You’ll also hear about the trends in mobile marketing and how this impacts businesses today.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

• The apps available for BlackBerry today
• How the new the app platform means more apps for a better consumer experience
• What social media applications are available on BlackBerry
• How businesses can take location-based social apps to the next level
• The next step in the evolution of mobile apps
• How the corporate world is moving to meet the consumer world

Connect with Alex on Twitter @alexkinsella, check out BlackBerry and if you’re a developer you can go here.

How do you think businesses are embracing mobile apps? Please leave your comments below.

What follows are 26 tips, from A-Z, related to the craft of blog writing and a number of critical factors that will help to ensure the production of high-quality posts.

#1: Attribution

“Links are the currency of the web,” writes Jonathan Bailey. “If you use someone else’s content, whether licensed directly or through fair use, it’s important to be sure to provide a clickable link to the original site if at all possible. This not only helps visitors to your site find the original work, but it also provides SEO benefits for the creator of the content and guards against your site being mistaken by the search engines as the original work.”

#2: Blog as Hub

Not long ago, the company website served as the communication hub for an organization. Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman write in their recent book, Content Rules, How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business, “A Blog can serve as your online home base or hub for content, including posts you write, curated content you pull together, press mentions, and content created about your organization elsewhere that you want to share.”

"A blog can become the central location through which you can share your thoughts, words, and ideas with the world."—Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman

#3: Comments

One of the distinguishing features of blogs from earlier websites is the ability to leave comments. As Stan Shroeder writes on Mashable, “At their core, [blogs] are about two-way communication; a blog is simply not a blog without comments.”

Lisa Barone suggests, “Having comments open on your blog is a bit like sitting on your front porch in the evening. It lets people know you’re home and invites them to stop over if they want to talk. People can interact when they have something to say and they become active members of what you’re building.” She offers insights too about how to deal with spam and moderate comments.

#4: Disclosure

Bloggers need to comply with the FTC’s December 2009 policy on disclosures, which mandates that bloggers state clearly when they have accepted free merchandise or services from companies they discuss. Learn more about creating disclosure statements.

#5: Editing

The Yahoo! Style Guide recommends a number of proofreading techniques and suggests that writers use at least one of them, or combine a few:

• Print your page. Reading a printout is a great tactic for spotting errors.
• Wait. You’ll start to see what it actually says, not what it’s supposed to say.
• Ask someone else to read your copy. Having a second reader is one of the best ways to clarify and correct your copy.
• Read backward. Great for proofreading numbers and useful when you need to make sure that a piece of text is perfect.
• Read out loud. Reading out loud, or using screen-reading software, will make you take in the words differently. This is also a good way to check the “voice” of your piece and whether the text flows smoothly.
• Read line-by-line, word-by-word. Use a spell-checker.
• Change the look; e.g., font size, background color or text color.

#6: Frequency

The one thing readers have come to expect from a reputable blog is a frequent and reliable posting schedule. The number of posts you plan to write per week depends on your resources, but whatever works for you, it’s best to commit to a regular and consistent schedule.

#7: Grabbing Attention

With an inordinate amount of blog posts being published daily, you want to strive to stand out with the topic, writing and appearance of your posts. Grab attention with great copy, memorable images and inspiring videos.

Make your blog post stand out from the crowd by grabbing attention.

#8: Headings

Speaking of grabbing attention, one sure way to do that is with the use of headings and subheadings. Not only does it help the reader to ascertain what the post is about, but it also increases the readability of the post, which is an important consideration for all web content. Heading tags (e.g., H1 and H2) will also help with optimizing posts for search engines.

#9: Infographics

Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These representations are being created and posted in increasing numbers these days. What’s great for bloggers too is that many infographic designers often encourage others to embed the infographics on their blogs as long as they credit and link to the original with appropriate attribution.

Here’s a link to a cool infographic, The Journey of a Successful Blog Post.

