by Ana Hoffman 55 comments

Sunday Coffee with Ana: Start Engaging Others or No SEO Will Help



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sunday coffee with anaAs most of you know, there won’t be a live Sunday Coffee with Ana broadcast today.

I know you are very sad. :(

However, I am not letting you off the hook that easily. Everybody is entitled to my opinion and I am going to give it to you on the topic of networking, social engagement, and the lack thereof.

If you think you’ve heard it all and know it all, then let me tell you: you missed a big piece along the way since your business is not where you’d like for it to be.

Am I right?

And trust me, I am not excluding myself from this; I am just as guilty and that’s about to change.

Questions:

I had a few questions regarding some of the products I use on TGC.

1. MaxBlogPress Subscribers Magnet

“Ana,
I took a look at this, but the Max Blog Press website says that sales have been stopped for now - provide contact info to join their waiting list.
Too bad - it looked like a great product.” ~ Greg
Hi, Greg - you are right, the MaxBlogPress Subscribers Magnet has been closed for a while now.

However, it’s being re-launched and will open back up on Tuesday, February 15. It’ll be offered for only $97, compared to the regular price of $147.

For now, check out this link https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/boost-link-building; make sure to opt in and they’ll let you know when the shopping frenzy begins.

2. TweetAdder vs MarketMeSweet: Which One?
“I am trying to decide between Tweet Adder and MarketMeSuite. They seem pretty much the same but the feature in Tweet Adder for Re-tweeting is perfect for my authors but I do like the marketing aspect within MMS that allows you to put your link at the bottom of each tweet. What to do?” ~ Mike Webb
I can definitely relate to your dilemma, Mike! :)

That’s why I own both. I use TweetAdder for most of my following, market research, etc. However, I use MMS for all my day-to-day social engagements. By the way, did you see MMS new Facebook signatures feature? Awesome.

facebook signature with marketmesuite
Whatever you decide, either product will be great and… yes, incomplete. :)
3. Guest Posting
This time we are not talking about guest posting on other blogs; rather inviting guest writers to write for us.
Here’s the question:
“Based on what you know from your own and others’ experience, what is the minimum traffic level to start inviting guest posts? I have only recently reached 1,000 visitors/month with Web Tracking Guide (it’s 2 months old).”
As you can imagine, there’s no right or wrong answer here.
You can always try: make a page about guest posting on your blog and start talking to other bloggers who write good stuff, but who “haven’t gotten there yet”.

If their traffic is around the same, they might be apt to write a guest post for you. If their traffic is much more than yours, they might snob you.

However, any time to request guest posts is good time!

From my personal experience, finding quality guest writers is a challenge no matter what stage your blog is at.
Even I have to beg people to write for me, and even when they do, most of the time it’s terrible posts that they wouldn’t publish on their own blogs…
Have a great move, Val! (Val is moving from Ukraine all the way to Berlin this week - let’s wish him a safe journey!)

This Week on Traffic Generation Cafe

Yes, Start Engaging with Others by starting engaging with me.
Monday Why All Your Make Money Blogging Efforts Will Fail Without This
There is one cornerstone principle that will make or break your aspiration of becoming a professional blogger - we’ll talk about that, and I’ll strongly urge you to give me about 5 seconds of your time to take a quick poll.
Tuesday Got Traffic? So What?
Learning to turn your visitors into subscribers is the single most important thing you can do today to monetize your online business, and you know the best part? It’s entirely UNDER your CONTROL.
Wednesday How To Write Titles With Teeth
Not all that good at writing great headlines? Suck at it? Wait till you read this post. If nothing else, you’ll get a great laugh.
Thursday Still working on the post - I am sure it’ll be great!
Friday Blog Audit Friday: Traffic Generation Cafe at Your Mercy
You are going to love this one! Not only this is one of the most popular days around here, but this time you get to tell me what you REALLY think of me and my blog. Remember, the only way to improve is to know what it is wrong and I need your help with that. Hold nothing back!
Sunday Sunday Coffee with Ana
Still no live broadcast, but I am sure I’ll have a thing or two to say - it’s shutting up that I have problems with! Please send me your questions throughout the week; I’d love to take a shot at them on Sunday.

