Henrietta: The Dish

Are people flocking to your blog? Draw them in

Regardless of whether you’re a business owner or an individual with a dream, you want people to know about you and buy your “stuff,” right? If you have a blog you can become known as an expert, a thought leader, and can use your blog to engage your readers.

Are there bloggers out there that you simply love to read – so much so that you can’t get through a day without checking them out? What do they have that you don’t? They’ve found a way to make their blog a place where things are happening and they want to be part of it. What do the other pet bloggers have that you don’t? Probably a niche. What’s yours? If you can find it you can corner the market on it and soon readers will be flocking to your blog like kittens to a milk dish!

Here are five tips to draw them in:

1.  Be interesting. This may sound like a no-brainer but sometimes blog writers forget about that. Here are a few ways to help make you interesting: a) use “how to” titles; b) use lists, top 10s, etc.; c) offer money saving tips; d) write about what’s topical today; e) be unique
2. Is your content easy to read? Do your sentences flow smoothly into one another? Do you stay on topic? If your title says, “How to save money on pet food” but you write about, “What’s the best organic food for your pet,” you are in the same topic area but not on topic. As with newspaper articles, get to the point quickly because readers will stop reading if you haven’t engaged them within the first paragraph or two. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, numbers.
3. Are you using SEO (search engine optimized key words)? While you don’t want to write for the search engines you do want to be found. If you’re writing about dogs, use that key word, if you are writing about poodles and want to be found on that topic, be specific.
4. Talk to me. Does your blog allow for comments? Do you ask questions in your blog that writers would be interested in engaging in with you?
5. Be shameless… in your self-promotion. If you’re writing a blog, don’t just hope that readers will find you; take their virtual hand and lead them toward your blog. Promote yourself on Facebook, Twitter, add sharing buttons to your posts, tell your friends and ask them to share your information.

How will you set yourself apart and draw readers to your blog – not only draw them there, but keep them reading. 

 

 

Blog locally be found globally

While it's true that your blogging can -- and will -- be read by people from all around the world, have you ever considered blogging for the locals? If you're a pet blogger, chances are there is an animal shelter or rescue group in your area. There are probably even "meet ups" for people who love Poodles, Pugs, or Pomeranians, right? Are there agility groups that come to your neck of the woods? How about a dog or cat show? Who's writing about it? No one? Well, there's your niche!

If you've ever worked at a newspaper you can become a bit of a celebrity with the stories that you cover and the same goes for your blogging about local pet happenings. Do a Google search for animal-related events in your area -- choose a 50 mile radius -- then start making contacts. Send some emails, introduce yourself, send links to your blog, let them know that you're the go-to personal for all things animal! 

From the small events to the large, you will have fodder for your blogging, make contacts within your local community which can then help you spread your influence to the larger pet community. Starting small, especially if you're just starting out as a blogger, is a fantastic way to build a reputation and grow your readership! 

 

Conference planning: Make the most of it!

If you weren't already aware, Blogpaws 2011 is fast approaching! Have you taken time to make your plan for the event? Here are a few of my favorite conference-attending-getting-ready-tips for you:

1. Check out the program and decide which sessions you want to attend. The best way to determine this is to have an idea of what you want to get out of the conference; is it networking, learning more about writing, monetizing your blog, finding a publisher, etc. 
2. Dress for the weather. Sure, it's warm outside but the air conditioning in hotel conference rooms range from steamy to downright hypothermia inducing. Bring a sweater. 
3. If you're bringing your beloved pet, make arrangements for him or her to be entertained while you attend sessins. If you're leaving your pet in the room, make arrangements for him to not escape if housekeeping makes its rounds. 
4. Bring business cards. Don't have business cards or don't think you need them? If you don't have something on it with your name, email, phone, etc. how will any connections you make at the conference remember you or get in touch? There are many sites at which you can get free business cards. You'll be glad you didn't leave home without them. 
5. Following the conference, don't forget to follow up. Chances are you will shake a lot of hands, collect a lot of business cards and make numerous connections. Send a follow up email after you get home, remind the contact of your connection and keep in touch until next time! 

This is just a quick and dirty list to get you thinking about what you'll need to do for this -- and any -- conference. Bear in mind that at times conferences can get overwhelming and you can get information overload but relax, have fun and shake a lot of paws! 

Be sure to look me up, say hello and attend my Saturday 11:30 am seminar, Snag the Publisher, Advertiser or Sponsor of Your Dreams. 

 

Is your four-legged friend conference ready?

