But that has changed. Your blog, if you are in business, is a marketing tool. As such, you need to pay attention to what you say and how you say it. If you really want to write a private diary, then open up a new word processing document and keep it in your own computer. Or, if you really have to share it with the world, use a fake name.

I recall an instance a few years ago when I came across a blog written by a fellow copywriter. It was filled with details most of us would not share with customers, and was riddled with typos and incorrectly spelled words. The sentences were run-on and the paragraphs were huge blocks of dense copy. It also talked about how irritating some of her customers were.

I mentioned it to another writer and she said “Oh, that’s OK. It’s just her blog. It’s her private thoughts and has nothing to do with her business.” I disagreed then, and I disagree now. Because it’s out there for anyone and everyone to see, it’s a representation of that writer, her work, and her attitude toward her customers. It is a part of her marketing.

There’s nothing wrong with a business blog sharing personal incidents from your life. In fact, showing your readers you’re a real person allows them to see you as a real person – someone they might like to know.

But when it gets into boring details or “too-private” information, you’ve gone too far.

And as for trashing your customers – or anyone else – all you’re really doing is trashing yourself.

I’ve never been a proponent of being phony, but you don’t need to tell everything you know, and you don’t need to share every negative thought that pops into your head. We all get mad and want to throw things at other people sometimes. We even want to tell the world that so-and-so is a no good jerk – and why. But those thoughts don’t belong on a blog.

If you’re bubbling over with angry thoughts, write them on a piece of paper and then tear it up and throw it away. You’ll feel better for getting it out of your system and you won’t damage your own reputation.

The same rules apply to commenting on other people’s blogs. While your potential customers may not find your comments in a Google search for your name, they may come across them accidentally.

Just yesterday I read a blog post written by someone who was shocked, hurt, and outraged at the mean-spirited comments she’d gotten on an opinion post she’d written. Her original post was mild-mannered, but some of the comments were vicious. And who did that hurt in the long run? Not her. It will ultimately hurt the people who wrote the nasty comments because others will see “attacker” as one of their personality traits.

So, think before you write. Remember that your customers, your boss, your spouse, your friends, and even your Mom might be reading that blog post or comment.

But the point is still the same. Even people who aren’t in a hurry don’t like to waste their time on unnecessary, boring activities.

I’m cranky about it this morning, because that’s what I had to do.

I was trying to help a friend find some information, so I found the right website and clicked on a link that promised to provide it. That took me to a page with another link…same promise. And then – I couldn’t even believe this – that page had another link.

I ended up having to visit 3 more pages before I got to the information promised on the first page.

If it had been an item to purchase I’d have been gone long before I found it.

The whole experience reminded me once again that I need to keep an eye on my own links – and make sure that I’m never asking people to go in circles hunting for things on my site.

It’s also a good reminder about using Google pay per click ads. How many times have you clicked an ad for something specific and found yourself at a home page where you had to turn into a detective to find it? I generally just click away and pick a different ad link to follow.

Why didn’t the advertiser who wanted to sell me a “3 inch red widget” just send me right to that page? Did he hope I’d make some impulse purchases as I wandered through his site? I think that only works in retail stores.

What do you do when the links lie to you? Do you leave? Do you hunt? Do you get annoyed and rant about it on your blog?

Most of the time, public relations campaigns center around press releases and the preparation of “media kits.” These media kits are several pages of information about your company’s background, products, services, accomplishments, etc. Their purpose is to give a reporter the information necessary to write a story – which you hope they will do!

But think about those words: “Public relations.” Everything you send out is to raise awareness of your firm, while creating a positive impression.

Drip marketing, done correctly, can do an even better job with the individuals in “the public” who count most.

When you send a press release it goes to news media. So unless your message is being shown in a trade magazine or an online site dedicated to one profession, press releases are a way of taking the “shotgun approach” – scattering your message out to the masses in hopes that people who need your products or services will see them and remember.

