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Boost your Traffic with a Blog Contest

September 18, 2008 By Leave a Comment

by Nicole Dean

Contests are nothing new in the online world. People have been using contests to get free web traffic for years. However, there is a slightly new twist since the blog revolution that has made running a contest much more effective and fun for bloggers. The concept is the same, but it allows for more interaction. Here’s how it works.[ad]

STEP ONE: GET PRIZES
You come up with a prize (or many prizes) that would be appealing to your blog readers. The prizes will make or break your contest. If you have nothing that people want, they won’t play to win. So, get some good prizes.

Now, before you start thinking that this will cost you money, think again. Of course, offering your own product or service as the prize would be preferable since it’s free and you can promote your link on your blog (so everyone who sees your contest will also see your product link). But, if you don’t have your own products, you can easily ask around and find people who will donate prizes. Why would they donate? Because you’d include a link to them in your contest – and we already know that your contest is going to get a lot of traffic, so they’d be silly to say “no”.

You can get prizes that are digital (like ebooks), services (like ghostwritten articles), or actual products (like makeup or candles). You can even offer gift certificates or cash.

STEP TWO: SET-UP YOUR CONTEST
Once you have your prizes lined up, the fun starts. You just create your contest and then start promoting it.

You have many options for how to run your contest. Here are just a few ideas:

1. Ask your readers to post a comment to win. All they have to do is comment. Anything from “I want to win” to “Nice blog” could count.
2. Some bloggers ask their readers to post why they should win and they give the prize to the best response. Asking “Tell me why you should win” can certainly get people talking, especially if you have a really good prize.
3. If you’re giving away money, you can ask “Tell me what you’d do with the money” and reward the person with the best answer with the cash.
4. Ask your readers to post a story or question. You’re in charge, so have fun with it!
5. If you want to get to know your readers, you can ask them to complete a survey to win. Sometimes running an anonymous survey can work to your benefit in getting more honest responses from people who might not feel comfortable emailing or posting their thoughts on your blog.
6. If your readers are bloggers themselves, ask them to blog about your contest (on their blogs) and then comment to let you know they did it. Obviously this is highly desirable, as you’d get many links to your contest – through many other bloggers talking about you – and much more exposure.
7. Or get creative and come up with something unique.

STEP THREE: PROMOTE YOUR CONTEST
Immediately after you post your contest to your blog, send a mailing to each of your ezine lists, letting them know about the contest. You’ll certainly want your loyal readers to have the opportunity to win.

Next, contact your circle of influence (your friends) and let them know about your contest. Offer to do a blog post swap. If they’ll blog about your contest, you’ll owe them the next time they have something they want to spread the word about. An email to a buddy can certainly help you to get the word out.

Then, go and submit your contest to the contest websites. Yes, there are sites that list contests and free offers. This is obviously more effective in certain niches than in others, but it is free exposure to your contest either way, so do it. (Search google for “submit contest” & “submit sweepstake” to find these sites.)

Of course, if you really want good mileage for your contest, you can also post on message boards in your niche with the signature pointing to your contest.

Blog contests are a great way to network with others and they’re a fun way to draw attention (traffic) to your blog. I’ve personally sponsored contests like this, and participated in them, so I know this works. I’ve even won a few prizes by participating. The important things are to get great prizes and to really promote the contest well and you’ll have results. Good luck!

 

Nicole Dean has been helping moms work from home since 2004. She welcomes you to sign up for her free web traffic course at http://www.WebTrafficBasics.com and keep up with her at her blog at  http://www.NicoleOntheNet.com

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Filed Under: Working From Home Tagged With: ,

Should We Co-Sleep?

September 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

When a new mother first brings her baby home, she’s usually fairly rested because she’s had the nursing staff to help take care of herself and the baby.  After she comes home, though, everything changes.  In the past moms would put the baby into bed with them, or co-sleep, so they could rest, too.  That fell out of practice but has been making a comeback.  Moms of newborns are asking themselves, “Should we co-sleep?”[ad]

There are doctors who agree that co-sleeping is a viable option for new mothers.  Others, however, feel there is too much inherent risk of having parents sleep with their children.  The pros and cons of co-sleeping have been discussed and debated.  Here are some of each to consider when bringing your baby home.
Those in favor of co-sleeping state these benefits:

* A breastfeeding mother need not wake completely to attend to her baby’s needs, therefore both are more rested.

* Breastfeeding on demand, even in the middle of the night, will help Mom maintain her milk supply.

* Co-sleeping babies don’t feel night-time separation anxiety as much as those who sleep in a bassinet or crib.  If they wake up, Mom and Dad are right there.

* If you’re not planning on having another child right away, co-sleeping helps to prolong the time between children, both from breastfeeding and lack of privacy.

* Some experts have suggested that co-sleeping may help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome because the mother is more aware of the baby’s breathing.
The other side of the debate states these reasons for not encouraging co-sleeping:

* Lack of privacy for the parents is one of the biggest reasons for not co-sleeping.

* Co-sleeping may be difficult to break when your child gets older.

* If either parent is a very heavy sleeper, they may roll over on the baby during the night and either injure or suffocate it.

* Some psychologists suggest that co-sleeping can cause psychological problems in the child.
Should you co-sleep with your baby?  That’s really a decision that you, your partner, and your pediatrician will want to discuss.  Ultimately the decision is yours and your partner’s because you are the ones who will live with your decision day after day.  Discuss it openly and honestly to make the decision, talking about the pros and cons.

If you choose to co-sleep and then change your mind, your child won’t be any the worse off for it.  That’s the great thing about babies.  They’re resilient and adapt to changes well when they’re very small.  When you wonder, “Should we co-sleep?” think of what’s best for you, your child, and your relationship with your partner.  Then make your decision based on that and not society’s view of co-sleeping.
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Filed Under: Family Life Tagged With: ,

Creamy Vegetable and Pineapple Slaw

September 13, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Ingredients:

1 head of cabbage, shredded
1 stalk of celery, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced in strips
1 large tomato, cut in wedges
1/2 fresh pineapple, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons milk

Instructions:

Place the cabbage in a large bowl.  Add the celery, green peppers, tomatoes and pineapple.  Toss together well.  Sprinkle in the salt and pepper and toss one more time to incorporate.  Place yogurt in a mixing bowl.  Add the sour cream and stir a couple of times to incorporate.  Place the milk into the mixture.  Use an electric mixer on low speed to blend together.  When finished you should have a heavy cream.  Pour enough dressing over the salad to give it a creamy consistency.  Allow to set 5 minutes before serving.

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Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: ,
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