#10: Juxtaposition

Sometimes coming up with a steady stream of ideas for blog posts can feel challenging. At times like these, you can use a technique where you reference two different posts and then write about the similarities and differences in the thinking and offer your readers a third unique viewpoint.

#11: Keywords

Using keywords in blog posts helps the post to be picked up and ranked by search engines. While it’s important to use them strategically in title tags, headings, body content, URL and meta description, it’s also important to not go overboard and keyword-stuff a post. Whiztechy has a very helpful article, “How to Use Keywords Effectively in Your Blog Posts.”

#12: Links

As discussed previously in #1: Attribution, links are the currency of the web. In addition to linking to posts you’ve referenced, you can also refer to and link back to one of your own related posts, which will also help your blog’s SEO.

#13: Mobile-Friendly

More and more readers these days are coming to blog posts via their mobile phones, so if your blog isn’t already mobile-friendly, you’ll want to take the necessary steps to make it more easily accessible. Many popular blogging platforms have mobile plugins and templates. Darnell Clayton shares helpful information in his post, “How to Make Your Blog Mobile Friendly.”

#14: Numbers in Titles

Jeremy LaDuque writes in his post, “5 Tips for Effective Email and Blog Titles,” that research has shown that “when a title contains a number, it gets more attention.” 26 Tips, anyone?

#15: Optimizing Blog Posts

As discussed earlier, using keywords and tags helps with a blog’s overall SEO. Taken a step further, Darren Rowse has a post, “Optimize a Single Post on Your Blog for SEO,” about steps you can take to go back and further tweak posts after they’ve been published by analyzing the competition, and looking further at on- and off-page optimization opportunities.

#16: Pain Points

Rich Brooks writes in his post, “How to Develop a Social Media Content Strategy,” that knowing your audience’s pain points will help you tap into conversations that may otherwise pass you by. Begin by finding key phrases and narrowing them down further so you can determine what’s most important to your audience.

#17: Question

Because most bloggers want to encourage conversation on their blog posts, many have found it helpful to come right out and ask readers questions at the end of the post, which gives people something specific to respond to. For example, an appropriate question to end this post might be “What blogging tips would you add to this list?”

#18: Readability

Michael Martin suggests that people come to your blog to read articles, and the easier they are to read, the better. He offers a useful resource, “30 Things That You Can Do Now,” which includes formatting suggestions regarding links, line spacing, pull quotes, font and background colors, structured hierarchy, italics, bold, etc.

#19: Style Guide

Blogs require a consistent style guide so that anyone who writes and edits posts will be able to adhere to the same rules. Some blogs choose to adopt the AP Stylebook and others prefer the MLA or The Yahoo! Style Guide. As Jonathan Bailey suggests, you’ll also want to decide up front how you address specifics such as post length/frequency, post titles (length, capitalization), formatting (subheads, lists), images (sources, sizes), links (number, format), attribution (quotes, photos), and author information/bio.

#20: Templates

Kit Singleton provides “7 Tips for Choosing a Business Blog Template.” She suggests thinking about key factors such as knowing your blog’s purpose, paying attention to aesthetics, the arrangement of columns, recommended blog features, modifiable CSS code, checking your blog in several browsers, and when the time comes, not being afraid to change the look and feel of your blog.

#21: Updates

At times you may find that something you wrote about previously has undergone a significant change. Rather than starting a new post from scratch, you can go back to the original post and update it with the information you’d like to add. For example, the number of users on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are constantly increasing, so you might add the new information and indicate that you’ve updated the page since the original post date. That way your posts won’t get too outdated and it’ll reflect well that you’re working to keep the material up to date. It also gives the reader a good frame of reference on the quickly changing landscape.

#22: Voice

How does your blog sound to a reader? What does it say about you and your business?

Georgina Laidlaw suggests that “Voice is the tone in which you present content…” If a message is what we say, then voice is a critical element in the tone of your content. Pace, rhythm, turns of phrase, idioms—even the way you use punctuation—all contribute to the voice of your blog.

