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The REAL Benefits of Guest Blogging |
The REAL Benefits of Guest Blogging Posted: 26 Oct 2012 06:03 AM PDT Posted by moosahemani This post was originally in YouMoz, and was promoted to the main blog because it provides great value and interest to our community. The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of SEOmoz, Inc. Guest blogging is riding high right now and the whole Internet Marketing sphere is buzzing with talk about it. Some people consider guest blogging to be one of the more powerful of available tactics, while others disparage this viewpoint, saying that guest blogging is highly misunderstood and that people are misusing it. In my honest opinion, both mindsets are correct. I recently did a cartoon post on my blog discussing (in a humorous style) how guest blogging is powerful and how it is misused by many who have failed to understand the scope of awesomeness in this practice we call guest blogging.
Guest blogging is, indeed, one of the powerful ways of building strong, high-quality relationships that may help you in multiple ways, including developing business opportunities and professional connections, setting brand value and, of course, acquisition of link juice. But, there are many people in the industry who aren't grasping the real worth of guest blogging. They tend to view guest blogging as just another link building tactic. Because of this, they continue to build low quality content for submission to blogs that accept guest posting. Sadly, I estimate that one out of ten blogs actually publishes this junk, polluting the web with garbage. Discussion about guest blogging as a relationship development tool vs. guest blogging as yet another vehicle for mere linkbuilding is all over the web. What makes this post different from others is that I will provide case studies and success stories to back my opinion of the real potentials of this practice. Let’s cut the theory part and talk about the real figures! Properly executed, guest blogging can help you: Build RelationshipsSo many blogs state this, but I remember when I wrote my first ever guest post. Very few people tweeted it and I wasn’t able to make any good connections out of it. I was a newbie, and didn't play my part well. There is another common industry phrase that states, ‘Building relationships takes time’. If I merge these two phrases, it reads something like this. Guest blogging helps you build relationships, and as it takes time, you should be consistent in your activities. Let's hear what blogging and SEO expert, Kristi Hines, has to say about building relationships through guest blogging: Words from Kristi Hines: "I've built great blogging relationships through guest posting on other blogs as well as inviting others to guest post on my own. The strongest relationships you will build with other blogs are the ones on sites where you contribute regularly vs. submitting one-off posts." Submitting a single guest post isn't enough. If you intend to forge a relationship, then your job doesn’t end with submitting your post. Plan to interact with the audience (usually through the comments) and follow up with the blog owner or editor to see how your guest post did. This will prove that you aren't just another link builder; you actually care about the community. Who knows? This might open their doors for you to a future of more guest posting opportunities and even partnerships in other areas. Social Media Examiner is one example from my own guest blogging experience of building relationships through guest blogging. They treat all of their writers as a part of their team. They organize meet-ups at blogging conferences like New Media Expo (formerly BlogWorld), they include you in their roundup posts when your expertise matches the roundup topic, and they always offer to help you in any way they can. I've met a lot of great people through their community and even gained some clients for my freelance writing business, which is always a plus. Become An ExpertGuest blogging can act as your doorway to gaining status as an expert in your field. The more in-depth, well-researched posts you publish on authoritative blogs, the more chances you will get to communicate and interact with people. Over time, you can become an authority in eyes of your target audience. That's advice you'll read everywhere, but let's gain deeper insight from the words of guest blogging queen, Ann Smarty, about her journey towards the respect she has earned in the industry: Words from Ann Smarty "It somehow happened without me trying too much. I started blogging and was invited to guest post at Search Engine Journal. I didn't even know what a guest post was and was too humble to even include an "About author" page. Then guest posting invites kept coming. I saw traffic and more people recognizing me as an expert. I saw the benefit! So I started guest blogging actively. Then the idea of MyBlogGuest was born and my name became associated with "guest blogging" because of it. I started to guest post even more promoting MyBlogGuest. It was promoted 100% with my guest posts: no paid reviews, no ads, just "free" guest posts. And it started growing! I guess that's the best evidence of the benefits of guest blogging." Discover Business OpportunitiesThis is the most delicious bite in the whole meal. Yes! With proper implementation, guest blogging surfaces new business opportunities. Don't laugh. I know it works. Rather than quoting an expert here, I'll share my own personal experience. My last post on SEOmoz was about writing an email in a way that gets a better rate of response and it went very well. I danced twice; once when my post got promoted to the main blog and again when I received this message in my SEOmoz private message box:
While I can't reveal all the details of this message, I think it proves my point. In fact, I have received several emails like this after guest blogging elsewhere. If you've tried guest posting without achieving this kind of success, keep the following tips in mind: When attempting to attract business, nothing matters more than the quality of your offering. Your submission must accurately showcase your level of expertise in your field. If you want to see traffic flowing towards your website from your efforts, you must produce the best post ever (I really mean this) on your topic and submit it to a high quality blog. Be sure your website is ready to welcome the new traffic. Make sure it's as awesome as your guest post! Capture A Wider AudienceIt's generally accepted that the more targeted traffic your website captures, the greater the chance of a high conversion rate. The formula for a blogger is pretty much the same, but the question becomes one of how to reach that target audience. Again, enter guest blogging!
