Going off from what I talked about in a previous post, writing guest blog posts can in many ways be more effective in building traffic and gaining readership, sales, etc than paying for reviews or buying advertising slots or links on blogs.

Not only can this free method of advertising be more effective, but it also brings with it many more benefits.

The fact that you don’t have to pay anything to get exposure on a high authority blog, or any blog of your choice, is the most obvious. There are two other main benefits, and they are:

Being seen as an expert in your field – The fact that your post is being published on a high authority blog speaks volumes for your credibility, whether you’re actually credible or not. Common sense says that you are if you managed to get this far, and the readers of the blog are automatically going to trust you just as much as they trust the blog owner. Well, maybe not quite as much, but if the blogger is endorsing you, and they are since they’re publishing you’re article, then that’s going to build trust between you and the readers.

This holds a lot more weight to the blog readers because you’re providing valid and relevant information that they can relate to and use, rather than just paying the blogger to write a review about you. The readers are going to respond much better to a guest post because the blogger isn’t obligated to post your article at all. If they’re being paid to write a review, then they have to talk about you.

Automatic trust among readers – I touched briefly on this in the first point, but I feel I need to elaborate on this further. Don’t underestimate the power of trust. Trust is critical to your online success, no matter what your business.

No matter what activities you’re involved in with your business, you want to make sure that what you do and say is creating and building trust with others. It could be the slightest, littlest thing, but believe me, one miniscule little thing can completely ruin any trust you had. You want to do whatever you can to build and keep the trust you have.

The first thing to do to create trust is build relationships, and keeping in line with the topic of guest blog posts, the blogger has already done the hard part in building a relationship with his/her readers. As a guest author, you get to reap the rewards.

That’s not to say that you can slack off and write a mediocre article. For one, it won’t get published. Second, the readers will take notice and decide they have better things to do than check out another wannabe blogger. A lot of care and time needs to be taken when writing your guest post.

Here are some tips to help you write killer guest blog posts…

This should really be part of your overall marketing strategy for many different reasons, but knowing what to do, and what not to do, can really go a long way. Read each and every post I link to and learn them well. Save them, favorite them, bookmark them… whatever you do… so when you’re ready to do a guest post, you’ll start off on the right foot.

Instead of making this into a VERY long and drawn-out post, I thought I’d keep it somewhat short and give out some link love to other bloggers who have already taken the time to share their guest blogging tips. I call this the “Holy Grail” of guest blogging tips… tips from the A-List bloggers themselves.

The first set of tips comes from none other than “ProBlogger” Darren Rowse. Darren writes about How to be a Good Guest Blogger. Be sure to check out his full Guest Blogging Series at the end of his post for even more great killer content. Also check out his How to Guest Post to Promote Your Blog article.

Our second round of tips comes from Copyblogger, which just happens to be a guest post by Jordan Cooper. Neat how that works, huh? Jordan’s article is 10 Proven Steps to Snag a Guest Post on an A-List Blog. If nothing else, read it for the humor and sarcasm Jordan incorporates into the post… if you like that sort of thing. I think you know which way I lean.

The third set of tips comes from Chris Garrett about How To Guest Blog Without Disaster. Chris provides some great advice for bloggers who are ready to tackle the challenge guest posting.

As mentioned earlier, check out every single one of these articles. The content is beyond excellent.

Another reason I decided to go this route is because I’ll soon be venturing into this area as well, and linking out to articles I find helpful makes it easier for me to find for future reference. That’s my own personal blogging tip… did you get it?

Know of any other bloggers who’ve shared guest blgging tips that you’ve found helpful that I didn’t link to? Share them below to make my “Holy Grail” list even bigger!

What other benefits are there from guest posting on other blogs? Share your thoughts and personal experiences below…

I’ve been hearing from different sources on the web that EzineArticles.com would be implementing changes that would have a serious impact on every article marketer out there. If you use article marketing as part of your marketing strategy, as you should, then listen up! This is important, and you’ll want to know how to stay on top.

The recent changes involve new Adsense ad placements on your article pages. They’ve added more and placed them in such a way that might just decrease your article click-through rates. Scary huh? The whole point of writing articles is to have it read and then get your links clicked.

Now, EzineArticles, one of the best article sites around, is making it tougher for the average marketer to make it in this big internet marketer game.

But, don’t fret just yet. I received an email from Travis Sego the other day that just might be the solution to these recent changes. If you’re not familiar with Travis, he’s the bum marketing genius that takes homeless guys and teaches them how to write articles and make a fortune, being a bum. Gotta love it!

I really like what Travis is doing. Plus, he’s a down-to-earth, fun loving guy (you’ll see what I mean in the email he sent me). What’s better is that he wants to help people, and by doing so, allows me to help you.

Here’s the email Travis sent and what he had to say about the new EzineArticles changes and how you can keep your click-throughs high:

Hey!

