Interview with:CYNTHIA K SEYMOUR [seymourresults]
BLOGGING
 | What is your blog address? What subjects do you deal with? http://SeymourResults.com Social Media for Small Business owners. Tips for using the platforms and engagement strategies. Ways to grow your business using Social Media. |
| What was it that made you create your blog? On what date did you start it? March 2009 - I wanted to build a blog to learn how to install and set up a WordPress site. The first one took forever and that prompted me to help other business owners get theirs set up for them. I also, actively research and read about Social Media. I like to stay "in the know" and help my clients stay up to speed with the rapid and constant changes in the social media arena. |
| What blogging system have you adopted and why? I am a WordPress Fanatic! WordPress is an amazing platform and there are an infinite number of plugins and widgets that enable the user to customize the functionality of their site. |
| How many visits a day do you get? What type of comments do you receive? It ranges from 100 to several hundred, depending on the frequency of my posts and actively distributing using the Social Media networks. Most of my comments occur in my social media networks as well. |
| How has 'having a blog' contributed to your life? It gives me a chance to consolidate all of the information that I am getting into one place. If I can simplify Social Media for my clients and readers, then I am able to help them learn and grow. My blog is my online "home base" for my business. |
| Have you created relationships with other bloggers or readers of your blog? Absolutely! Bloggers naturally have a heart for each other. We all experience the same challenges and we love to cross-promote. The best way to create relationships is to meet other bloggers during WordPress WordCamps, Blogging Conferences and networking. Commenting on others' blogs is truly appreciated and goes a long way.
It's also great to connect up using Social Media and share each other's posts to our own networks. |
| How often do you post? Does regular posting of your blog require a lot of effort on your part? My posts ebb and flow. Admittedly, I do not post as often as I would like. Ideally, I would like to post 2-3 times a week. But realistically, I post once a week. |
| Does blogging bring in income for you? Can one make a living from posting? Blogging does bring an income for me. My blog is my primary marketing tool for my business. I receive a nice amount of traffic from Google and the Social media networks and potential clients are able to find me online when searching for a Social media manager in South Florida.
In addition to receiving inbound contact requests, I also, write sponsored Blog posts for brands and locales. I love food and travel and have a separate blog for the purposes of sharing fun things to do in Miami and the world. |
| How do you promote your blog? I primarily use my Social Media networks to Promote my blog. SeymourResults.com is integrated into Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube and Google+. My readers appreciate being able to find my site via the social media networks that they most prefer to use.
I definitely could promote my blog more through speaking engagements, writing more often, Guest Posts and email campaigns. |
| How would you define your readers? Have you got a faithful audience? SeymourResults.com has 2 audiences: Social media consultants as well as Business owners who are looking for ways to implement Social Media into their own Marketing.
Based on analytics, I have a healthy following who return for my updated posts. I also have an increasing new readership that is being driven by organic search results. |
| Are there any blogs you follow daily or regularly? I love Social Media Examiner by Michael Stelzner. His posts are up-to-date and very fun to read. I also like to read 12Most.com, Mashable, and anything by Chris Brogan.
Truthfully, I follow about 30 blogs a day and my business partner aggregates the top 10 posts of the day, so I don't get overwhelmed or buried in information overload. |
| Have you ever received gifts for blogging about your opinion of products or services? What do you think of bloggers who do that? One of the best ways for Brands to get the word out about their products has been to be in magazines. Blogs are today's niche, online magazines. I do not have an issue with bloggers who write reviews or who do sponsored posts. I am an opinionated person and write reviews of products and services. I would never, however, write a review for a product that I had not tried. The important thing is to be transparent about the affiliation with the product. If the product is not related to the blog or the blogger's interests, the blogger should probably not be pitching it to their loyal audience. |
| How do you see your blog evolving in the future? I see myself getting more involved with providing instructional modules for my clients and readers. As my clients experience more and more success with their online-presence, I am going to feature them more as well. I envision my blog becoming a "toolbox" of ideas for how businesses might better develop their own online presence and increasing readership. |
| What advice would you give to someone who wishes to begin a blog? Be Passionate, Be Committed and Be Realistic. It is important to make sure that you are Passionate about your blog content. If you are not passionate, you will not be committed to getting your posts written and it will seem like a drag. It's hard to get inspired, if you are bored with your own topics. My biggest challenge is committing the writing to a schedule. I definitely need to get better about that.
The third thing is to be realistic. Blogging is not a 50 yard dash... it's a marathon and you have to do some training and running every day to get ready for the race. Plan on a year of blogging before you see any tangible results. It takes mental fortitude and stamina to stick with it. Do not expect overnight success, but celebrate the day by day successes along the way. |
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CYNTHIA K SEYMOUR
Miami
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