Conversely, drip campaigns are sent to those individuals who have shown an interest in what you have to offer. And, aren’t those people more important to your success than the vast majority who neither want nor need your offering?

By using your drip campaign to provide helpful, useful information to people who have inquired, you can position yourself as the expert. But not only that, you show yourself to be a generous expert – someone who gives freely of advice even without promise of reward.

Because drip campaigns offer answers to questions and solutions to problems that your target audience has, the messages have value to them.

Thus, your audience will begin to look forward to hearing from you – and of course your name recognition will be established.

Where do you get the names? One source is from your website. Offer some kind of special report in exchange for the right to mail them you. Another source is a targeted list purchased from a reputable list broker.

Notice I said “reputable.” Please don’t fall for any of those cheap spam lists that are so widely offered on the Internet. Those are names that have been “harvested” from websites, blogs, forums, and even phony e-mail petitions. You really don’t want to have anything to do with them. Honest. At best you’ll get no results and at worst you’ll gain a reputation as a spammer.

According to a survey by a marketing association, roughly 60% of all Americans have high speed internet. But even this figure is skewed. The truth is, far less than 60% have actual high speed.

If you ever fill out surveys, you’ll see that the choices do not include satellite service. Possibly because it is advertised as high speed, satellite service is lumped in with broadband.

The latest figures I could find indicated that Hughes Net now serves over 500,000 homes, and since Hughes and Wild Blue each served a comparable number in the 2007 figures I found (700,000 combined) we can assume that Wild Blue also has over a half million subscribers.

While the ads promise high speed, it is far from the truth. In fact, every time I see a TV ad for either Wild Blue or Hughes Net I have the urge to throw something at the screen while yelling “You lie!” I mention both providers, because I’ve used both.

One of their techs explained to me that it just can’t be any other way – it’s the nature of satellite to take longer because of the way the signals have to bounce up and back. On the positive side, it is faster than dial-up over our ancient rural phone lines. So, I continue to pay a hefty high-speed price for “medium” speed.

The government stimulus package is supposed to bring broadband to rural areas – so that everyone will have actual high speed by 2020. But even if that happens, it doesn’t do your 2010 marketing much good!

So why is lack of high speed costing you business? Because when it takes too long to view your message, we go away.

The three mistakes that can drive visitors from your page are:

• Using video to the exclusion of text.
• Asking your visitors to click from page to page to view your message.
• Creating long load times with too many graphics or dark colored backgrounds.

In many, if not most cases, videos stream in short chunks. You’ll hear 4 or 5 seconds, then wait for 8 or 10 seconds for the next 4 or 5 seconds. How many people are willing to watch video that way? Not me!

Going from page to page is another problem. Just today I wanted to read a message that promised a list of 8 ways to relieve pain. Too bad. Each short point was presented on a different page, surrounded by advertisements that included graphics. I got as far as the 3rd point, and after using about 6 minutes to view 30 seconds worth of reading, I left.

Perhaps if all they’d had on those pages was text, it would have moved fast enough to keep me interested.

And that’s the third thing that slows things down and causes visitors to leave – often before your page even finishes loading. Too many graphics or a dark red or black background spells SLOW. Your satellite or dial-up visitor has to really want to be there in order to stay long enough to see your page.

I’ve done it a few times – and rather than sit here and steam, I go find something else to do while the page loads. To give you an example, at different times I’ve folded a load of laundry, gone upstairs to get a cup of coffee, and carried a load of wood in for the fireplace – and come back each time to find that the page is almost loaded.

As I said, I really wanted to go there for a purpose. But there’s no way I’d do that to read your advertising.

It all revolves around the issue of trust.

The Internet is filled with websites owned by people posing as something they’re not. Just think of all the sites offering to make you rich with some plan that the owner supposedly used to become a millionaire. Most of the time, the content they offer is something they copied from someone else, and they’re nothing close to a millionaire.

Those people don’t tell you who they are – they don’t want you to know who they are!

