What is the most powerful marketing strategy in today’s online world? The answer – blogging. It allows us to create motivating content that helps us establish a rapport with our prospective clients. By blogging we build credibility, attract new clients and drive traffic to our services and products.

At my Metromom Online Success Telesummit, I learned a great deal from blogging expert, Wendy Maynard. Her easy-to-use suggestions will help an inexperienced internet user get started quickly as well as help others improve the blog they already have.

Here are some blogging tips that Wendy and I discussed:

A blog is a lot easier to use than a website. You can go to www.Blogger.com or www.WordPress.com to set up your blog in less than five minutes. It’s as simple to use as Microsoft Word, with additional plug-ins so you can set up sidebars with information that tells all about you and what you have to offer. As you grow, you can add other pages: About Me page, Hire me page, even pages with PayPal links to sell your products and services.

Posting a blog two or three times a week allows you to establish your credibility as you write about your area of expertise. As you write in your own consistent voice, people will get to know and trust you.

And with a blog you have dialoguing power—readers can post comments in response to your questions or comments. Instant feedback like that can help you know in what direction to grow your business.

If you use content that is keyword rich, search engines will direct traffic to your blog. It’s also easy to tie your blog into things like Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin.

As the traffic flows to your blog, you can build your list. The key is to have a free offer accessible from your blog. Wendy recommends placing a sign up box in the upper right hand corner of your blog.

If you don’t have a product to sell, be an affiliate for someone you want to promote. If you do have a product or service to sell, make sure you provide links to a landing page that will give more details about these products. As you write an informational piece, you can embed appropriate links in the content.

Blogging is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get your brilliance out there. I’d like to share with you the secrets I’ve learned in using this wonderful marketing tool. Sign up now for my Get It Done Action call, “Quick & Easy Guide for Entrepreneurs: How to Use a Blog to Build an Effective Internet Presence.” It’s as EASY 3-Part System that I used to create a high-traffic blog AND increase my list by 600% in just one year.

I just finished recording my Wrap-Up call for the Metromom Online Success Telesummit where I shared my highlights. It’s been a fascinating two weeks as I interviewed 18 different internet marketing experts who shared tips on how to maximize your online presence.

I think what I found the most interesting was how the expertise of the different speakers weaved together. In the end I discovered consistent references to what it takes to be successful in today’s economy.

Let me share some of my highlights of the four online success principle I discovered:

1. You Need to be Authentic

One theme that kept coming up from was the importance of being authentic in your marketing. I heard it from Nancy Marmolejo as she talked about social networking, Michele PW as she shared copywriting tips, and Wendy Maynard as she discussed blogging. They all said basically the same thing – the key to being successful online is to be authentic and create relationships that are mutually beneficial. Laura West then really pulled this authenticity theme together when she spoke about “Attraction Marketing.”

2. Make Sure You Use Every Avenue to Connect

Jennifer Odear and Caleb Scoville really helped clarify how you can maximize your expertise by using all the different ways of communicating. Jennifer spoke about recycling your content and using it in your blog, articles, press releases, newsletters and more. Then Caleb shared how to take that very same content and use it in podcasts and YouTube videos.

What’s great is that once you have some content there are so many ways to get it out there. Alicia Forest gave great tips on using content to build your list. Amy Miyamoto showed how to tie your content into your social networking, Shannon Cherry shared publicity tips and Ty Downing shared easy-to-implement SEO ideas.

3. Women Need Foolproof Systems

Busy women juggling a business and a family need more then great ideas. They need help implementing proven systems that will get the money pouring in. Beth Schneider and Erin Blaskie gave fantastic tips on how to build a solid team and then create systems to keep things running smoothly. Jennifer Haubein shared how technology can help you set-up a website that helps you build relationships effortlessly. Debbye Cannon shared tips specific to moms on how to keep their family thriving as they build their business.

4. Get Your Mindset Prepared for Success

No amount of internet marketing strategies will help you achieve your goals if you’re stuck with a negative attitude or mindset. Victoria Colligan and Traci Long , from Ladies Who Launch, were truly inspirational as they shared how to take the next step in your business. Gina Bell shared how to identify and eliminate resistance to self-promotion and success.

The Metromom Online Success Telesummit (now called The Online Success Toolkit) is available for you to listen to. Click here to learn more! Once you listen I’d love to hear your feedback so come back and post your comments. What were some of the highlights for you?

In preparation for the Metromom Online Success Telesummit on May 1^st and 2^nd, I’ve been very busy interviewing 18 internet marketing experts, and quite honestly I’m amazed by the quality of content they’re providing. What really struck me yesterday was the constant underlying theme that kept coming up from all of the experts – the importance of being authentic in your marketing.

