You don’t just need a blog. You need to learn how to be a blogger. Actually, you need to be a STAR blogger. Maybe even a SUPER STAR blogger. You want to make money blogging, don’t you? You want to promote your great ideas, don’t you? You want to help people, help the world, entertain, enlighten, spread love and value to others… don’t you?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions, then you need to get down to business… the business of becoming a STAR blogger.

You Can Warm The Bench…

You see, it’s nice to be a blogger. It’s a nice thing to do. It passes the time away. Your family and friends are amused by it. They might leave you some cute comments. You could even add it to your resume if you want to get some freelance writing assignments.

But blogging is also an incredibly powerful communication tool. You can use it to position yourself as a leader in your field, as an artist, an educator or a philosopher.

You can also use it to make money. Sounds pretty selfish, huh? I hear lots of people say “it’s not about making money”. That’s fine if you’re financially independent or blessed with a trust fund.

Otherwise…

Try telling your kids when they’re hungry… you “got no cash today”.

Try telling your favorite charity when they beg you to help them assist people trying to recover from an earthquake… sorry, I didn’t think money was too important… so “I ain’t got none”.

And you can forget about helping your aging parents who can’t afford the dentist, your shut-in aunt who can‘t pay for air-conditioning, or the old man across the street losing his house to back taxes… just tell them you don’t place much value in money. Tell them you blog just for the “art” of it (ie., your ego).

… Or, You Can Step Up To The Plate!

But if you decide you DO want to monetize your blogging efforts, or you do want to spread your ideas, talents and unique perspectives… then here’s the 5 reasons why you want to be, not just a blogger, but a STAR blogger!  Take notes, and then take these 5 Steps that will take you from the Bench to the Batter’s Box…

Being a Star Blogger means

• You are getting people’s attention (Action Step 1: Get People’s Attention)

• You’re taking on a leadership role within your community or niche (Action Step 2: Be A Leader)

• You are positioned to dominate social media circles (Action Step 3: Master Social Media)

• You gain the trust and credibility that commands a huge audience or following (Action Step 4: Create Trust)

• You are in a position to generate incredible profits (Action Step 5: Capture & Convert Leads)

If you are looking to accomplish these objectives as a blogger, remember that blogging BEGINS with you developing yourself into a STAR BLOGGER.  In future blogs, I’ll go into the 5 Action Steps in detail.

In the meanwhile… If you’re ready to step up to the plate and establish yourself as a STAR Blogger NOW… I’m here for you!  Let’s talk!

I’d love to hear what level of blogging you’re at now, and what things you think you need to work on to start being a STAR BLOGGER!

No matter what your idea of success is, to reach your goals can seem like a complicated and elusive process.  I mean, how do you go from knowing virtually nothing about blogging to becoming a dynamic and prosperous blogging personality in just a few short months?  Is it really possible, or are you just kidding yourself?

It may sound too good to be true to you, but the fact is, whatever success you want as a blogger can be gotten by following just 3 simple steps.

Create Your Niche

Decide WHY you are blogging to begin with.  Who are you in the photosphere?  What do you have to offer?  What is your burning passion to share with others?

This becomes the basis for your Niche.  It is what you have to offer.  It is why people will come to read your blog over and over again.

Are you writing a cookbook that you want everyone to know about?  Are you sharing secrets to make money in real estate?  Are you an affiliate of a great product or system?

It all begins with your deciding what you will offer on your blog.  That’s what your blog will feature.  That’s what you’ll post content about.  People interested in your niche are the ones that will visit repeatedly and become your friends, clients and customers.

Create Your Personal Blog

Now this is not such an easy thing for most people, myself included… at the top of the list!

But it’s not difficult at all if you know where to turn to get techno-savvy professionals to do it for you.  If you want a blog created for you by my affiliate blog design team, check them out anytime.

These guys can have you up and running with a beautifully designed and fully functional blog in mere days… and you’ll be shocked at how affordable it is.

On the other hand, if you know html and coding and are up to the challenge, you can create your own blog.  It doesn’t matter WHO creates it, as long as it gets done, gets done right and gets done quickly so you can start on your journey to being a successful blogger.

Create Your Faithful Following

Now this is THE step that separates the bonafide blogging superstars from the wannabees.

