I recently heard some great tips listening to a morning radio show on my way into work. It was about managing email and spring cleaning for your inbox.

One tip in particular stuck in my mind for email management: OHIO. It’s a cute abbreviation that stands for Only Handle It Once. The basic idea is that you get an email and deal with it right then and there. What’s the point in reading an email and then saving it for later when you will only have to reread it in order to refresh your memory? If you have time to open the email, you have time for a quick reply or appropriate filing. Do it right then and there. (more…)

One thing we glance over in some of our posts (most recently in our post on cracking the Google Ten Pack), and hardly ever dedicate an entire post to, is the importance of keywords in your online marketing campaign. This isn’t to say that they aren’t important. Quite the opposite – keywords are one of the main building blocks for any successful SEO campaign. (more…)

Just starting out on a blog? Need advice and a clear strategy to generate more interest and traffic?

Below are 7 tips I have learned that can help you create and maintain a successful blog. I have many more ideas on the topic, so I will write a follow-up post in the upcoming days so stay tuned. Please share your blog secrets and tips with me too. I would love to hear them!

1. Have a Clear Topic
Before you even begin to jump into the ‘blog circuit’, put together a road-map of what you feel your blog will be all about. Have a clear direction in your mind before you begin – A) What is your Topic, B) What are your Categories and C) What would be some of your posts in your Categories). (see map below courtesy of ProBlogger) The best blogs have a specific focus that really connects with a specific target audience. If you fill out the map, you will already have pre-planned a large chunk of your initial blog posts! Also, keep a list of 10-20 post ideas you want to write about so you never get stumped. View the map after the jump (more…)