Heidi Cohen offers 7 points to help you create your writer’s voice: personality, tells a story, is contextually relevant, listens and interacts, sounds like a real person, has a point of view and avoids sanitized corporate-speak.

#23: Write for the World

If you’ve ever looked at your blog analytics and found that a particular post was read widely in another part of the world, you’ll be able to fully appreciate this next tip—Write for the World—identified by the Yahoo! Style Guide. As it suggests, “Do not assume that you know who’s reading your website. Your audience is not homogenous; its members almost certainly vary in age, race, gender, physical abilities, nationality, culture, sexual orientation, and so on.”

Writing for the world can further be translated as banishing bias from your language; e.g., determine whether a group-specific reference is relevant, be exact, beware of false generalizations, use “us” and “them” cautiously, don’t make the characteristic the person, watch out for bias inherent in slang and other figures of speech, and don’t overcompensate.

Write for the world and banish bias from your language.

#24: Expert Interviews

Conducting expert interviews is a good content source for blogs to consider. Name recognition of someone in your field in whom your audience is interested has a good chance of increasing the post’s readership. Furthermore, if the person you interviewed links back to your site or tweets about your interview, your name becomes connected with the expert’s, and you can bring a new awareness and credibility to your blog. In the post “Traffic: Will the Expert Interview Increase Traffic to Your Blog or Site?, you’ll find a good discussion for how to go about asking for an interview with an expert, suggestions for how to conduct the interview and a list of sample questions.

#25: YouTube

There are many good reasons why you’d want to embed a YouTube video into a blog post. As YouTube says, “Video is much more engaging than text. It draws more users and keeps them on your site for longer… When looking to increase engagement, try using video as a way to start discussion or make a commentary by creating more context for your users.” Marziah Karch has a great post about how to share, embed and link YouTube videos.

#26: Zigzags and Leaps

In an attempt to keep our blog posts fresh, writers may need to explore new techniques every now and then. Books on the craft of nonfiction and even fiction writing can offer different directions for bloggers to take to get the momentum moving again. In the book Now Write! Nonfiction, Barbara Hurd offers a chapter entitled “Zigzags and Leaps.” She writes, “So the question becomes: how to make the mind move, how to make our thinking zigzag and swerve, plunge and leap as we search for the right direction? I often suggest that students with listless drafts make a series of mental moves that might open up things a bit, allow a little more in, including, we hope, the discovery that’s been eluding them.”

Final thoughts about fine-tuning blog posts: To have your blog serve as your online home base, it will require an ongoing commitment to quality content and great attention to detail. But the personal and business rewards of maintaining a blog will be well worth the effort!

What new tips will you try out? What blogging tips would you add to this list? Leave your comments in the box below.

All photos from Shutterstock.

Michael explains why there’s a need to get your social media message right today and how businesses can use governance and training to do this. And you’ll also hear a great tip on how to get more out of your social media activities.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

• How to avoid broadcasting several different messages on social media
• Who the right people are to own your messaging
• Why Intel does a great job using social media
• What things businesses can do to get more out of social media
• What kind of actions business should take
• Current trends in social media
• How important it is to mobilize your employee base on social media

Find out more about Michael on Edelman Digital’s blog and @EdelmanDigital on Twitter.  And you can also connect with Michael on his personal social media blog Britopian and @britopian on Twitter.

How do you ensure your social media message is the right one for your business? Please share your comments below.

You’ll also learn about the hot concept of the 118 rule and how to create the digital version of your elevator pitch.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

• Why you need to focus on the key questions to ask about your business
• Why you only have 8 seconds to hook someone and 110 seconds to sell them
• How a Chief Listening Officer can help develop your business
• Why it’s not about what you say your brand is but how you deliver the message
• What people are doing wrong on social media
• Why you never control your brand and what you need to do instead
• Why 1/3 of all businesses get social media straight away, 1/3 eventually get it and 1/3 will never get it
• How good marketers use a blend of communication tools

Follow Jeff on Twitter, check out his website and look out for his new blog, the Change Agent.  This year Jeff has a new book coming out and you should be seeing him on television too.

