Enkay Blog

New Contest! Over $700 In Prizes!

So guys, I know that the last contest hasn’t ended as yet but I will have the final results as soon as I get the updated stats from Dina over at Market Leverage but as soon as I have them, you will know the winner. As of now though, I have a new contest to announce! Yes, another new contest!

So here is how the contest works. What you have to do is submit videos and written affiliate marketing tips on my blog through the comments or by emailing me. For these tips, you’ll use Market Leverage as the example network. At the end of the month, when all the videos and tips have been submitted, I will personally view all of them and pick a winner.

The best tip will be chosen based on creativity, uniqueness and effectiveness. Each criteria that I use is weighted so that each of them is of equal importance. So, what does the winner get? Well, the winner gets their choice of a Flip Mino HD which is the new HD Flip Video Camera or they get a Blue Ipod Nano.

If that wasn’t enough, then theres MORE. Yes, MORE! There will be quite a few blogs running similar contests. What will then happen is that the winners from all the blogs will be judged by the blog owners that are running the contest. Based on that, the top three winners will then receive an Amazon Kindle, $100 Market Leverage Rewards Card & $50 iTunes Gift Card. Thats over $700 in prizes for a top winner!

Its really easy to enter. All you have to do is write up a nice affiliate marketing related tip or create a really great video with Market Leverage as the affiliate network of choice, and you’re entered. I’ll pick the winner and then the rest of the bloggers will decide the top winners. Easy enough?

Also, I realize that many of you are visual people and so I created this nice little visual for you to help you keep your eyes on the goal and to let you see the prizes!

Well, I don’t know what youre waiting for, but if I was you, I’d get started right away. So lets see those creative tips and I wish you guys Good Luck. Also, the contest results for the Birthday Bash Contest will be available as soon as I get the updated stats! Happy Monday!

What Blogging Format Is Preferred?

I visit different blogs time and time again and notice that they are all formatted in certain ways. I figured that there must be one way that is preferred over another but I never really figured out which was preferred by my readers and hopefully this post will help me find out. I mean usually I write posts in list format and I figured that since thats my style, that this post won’t be any different. So, lets take a look shall we?

1) List format - I usually write my posts in lists and I think it works just fine. I think its easier to skim through a post by looking at each portion of the list and getting the big picture. Sometimes I’m in a hurry and I know that many of you are too, so it helps me understand the entire post by quickly skimming the main points.

2) Paragraph format - Paragraph form posts are good too and are used quite often. This is when the post is written as if it was a memo or a short paper with separate paragraphs. This is actually not bad however the paragraphs need to be organized so that its easy to understand and flow with the rest of the content. Thats the only real downside to using paragraph format. Plus, if youre writing longer posts then seeing large paragraphs can be a turn off for some readers.

3) Link bait format - Linkbait format posts are not that common but some posts are basically written in order to attract traffic. This isn’t necessary bad but these are the type of posts that say something like “21 ways to Make Money Online” or “9 Social Networking To-Dos”. These posts are always interesting to see because it makes you wonder what 21 methods of making money online were picked or which 9 things can be beneficial for social networking.

4) Interesting Rambling Format - Now, this method isn’t necessarily bad. The key word here is INTERESTING. There are some people that have become really popular because of this blogging format. This is where a general theme or idea is conveyed with the help of interesting stories, examples and in basic dialogue. I attempt this format sometimes but its harder to do unless youre a natural conversationalist.

So, do you think there is another format that I’ve forgotten. If so, do let me know. Do you know where you stand and what is the format that you prefer? I’d like to know! Hope you guys have a great weekend and hopefully Turkey day was great for you guys.

Which Type Of Writer Are You?

I know that blogging requires a lot of writing. You know, you have to WRITE the post, then EDIT the post and then REVIEW it again to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Well that must mean that it involves some good writing skills and it surely does. Today I’ll be talking about the four kinds of writers there are but before I begin with that, I wanted to give a major shout out to my friend, Tina McAllister who is currently hosting a contest.

Tina McAllister’s Free Ghostwritten Ebook
Tina has an MBA and has written quite a bit of quality material and its her time to give back by giving you the chance to win a 25 page Ebook on a topic of your choice. 25 Pages is a good size eBook and can really improve your visibility in the blogosphere. Its really really simple to enter and you can earn points so you can earn your chance to win by earning the most points. Its simple, I promise. This is great for anyone who has always wanted to write an eBook. Definitely check it out!

4 Types Of Writers - Which Type Are You?
So when I look at the different people I’ve met, I’ve realized that there are 4 types of writers. I’ll be discussing them then letting you pick which type of writer you are.

1) No Voice Writers - No Voice Writers are writers that have really great ideas but really don’t know how to put their ideas into sentences in order to write a paper, an article or a blog post. These writers are usually creative but really don’t know how to combine their creativity with writing and usually need the help of a second person to put their thoughts on paper.

2) Non-Writers - Non-Writers are writers that have good ideas and will still need someones help in writing a blog post but they’ll be able to write the initial draft by themselves. Initially everything this type of writer writes seems a bit odd. In the sense that punctuation is off, spelling is wrong, grammar is incorrect. There will be errors all over the work of this type of writer and they will usually need a designated “spell check” person to come through and edit their work to make sure that what has been written can actually be read and understood properly.

