Everyone has been telling you to add videos to your blog (and you’ve been wanting to) but it may seem like an overwhelming undertaking. How do I get started? What editing tools do I use? How can I do it easily?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!  Join us for the next #O2Ochat via Google+ Hangout on Air this Wednesday, May 15 from 1:00-2:00 pm ET with some fabulous video mavens who will help walk you through the top tips and tricks to make it easy and get you started!  This will be a beginner 101 session and there will a part 2 follow-up coming soon for more advanced tips and tricks.

• When: Wednesday, May 15th @ 1PM Eastern (12 Central, 11AM Mountain, 10AM Pacific)
• Where: One2One Network’s Google+ Page
• What: Top Tips for Easy Vlogging
• Who: Mindy McNight from Cute Girls Hairstyles, Desiree Miller from Stress Free Baby & Traveling Mom,  Jenny Ingram from Jenny On The Spot, Betsy Cadel from Thinking Cap NYC, and Lucrecer Braxton from Lucrecer.com.

The Hangout will be broadcast on air and we invite you to come by and watch, make comments, and ask questions!

Mindy McKnight  YouTube: CuteGirlsHairstyles

As the mother of five girls (and a boy!), Mindy McKnight is an expert in creating “cute girl’s hairstyles.” She provides photo and video instructions for all things hair—braids, buns, twists, flips, ponytails, pigtails, knots, and more, with the help of her family, on her rapidly growing YouTube channel CuteGirlsHairstyles.

In July 2012, Mindy joined Maker Studios, a next-generation talent first media company, teaming up with one of the fastest growing digital networks in the online space. Mindy has been featured on ABC News, “20/20,” The Huffington Post, and “Anderson LIVE,” among others. She is also a strong advocate for adoption, having adopted two children of her own with her husband, encouraging families to be open to the idea which has completed her family.

Desiree Miller  YouTube: TravelingMomVideos & DesMiller

Desiree is a busy mom of four who founded StressFreeBaby.com and co-founded and contributes to a variety of sites including AtlantaMomsClub.com and produces the videos for TravelingMom.com among many other things.  Her expertise is grabbing people with the ‘hook’ and making sure what you show is as visual possible.  She can also show you how to vlog even if you don’t want to be on camera.

Jenny Ingram  YouTube: JennyOnTheSpot

Jenny, Jenny On the Spot (JOTS!) has been blogging since 2004. She is known for her love of sparkle and coffee. Jenny often snorts when she laughs. She has 3 kids, one husband, and lives in the Pacific NorthWET.

In 2008, she realized there was a camera on her laptop and her vlogging career/obsession began. In addition to her site, Jenny contributes as an iVoice with iVillage and teaches beginning-level social media classes in her local community because she looooves to see “it” click.

Betsy Cadel  Vimeo: Betsy Cadel   YouTube:  Digitwirl (writer/producer)

Betsy is the founder of Thinking Cap Productions. Turning WTF to OMG one how-to video at a time. She co-launched the popular website digitwirl.com, made over a dozen videos for the eHow series Socially Connected and created videos for popular websites and apps like Pocket and AboutOne. She’ll tell you everything you need to know about script writing and the importance of not just talking, but saying something.

Lucrecer Braxton  YouTube: Lucrecer

Lucrecer Braxton is a photographer, storyteller and awesomeness ambassador. She lives her life on purpose, attempts crazy yoga poses and loves on the haters. She blogs at Lucrecer.com.

We recently chatted with some of our blogger friends during a Google Hangout on Air about methods they use to increase their blog traffic. Julie Meyers Pron of Julieverse, Gigi Ross of KludgyMom, and Heather Solos of Home-Ec 101 joined us for the hour long chat and provided some great insights into how they have grown their blog traffic over the years.

Our main topics were: Site Design, Content, Vlogs, SEO, Social Media, Guest Posting, RSS, and Utilizing Your Stats. Here are some highlights from our conversation.

Site Design

• Look at your site from a first time visitor’s perspective. Do that by looking at other sites and noting what you like and don’t like.
• Introduce yourself with an About Page, include a photo.
• Make it easy for people to follow you on social media.
• Write and design for Suzy Reader – the person who randomly finds your site and wants to read more. Not all your readers are fellow bloggers.
• Use “nrelate” plug-in (WordPress) for related content at the end of a post so that visitors can read more if they are interested in that topic.