What do you think about the mirror test and creating your brand?  Do you have a digital elevator pitch? Please leave your comments below.

Jim shares how Revision3 came about in 2005 and how the web allowed them to create television without the overhead of a cable network.  You’ll hear how Revision3 uses the web and social media to find an audience.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

• Jim’s recipe for video success
• What’s the next recommended step once you’ve got some great videos
• How to use social media to drive traffic for your shows
• How becoming the #1 app on Roku helped Revision3
• What’s going to change in the future
• How big screen TV will change videos

Check out Revision3 and connect with Jim on Twitter @jlouderb and on his blog Louderback.com.

Do you watch internet television? Where do you see internet television in the future? Please leave your comments below.

David explains why you need to become a social business before you can become a social brand. You’ll also find out where to start your social business planning and what to expect in the future.

Be sure to check out the takeaways below after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn in this video:

• How to prepare your business for social media
• Why you should start with small projects on social media
• Why social media ROI is an excuse for inaction
• How to identify more economic metrics other than sales
• What success is for businesses on social media
• Why the ability to create a social experience is critical

Connect with David on his blog Logic + Emotion, on Twitter @armano and check out Edelman Digital.

What are your thoughts on social business? Please leave your comments below.

As marketers, we often look for the next big tool to differentiate ourselves. But did you know the most powerful content-creative tool was invented long before social media? It doesn’t involve keeping a Kodak Zi8 in your pocket, either. And you don’t need a fancy new Twitter strategy or some snazzy FBML.

The most powerful content tool is also the oldest. It’s the tool that brought us some of the most compelling moments in history—from fallen leaders to pop-culture confessions. It’s the tool that made Oprah arguably one of the most powerful brands on the planet. And the same one that Barbara Walters used to reach the most influential people of our time.

Your Content Advantage: The Interview

Yes, the interview. Powerful interviews create timeless content. Yet when it comes to blogging, we neglect to use our most powerful weapons. Master blog interview tactics and your content will surely make an impact—in any situation.

Interview-based content is valuable to your readers and more likely to be shared.

Famous rocker Glenn Danzig once said, “unfortunately, I have to say, one out of every 100 interviews I do, I get a real journalist.” So whether you write for yourself, your boss, a client or an industry analyst, leave the impression of a professional. Blog interviewing is a must-learn tactic.

Interviews can be recrafted into unique blog posts. The trick is asking the right questions.

Here are 11 lines of questioning you can use to extract great material:

#1: Informational Post

Q: What are the three biggest benefits to your target audience and why?

Many writers mistakenly focus on whiz-bang features, measures or accomplishments, but readers often have difficulty relating to these. By focusing on benefits, you push the interview subject to think outside of features and bells and whistles. Benefits are far more persuasive than features, and they are well-received by a larger audience.

#2: The Numbered List

Q: What are the [insert #] top questions asked by your [customers, readers, followers]? What are [#] more?

By using a two-part question, you force the subject to rank the priority of each item—space is limited. The second part of the question allows you to open it up, but you’ll know the items that really matter in your subject’s mind. Prioritized lists are important because many readers judge the value of your post by the first few items.

Numbered list posts often gain broad reach via social media. The two-part approach brings the reader in more effectively.

#3: The Mini Case Study

Q: Tell me about a day in your life—before and after the solution you chose.

By asking the subject to speak about his or her life, in personal rather than business terms, you’ll better extract how quality of life or work was improved. This leads to deeper and more unique follow-up questions and a strong emotional connection to your audience.

Ford continues to deliver a more “human” approach with case studies, making them more compelling blog posts for a larger audience.

