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It may be safe to say blogging has hit the mainstream. There’s a blog – and in some cases hundreds – on any and every topic conceivable.

Blogs are great outlets for voicing opinions, educating, expressing creativity and, of course, as marketing tools. They provide you or your organization a global platform and an opportunity to create a more meaningful relationships with a niche audience. If you don’t have a blog and you’re thinking about starting one, or maybe you do, but have hit a wall with creating fresh content, there are a few things you can do to get started or overcome creative block:

• Research – what is already being done in this area? Can you fill a niche not currently being filled or approach a common topic from a fresh angle? Discover that and you will have a leg up on the competition.
• Passion – what are you most passionate about? Base your blog on something you are passionate about and it won’t feel like a chore. Topics will come easy, and you’ll be excited to constantly create and share your passion with the world. In turn, you will create better content, because it won’t be forced.
• Voice – find your voice. Your passion will dictate this too, but also think about whether you want your blog to be written, video or audio as a podcast. Blogs are not just limited to the written format. If you hate writing, maybe audio is the route to go. Make it fun.
• Curating content – create an editorial calendar with at least a month or two of topic ideas so you are not scrambling each week. Check in with your audience. What are they talking about? Ask them what they want to know or see in your blog. Crowd source!

A good example of someone rocking the blog world is Liza de Guia of Food Curated.com. She started by analyzing what else was being done in the food blog world, found a void in the online food documentary arena, then determined how she could take her documentaries to the next level.

Though there’s no shortage of food blogs, de Guia managed to create a name for Food Curated and a following by doing something different. See the interview below in which de Guia provided some great tips for rising above the fray and finding your passion.

Hopefully this gets you thinking about what you can create. Just remember to be relevant, have fun, find your passion and make it special.

Question: Have you found a new approach to blog about a common topic? If so tell us about it and share a link your blog.

Resources:
• FoodCurated.com
• Tumblr.com
• WordPress.com
• “Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” ~ by Josh Catone via Mashable

For more marketing and PR tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures:

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, M4V

It’s happening with greater frequency – traditional media using social media not only to share their stories, but also cultivate new stories and sources. As an added benefit, they are also deepening relationships with their audience and creating more loyalty.

While some organizations have been slow to adopt social media, others jumped in feet first – treading new territory and figuring it out as they go, just as the rest of us are. One news outlet that has integrated social media into the show format is the Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb. Though it was a collaboration among producers and talent, Today Show correspondent Sara Haines has become the unofficial social media correspondent for the show and is doing a lot to deepen interaction with viewers.

During the show, Haines regularly reads comments and questions from the Facebook page, and tracks trends and feedback to help shape the direction of the show. Now, more so than ever, viewers are helping source content and coverage.

“Whether they specifically lead to an idea or shape the route I’m taking….they (the viewers) contribute everyday,” Haines said. “It happens everyday in every post, it influences what we’re thinking and which way we’re leaning.”

This is completely changing the way we communicate with mass media. For the first time, we are seeing more opportunities for two-way interaction, rather than the one-way street we’ve grown accustom to.

“Having people ask questions, and knowing you can give it back, means it’s not a one-dimensional thing,” she said. “Back in the day we could feel we knew someone just by tuning in each day. Imagine if you tune in each day and now you talk with them. It just deepens the bond.”

While not all news institutions monitor and utilize their social networks like the Today Show, more are seeing the value. So what does this mean to you?

You now have the potential to have your voice heard, either by sharing a story idea, interesting news or trend you think journalists and producers would be interested in; joining the conversation – you could have your comment read on air; or you could even be called on as a source for a feature story. Take advantage of the fact that this barrier is slowly coming down and start interacting with the media…but remember to keep it relevant, because spamming will work against you.

**For the entire interview click the video below or download the audio version.

Question of the week:
What online tools are you using to connect with traditional media?

For more tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures:

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, M4V

The idea of personal branding may not be new, in fact it can be traced back to the 1980s when it was introduced by Al Reis and Jack Trout in “Positioning: The Battle for your Mind.” Despite how you may feel about personal branding, social media has made it a part of our fabric. Not only is it important to be a part of the conversation, it’s also imperative to be consistent, relevant and distinguished.

Whether you post personally or professionally, you are establishing a voice for yourself and your audience will come to rely your tone, quality of posts and style. Why does this matter? You are building a brand that potential employers, clients, members of the media and your audience is watching and can reference at any time. You have an opportunity to build a greater audience, set yourself apart and develop more meaningful relationships.

So how do you ensure you put your best foot forward?

• Become an invaluable asset – build your network and continually provide them with resources and information they can’t get anywhere else.
• Find your niche and spread the word – what do you do particularly well? What are you passionate about? Use a blog and your social networks to position yourself as the go-to-person for a specific skill.
• Build equity – create consistency and post regularly. How often do you engage your audience? Do you have a signature blog post or style that keeps them engaged?
• Build your database through layers – as you generate more content, be sure you hitting on multiple touch points: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, RSS, email, etc. As you build your networks in these individual platforms, be sure to integrate them. Find people in your email database that may also have social networking accounts.
• Be visible. Be remarkable. Be everywhere.

