Brad Shorr is Director of Content & Social Media at Straight North. In addition to being a business blogger and web copywriter, he writes cartoons that have appeared in The Optimist Magazine, Packaging World, and other online and print publications.
G.K. Chesterton, a leading journalist of the early 20th century, would have made a great blogger. He was popular in large part because he was controversial. Via his quotes I will show how bloggers should approach controversial issues to promote debate rather than stifle it.
Most business websites steer absolutely clear of three things: politics, religion -- and humor. Is it any wonder, then, that most business websites are detached, uninspiring and mind-numbingly dull? A dash of humor, on the other hand, will make your website less detached, more inspiring, and anything but dull.
Is It Time to Get Mad? Should I write provocative blog posts? This is a question that we hear a lot from entrepreneurs who are either just starting to blog or searching for a way to rejuvenate their blogging spirit. At first blush, adopting an edgy writing style sounds like an effective way to spice [...]
Do you ever get stuck for a blog post topic? When writer’s block hits me, I often look to my old friend Twitter, which can be a great resource for coming up with new things to writ about. Here are a few ways to use Twitter (in conjunction with HootSuite) for topic generation: Check out [...]
New to business blogging? If you’re not sure how and what to edit in a blog post, here is a handy checklist to review before you hit the “Publish” button. Grammar, Punctuation and Usage The AP Stylebook Online is an authoritative and easy-to-use standard For spelling and synonyms, I like The Free Dictionary For simple [...]
Skillful blog commenting can be almost as effective a marketing technique as hosting a blog. Well composed, well aimed and carefully thought out comments produce a number of benefits, such as – Making you stand out from the crowd as an authority Putting yourself on the radar of influential bloggers Opening up opportunities for guest [...]
In a recent post about bad blogging habits I touched on the subject of conversion. This is an important issue for any business blogger, so let’s examine it in a little more detail. Every business blog should have a conversion plan. It’s really as simple as figuring out what type of response you’re looking for, [...]
Almost every blogger starts out bright eyed and bushy tailed, expecting to conquer the world. Unfortunately, reality intrudes, and suddenly blogging loses its luster and becomes a chore; energy is replaced by ennui. This state of mind leads bloggers to become sloppy and silly — driving readers and business away. These seven bad blogging habits [...]