So when you stand up and give your name, your business address, your contact information, your history – and your photograph – you stand out as someone who is real. If consumers are able to call or e-mail you and get a response, they’ll feel safer in ordering what you offer or calling upon you for your services.

When you include just a peek into your personal life, they’ll trust you even more. One reason is that they may see some way in which you are like them. Most of the time, we automatically trust people who are somehow like us.

For instance, dog lovers are more likely to trust another dog lover than a person who says they can’t stand the creatures. Veterans are apt to believe other veterans, and golfers are likely to think other golfers are pretty smart people.

You don’t have to give details – just a paragraph or two that shares a little of who you are.

The next plus is the opportunity to let the buying public know how and why you became an expert in your field.

Again, you don’t have to go into great detail, but by mentioning your education, your past work experiences, and what led you to your current work, you share information that adds to your credibility. Note that your past work experiences don’t necessarily have to be in your current field to be worth mentioning. Often other experiences enrich current endeavors.

For instance, a Realtor who was once a bartender or a hairdresser probably has great listening skills. And an appraiser who was once a home builder probably knows a bit about construction quality. A mortgage lender who was once a Realtor knows the challenges that Realtors face.

Don’t forget about your employees…

If your company includes employees, those in key positions should also be included on your “about” page.

Introducing your visitors to the person who will answer the phone when they call makes them feel a little like they already know you a little. And if you have service people who visit customers’ homes, or in-house employees who will take care of projects that customers bring to you, seeing their background and expertise instills confidence in both them and your company.

An investment in a well-composed “About me” page could be just what your company needs to build trust with consumers – and explode your sales.

Agent bios can pave the way and help you attract buyers and sellers who are drawn to you because you are somehow like them.

You may be thinking “But I don’t want to limit my audience to people who are somehow like me. I want to attract everyone.”

There are 2 reasons why you’ll be better off if you don’t attract “everyone.”

• When you attract those who are pre-disposed to like and trust you, everything will move more smoothly. They’ll be more open to following your advice and more timely in responding when you need their input.
• When you attract the right customers and clients, you’ll get more enjoyment from your work. You’ll eliminate some of the stresses that are inevitable in real estate sales and will look forward to talking with your clients.

Stop and think about which customers and clients you look forward to seeing, and which you dread calling. The ones who like and trust you are the ones you want to see. The ones who are distrustful, who are critical, and who won’t take your advice can cause you to think of 17 excuses why you can put off calling them or seeing them.

You don’t have to be alike in all ways – and in fact, sometimes just one small detail can be enough to cause a prospect to choose you over another agent. For instance, dog lovers are instinctively drawn to other dog lovers – and have a basic mistrust of those who dislike them.

Your agent bio gives prospective customers an insight into who you really are and draws people to you – or repels them. But that really is OK. If you give it some thought, you’ll realize that you don’t want customers who won’t like, respect, and trust you. You also don’t want customers that you can’t like and respect. They only make your days long and stressful.

So what should you include? A balance between your professional self and your personal self. Yes, you should mention your experience, your niche, and what sets you apart from other agents professionally.

But then, add a paragraph or two that lets people have a peek at the real you. It can be as simple as saying that you reside on the outskirts of town – where you take advantage of the many hiking trails to exercise your dogs and introduce your children to the wonders of nature. It could be mention of your volunteer work with an organization you support or your secret life as a Blue-ribbon winning creator of original pastries.

You don’t need to offer your life story – you do need to weave your professional and personal lives together to present yourself as you want others to see you.

If you need an agent bio that attracts new customers and clients, get in touch. Writing appealing agent bios is just one of the ways I help real estate agents sell more homes.

When Mark Twain made that statement, I’m sure he was talking about the word choices that speakers and authors make in order to create specific thoughts and feelings in their listeners and readers.

Creating those feelings depends upon recognizing the subtle differences in the meaning of two words that are similar in meaning – but impart a slightly different feeling. For instance, the difference between eager and anxious.

One conveys happy anticipation while the other hints at worry, however slight. And yet, many use the two words interchangeably.