The countdown to Blogpaws 2011 continues and I am in the midst of stringing up a dog bone chain -- you know like the ones you made out of red and green construction paper at Christmas time when you were a kid. I've made my travel plans, have found a  roomie for the conference and have made my plans for Henrietta to be taken care of while I am away. 

Blogpaws is a great event for pet lovers who are coming with pets in tow and I'd love to bring Henrietta but I know her limitations with crowds and especially with unfamiliar locations, sights, sounds and yes, other four-legged would-be friends. Hen and I have driven cross country three times now and she is an amazing traveling companion when strapped firmly into her harness and surrounded by the sounds of the road and her toys, blanket and food dish. When we stop at rest stops and hotels for the evening though, she works herself into a state of anxiety that isn't good for either of us. She paces, pants, jumps (and barks) at every noise -- not good for a restful night's sleep for either myself or the other hotel guests. 

Typically when we make a rest stop there other families traveling along with their beloved pets and again, it is a time fraught with high tension for Henrietta. As much as it pains me to consider leaving her home and for as much as I know she will pant, pace and fret while I am gone, her anxiety levels will be much lower if she stays behind than if she travels along to Virginia. 

The point of all of this? Do you have pet etiquette? Is your pet going to be a good guest and a good attendee at Blogpaws, or anywhere that you take him or her along with you? Will your pet be nervous or is he one of those pets that simply thrives in chaos and new environments? Does your pet make a good hotel roommate? Will he or she play nice with others in the doggy daycare setting? 

Believe me, it's very hard for me to not want to bring Henrietta along to show her off because she is the "cutest and best Poodle in the whole entire world," as I tell her every night but she's not much of a partygoer and we know our limitations. 

Make sure you track me down at the conference because believe me, I have a telephone full of pictures of Henrietta! 

 

 

Top 10 signs you spend too much time with your pet

There comes a time in every pet lover’s life when you have to ask yourself, “Is it possible that I need to interact with humans more often?” If you’ve ever wondered if you spend too much time home
alone with Fluffy or Fido, here’s a checklist to make that determination:

1. You look over to the pillow next to you and ask your pet if he thinks it’s time to get up yet.
2. Before you get dressed you pull out a couple of outfits and ask your pet, “Do these jeans make my butt look fat?”
3. You greet visitors with a belly rub rather than a hello.
4. You’ve stopped talking back to the television and ask your pet, “Can you believe Snookie just said that?”
5. When friends ask how old your dog is you say, “Oh, she’s 37 months old.” And you can – and will – let them know not only the date and time she was born, but her weight and length as well.
6. Your dog sits in a chair at the opposite end of the dinner table for all of the meals and you keep up a running commentary about the news topics of the day.
7. Your social and/or dating calendar revolves around your pet. There are simply times when she seems out of sorts so you cancel dates.
8. Your dog’s wardrobe is more extensive than your own.
9. When you talk about “Sam” with new acquaintances, it takes them a while to realize Sam is a four-legged companion, not a two-legged one.
10. Your dogs’ birthday parties more elaborate than the ones you’d planned for your children.

I will admit that a couple of the items in the top ten jump out at me for reasons I should get out of the house more, but then Henrietta is not seeming herself today so I can run those errands tomorrow, right?

 

What's up with the whole grooming thing?

Every month or so mom gets a bug up her bottom about how I might not smell as good as I should. So, guess what? Rather than her spraying on some perfume or putting a clothes pin on her nose, I have to be the one to pay the price and head off to the groomer. I mean, while I as a Diva Poodle, are above mere mortal dogs I happen to revel in my own special doggy smell. Apparently Mom doesn't share my thoughts so she packs me into the car and off I go. 

In case I didn't mention it, I love a good car ride but for some reason I knew when she was sing-songing about "who wants to go for a car ride?" that it boded ill for me. I'm not sure how I knew but I did. I was right. 

She took me to the Old Dogge Inn for a grooming. Sure, the ladies there are very nice but there are too many dogs barking and cats meowing and the shavers are loud and make my skin tingle and I am not fond of the water and shampoo and I WANT MY MOM! But, she doesn't care and leaves me there for the three hours until I am no longer a hostage. 

When Mom finally comes back -- even though I am SO mad at her -- I run across the counter, jump into her arms and snuggle in. Once we get home I will shun her and make her feel guilty but for now, I just want her to GET ME OUTTA HERE! 

The only good thing about a bath and a haircut is that I do get new clothes out of it all. But, couldn't she just buy me clothes and forgo the bath? Sigh. Apparently not.