Marketing Takeaway

If you don’t know anyone, no one will know you.
Let me know who you are! Leave comments, start debates, ask questions - stop lurking behind the scenes, in other words.
SHOW ME YOU ARE ALIVE!

ana hoffman yournetbiz


traffic generation cafe comment below

{ 55 comments }

Diana Simon May 8, 2011 at 9:51 am

Hi Ana,

I started seriously blogging 2 months ago despite the reluctance and what I have learnt really fast is that blogging is not only about writing posts. It’s a two way communication tool where you leave your comments on other blogs and also reply to comments on you own blog.

It is actually the part of blogging most bloggers miss out on. Your post is what enables you to communicate with your readers and for them to share their comments. Writing the most amazing post is not going to do you any good if you don’t go blog hopping!

Ana May 8, 2011 at 10:35 pm

Diana, that is exactly where most bloggers go wrong. I’m glad you could benefit.

Mitch Mitchell March 26, 2011 at 10:44 pm

Ana, I have to admit that I’m relatively new in reading your blog, so I’ll have some catching up to do. However, I can comment on your main premise, and it’s totally accurate. I tell people all the time that just writing a blog won’t get it done. They have to advertise it as much as they can and they have to be willing to be somewhat social and join in the blogging community, which means they have to be ready to comment on other blogs. That’s just how social media works; I do the same with Twitter in that, if people never talk to me, then I drop them eventually.

Ana March 27, 2011 at 8:43 pm

You got it, Mitch - simply writing is not going to cut it.

It’s all about engagement. Like what you and I are doing right now.

Brad Harmon February 19, 2011 at 4:53 pm

Awesome video, Ana. I did my first one a few weeks ago, but it was no where close to yours. I hope to do many more of them, but I think I’ll be watching you to pick up some much needed pointers.

Start Engaging Others. I love that! I’m not sure why people don’t get this. It’s the same in the offline world. It’s about the relationships. Everything else is just details. Give away what you want the most and you’ll be surprised how it comes back to you overflowing.

Ana February 16, 2011 at 3:43 pm

Lots of deep questions here, Carol.

First of all, you need to move your blog to Wordpress.org, if you are serious about blogging. That’s the self-hosted version of Wordpress. Check out this blog post to make sense of this https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/blog-website-faceoff/

Next, domain name. You choose your niche first, then keywords, THEN domain based on that. Don’t go just for catchy.

Time management is always tough for all of us.

I think I need a post “a day in Ana’s life” :)

But most of all, stop “learning” and start implementing!

And network! No business is an island.

Ana February 16, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Very well said, Patrick.

When I am asked one of those “what would you do, if you had no traffic, and needed to make $1K in a month” questions, my answer is always NETWORK!

Jan Smith February 16, 2011 at 1:40 am

Hi Ana,
Skiing in Colorado sounds like a cold holiday for someone in Qld Australia :-) But having been there, it is nice in Spring and summer. Hervey Bay is nicer when we don’t have floods or cyclones to interrupt our days.

The proliferation of social bookmarking sites I find is curious and worrying all at the same time. What I worry about is the fact that people are fast losing the ability to read body language that accompanies words.

I think we will quickly lose a lot of our finer (instinctive?) communication ability between people. What do others think about this prospect?

Mavis Nong February 15, 2011 at 3:58 am

Hey Ana,

A very powerful message. My business took a complete turn when I started engaging with others on a serious note.

I loved Lisa’s guest post - cool acronym!

Friday is going to be very interesting :) Funny that as I have a post in my drafts asking my readers about what they like and don’t like about my blog…

Enjoy skiing, Ana!

Mavis

Ana February 16, 2011 at 8:45 pm

I think the new acronym will start getting around soon enough, Mavis. :)

I am looking forward to Friday; although have no idea what to expect. Will anyone actually do anything? Will they be nice and to the point? Will they give out some laughable suggestions?

