10 Tips For a Guest Blogger

All good writers should have a blog. It gives you an outlet to provide real time updates on events ad happenings and it can be a platform that you use to position yourself as someone who’s an author and a resource that others can count on for credible information. Now if you want to give your blog a major traffic boost you should consider guest blogging. By following these guest blogging tips you’ll have a better chance at landing a guest blog spot.

1.  Know the Blog

Don’t pick a blog with the most readers and then hit up the blogger with a request to guest post. Guest blog for one that you read regularly and follow yourself. Consider what it is about the blog that you like and what draws others to it.

2.  Understand the Owner

Ask about guest blogging policies and find out who has guest blogged in the past. The more you know the easier it will be to create content that’s on par with what the readers want to hear about with your own special twist.

3.  Stick to Your Deadline

Seriously, enough said.

4.  Proofread Again, Again & Again

We’re all prone to errors and let’s face it, SpellCheck only catches so much. Do a thorough proofreading and read through for error-free submission.

5.  Post Linking

This doesn’t mean linking to your blog, but instead linking to relevant posts on your guest blog. This demonstrates your familiarity with the blog and shows that you’re a fan and reader yourself.

6.  Promote Your Post

Let everyone know that you’re guest blogging. Use your available social media tools to get the word out with links, tweets and status updates.

7.  Visual Appeal

Take the time to find good graphics and imagery to make your guest blog post a stand out. It shows you care and that you’re willing to go the extra step.

8.  Use SEO

Optimize your guest post. The goal is to make it easier to find on search engines and if that happens, readers will see that you’re the genius behind the writing. Good publicity for you.

9.  Add Value

Truly focus on adding value to the guest blog. Remove the ‘all about me’ factor and make your post the absolute best that it can be.

10.  Sell Yourself

Work out the details on linking back to your own blog and including a snappy byline so that readers know about you and how to find you.

Using LinkedIn For Branding

LinkedIn is one of the largest professional networks on the web. With more than 75 million registered users that span more than 200 countries, LinkedIn has quickly become one of the leading social media sites for connecting with business colleagues. What you might not know is that LinkedIn is also an excellent site for building up your brand. Here are a handful of branding tips to help you maximize your profile and establish a bolder presence.
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Personal Branding and Corporate Leadership: can they co-exist?

Company leaders often have strong personalities. They may even have an established personal brand. But how does their personal brand effect the strategies of the company, and the management style to implement them? Is there a conflict? Can a CEO take a company down with ineffective personal brand management?

If the foundation of brand functionality resides in consistent, effective, and convincing communication about the goals, intentions, and objectives of the company, then a leader whose brand value is at odds with these foundational elements will certainly negatively impact any company, large or small. To create a sense of cohesion between both personal and corporate brand, the leader must understand the “soul” of the company and their own “spirit of leadership.” Buy in will only occur if these two are in alignment.

Take the case of Anne Mulcahey.

What would you do if the company you work for were 18 billion dollars in debt facing imminent bankruptcy with debtors dragging you to court and your boss quits?

Well you might choose to run from the obvious train-wreck. But, Anne Mulcahey is different. Anne chose to step up. She became CEO of Xerox and faced doubters, debtors and critics head on. In a few years she cut the debt in half, raised revenue, and inspired her company’s employees, customers and vendors.

How?

In the words of Bill George, Harvard Business School Professor, she is an authentic leader. She leads from her own “true north”. She understands the purpose of her leadership. She is also conscious of the “true north” of the company, it’s soul, so to speak. She understands the entelechy of the company. She knows where the two intersect and where she can add value.

Authentic leaders lead with very consistent values, from the heart as well as the head. They exemplify courage, compassion and empathy. They focus on building long-term relationships. Her brand is consistently reinforced through those relationships, pushing messages of co-operation and cohesion. She adds value to the company brand.

Authentic leaders know they must empower those around them. Their job is to inspire. They KNOW that the personal brand value they add must be in alignment with the corporate brand of the company. CEO’s and the leaders of companies today must make an effort to “consciously brand” their company. Because adding value is more than just adding ideas, personality, and motivation, it’s about creating something people can believe in, something with a “soul.”