I heard it from Nancy Marmolejo as she talked about social networking, Michele PW as she shared copywriting tips, and Wendy Maynard as she discussed blogging. They all said basically the same thing – the key to being successful online is to be authentic and create relationships that are mutually beneficial.

A mom entrepreneur that I find especially inspirational – because of her authenticity – is Amy Miyamoto. As a mother of 3-year old twins, Amy is (in my mind) the ultimate Metromom! She will also be speaking at the Telesummit on How to Leverage the Power of Social Media to Create a Community of Raving Fans and Still Have Time for Your Family and Yourself.

I love the way Amy is promoting her talk. She created the YouTube segment above to explain what she’ll be sharing.  What really appeals to me about video messages is that I find it to be a great medium to let your personality shine through. (FYI – Amy will share how she created this message really quickly.)

If doing business authentically and on your own terms is important to you, you don’t want to miss hearing from these experts. Visit this page to learn more about what they’ll be sharing. #mtmm09

An interactive website encourages your website visitor to stick around so they get to know you. Since  blogs are very interactive, they give you the opportunity to authentically communicate who you are and what you have to offer so you can attract the right customers.

Let me tell you a story about how my blog helped me interact…. Last week I was at sitting in the waiting room at one of those less-than-fun (but necessary) appointments and I decided to re-read The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea. It’s a beautiful parable by Bob Burg that I’ve enjoyed several times and each time I’m reminded of key lessons that serve as the foundation for my business.

Fast forward a couple days…I had an hour’s break while carpooling my kids one afternoon and took advantage of a few quiet moments waiting in the car with my laptop and wrote a blog post about The Go-Giver and the key lessons I’ve learned from it. When I got home I uploaded it to my blog and within a few hours Bob Burg (best-selling author) had added me as a friend on Facebook and a follower on Twitter and was promoting me to his list. This was amazing to me and certainly the kind of interaction I thrive on!

Blogs are also easy and inexpensive to set-up and manage. Don’t have a blog? At my upcoming Metromom Online Success Tele-Summit, #mtmm09,  Wendy Maynard will share steps to creating a blog for the first time quickly and without spending any money.

A blog is a fantastic way to start forming a bond with your visitor by letting your individual style and approach to business shine through. Blogs are also great for busy work-at-home moms because they’re very flexible-you can blog daily or weekly, you can post long or short blogs, you can be have informational posts or entertaining ones.

You can also make your blog interactive by inviting the reader to leave a comment or ask for their opinion on a hot-topic. This is a great way to start a dialogue with your customers, find out what they’re thinking and start establishing relationships. Ideally, you should provide your blog readers additional ways to connect with you. On your “side bar” you can provide links to your website, Facebook and Twitter pages or newsletter sign-up.

In my last blog I spoke about the first step in creating a website that sells – figuring out your target audience and putting yourself in their shoes. Once you’ve done this homework you can use the next two steps to communicate effectively on your website.

Step Two – Develop a rapport.

The internet is impersonal by nature so there is an even greater need for rapport when you’re selling a product or service online. Here are a few suggestions that will help you establish that rapport with potential customers:

· Make the person reading your copy feel as if you are writing directly to them. You can do this my using the words “you” and “I”.

· Focus on them. Instead of describing the ins-and-outs of your product or service, talk about how they will benefit from it.

· Be authentic and sincere. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. People do business with those they relate to.

Step Three – Have a clear call to action.

What do you want your reader to do? If you’re not sure the reader won’t be either. Do you want them to call or e-mail you for more information? Order a copy of your product? Schedule a free consultation? Sign-up for your tele-seminar?

It may seem obvious but people need to be told what to do, clearly and specifically, and they’ll be far more likely to do it. Make it as easy for them as possible – they shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to figure out how to “order now”.

However, your objective shouldn’t necessarily always be to close a financial sale. A long-term strategy is to entice them to sign-up for your newsletter or download your free report. This allows you to begin building a relationship with them and convert them into buyers. We’ll discuss more of these strategies in an upcoming Online Success Tips.

So remember the three steps on how to make your website work (and sell) for you:

1. Determine your target audience.

2. Develop a rapport.

3. Have a clear call to action.

These three steps will work effectively whether you have a high-tech, sophisticated website or a very simple website. Remember, business is all about marketing and marketing is all about communicating! Read more tips by Wendy Maynard, the Marketing Maven, on how to turn your website into a super selling machine.

(If you would like more in-depth training on any of the tools I’ve mentioned in this article make sure to check out the learning in the Online Success Toolkit)

This blog is the final part of a series of online success tips.