These differences are the reason why writers of every variety keep a Thesaurus by their sides. If you know any writers or speakers well, you’ve probably heard them saying “I’m searching for a word. I wrote _____ but it’s just not quite right. I know there’s a better word.”

They’re also the reason why those who submit stories to newspapers are often dismayed to find that someone has edited their piece and removed a word that they had carefully chosen. Sometimes, the whole meaning of an article is changed.

I can only imagine what Mark Twain would say if he came back today and saw what article / content spinners do to destroy the intent and ideas behind written words.

He might have a good laugh, because some of the results can be humorous. For instance, in one of my articles that was “stolen and spun,” the spinning software changed a sentence from “You can appeal to…” to the confusing: “You crapper appeal to…”

It took me a while to figure out how the spinner got crapper from can, but I finally did and had a good laugh.

Of course, I wasn’t pleased, because the person who did it left my name on it. I feel certain that Mark Twain would not be pleased either, if it was his own work that had been “spun.” Especially if the spinner failed to remove his name.

As an article writer, I’m often confronted with seeing my own words “spun out of control” in a manner that makes them unintelligible. But, for those who like a mental challenge, figuring out what the original article might have said can be entertainment.

For instance, take the following sentence: “Whether you admire them or not, Accessible Houses can be a actual able absolute acreage sales tool.”

I looked up the original article and found that it said: “Whether you adore them or not, Open Houses can be a very effective real estate sales tool.”

The words “real estate” and “Open House” have specific meanings in our culture – we all know what they mean. But when “absolute acreage” is substituted for “real estate” it not only takes on a different meaning, it leaves us thinking “What in the heck is absolute acreage?”

On the other hand, “accessible house” could have a couple of different meanings – just not the same meaning as “Open house.”

As for “actual able,” I doubt if I’d have figured out that it meant “effective” if I had not gone in search of the original article.

In this same article, spinning changed the Law of Attraction to the Law of Allure. The difference is subtle, just as it is with eager and anxious, but there is a difference.

Adding content to a website is a good idea. It adds search engine optimization and gives site visitors more reasons to stay longer. And borrowing articles from a site such as EzineArticles.com is a perfectly acceptable way to do it.

Your website and your articles really are your “face to the world,” and you will be judged by them. So don’t choose an article and ask software to spin it into 10 more articles. The results are often such that you’ll present the face of an illiterate, or a “goof.”

At best, they’ll show that you’re more interested in appealing to search engines than humans – and what is the point of attracting visitors if they’ll see what you wrote and hurry to leave?

My opinion: when content is the result of article spinning, the best idea would be to delete it.

What is that #1 rule?

“It’s not about you.”

Many marketers think that their message should be about themselves and all the wonderful products they sell or the wonderful service they give. But it isn’t.

An effective marketing message is about your potential customers and clients – and what they want and need. The truth is, they aren’t the least bit interested in you or the products and services you offer. They care only about “What’s in it for me?”

When you’re selling real estate, no one cares if you’ve got a beautiful office. The office is no benefit to them. No one even cares if you have 13 different designations – unless you show them how those designations are going to help them buy or sell a home faster, easier, and in a way that’s financially beneficial to them. No one cares if you’ve been named Realtor of the Year or attended the NAR Convention.

None of that matters. What matters to your potential customers and clients is their problem – whether it’s getting their home sold quickly for a good price or finding the home of their dreams for a price they can afford.

When you’re selling a product no one cares about the research that went into producing it or how large the manufacturing plant is. Right now they might care to know what country that product is manufactured in – but the real bottom line is this: What will it do for me?

They want to know how that product will make their lives better in some way.

• Will it save them time?
• Will it help them do a better job of something?
• Will it make them more beautiful or handsome or healthy?
• Will it relieve a physical pain or a mental anxiety?
• Will it make them lose or gain weight or grow hair on a bald head?
• Will it make them more intelligent or give them more prestige with their peers?
• Will it help them “Get the girl?”

So how can you write about what you’re going to do without talking about you?