Most people can define their niche and develop a blog to present their ideas in fairly short order.  But the majority of people who do, end up with nice blogs that have great content… and NOBODY reading them.

You might be trying to sell a beautiful car with super low mileage that runs like new.  But if you lock it in the garage and never take it out, who’s going to see it?  And if nobody sees it, who’s going to buy it?  I don’t care if you live on a super highway with 10,000 cars trafficking by every 5 minutes.  Nobody’s going to see it.

But what if were to open the garage door on a sunny day, get 50 people parked on the side of the road, all standing in your driveway pointing at your car and talking about it.  Do you think some of that passing traffic might slow down to see what’s happening?  When they do, and they see your “For Sale” sign, do you think some of them might stop, get out of their cars and walk up your driveway for a closer look?

This is the same process for creating buzz and excitement about your blog.  Simply set up your blog, give it some content, and find faithful followers to visit it, comment on it, tell others about it on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  Don’t you think that will attract a lot of attention to your blog and bring you rapid success?

Of course it will.  So now, you only need to learn the SECRET for getting those faithful followers.

The secret is… Join a TRIBE, or Content Syndication group… or whatever else you might call it.  Without taking a lot of time now to discuss it, I would invite you to link on some of my other posts about the power of tribes to make you an overnight sensation in the photosphere!

Basically, when you join a tribe, you join forces with other bloggers who are all committed to visiting each others blogs and syndicating each others’ blog content everywhere in the Social Media, and directly on  the blogs themselves.  The process is simple.  It won’t happen without your effort and diligence… but it will happen if you get involved and start making it happen.

If you want a little more idea of how Tribes work, check out this blog post I wrote a little while ago:

And please… if you’re itching to get into action, contact me anytime to get started !

These are the 3 steps that will make you a blogging success story.  And it can happen overnight, or it might take a few weeks or months.  But if you develop these 3 essential steps to the best of your ability now, the wheels of success will instantly be put into motion.

I’d love to be with you as you set out on the exciting journey of blogging success.

Keep in touch along the way, and let me know how you’re doing… and when you’re in need of a little help and hand-holding… I’d love to help you reach the next level

I want to blog but I don’t know how to set up a blog. And no, I never heard of Squidoo.

I’m ready to blog but do not have the web design skills to create a blog. And no, I never heard of Squidoo.

I’d like to have a blog created but I’ll have to wait until I have the funds to hire someone to set up MY blog. And no, I never heard of Squidoo.

I can set up a basic blog, but I notice most bloggers have Facebook buttons and Twitter Re-tweet buttons to help them syndicate their blogs. I don’t know how to do all that. And no, I never heard of Squidoo.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SQUIDOO?

I have had more than a few friends, downlines and clients use the above reasons for stalling their efforts to getting started on their personal blog sites. They understand that to use a blog as a central hub is critical to orchestrating their social media strategies. They realize that they simply must have a “home” to send their friends to from You Tube, Twitter and Facebook.

But far too many cite the above reasons for sitting on the bench and not getting into the game.

If you are one of the benchwarmers, let me introduce you to Squidoo.

Squidoo is the brainchild of “Tribes” author and online guru, Seth Godin. I highly recommend it to my clients for many reasons:

It is really easy to set up, and you really don’t have to maintain your Squidoo site as intensely as you do your blog.

The design work is all done for you. No struggling with widgets, plugins or design code.

It’s free. You don’t need to pay a designer. Squidoo is ready to go. Right now! Really!

Not only is it free, you can actually make money from your Squidoo posts if they generate sufficient traffic.

Because you don’t have to mess with the technical aspects of creating and maintaining your own blog, You Can FOCUS Your Efforts On Creating Ideas, rather than getting bogged down in blog mechanics, or sidelined periodically by technical defects.

Squidoo has all the functionality of a personal blog post. It has Facebook and Twitter connections so people can syndicate your content, and they can even leave comments for you! This functionality exists the moment you write a Squidoo post (called a “lens”). You don’t have to set it up, you don’t tweak it… it’s simply there!

I HAVE ALREADY HAVE A BLOG, IS SQUIDOO FOR ME?

Absolutely!