Thanks to SEOmoz for coming up with this post analytics feature on their blog. I am again highlighting a previous guest posts on SEOmoz and showing you my stats. Around 3,016 people actually visited my post’s page and average time of their stay on the page is around 4 minutes and 20 seconds (enough time to read and comment on the post). I am sure that if I had published my post on my own blog, I would not have gotten the same amount of traffic. My limited audience and smaller circle of influence cannot compare to that of SEOmoz (obviously). Through guest blogging, I had the chance capture a wider audience and make an impression on new people. Moreover, a good guest post can win more blog and Twitter followers. I've noticed how my followers have quickly increased whenever I've had a post published on one of the major SEO blogs. Retaining these followers is a completely different story, but as far as the increase in followers is concerned, I consider this one of the best gifts guest blogging offers. ...And Get The Link!Let's not forget linkbuilding. The highest quality links will come from submitting your best content to the best blogs publishing in your niche. My blog is in its infancy - only two months old. I currently have a Google PR of 3 and DA of almost 35. Most of my incoming links are the result of guest blogging. I should add that I've been guest blogging for more than a year now, long before I launched my personal blog, so I haven’t been doing it for the purpose of linkbuilding, nor do I recommend this approach. Within a few months, I achieved a reasonably good DA and Google PR score because I was getting links from valuable sites. Check out this screenshot of my link profile in OSE to see what I mean:
For me, guest blogging is fun and it provides a chance to enhance communication as well as my interpersonal skills. It also pushes me to read more and think outside-the-box to come up with something really amazing for guest post content. If you want to enjoy all the benefits of guest blogging mentioned above, then just think creatively and put together the best (BEST ever) article for guest posting. About the Author: Moosa Hemani is a SEO Strategist and blogger at SETalks.com. SETalks recently launched a Guest Posting Services to help clients build high quality relationships within their targeted niches. Like this Article? Like SETalks on facebook. Sign up for The Moz Top 10, a semimonthly mailer updating you on the top ten hottest pieces of SEO news, tips, and rad links uncovered by the Moz team. Think of it as your exclusive digest of stuff you don't have time to hunt down but want to read! |
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Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis |
Superb Hugh Hendry Interview on Gold, Hyperinflation, Treasuries, Stocks, Japan, China, Real Assets Posted: 26 Oct 2012 12:54 PM PDT Here is an excellent interview at The Economist Buttonwood Conference featuring Hugh Hendry. You may have to enter your email address to play, but I doubt it has to be accurate as there was no verification process. The interview is well worth a play in entirety, covering Gold, Hyperinflation, Treasuries, Stocks, Japan, China, and Real Assets. It's the best interview I have seen lately. Link if video does not play: Buttonwood Gathering Part 5. Select Quotes On US Treasuries: "Don't tell me China will sell their US treasuries. If they sell their treasuries, the renminbi goes higher and higher and higher. And their companies that export go bust." That is something I have been saying for years. Indeed, the Fed and the US Treasury would be pleased to have China dump treasuries. On Chinese GDP: "We have a roadmap from the 1920's. The UK played the role of the US and the US played the role of China. With the leverage of the creditor cycle, UK GPP peak to trough fell 8%. One year, in America, in real terms, GDP fell 23%. That's the leverage. Now am I sitting here with video cameras saying the Chinese economy will contract 23%? Of course I'm not. But if we have a coffee later I might say something different." That last sentence above generated tremendous laughter at the conference . Negative 23% is excessively negative, but we are in the same general camp. China is going to surprise way to the downside. China will not economically pass the US as The Economist expects. For further discussion, please see The Dating Game: Michael Pettis Challenges The Economist to a Bet on China. There was an interesting comment on gold at the end. Hendry had been long gold and short the S&P in a paired trade since 2006. That trade worked exceptionally well through 2008. He still likes gold but not as enthusiastically as he did, and he does not like the miners. Regarding miners, I disagree. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