Michele Laudig, food editor at the Phoenix New Times and blogger at Chow Bella, has used social media to help develop her voice, and inherently build her “brand.” She also recently added another layer when she began posting her popular “What I Ate” depictions…yet another differentiator. Here is Michele’s take on the issue:

Q. Has social media helped you build your personal brand and Chow Bella’s? If so, how?

A. As a writer, I don’t think so much about my “personal brand” as much as my “voice.” And social media, especially Twitter, is just other place to express my voice. But it’s also been a fun way to interact with readers and people who are interested in restaurants, and it’s been useful for share links to the blog. I like having instantaneous feedback, and I like the community feeling. Twitter is like one big digital cocktail party.

Q. How do you think it has helped you carve out your niche?

A. I think I carved out my niche back when I first started doing the blog a few years ago. Social media has helped bring attention to something I was already doing by giving me a way to immediately reach people who want to know about breaking news, or who are curious about random dish I decided to sketch. So much content goes up on the blog every day that it has been a way to pick and choose what I want to personally emphasize.

Q. Has building your and Chow Bella’s brand helped increase awareness for Phoenix New Times?

A. I’m sure it must — at this point, they are probably one and the same because I don’t write for anyone else in town, and I use social media under the auspices of being the paper’s restaurant critic and resident food geek.

Q. It seems the “What I Ate” drawings have provided your followers another way to share your brand, did you anticipate them serving this purpose?

A. When I think about my “brand” in this context, it boils down to my personality. These drawings are just a funny thing I do, and I’m happy to share them. I honestly had no idea what to expect when I started doing “What I Ate.”

Q. Have social networks (Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn) helped build more interaction with readers or sparked more comments on blog posts?

A. Social networks definitely have helped build more interaction — it’s another forum for feedback, ideas, and even just socializing in the virtual world. And I do think that when I post a link to something from the blog on Twitter, it does get more comments.

Resources:
1. “10 Ways Personal Branding Can Save You From Getting Fired”
2. “Personal Branding 102: How to Communicate & Maintain Your Brand”
3. ‘Top 10 Free Tools for Monitoring Your Brand’s Reputation”

Question of the week:
What are you doing to create a need for your brand?

For more tips and tools check out JetPack Radio.

Enclosures:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

, M4V

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Laura’s Gourmet Granola, a chef-created, artisan granola company out of the West, will make its debut at the 56th Annual Summer Fancy Food Show, June 27-29 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.

The Fancy Food Show marks a milestone for Laura’s Gourmet Granola, as it is the first time the four widely popular hand-crafted varieties will be on exhibit at a show of this magnitude. Created by Chef Laura Slama in 2004, the company – with a flavor line-up of Vanilla Almond Crunch, Pumpkin Pecan Crunch, Honey Roasted Peanut Crunch and AppleLicious Crunch – was quick to gain West Coast recognition and is now prepared to take the brand nationally.

“We’ve successfully garnered distribution in specialty retailers throughout the Southwest and are now positioned to permeate the East Coast market,” Chef Laura said. “We currently ship nationwide through online sales, but the Fancy Food Show is an opportunity to present the product to a new crop of buyers and distributors, and let them experience the mouthwatering difference firsthand.”

Since Chef Laura began selling the granola in 2004, distribution has expanded to specialty retail stores throughout the Southwestern U.S. and shipment has increased to various markets across the nation. Distribution continues to grow each year and Chef Laura’s kitchen is in constant production, so much so she enlisted more help to manage the exponential growth and continue brand expansion throughout the country. Laura’s Gourmet Granola is exhibiting at booth #571.

FoodiesLive, an interactive, web-based culinary show, will hit the Internet with its debut live stream of Chef Laura Slama Tuesday, June 15 at 3:30 p.m. at www.FoodiesLive.com.

FoodiesLive, hatched in Arizona, is a series of live culinary events broadcast in real-time online. Chef Laura, of Celebrated Cuisine, will prepare a full meal from beginning to end. Viewers are invited to chat online, ask questions and interact live through the chat room, Twitter and Facebook. FoodiesLive is an online community of live culinary-driven shows launched by the folks behind CreateLive, which brought mass communities together – online and off – around artists and their work. The goal is to bring together circles of foodies in the physical and online world, and tear down the barrier between on-air chef and viewer.

What: FoodiesLive: Live Culinary Show with Chef Laura

When: Tuesday, June 15, 3:30 p.m.

Where: Online at www.FoodiesLive.com. To be a part of the audience reserve as seat at http://celebratedcuisine.eventbrite.com/