One of the big benefits of adding Squidoo lenses to your online presence is that Google gives high priority for Squidoo lenses. That means it has great search engine optimization features that catch Google’s eye faster and more effectively than the majority of personal blogs.

So, whether or not you have a personal blog, it’s time to create a Squidoo presence to further enhance your online visibility.

If you want to see what a Squidoo lens looks like, check out mine:

http://www.squidoo.com/DavidMerrill101

OK, I’LL GIVE IT A TRY… WHERE DO I START?

This is the easy part. 

You just go to the Squido homepage, click on “Make A Lens” and then the “Get Started” buttons.

From this point on, it’s pretty self-explanatory.  Of course, I’m going to give you the advanced Squidoo training when you’re ready to get things smoking’… but for now, open your free account, create a lens, and get started.

I’ll be creating enhanced training for my clients and fellow bloggers who want to make the Squidoo lens an absolute powerhouse addition to their social media syndication strategies.  Until then, just keep blogging!

Since I’ve been involved with my own tribe, my own personal brand has begun to take form. For me, my personal brand is about the message I want to share with the world. One of the first things I learned from my tribe affiliation is that the most important thing to do is to share the message… share it often, share it clearly, share it despite your misgivings about your ability to do so.

I was recently reminded of this message offline, with implications that are applicable to the organic growth of my online presence.

The most important thing to do is to deliver your message… in whatever way, shape or form is available to you at this very moment.

If you wish you could do it better… in time, you will. If you want everybody to hear it… realize that you can really only speak to one person at a time, so be personal rather than a “personality”.

We are blessed to have great examples of others who have perfected their messages and their personal brands, like Jonathan Budd and Katie Freiling. And most of us are attracted to them because everyday they put themselves out on the line for all to see… not just a business or opportunity or lesson plan. They give us themselves.

But they are not YOU. They can never deliver what you can and in the way that you can. You can choose to deliver your SELF to the world in the very same way. And people will be attracted more to the YOU they are introduced to, than any THING you have to offer.

I encourage you to Make that delivery YOUR purpose, and you will have mastered the secrets of personal branding and attraction marketing.

Could your business suffer from malnutrition?
In the developed world, it is common for people to be overfed and undernourished.
Are you “feeding” into your business a whole lot of calories with very low nutritional value? Are you giving it the “nutrients” it needs to grow and regenerate on a daily basis?

Are the nutrients you are feeding your business of the right quality? It’s great to have lots of widgets and plugins and bells and whistles… but do they complement your most immediate, high impact goals. Are they nourishing the most essential organs of your enterprise? Remember, the quality of the nutrients your business ingests is far more significant than the quantity.

Is your business properly “digesting” and “assimilating” the nutrients you are feeding it?
Making the nutrients your business requires available is only the beginning. Then they must undergo enzymatic activity sufficient for their assimilation into the bloodstream of your undertaking.

Are you continually energizing the nucleus of your online marketing efforts?
Through proper assimilation, key nutrients are transported through the bloodstream of your business, to the cell sites where they are utilized as the energy blocks that are transformed into energy. It is this energy that manifests as the ACTION required to make all your efforts meaningful.

In Part TWO…
We Will Explore The State of Your STRATEGIES…
strategies for coordinating your daily actions with laser sharp precision.
You will learn how to employ strategies for reaching your BIG goals with lightning speed and efficiency.

See You There!

The TRIBE concept is here, fellow Social Media entrepreneurs, MLM folk and online bloggers. Right here! It’s the most powerful and effective way to share our internet marketing efforts to benefit us all. And benefit we ALL shall!

As I’ve told you before, in this Tribe, there’s simply NO ENTREPRENEUR LEFT BEHIND. Not one!

King Vidor’s classic 1934 movie, “Our Daily Bread” (above video clip) gives a quick glimpse into the inner workings of OUR Syndication Tribe.

Remember: “What We’ve Got To Do Is Help Ourselves By Helping Others” – I guess that summarizes the workings of this Tribe. It’s been so great… so profitable… so virally effective… working with my Tribe partners. This is what I call organic growing– and my internet business is GROWING.

Thanks to all of you for your partnership. And we’re JUST GETTING STARTED!

PS: If you want to get started in My Tribe, Contact Me Anytime