Credit Crunch in Europe; Eurozone Lending Sinking Fast; Money Supply Contracts Posted: 26 Oct 2012 10:29 AM PDT A collapse in demand for credit is underway in Europe. Bank lending is down sharply and the decline has "surprised the experts". I wasn't surprised in the least, but nonetheless, please consider Lending in the euro zone is declining fast, courtesy of Google translate (slightly modified by Mish) from Die Welt. In the crisis-hit euro zone, fears rise of a credit crunch. The sharp decline in bank loans to companies surprised even the experts.Credit Crunch or No Demand? The article bills this event as a "credit crunch". I would define a credit crunch as demand for credit that is not met. Here, I primarily see falling demand. Why businesses should want to expand in this environment is beyond me, and indeed they don't. So if there is no reason for businesses to expand, especially if Germany and France have hit the skids. And both countries have hit the skids (as expected, at least by me) and as noted in Eurozone Downturn Deepens, PMI at 40-Month Low; Manufacturing Weakness in Germany; Considerable Service and Manufacturing Contraction in France. So why the surprise? The answer is most of these guys cannot think. Money Supply Contracts at Sharp Pace Ambrose Evans-Pritchard reports Eurozone nears Japan-style trap as money and credit contract again. Data from the European Central Bank show that the tentative rebound in the money supply over the summer may have stalled again in September.Message is Clear Lars Christensen from Danske Bank says the "message is clear" and proposes QE as the solution. Prof Richard Werner from Southampton University, an alleged "Japan expert" made similar statements. What's clear is both are spouting complete economic nonsense and both are devoid of any knowledge of history. Japan launched various monetary and fiscal stimulus programs over the course of 20+ years and it got them nothing but a massive pile of debt to show for it. Please note that eurozone excess reserves are piling up to the tune of €770 billion as of September according to the Wall Street Journal report The ECB, 'Sterilization' and Money Supply. It's nearly €900 billion now. Lovely. QE is not going to stimulate the demand for credit. It didn't in Japan, it didn't in the US, it hasn't so far in Europe. More QE in Europe won't spur lending either, but it might give gold a nice lift. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
Dire State of Affairs in Illinois; Mish Six-Point Proposal Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:36 PM PDT I just finished slogging through a 69 page PDF by the State Budget Crisis Task Force outlining the dire state of affairs in Illinois. I knew in advance that pension funding is the biggest issue facing Illinois. The task force shows exactly that. Here is a summary. Pension Funding Levels
Those funding levels assume 8% returns going forward, something that is not going to happen. So as bad as the above looks, the true pension underfunding is even worse. Illinois' infrastructure is in bad shape, and the report has the details. There were many things in the report that I did not know about including the loopholes that let legislators pretend Illinois' budget is balanced when it's not. Here is a surprising fact: Illinois has more governmental taxing agencies than any other state including California, a grand total of nearly 7,000 taxing bodies! Here's a juicy tidbit on infrastructure "Nearly two-thirds of Metra and CTA passenger rail cars were in a marginal state. Nearly half of Metra and CTA train stations were past their useful life, and about one-third of CTA and Pace buses were in the last quarter (or less) of their useful life." The report finished with "recommendations" but they were broad stroke, budgetary meaningless things like timely reporting, long-term planning, accrual planning, etc. I am in favor of most of the report recommendations, but they will not solve a single problem. Here is the scariest single sentence in the report "If the projected deficits were paid for by borrowing, debt service costs would grow to consume all sales tax and income tax collections in just five years." Illinois is insolvent, but what can be done about it? Mish Six-Point Proposal
Point number two is against the constitution but I believe it could be accomplished by taxing all benefits above a certain amount at 100%. The alternative is also simple. If the money is not there (the pension plan is bankrupt) all payouts will cease. The way to win approval from the unions is to set the cap high enough so that the majority of union members get 100% of their benefits. State Task Force Report Everything that follows is from the report. It is lengthy and will be easier to read if it is not in blockquotes as per my usual format. Emphasis is generally, but not necessarily mine. "What Would It Take" Calculations
