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How to Use Pinterest

February 13, 2012 By Beth 13 Comments

I have a confession to make. I’m totally hooked on Pinterest.

Pinterest (rhymes with “interest”) is a social tool that allows users to create online vision boards (those cool collages you make from cut-up newspaper images and put up on your walls for inspiration) and share your collages with other Pinterest users.

Here’s how to use Pinterest:

  • Go to Pinterest.com and request an invitation by clicking on “Request an Invite” at the top of the page.
  • When you get your invitation, create your free account (be mindful of your username – other people are going to see it!)
  • Fill out your account with some basic details about you, and decide whether or not you want to link your Facebook account to your Pinterest account – I recommend that you do.
  • Check out other people’s boards and look at what they’ve pinned to get a ideas about what people are doing with Pinterest. Rebecca Self was my inspiration when I started.
  • Most pinned images are clickable and lead back to the original web page where they were found, so you can read more about the image.
  • When you find an image you love that someone else has pinned, you can “repin” it onto one of your boards by clicking “repin.”
  • Organize your images in different categories, or “boards.” You can name the boards anything you want. Usually the names are based on the themes of the images on that board.
  • Connect with other Pinterest users and follow them so you can see what they pin every day. Your Pinterest home page works a lot like your Facebook home page – it’s a running feed of all your friend’s activity from the last couple of days.
  • You can get this cool little widget that lets you pin other stuff around the web. It lets you put a “Pin it” button at the top of your browser, so you can go crazy pinning all kinds of stuff!

Here’s what Pinterest is about, quoted from the Pinterest About page:

“Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

…Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.”

Sounds pretty great, right?

Plus, it’s pretty. :)

I like using Pinterest because it’s beautiful and positive. People post stuff that makes them happy. Or they pin pictures of beautiful rooms and furniture they’d like to buy for their houses. Or they post images of fashion that they love.

It’s GORGEOUS. And it’s a marvelous way to spend time on the Internet and connect with people.

You rarely see a Pinterest pin that says “My day sucks. My dog ran away and I totaled my car, and then my kids threw a temper tantrum.” There’s no bitching on Pinterest. It’s all just lovely images, positive thoughts, beautiful images, and love and kindness and heart.

That’s why I love it. How about you?

You can follow me on Pinterest at @bethhayden.

Note: Let me know in the comment if you’re on Pinterest, and I’ll follow you! And if you need an invitation, I can hook you up! Just leave a comment with the email address you want me to send it to, and I’ll get it in your hot little hands. :)

Filed Under: Content, Tools Tagged With:
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Why Email Is Not on Its Deathbed

February 4, 2012 By Beth 1 Comment

I found this really intriguing infographic that features some worldwide email statistics. Email marketing is one of the reasons that my business is successful, and when I embraced reaching my customers via email, I experienced a HUGE jump in business revenue, so I know I feel strongly that email is an incredibly important part of building an online marketing strategy.

Granted, we need to consider the source of this infographic – this project was put together by Visible Gains, an email marketing company that has everything to gain by claiming that email is alive and kicking. Nonetheless, it’s some compelling data.

The most interesting statistic to me was the number of email message sent every day, worldwide – 188 BILLION. That’s a whole lotta email!

What do you guys think – do you below email is less important than it used to be? Has email marketing been useful for you, or not? Give me your opinion in the comments below.

(click on the image below for a larger version)

Visiblegains Infographic - Email is Dead?

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The Fastest Way to Get Flat-Out Rejected for a Guest Blogging Gig

February 3, 2012 By Beth 3 Comments

Rubber Stamp that Says "Denied"Recently, a woman wrote to me and offered to do a guest post on my blog. She introduced herself and told me a little bit about what she was up to in the world. Her niche had nothing to do with blogging or social media, but that wasn’t necessarily a deal breaker for me, so I kept reading.

She told me she’d like to guest post on my site, and gave me a link to her website.  Then she asked, “Can you please send me some topics that you would like me to use for a guest post?”

Hmmmm.

A few days later, I got another request. This woman wrote a very similar short intro, then asked me if I would consider publishing her guest post on my blog. Then she gave me a great idea for a post topic, and even told me why she thought the post would be a good fit for my site. It was clear she had done her homework and really thought out the details of her request.