3) Writer Without A Plan - A Writer Without A Plan is someone who is good at writing enough to be able to come up with ideas on the spot and are able to write about it. These writers don’t feel the need to outline or gather their thoughts before they write something but are able to come up with great articles and posts as it is. These writers are also referred to as “Good B/S Writers”. They’re able to write about pretty much anything without much planning.

4) The Planned Writer - The Planned Writer is one who writes a post after coming up with a few ideas and deciding what needs to be discussed. This type of writer may even create a short outline to make sure that they are able to discuss each point fully. I fall into this group of writers because I always write a small outline, specially with my posts that have lists in them. These writers also usually come back and review and edit their work a few times before submitting/publishing it.

So now that I’ve described the different types of writers there are, which type of writer do you think you are? Is there a reason why you identify yourself with a particular type or have you always been a certain writer type? I’d like to know!

Posting Frequency & How It Can Affect Readership

If you ever wondered if posting frequency affects readership then you best believe it does. I’m not saying that if you switch from 7 days a week to 5 days a week that there will be a drastic drop, but if you start blogging every other day, there will be a change. I know that in the past 3 weeks I have had my ups and downs due to school and I realize that readership levels fluctuate greatly. Why do you think it happens, is there a reason? Lets think about a few things here:

Youre NOT Consistent!
The main reason readership fluctuates is because youre not consistent. If you think about it, I have always posted 5-6 times a week and when it drops to 2-3 times a week, it makes a major difference. Readers expect that you’d continue posting at 5-6 times a week. They want consistency.

Although, your readers understand that sometimes there are other circumstances that arise, it still results in a drop in readership. Im not saying that you can’t bring it back up again. I had recently re-invented my blog in August of this year, so it is possible. Its just that if you’re not as consistent as you used to be, you’ll see a drop in readership and visitors.

Quality/Quantity Analysis
There is a difference though, think about when you go to a blog that writes 3 quality posts a week versus a blog that writes 7 regular posts a week. I call that the quality/quantity analysis. Your readers want quality posts and if you write quality content 3 days a week instead of 7 posts a week that you can find anywhere else, the readers will take quality over quantity.

The idea is that you can get junk posts anywhere on the internet but the reason you and I pick one blog over another is because we like to read content we enjoy. We like to see a new, innovative twist on things. Everyone can write a routine post but, personality and the writers appeal makes one blog stand out from another.

It Wasn’t That Good To Begin With
Now that I’ve shown you an alternative viewpoint on how less could mean more, lets think about how many of you would actually stop reading a blog if the frequency of their posts drop. If you’re the one that says that they would stop reading a blog if the frequency of their posts drop, then the blog wasn’t worth reading in the first place. You stick around and read a blog regardless of whether their post frequency is up or down. Now, if their quality deteriorates then I can understand.

If youre willing to stop reading a blog if the number of posts they write goes down, then you didnt really like the blog that much in the first place. Its true, think about it!

Wrapping It Up
So there we have it. I wanted to talk about how consistency can affect your readership but then again, it doesn’t mean that you have to chunk out 6 so-so posts a day to retain readers, you could take the quality route versus the quantity route as I discussed. Also, I wanted to mention that if youre willing to stop reading a blog just because they don’t post as much anymore, then the blog wasn’t really as interesting to you in the first place.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I put a lot of thought into it to make it comprehensive and interesting. Hope everyone is having a great Thursday!

Why Is Twitter Important?

Lately, ive been using twitter quite a bit before class, during boring sections of class and in between classes on my ipod touch or my phone. If you’re not being stalked by me on twitter, I mean followed by me on twitter, then you need to add me so I can follow you too.

At first, I didn’t understand the concept of twitter but I think its really fun and highly useful to a blogger, not only for marketing but also communication/interaction and getting information or insight on several issues.

Marketing - if you have a new interesting post then you can always link to it on twitter to help get more attention at no cost. You can really reach out to people and twitter is a great tool to help you accomplish that. This is even useful for you to promote your ebook, contests, new blogs and products that you may be selling. Its important to know however, that marketing does not mean spamming and you can be banned from twitter and you definitely wouldnt want that.

Communication - the main reason I have started to use twitter, is because I can communicate with my followers and readers. This is a great way to interact with your readers and have one on one communication with your readers which helps improve your appeal in terms of approachability. I enjoy messaging and communicating with other bloggers because it helps me stay in touch with the news in the blogosphere. Its a great way to stay updated and its faster too!

Getting information - sometimes when you need a quick opinion or you want a restaurant suggestion then its very easy to ask your followers on twitter. For example my buddy Joe from imwithjoe.com asked this on twitter:

It makes it very easy for you to conduct short polls, get opinions or suggestions. This does require you to have a fairly large number of followers — atleast 100+ but even having that many followers doesn’t take much time and is simple to accomplish if you Sony take your eyes off the prize.

So basically, I’m starting to understand not only how convenient twitter is but how useful it can be if applied for the right purpose. I hope you liked this post and if you aren’t following me on twitter then you should definitely get on board and follow me by clicking here. Stay tuned for the next post tomorrow! Happy Wednesday!