out for themselves.”

If you think you are beaten, you are. If you think you dare not, you don’t! If you want to win, but think you can’t, It’s almost a cinch you won’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost; For out in the world, we find success begins with a fellow’s will; it’s all in the state of the mind. Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger and faster man, but sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.”