Which potential guest blogger do you think I said yes to?

That’s right – I said yes to the one who approached me with an idea.

If you want to do guest posts, don’t expect the host blogger do the work and give you topics to write about. Prepare a couple of great post ideas, and send those with your inquiry.  Make it clear that you know the blog really well, and that you know what will (and will NOT) be good material for the website.

The key to getting guest blogging gigs is having awesome ideas for blog posts.

Yes, I think it’s important to build relationships with the bloggers you’re trying to approach. I think it’s also incredibly important to practice writing as much as possible so that you become the best writer you can be.

But I also think that a popular blogger is going to be a lot more excited to consider your blog post if you have an awesome idea.

Here’s what I suggest:

  • Do your homework. Read the blog inside and out, so you have a really good grasp on the subject matter, the tone, and the kinds of posts that do well on the site (look for lots of retweets and comments for proof of popularity.)
  • Then make your pitch. Keep it really short.
  • Use your first paragraph to introduce yourself and tell them a LITTLE bit about you. Then say “I’d like to write a guest post for [your awesome, popular blog]. Here are some possible posts I could write…
  • Then list your possible topics. Give ‘em a maximum of five ideas – you don’t want to overwhelm the blogger.

Hopefully you’ll hear back from the host blogger quickly, and she’ll say “Yes! I’m totally interested in your post about Hamsters During the French Revolution. Please send me the post by X date, and if it’s a good fit for us, we’ll publish it.”

If not, well…then you need to go back to the drawing board. But if you keep reading that blog and keep sending in original, well-targeted post topics, sooner or later you are going to get a yes.

Need ideas for posts? Trying downloading the utterly awesome Copyblogger headline hacks report and pick through its foolproof headline formulas.  Start your list of post ideas, then keep adding to it.

Want to try it? Send a short guest post pitch to a blogger you’d love to write for. Make sure to keep your note short and sweet, and only pitch IDEAS. Don’t send a whole blog post. Make your ideas great, and make sure they fit the topic of the blog.

Then tell us about it in the comments, or share your story on the Blogging with Beth Facebook page.

Filed Under: Blogging Tips, Traffic Ideas
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Get Online Marketing Help from Dave Navarro – for only $20

February 1, 2012 By Beth Leave a Comment

I’ve learned *so* much from Dave Navarro (the Launch Coach) over the past few years. He’s taught me how to write a sales letter, how to build my mailing list, and how to get more done every day.

I’ve purchased a number of his products and have never been anything but completely blown away by the quality of his stuff and the caliber of the information he’s teaching. I can honestly say that at least two-thirds of what I’ve learned about online marketing in the last few years has come directly from Dave.

As of Monday, Dave will be working exclusively with Naomi Dunford of IttyBiz.com. Although I am disappointed that Dave won’t be sending his incredibly useful Launch Coach emails any more, I’m excited to see what he and Naomi cook up together. I think the two of them will be a really powerful combination.

To get ready to shut down his Launch Coach website, Dave has put all of his training programs on sale at a truly incredible rate. If you move quickly (you’ve only got until midnight this Friday night) you can get all eight of his incredible training programs for $20. Twenty bucks, folks. But after this Friday, these programs will be never be available for sale again!

His programs are like a masters degree in online marketing. Here’s what you’ll get in this toolbox:

  • Creating Products that Sell
  • Building a Responsive List
  • High-Coversion Sales Page
  • Mastering Your Sales Funnel
  • Optimizing Your Blog for Sales
  • Becoming Incredibly Productive
  • Becoming a Big Player in Your Niche
  • Getting Affiliates to Sell for You

I put the suggestions from Dave’s  “Building a Responsive List” course into action, and those changes are the main reason I have thousands of people on my email mailing list today. Dave’s stuff is like rocket fuel for your business.

I urge you to invest in your online business and buy these training programs before they disappear.

Please note that I’m not an affiliate for the Launch Coach, so I don’t make a dime if you buy these programs. I would just love to see all of you succeed, and I think Dave’s work can help you do that if you put his suggestions into action with your business.

Again, here’s that link to buy. Make sure you make your purchase before Friday at midnight.

Filed Under: Products, Traffic Ideas, Writing Content
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