“It was easy to feel overwhelmed by the big, bad world of bloggers. Lucy demystified it all and I’m now addicted to my blog! Thanks, Lucy!” – Andrea, Boli Bling Designs, LittleDesignerBook.com

If you would like to use a blog to enhance your business but aren’t sure where to start, I will show you how to do it from the ground up.
This workshop will show you everything you need to know in order to set up a blog, maximize both SEO (search engine optimization) and branding potential, and the basics of using your blog as a marketing tool. If plugins, widgets and RSS are alien concepts to you, I will enlighten you, demystify the process and give you the confidence to take control of your web presence.

Attend the next workshop on June 27th,  to learn in a comfortable, friendly environment, and network with other budding bloggers. There are a limited number of spaces available, so it’s necessary to register below to confirm your place.

Topics to be covered:
- How a blog can help your business
- How to install and set up a blog (using the WordPress platform)
- How to use WordPress and it’s features
- How to install key plug-ins
- The do’s and don’ts of blogging
- Marketing and attracting traffic to your blog
- Becoming a ‘blogger’ – integrating blogging into your business routine
- I also provide post-workshop support to help you implement what you have learned.

The next workshop will take place:
June 27th from 1-3:30pm in West Los Angeles (full location information provided upon registration)
The fee is $45 per person.
Non-profits get a $10 discount!
Email me at:  lucy@elemental-consulting.com with questions, for more info or to claim your non-profit discount code.

Register now and secure your place. Click below to use either Google Checkout or Paypal to make your payment. When payment has been received you will be sent a confirmation email.

Or you can use Paypal

I also provide 1-on-1 services, and consulting services for existing businesses looking to maximize their web presence.

“Lucy helped us update our blog by providing our team with best practices and areas for improvement.  We’ve seen increased traffic and greater customer engagement since we implemented her suggestions.  Lucy is very friendly, and a great teacher- we appreciated her approach and expertise.” Deborah, MyCorporation

• Search engines like regularly updated content. Many business sites are informative but not updated very often so are hard to keep at the top of the rankings, without buying keywords. Blogs can and should be updated on a regular basis with fresh content.

• Bloggers typically link to each other in their ‘blogrolls’ so once you start to exchange links with others, you will start to gain new traffic  as your site is exposed to a new audience. Additionally the more inbound links you have (ie other sites linking to you) the more the search engines will like you.

• The variety of content you post on your blog will naturally expand the number of keywords and phrases that will lead people to your site. On a purely informative business site, you don’t always have the opportunity to target keywords outside your direct focus but a blog gives you more range.

2) You would like to give your business a more personal voice and develop a relationship with potential customers.

• A blog is a great way to add to and enhance your brand. It allows you to craft a more personal voice for your company, which is engaging to the reader. If a reader likes what you have to say and reads you on a regular basis they start to trust you.  You can’t build that type of dynamic relationship with a static site.

• A blog allows you to share success stories from your customers, and engage with them through comments.  Once you’ve built a decent readership a blog can be a great way to do free consumer research – test out product ideas and poll your audience.

3) You would like to establish yourself as an expert in your field.

• These days a lot of information is available for free on the internet – it’s almost expected. So you may as well join the fray and give people a taste of what you are all about and the knowledge that you have.

• A well-written, informative blog may help you to attract the attention of other high profile people in your industry that you may not otherwise have access to.
• You may also be able to pitch yourself as a guest blogger on other popular sites and blogs, further increasing your profile and credibility.

4) You would like the opportunity to network with other people and bloggers in your field or related areas. Being part of the blogging community allows you a way to network with others in a friendly fashion, without having to push a hard sell. It’s easier to make friends with people when you have something to offer (a link exchange, good content), rather than something to sell.

DON’T Blog If…..

1) You really don’t have anything to say. If you’re not inspired about your subject matter or feel that you have nothing to contribute, blogging may not be for you.

2) You think it will be a quick fix. Blogging is not an overnight quick-fix to getting more traffic. It takes a little time to start generating traffic, although once you get going you may see a snowball effect.

3) You’re not in it for the long haul. To really get the most out of having a blog, you will have to spend some time working on it, writing and promoting it. There’s no real way around that, so if you’re not prepared to carve out some time for it, you won’t be maximizing it’s presence.