#4: Link or Resource Round-Ups

Q: If you had a list of ‘best-kept secrets’ [websites, books, coaches] you’d recommend, which would you include and why?

By asking for resources outside the mainstream, you’re likely to get a round-up that’s far more unique than other round-up blogs that mention the same mainstream thing.

#5: Expert Guide

Q: What tips can you recommend that you’d only share with a close friend (and everyone reading this blog)?

This line of questioning will force the subject to think outside the box. The subject benefits because he or she becomes even more of an expert, while your readers will be all but guaranteed unique content.

#6: Common Pitfalls or Problems

Q: What are three hard-to-spot pitfalls that are critical to avoid?

Even people who have moderate knowledge of a topic know about obvious pitfalls. Focusing on the most difficult hurdles to spot will make you a hero in the eyes of the people you save.

#7: Predictions or Trends

Q: Looking out 3 to 5 years, beyond the obvious trends, what do you think will be the next big change in your industry?

If you focus more than a year or two in the future, you’ll push your subject to stay away from the obvious. Example: If you’re a marketer, you don’t get much value from your subject telling you that social media will be huge next year.

By focusing beyond the near future, blog posts are more likely to offer unique, rather than trending, insights. This means original content, more links and broader reach.

#8: Response to Another Blog or Current Event

Q: When you first read that [article, blog post, comic, etc.], what was your gut reaction

This phrasing gives the subject psychological permission to tell you his or her honest opinion and not necessarily the prepared one.

#9: Inspirational Post or Client Story

Q: What are three things you’ve told yourself that kept you going during your darkest hour?

This question immediately turns the interview subject from an interviewee into a coach and sage. You’ll be surprised at how this single powerful question can literally transform an entire interview.

Building an emotional hook early in the post inspired readers to continue reading and likely share the story with others.

#10: Personal Profile or Biographical Q&A

Q: What are three life memories you recall most frequently and why?

The memories we recall most are often the ones that have had the biggest impact on our lives. You’ll likely learn a lot about your subject by following this line of questioning.

Asking questions that make your subject a storyteller reveals his or her real voice and creates a more compelling storyline.

#11: Product, Service or Book Review

Q: What was the most difficult thing you decided to exclude from this review and what was your reasoning?

This question opens the interview subject up to a discussion about some of the things that may have been important but were not included for a variety of reasons. External factors like time, space, politics or other issues often don’t let reviewers include everything they’d like.

These eleven questions can help you craft great content for your blog. By interviewing, you’ll generate content that gives you tremendous reach.

I’d like to hear from you. What other lines of questioning have you used to enhance your blogging? Feel free to add your own in the comments below.

Frank is a pioneer in using social media for customer service and in this video he talks about what has changed over the last few years. He also shares tips for companies to improve customer support.

You’ll find more takeaways below. Be sure to leave your comments after you watch the video.

Here are some of the things you’ll learn from Frank:

• What needs to change in customer service
• Why your company needs to get back to the basics of customer service
• How to use stories to  improve your customer service experience
• How to use the different social media platforms to connect with your customers
• What it means to do service right
• A great tip to implement customer service 101 on Twitter
• Why Frank is excited about implementing click to call and click to chat features

And here’s some advice Frank has for his peers:

• If you company is controlling marketing and PR: be human about it. Let your team service your customers. Let them do what they do well and allow them to be who they are.
• If your service is not what it should be: it’s up to you to fix it. Don’t wait for someone else to fix it.

You can connect with Frank on his blog and follow him on Twitter.

How is your company using social media for customer service? Please share your experiences below.

In honor of this special day, I would like to help you grow your blog by sharing some tips we have learned over our last 12 months of explosive growth.

Before I share my tips, I would like to reveal the name of our mascot…

Our Mascot Is No Longer Nameless

Over the last few weeks we asked you (and your peers) to help us name our mascot.  Now that today is his first birthday, he finally deserves a name!