Will be interesting…

Mavis Nong February 17, 2011 at 3:22 am

It remains to be seen…

Bryan February 15, 2011 at 2:31 am

Ana!

I must be one of the 8% who clicked on the links and end up here :D You know one thing that really brought me here is the way you engage with your subscribers. You are totally right, no amount of SEO will get the comments and interaction if you don’t try to network. The one thing I haven’t tried is Facebook which I believe you’ve mastered.

Ana February 16, 2011 at 8:40 pm

And thanks for doing that, Bryan!

Networking is really the meat of all traffic generation for a new and even not so new blog, since SEO takes time.

I am very good at Twitter; currently working on Facebook. You can always learn the most by following those who are good at it. :)

Alex February 14, 2011 at 9:21 pm

Ana.

There’s that acronym again LOL!
Phew, thanks for stopping me writing one too.

I just wanted to quickly ask how you added the signature in facebook.
I googled it but to no avail.
Definitely a cool feature.
Can you write a how to post on settting this up, or just tell me ;)

Thanks Ana, enjoy the break

Mavis Nong February 15, 2011 at 4:16 am

Hey Alex,

The awesome MarketMeSuite does that: https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/signature-facebook-comments/ ;)

All the best,
Mavis

Ana February 16, 2011 at 8:37 pm

Thanks for asking, Alex - it is pretty cool, huh?

Thanks to Mavis, you’ve got the answer - I so appreciate you giving me a hand with this, Mavis! :)

Direct link to MarketMeSuite is https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/marketmesuite

The best social media product I own. That and TweetAdder. :)

Mavis Nong February 17, 2011 at 3:28 am

It’s my pleasure, Ana :)

Damita February 14, 2011 at 9:00 pm

Ana, I saw your video and you look so beautiful! Engaging others is important; I’m not a blogger, but I do read certain ones and I’ve enjoyed yours because you give good sound advice and you’re straight forward about what you do. I feel that you do care about your friends and you truly want them to be successful. I appreciate all your efforts, Ana, and thank you for you caring about me.

Ana February 16, 2011 at 8:29 pm

Thank you and thank you, Damita.

I think it’s time you share with me what it is you do! :)

Tim February 14, 2011 at 2:32 am

Wow…you replied? This is interesting. Not many bloggers reply their comment! I’ll hook you right away on skype. My name is Oke Timothy. Enjoy your day.

Cathy Presland February 14, 2011 at 2:21 am

Hi Ana, Enjoy your break and yes we definitely all need to engage more! I’d like to hope that’s why we don’t open everyone’s emails - that we are selective about the information we absorb - love your stuff though :)

Cathy

Ana February 16, 2011 at 8:23 pm

Thanks, Cathy. I don’t subscribe to many lists, as they are mostly junk, as you pointed out.

But you know what, saves me some time too - my inbox is much lighter. :)

Thanks for sticking with me though, much appreciated.

Cathy Presland February 17, 2011 at 6:46 am

Yep agree with cutting down on lists - I have a big ‘weed out’ from time to time but they do tend to build up again !

Congratulations for being selective :) Great habit to be in.

Jack Foley February 14, 2011 at 1:51 am

Hope u have a good time skiing with your family Anna

Thanks for adding value and look forward to this weeks posts

Ana February 16, 2011 at 5:45 pm

Thanks, Jack!

Patricia February 14, 2011 at 1:10 am

Hi Ana

Thanks for all the recommendations. I don’t understand why people wouldn’t want to comment if they have learnt something on a blog they have visited. Maybe it is time constraints or shyness. I did a post about lurkers and it was interesting to read the different reasons given.

By commenting regularly on other blogs, it has got my small niche blog noticed in the blogosphere and now I relate and interact with some really great people.

I like how you tell us what subjects you will be sharing for the week too Ana. Thanks and I hope you are enjoying your holiday :-)

Patricia Perth Australia

Ana February 16, 2011 at 8:21 pm

You are the perfect example of great networking and the result of it, Patricia.

Not only I see your name all over, but I also see other bloggers interact with you and KNOW you.