What’s da haps?

As you may have heard…

EzineArticles.com has made some

changes that will affect YOU!

Wanna talk with ya about them…

I’m in a silly mood though so…

How ’bout a little light hearted fun first?

Have you heard this one?

*********************

Confucius say…

Man who run behind car…get exhausted.

Man who run in front of car…get tired.

*********************

Heeeee….hee…

I know I’m corny…but I luv that one!

Now here’s how a man, woman or Bum

can get on top of the EzineArticles.com

changes.

Without getting exhausted or tired!

They’ve recently made the decision to

add more Adsense to the articles.

Which MIGHT make it a little tougher

to get YOUR links clicked on.

I ain’t worried though.

You won’t be either.

Learned this trick from reading

PotPieGirl’s One Week Marketing

System.

(I had to see what all the new folks

were RAVING about).

Here’s what you do:

1. Shorten your articles! Your article body

only has to be 250 words!

2. Make your authors box…L-O-N-G-E-R. You

have up to 300 words you can put in your authors

box.

You should be able to make your authors box…look

like it’s part of the article!

You follow?

Using just this one little tip from One Week Marketing,

and I’m pullin’ in a 34% click through on one article…and others look like they’ll do even more.

Yipee Skipee!

I wonder if you can figure out a couple other

reasons I am so happy about this?

Betcha can?

==>Short articles are FASTER to write.

==>Short articles COST LESS to outsource.

==>Short articles = More Articles = More Sales!

Have any more great ideas on how to get around these new changes? I’d love to hear them.

In order to succeed in a Internet home business during a recession, changing your marketing strategy is essential. With a few minor advertising tweaks and adding or removing products to your web site you can have a recession proof business.

A common misconception that many people have is that now is a bad time to make money with a Internet home business. Many people will either close their business or wait until they feel the economy has improved to start one. However, these people are possibly missing out on an incredible opportunity.

Depending on their particular situation people react to a recession in various ways. One thing that will remain constant is that they won’t stop buying things, they just will be buying different things. In fact, if money is tight, many will be searching for more items to save money. So, you need to tailor your recession marketing strategy to respond to the new opportunity.

The key to making money with a Internet home business is to understand what people want and why they want it. This does not change with a recession. It is even more important in a poor economy than in a boom and is key to making sure you have a recession proof business.

When the economy is doing well, people like to spend money. With extra money in their pockets and the feeling that there will always be more available, they enjoy spending it. They have a feeling that they are rich and it will only get better.

However, during a recession, everybody worries about their financial security even if they have not been personally effected. They will stop spending money on items that they feel are not necessary and will look to save money on every purchase. They also will put off buying high ticket items such as a new car or expensive vacation and adopt a more “make do” style of spending.

With this new spending style, operating a Internet home business offers some distinct advantages and may actually be recession proof. Here are a few examples of opportunities that should only grow during a recession.

Financial Advice: The economy had been so good for so long that many of the younger generation have never bothered to learn the most basic information about their financial situation. They assumed they would always be on easy street and have no idea how to manage credit card debt or even how to set up a household budget. Many people will be looking for simple advice and financial counseling services.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who are close to retirement and are beginning to look for additional ways to make and save money. With the crash of the stock market many people have lost a large portion of their retirement savings. These people will be looking for additional streams of income and advice on how to invest more for retirement.

Work From Home Opportunities: With the recession many people have lost their jobs or are concerned they may soon loose it. People are looking for jobs and are unable to find any are looking to work from home. A one stop source of information of different work from home opportunities are what many people are already looking for.

If you look at the recession as an opportunity to help others and use your Internet home business as source of information and value for those who need it, you will discover there are many ways to build a recession proof business and make a good living by helping others.

If you’re looking for a completely different strategy to market your business, check out this YouTube video I found…

About the Author- John McRae works from home helping others start a home business at Your Work From Home Help Center

Find competent info in the sphere of free traffic – welcome to your individual knowledge base.

Everyone usually sets some sort of goal or resolution at the start of a new year. Can you guess what the number one resolution is each year? It’s a resolution to lose weight. Many decide that they’re gonna lose weight after the Christmas and New Year festivities. It must be from eating so much. I can totally relate with that, as I love to eat during the holidays.

For online business owners, the new year is a time to evaluate the previous year’s performance and come up with a plan and strategy for the year to come. Many set specific goals, or resolutions, they would like to accomplish. Some resolutions may be to make more money this year, learn a new marketing strategy or implement one they’ve been wanting to get to, etc.

For me, my goal is to become financially independent and also venture into a different niche other than the “make money” and “online business” and “work from home” niches. Don’t get me wrong, these niches are hot right now, but I’d like to expand my overall online business into some niches I have a more personal interest in. I’ll keep you updated as they unfold.

What are your online business goals for this year?