Of Illinois' three biggest fiscal problems — pension costs that are crowding out the rest of the budget, Medicaid cost increases that have grown faster than the state's resources and will be unsustainable as the federal ARRA funds expire. Despite greater recognition that the growth in pension costs cannot be sustained, different views of how to cut or shift the costs have led to a stalemate. No action on pension reform is expected until after the November 2012 elections at the earliest. Illinois' demographics show an aging population with a trend toward fewer workers and more retirees, which will pose daunting fiscal challenges in the years ahead. Illinois is also a diverse state with a variety of competing interests, which makes it difficult for political leaders to reach consensus on key issues. The Politics of Spend, but Don't Tax While in Illinois, as elsewhere, the desire to please constituents by expanding government services without increasing taxes is a given, the origins of the structural gap between spending growth and sustainable revenues can be traced to the 1990s. Governor Rod Blagojevich (Illinois' first Democratic governor since 1976) was elected in 2002 with an agenda to expand programs for children, seniors, and the poor. However, conflict between Blagojevich and Speaker of the House Michael Madigan (both Democrats) meant that tax increases became virtually impossible as the two "checkmated one another.… The governor declared he would veto any general tax increase…. Madigan blocked all the revenue initiatives proposed by the governor." Illinois' Squishy Balanced Budget Requirement It would appear that Illinois' budget is required to be balanced. The Illinois Constitution states that "Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds estimated to be available for the fiscal year shown in the budget" However, Illinois' balanced budget requirement has some serious limitations. First, it refers to anticipated revenues, and there is no requirement that the state adjust its spending if the anticipated revenues are not realized. There is nothing to stop a governor or General Assembly from using an unrealistically high estimate when crafting the budget. Illinois' balanced budget requirement is also a cash concept, referring only to the current fiscal year. This means that the balanced budget requirement does not refer to future pension liabilities or unpaid bills from the previous year. Each fiscal year from 2009 to 2012 ended with a larger stack of unpaid bills — $8 billion at the end of fiscal year 2012 — and each year these bills were ignored when projecting balance for the next year's budget. Underfunded Retirement Promises Are Crowding Out Other Needs It is widely recognized that Illinois has the worst unfunded pension liability of any state. Its five retirement systems had a total of $85 billion in unfunded liability in 2011 (Table 2), and the figure has increased since then. Dealing with some of the lowest funded ratios of public pensions in the nation has contributed to the state's ongoing fiscal crisis. Illinois' pension problems were cited by Moody's Investors Service when it downgraded the state's bond ratings in January 2012, making Illinois' credit rating the lowest of all fifty states. However, Illinois has done nothing to reform state employee pensions since that time and it is doubtful that anything will happen before 2013. Table 2 describes the five retirement systems the State of Illinois is responsible for funding: Teachers Retirement System (TRS), State University Employees Retirement System (SURS), State Employees Retirement System (SERS), General Assembly Retirement System (GARS), and Judicial Retirement System (JRS). It also shows the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), which the state administers but the local government entities are responsible for funding. Most of the state's $85 billion in unfunded liabilities are in the three largest funds, TRS, SURS, and SERS. All five state funds have funding ratios below 41 percent. The IMRF has a much higher funding ratio because of a state law that obliges local governments to make "annual required contributions" (ARC). click on chart for sharper image The Way Pension Costs Are Reported Can Obscure the Problem Illinois' pension systems are likely in a more dire fiscal condition than they seem. Illinois' three largest pension systems discount future pension liabilities using an assumed rate of return on investments of around 8 percent. Since the financial crisis, ongoing economic instability in Europe, and worries of a double-dip recession, many believe that this assumed rate of return is overly optimistic. Most state pension systems have exceeded an 8 percent rate of return over the past several decades, but the rates have been much lower in recent years. Lower discount rates will soon be required in Illinois and other states. Under new rules approved by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) in June 2012, Illinois will be required to report liabilities using "market rates," which are typically closer to 5 percent. Although this change will no doubt have a positive impact by more accurately estimating the level of state liabilities, it reveals an even more precarious financial position. For example, "under the new rules, the Illinois Teachers' Pension System [TRS], one of the country's worst funded, would have shown just an 18 percent funding ratio as of July 2010." Schools In Illinois, total preK-12 education spending per pupil slightly exceeds the national average, but the proportion that comes from the state's own resources is low in comparison to other states. In the 2008-2009 academic year Illinois was ranked forty-eighth in per-pupil education revenues from state sources, but tenth in per pupil revenues from local sources. Illinois' heavy reliance on local property taxes to fund education means that disparities between wealthy and poor communities are reflected in the quality of the schools. During the 2009-2010 academic