Unfortunately, too many blogger whine about how hard it is to get noticed, yet they do nothing about it.

And yes, I am enjoying my little vacation. :)

Jane February 13, 2011 at 8:13 pm

Yup Ana, your email subject line is compelling this time. I am sure you have got a good open rate on this email.

Networking is very very important for a blogger; I am sure that blogging is not a standalone job. And by simply being an observer we cannot learn anything, unless we put things to test, discuss our difficulties, success, what worked and what doesn’t and so on. It is all about sharing ultimately. That is why we blog for.

Jane.

Ana February 16, 2011 at 5:44 pm

Just this time, Jane. :( I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me. :)

You are right: networking and blogging go hand in hand.

Linda February 13, 2011 at 3:31 pm

Thanks for the honesty, directness, and for calling out your subscibers, Ana.

I have learned so much about SE0 in the short time I’ve been visiting Traffic Generation Cafe.

I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but my traffic has been greater. Must be the SE0 tips and Sunday Coffee’s :) .

Hope the vacation is a restful one!

Ana February 14, 2011 at 2:23 am

I’m glad I could help, Linda. I bet you’ve put in a tremendous amount of effort on it as well.

See you around!

Craig Sowerby February 13, 2011 at 2:20 pm

Hi Ana,

I am fairly new here, I have signed up to your list and gone over a few of your posts. There is so much info to take in here. Good job, I think I will be a regular.

The social networking phenominan has given us all a better way to engage with our readers, subscribers and customers, gone have the days where people can hide behind their sites.

Next week plans look very promising, where are you going to find the time in between wipe outs and drinks on the slopes?

Ana February 16, 2011 at 5:15 pm

Right now I am just wiped out, but talking to you makes me feel better, Craig. :)

I remember seeing another comment from you today - welcome to my blog and feel free to ask questions!

Catherine Daar February 13, 2011 at 1:14 pm

Dear Anna,
I would be happy to guide your trough the world of PR 2.0.
Love from Geneva
Cat

Ana February 16, 2011 at 5:17 pm

Here’s an idea, Cat - do you know much about StumbleUpon or LinkedIn. Like really juicy traffic generating stuff?

I need to learn more about that…

Is it snowy and pretty?

Sheila Atwood February 13, 2011 at 12:36 pm

Ana,

Isn’t nice to be on vacation and still engage with your readers?

I have a friend that breaks the idea of engagement down very well:

There are spectators, these are the people who look at things. They may even write about what they have observed, give their take on it, usually with out any real understanding. Then there are those who don’t even look.

Then there are participants, team mates. These are the players in the game. These are the play makers and the winners.

Have a great vacation, looking forward to next weeks posts.

Ana February 14, 2011 at 1:49 am

Yes, Sheila, Doers and Spectators.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lou Barba February 13, 2011 at 11:38 am

Hi Ana,

Glad to hear you’re getting some well deserved rest and recreation. It’s hard to believe that such a small percentage of your readers interact with you. I guess I have the same problem on my blog, even though I am getting more responses. I can remember having a similar problem on the school bus, talking to kids to try to get them to behave, and it was just as if I wasn’t even there. I just kept writing them up, and after a three month period of writing more referrals than for the whole fifteen years I’ve driven a school bus, I finally got their attention. Perhaps the overall audience is kind of a tough neighborhood, and we need to be persistant and direct about drawing out interaction. I hope that makes sense.

Lou

Ana February 16, 2011 at 2:37 pm

I suppose what it comes down to, Lou, is whether they want to learn to build a better business or not.

If we never read, we never learn, it’s that simple. Some people just get caught up in the “busy” work, that they stop paying attention to what actually makes money.

Tim February 13, 2011 at 11:38 am

You said you wanna know me so here am I! Terrific post as always. I’ll like to know you on a personal level other than on a blog level. I think you’re terrific! Enjoy your sunday!

Ana February 14, 2011 at 1:42 am

I’d like that, Tim! Thanks for stopping by!