You can’t, not entirely, but you can begin every marketing piece with a focus on the customer, so that you gain their attention long enough to show them how you’re going to solve their problem.

Although you will probably need to edit and re-arrange later, start by writing the word “you” or “your” at the top of the page. From there begin writing a sentence that goes straight to their problem. Then just keep writing. Pretend you’re talking to someone who is right there in the room with you. Then tell them how their lives are going to change for the better because of your product or service.

Just turn everything around. Instead of saying “I’ll help you…” say “You can count on me to…”

This first draft might be what I call “lumpy,” but that’s OK. Because by writing the first draft this way you’ll get your head turned around to thinking of your customers and what they have to gain when they listen to you.

One caution – don’t become obsessed with banishing the words I, we, or me. You will have to use them now and then. Just don’t’ begin sentences with them!

Upon investigation, I found that this person has 70 such articles, posted in about the last 6 weeks.

Do I have a thief using my name?

So I tried to find a profile. No go. Next I tried to contact the article site itself: http://www.articlesbase.com

But their contact form doesn’t work. It just keeps telling me to enter the code, over and over and over. It could just be a computer glitch, heaven knows I know all about those, but it made me more suspicious.

The form did work when I sent a “message to the author.” We’ll see if I get a reply.

I am always suspicious of any site that offers a contact form but doesn’t offer an e-mail address and a phone number. What are they hiding from?

Anyone know anything about articlesbase.com?

Upon investigation I found that their web host, Imbris, no longer exists. It’s been gone since sometime around the end of last month.

According to news reports, no one knows why. There’s a sign in the window that says “Closed,” and they’re not answering any calls or emails.

They may be a victim of the economic downturn – perhaps too many customers couldn’t pay their bills. Or perhaps they had some kind of personal health or financial crisis. Whatever the reason, they’re not there and their customers are out of luck.

I was further surprised when I went to Who Is and learned that I’m still the contact person and admin for that domain name, even though I haven’t been with the group for several years. I thought I had changed that…

But they’re lucky, because I’m still here and willing to do the work to change it.

Hopefully the web designer who re-built their page a couple of years ago has kept everything in his own computer, because they’re going to have to start all over.

Another rescue I wrote for had bad luck with that one. Their web designer had used some kind of on-line service and NONE of their web pages were stored in his computer. When that host went away they had to start all over from the beginning.

Another danger of using small hosts lies in professionalism – or lack of it.

A friend of mine had her site with a local host who had also done her web design. And they refused to make corrections! This is not so good when one of the mistakes is an incorrect phone number.

Since they refused to fix the errors she asked me to do it, but they had control of her site and refused to give her the user name and password to get in. The whole thing made no sense, since the corrections might have taken all of 10 minutes.

She decided to discontinue their service, but with no copies of her web pages where she could get to them, we had to “steal” her pages one piece at a time and reconstruct them. The words were pretty easy, but the swirly graphics were in many pieces – putting them back together was a trick!

The next hurdle came when she tried to switch hosts – because her name wasn’t listed in the Who Is information. A computer-savvy employee had set it all up and used his own name as contact person and admin. Unfortunately, he had passed away, so my friend went through weeks of sending proof that she had a right to move that domain.

The lesson: Host with the big guys – and always, always, always list your own name as owner of your domain.

If someone else built your site and you aren’t sure, just go to www.whois.com and type in your URL – you’ll find out where you stand. If you find you aren’t there, contact your web person and have him or her go make the change. Don’t wait until they’ve moved away, gotten mad at you for some reason, or (perish the thought) passed away.

I purchase my domain names and host them with GoDaddy. Not only are they big enough that I think they’ll be around for a long time, their service is exceptional. That’s why I have an affiliate link to them on the sidebar – I trust that if I send them customers, they’ll treat those customers well.

One last thing: No matter where your website is hosted or how much you love or trust the person who maintains your site – keep current copies of your web pages in your own computer and in your back up.

Having those pages readily available could save you weeks of grief.