year, Illinois' wealthiest elementary districts spent about $24,000 per pupil while the poorest districts spent about $6,000. A 2010 national study found that Illinois has the second-highest disparity between high-poverty and low-poverty schools. Illinois has the third highest number of school districts of all U.S. states. More than 200 of Illinois' 868 school districts have only one school. Underinvestment in Infrastructure Crowding out has also become increasingly evident in the case of Illinois' aging infrastructure. In 2010, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Infrastructure Report Card gave Illinois an overall grade of D+.140 The state's infrastructure is in urgent need of immediate repairs to meet basic standards of public safety, and in need of expansion and modernization to accommodate future growth. However, as Illinois continues to struggle to pay its pension, Medicaid, and debt obligations, the state's infrastructure condition will only worsen. Illinois state agencies estimate that infrastructure needs over the next twenty to thirty years will exceed $300 billion. But the state does not have a comprehensive capital improvement plan, and the information needed to make an accurate assessment of the condition of Illinois' infrastructure is incomplete. Condition of Illinois' Infrastructure The poor condition of Illinois' infrastructure — including highways, roads, bridges, trains, buses, dams, locks, and buildings — has become critical. A FY 2011 survey of Illinois' highways and roads by the Illinois Department of Transportation indicated that approximately half of Illinois' highways and roads were in Fair or Poor condition. According to the Federal Highway Administration, in 2010 over 15 percent of Illinois' 26,000 bridges were structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Illinois' mass transit infrastructure is also lacking: in 2010 approximately one-third of mass transit bridges and structures; maintenance facilities; and buses were not in a state of good repair. Nearly two-thirds of Metra and CTA passenger rail cars were in a "marginal" state. Nearly half of Metra and CTA train stations were past their useful life, and about one-third of CTA and Pace buses were in the last quarter (or less) of their useful life. Little state funding is available to address these needs. Local Government Fiscal Stress Local government taxing jurisdictions weave a complex web in Illinois. According to the 2007 Census of Governments, Illinois has more units of government than any other state — nearly 7,000. This includes 102 counties, 1,400 townships, 1,300 municipalities, 868 school districts, and about 4,000 special taxing districts such as library, fire protection, forest preserve, and park districts. In Illinois, the fiscal condition of thousands of local governments is intertwined with that of the state. At present, neither is in a position to help the other. The state's fiscal stresses have led to cutbacks in transfers of state revenues to local governments, exactly at the time that local governments are most in need of assistance. Everything above, starting with "What Would It Take Calculations" were pieces snipped from the 69-page PDF. Illinois is in deep "sheet" and the primary proposals under discussion all involve tax hikes and more pandering to public unions which will do nothing but drive businesses away. My six-point alternate proposal would put Illinois back on a track towards fiscal sanity and also encourage businesses to relocate to Illinois. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com "Wine Country" Economic Conference Hosted By Mish Click on Image to Learn More Mike "Mish" Shedlock is a registered investment advisor representative for SitkaPacific Capital Management. Sitka Pacific is an asset management firm whose goal is strong performance and low volatility, regardless of market direction. Visit http://www.sitkapacific.com/account_management.html to learn more about wealth management and capital preservation strategies of Sitka Pacific. |
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8 Ways to Delight the Pants Off Your Community - Whiteboard Friday |
8 Ways to Delight the Pants Off Your Community - Whiteboard Friday Posted: 25 Oct 2012 06:03 PM PDT Posted by jennita Ahh yes, Community. One of the most important areas of SEOmoz. We've come to realize that growing and nurturing our community isn't just great for business, but it's great for our members and for the greater marketing community. Think of it this way: the more you can get a community member to participate, the more they learn and share their knowledge, the richer the whole community becomes. I could go on for days about the importance of Community, but perhaps another time :). Keeping your community happy (or at least showing them you care) is one of those aspects that is uber important, but doesn't get discussed nearly enough. Today, I'll be talking about just that! I'm excited to share some tips on ways to make your community *happy dance* their way into becoming lifelong fans. So sit back, relax, and learn how to delight and surprise your community - one cupcake at a time! Video Transcription
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