Build a Better Brand Platform: 30 Day Challenge (Day 9)

Twitter Logo (Photo credit: Jon Gosier)

Happy Sunday!

On Day 4 I challenged each of you to start a Twitter account. Today, I want you to take a few minutes and respond to at least 3 tweep’s tweets. Hopefully, you have a trusted tweep crew to follow and now is your chance to show them that their tweets matter by taking a few seconds to reply with a short tweet of your own. Retweets (RT) do count but a “Great article!” or “Useful information!” never hurt either.

Please follow me on Twitter.

My twitter handle is @SeanOMurphy  and you are welcome to leave your twitter handles in the comments here for a little community building and forming a #wordmafia with my writing crew.

Keeping it short today. It shouldn’t take much time out of your Sunday to complete this challenge. If you are looking for a little more meat to this challenge then look at the lists that Robert Brewer has prepared in his MNINB Day 9 challenge of great tweeps to follow! I can’t recommend his original platform building challenge enough.

 

 

Related articles

• Build a Better Brand Platform: 30 Day Challenge (Day 8) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 7) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• A Better Brand Platform: 30 Day Challenge (Day 6) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 5) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 4) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 3) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• To build Twitter followers: Join the conversation, tweet often, be yourself (stevebuttry.wordpress.com)
• Twitter and the Retweet (thirstythursdayblog.wordpress.com)
• The Secret to Building Your Brand on Twitter (openforum.com)
• 25 Things That Make You Look Dumb on Twitter (blogs.constantcontact.com)

Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 7)

First, thank you for following along with me for a full week as we do my spin 0n Robert Brewer’s Platform Challenge.  It is Day 7  so time for a new challenge. Today’s challenge is…

Add Share Buttons to Your Blog / Website.

Most of the blog services provide share buttons with each post. Do not hide these! Keep as many ways to share a post as possible. Enable every sharing Widget / Plug-In or option and keep them enabled. If you are taking the time to create quality content then make it easy for your reader’s to share this information with their networks. Write things that people will want to share and then make it super-easy for them to do so!

In addition to whatever your blog service offers, you should also go to http://www.addthis.com/and click on the Get AddThis button. They make it easy for you. Select the button options that you think look best with your layout. The AddThis site does all of the HTML code that it takes to place it on your site and will also layout the easiest steps to use that code. It does some other handy things in keeping track of how these buttons are being used.

Test Drive a Few of My Share Options.

Please share this story with as many services as you feel comfortable with.  Include your URL and I will test drive your share buttons as well and share on at least one of the available services (maybe a lot more).

Share Each Other’s Content

When you see good content, share it. Let other’s know in as many ways as possible. It is good for the content creator, good for you as it shows that you know good content when you see it, and of course good for your network as you direct them to quality content. Win-Win-Win!

Comment with your URL and anything else you have to share with the community reading this blog.

 

Related articles

• Build a Better Brand Platform: 30 Day Challenge (Day 1) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 2) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 3) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 4) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 5) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• A Better Brand Platform: 30 Day Challenge (Day 6) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• The Ultimate Collection of WordPress Social Network Plugins (noupe.com)
• Digital content tracking platform AddThis adds social sign-in feature to its suite of plug-ins (thenextweb.com)

Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 5)

I am not diverging from Robert Brewer’s April Platform Challenge Day 5 where he suggests that you start a blog. If the rule was once “writers write”, then just as much of a truism for our time is “writers blog”. I know there is a certain hesitance with some writers and it isn’t just a generational thing about the importance of blogging. I would argue that your blog might be the keystone of your platform. Social media is a beginning but a blog allows you to expand so much on 140 characters and really present yourself to a whole digital world of potential readers. Remember Everybody Blogs. It is no longer optional in presenting your personal brand as an author.

 

Create a Blog: There are a lot of services that will host and help you build your blog from WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr or even LiveJournal. Pick the one that you find easiest to use.  I currently prefer WordPress because of its ease of use and  ability to upgrade and monetize at a later date. I am currently planning and saving towards doing just that. Blogger is also easy to monetize. Don’t get bogged down in comparing services. I have used all four services at different times and will say that all of them are more than suitable and there are even other services out there.

 

WordPress Logo 中文: WordPress Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

Write a Post: I prepared a week worth of content before getting started by doing some brainstorming. It doesn’t need to be nearly that complicated. Remember the Day 1 Challenge? That could very easily be the basis of a first post. Tell us who you are and why you are starting a blog. Here is my first post for this blog to get you started. That first challenge will also set you up to write your “About” page too. This is good enough for the first day.

 

Work out a day each week to sit down and update (or a couple of days). This will get you started. Once you are established then you will want to post on a regular schedule. For me that means daily but even once a week is good as long as you are consistent and readers know when to expect to see your work. Just like with Facebook and Twitter, it won’t really work unless you work it. Be consistent. Be yourself.

Image via CrunchBase

 

 

Share the URL: Share the URL here as soon as you are ready and I will be sure to compile these for a “Blogs to Follow” post later on in the month.

 

Image via CrunchBase

 

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!  That’s Day 5. See simple.

 

Established bloggers should use the resources linked to from Robert Brewer’s Day 5 for more advice on how to make the most of your blog. I will be looking more into these posts myself. This writer with a “day job” has been short on time for my freelance writing and behind posting schedule for today. No excuses. I’ll keep as close to schedule as life allows.

 

 

 

Connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Be sure to follow if you haven’t and sign-up for email updates in the right sidebar. URLs and links to social media in the comments,please.

Image via CrunchBase

 

 

 

 

Related articles

 

• Build a Better Brand Platform: 30 Day Challenge (Day 1) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 2) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 3) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Build a Better Brand Platform:30 Day Challenge (Day 4) (verynovel.wordpress.com)
• Getting the most out of your Author blog (nettrobbens.com)
• What to Find Out Before You Start a Business Blog – 25+ Web Resources (successful-blog.com)

Technorati Verification Codes

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When registering your account with Technorati, they will require that you publish a verification code in a new (not previously published) blog entry. The code will look like this:

FPYXNS6YNWGX 

This code will be used by Technorati to verity your registration.

This one was mine. I am registering this new blog.

Are any of you registered with Technorati or similar sites such as Alltop or Blogarama? Let’s discuss it in the comments.