Andrea February 13, 2011 at 11:04 am

Hey Ana! Must agree with your email and also post! As you mentioned, very few open emails and even fewer click on “what the heck you are talking about”….
I must proudly say I always do! That is the only way one learns.
I also see many people just chasing their tail when it comes to engagement with others. They have no plan, no agenda for their business and certainly seems like they are just being social….and later complain that this online thing does not work.
I am sure you hear it too!
I believe the key is to offer value, as you always do. When one is out there to pitch and sell, the other can smell it miles away.
I appreciate you and all you do!
And YES….I will keep opening your emails, and clicking the links to learn :)

Ana February 14, 2011 at 12:52 am

Of course, Andrea, more often than not. Thanks for the kind words and I’m glad you’re enjoying your stay here on TGC!

Adam Paudyal February 13, 2011 at 10:50 am

I was wondering which one should I pick between Tweetadder and marketmesuite. Just bought Tweetadder couple of days ago and so far I love it.

Thanks Ana for the clarification and yeah after reading your post about the fun way of using twitter; I couldn’t help but write about it in my blog (O:

Ana February 16, 2011 at 2:11 pm

I do have both TweetAdder and MMS, Adam, and couldn’t survive without either! :)

Thanks for the blog post - what an honor to be featured in such a huge way!

Caroline Thomas February 13, 2011 at 10:38 am

I’m only on my 3rd week in the blogosphere, and dropped by last Sunday for coffee morning (which is afternoon here in the UK) - I’m guilty of being a lurker on so many blogs, I hoover up information at the moment, but always forget to comment before I move on, thanks for reminding me to engage - I do it plenty with Facebook and Twitter, but tend to forget that blogging as a 2 way conversation too.

Have a great trip and thanks again :)

Ana February 14, 2011 at 1:27 am

Glad to be the one to remind you, Caroline. Looking forward to hearing more from you here!

Ken from Advanced Market Training February 13, 2011 at 9:22 am

Engagement is the backbone to social networking, otherwise they’d just call it “info networking” or something like that. We need to talk to people more, get in on debates and celebrations of new ideas. Glad someone is getting the word out about this Ana!

PS: I’m working on some ideas to send you as a guest blog. Just have to break away from my own blog’s babble for a day :)

Ana February 14, 2011 at 1:26 am

Looking forward to that, Ken. Thanks for coming by!

Phill Turner February 13, 2011 at 9:22 am

Wow Ana

Opening up your blog to comments!

Great idea.

I would love you to audit my blog too.

I’ll be there if possible

Great stuff

Warmest

Phill

NO COFFEE NOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo…………….!

Ana February 14, 2011 at 1:23 am

We’ll get there, Phill :-) See you around!

Ana February 16, 2011 at 2:06 pm

…and coffee makes the world go round… Ana’s world, anyway. :)

Katie Goode February 13, 2011 at 8:16 am

Missing Sunday Coffee with you this week, but as always, lots of good info while I drink my lonely coffee :)

Networking truly is key! Not just for links, traffic, etc. I’ve met some wonderful and supportive people out there. I’m learning so much from seeing what other people are doing and I think having to come up with a worthwhile comment is great for my writing skills.

Enough about me, I also like sharing the wealth and telling the people in my network about great stuff they may not have found yet.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

Robert Dempsey February 13, 2011 at 6:51 am

“Everybody is entitled to my opinion” - and this is why I keep coming back. I love that attitude! Haha, nice.

Looking forward to the week ahead - enjoy watching the kids on the slopes!

As for networking I’m right there with you. It’s networking that allows me to build my blogs very quickly (read months not years). And it comes in many forms - comments, emails, Skype calls, and Twitter and Facebook conversations. Each of these has an art and needs (IMO) to be handled differently. But throughout, your personality needs to be first and foremost - no robots.

And Friday looks like real fun :) Those comments will be most interesting.

Ana February 14, 2011 at 12:59 am

Yes, everybody is, Robert. You have quite an arsenal of networking strategies there.

As for Friday, we’ll see!

Sorry, Comments are Closed. Stop by My Facebook Page With Your Comment.

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