More than 500 names poured in, we narrowed down our top 5 favorites and then more than 650 people voted.

And the new name of our mascot is…  Well, you’ll need to watch this video to find out:

Congratulations to Dawn Barclay for suggesting the winning name!

Okay, so here are our tips for achieving successful blog growth…

#1: It’s All About Community

In the beginning, we had the mistaken notion that all that mattered was great content.  Don’t get me wrong, content is essential and always will be (see Tip #2).

Things really took off the moment we integrated our Facebook page into our blog.  Almost overnight, what I call “lurkers” (those people who read but don’t interact), came forward en masse.

At first they told us how much they appreciated our site.  But then they began to interact with each other, support one another and connect.  It was an amazing community that was building right in front of us.

This is a great example of community in action as readers are helping readers.

Here are some pointers when trying to build a community on your blog:

• Set up a Facebook page and be sure to actively engage folks as they write on your wall.
• Try to respond to as many comments on your blog posts as possible.
• Create events on Facebook that encourage folks to come together, like Expert Fridays, virtual happy hours or other Facebook experiences.

When people who share a common interest can come together on your site, you’ll be one step closer to explosive blog growth.

#2: Great Content Is Essential

I believe outstanding content is essential to ongoing growth.  But great content tied to a great community is the key to explosive results.  In the beginning, you might need to get your great content on someone else’s platform to ultimately grow your own.

Before this blog, I was a regular contributor to Copyblogger.  Brian Clark’s amazing site helped me build up my prior blog and set the stage for Social Media Examiner.

I’ve also seen many folks who write for Social Media Examiner achieve amazing results (like book deals).  So, great content in front of the right audience is really critical.

Here are the key components to great content:

• Your writing should be conversational and easy to read.
• Use lots of subheads, bold text and visuals to accommodate skim readers.
• Make sure each of your posts looks good to the eye.  If it looks appealing, people will consider reading it.
• Work on a compelling opening… That means you should master the headline process and create alluring openings to all your posts.

Notice the way the headline and opening were crafted for this post…

#3: Go Beyond Just Text and Pictures

Great content doesn’t need to be limited to the written word.  We discovered that there are plenty of people who prefer to learn by watching or listening.  Try mixing up your media.

From the beginning we invested in video.  We took a camera crew with us to major trade shows and interviewed experts from big brands like Starbucks.

We also did recorded phone interviews with high-profile experts.  We transcribed the content and provided audio recordings.

This interview with Chris Brogan is one of many we did over the last year.

Here are a few video tips:

• You don’t need a video crew. You can start out with a simple Flip video camera for on-site interviews.
• Consider doing live video broadcasts.
• Conversational video between two people is often more interesting than a talking head.

Here’s to Another Great Year!

Thank you so much for being an integral part of the Social Media Examiner growth story!  We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for faithful readers like you.

I don’t know what our second year has in store, but I’m excited to see what will unfold as we journey together through the social media jungle.

What are your thoughts about these tips? Do you have any to add? Please leave your comments in the box below.

In this interview, Jason shares the biggest mistake businesses make when using social media. He also shows the similarities between social media and public relations, how to engage customers and his excellent insights into the future of social media.

After you watch the video, be sure to read the takeaways listed below and let us know what resonated with you most.

Here are some of the key points Jason shares in this video:

• Listen to your competition as well as your current customers and what they are saying about your company
• Social media conversations are dialogues and even “multi-logues” where others listen to your 1-on-1 conversations
• Social media is about building long term lasting relationships with customers
• Listen for and respond to both positive and negative comments multiplies the good vibes around your brand
• Soon businesses will be creating social businesses where customers come for community and not just to buy your product
• The best social media programs take the online world and move it to the offline world

What’s next for Jason? He’s busy consulting, writing projects and creating an online learning portal for businesses to learn basic social media techniques.

What was your biggest takeaway from this video? Please share your comments below.