Content

• Consistency is key: frequency (whether is it’s once a week or everyday) and how you write (keep common thread – same tone, voice, vibe)
• Formatting – keep paragraphs short, use photos, post should be <750 words and easily skimmable

Vlogs

• In Google searches – related videos show up near top of search results!
• Product review videos do well – people can actually see how it works
• Use keywords- title, keyword tags, description
• In the description field the first thing should be a link back to your site.
• When you set-up your video on YouTube, enable the icon at top of screen that says “see more from ___” and use hyperlink that goes straight to your site
• During your video, call out the subscribe button in the video (point up and say, “Be sure to subscribe!”)
• Comment on other YouTube videos via video! It links back to your YouTube channel.
• Use the YouTube keyword tool (similar to Google keyword tool)

SEO

• Think about what people are searching for and title and keyword your post using those terms/questions
• Don’t label a post with a competing keyword just to attract viewers. For example: Don’t use the keyword “Express” in a Lily Pulitzer post just to attract people who are searching for Express.
• Your categories are important but don’t have a million of them. Pick the top ones that fit what you write about. Should only have a few.
• Your About Me page – change permalink to keyword you want to be searched on “i.e. /about/san-diego-mom-blogger”
• Set-up Google Author tag – your face will show up next to search results and will be more likely to get clicks

Social Media

• Twitter: Use a “tweet old posts plug-in” because you’re always getting new followers. Spread out your promotion of a new blog post – catch people in different time zones. Custom write promotional tweets and make them different from each other.
• Facebook: Don’t abuse your personal page, keep promotions to your blog’s fan page. Short updates work best on FB & EdgeRank changes all the time so stay on top of that. Look at your Facebook page analytics to see what kinds of posts get the most traffic.
• Pinterest: Make sure images are Pinterest friendly (not more than 600 pixels wide). Think about your Pinterest stream and pick good proportions for photos. Use pinterest plug-ins to increase pinning and make your images sharable.

Guest Posting

• When you offer to guest post, make sure you have a good understanding of what that blogger is looking for (stay on topic within their niche).
• If you write about something 5 times, in 5 different places, you’re considered an expert. <— Not the same article! Same topic but a different article.
• Ask to have bio included with link back to your site.
• Take advantage of networking in social media (LinkedIn) to find places to guest post.
• Etiquette – if you are guest posting on another person’s blog, you should promote it that day and hold off on promoting content on your own site.

RSS

• RSS is not dead! Lots of new companies ready to jump into this space. FeedBlitz is one of them and there are many others (Bloganizer, The Old Reader, etc.)
• Make sure your RSS feed sign-up is obvious and don’t get it rid of it just because Reader is going away! It’s still viable for other platforms.
• During the chat, Heather talks about using FeedBlitz as an alternate to Google Reader (since we all know the fate of that service). FeedBlitz has graciously offered O2O Blog readers 10% off the service for new publishers. Just use coupon code One2One when you sign-up. Thank you, FeedBlitz!

Utlizing Your Stats

• Google Analytics – Real Time Analytics – moment to moment what people are doing on your blog. Watch what people are doing and what posts they are visiting. Go back and add SEO and images (to make pinterest friendly) and then re-share it, pin it, stumble it.
• Commit to updating one post a day/week/month.
• Use Pinterest analytics tool to see what gets pinned the most and be sure to promote those kinds of posts.
• The Pretty Pinterest Plug-in – promote your Pinterest page or a board in your sidebar

One2One Network is pleased and honored to be a 2013 Media Sponsor for Listen To Your Mother. Listen To Your Mother is a “national series of live readings by local writers in celebration of Mother’s Day. Born of the creative work of mothers who publish online, each production is directed, produced, and performed by local communities, for local communities.”

Created by Ann Imig in 2010, Listen To Your Mother began as one show in Madison, Wisconsin but soon became a movement. Now in its fourth year and appearing in over twenty cities nationwide, Listen To Your Mother has become much more than a show. It’s a thriving online community of women and men who have been profoundly touched by motherhood.

The 2013 season of Listen To Your Mother began in late April and runs through May. We are thrilled to see several O2O members and friends on the cast lists like Heather Sokol, Danielle Smith, Lisa Noel, Aimee Giese, Greta Funk, Jessica Severson, Ilina Ewen, Erin Lane, and Lara DiPaolo!

Ann recently interviewed One2One Network founder and CEO, Barbara Jones, about the genuine engagement, dreams, and making your voice heard.

“My biggest piece of advice here is to just get started and know it is a marathon and not a sprint. It doesn’t have to be perfect.” 

If you live in or near any of these cities, we hope you’ll be able to attend a Listen To Your Mother event!

LTYM’s 2013 Shows:

Denver May 7, 2013 at The Elaine Wolf Theatre

Raleigh-Durham May 8, 2013 at Kenan Auditorium

Austin May 9, 2013 at AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center

Northern Utah May 9, 2013 at Thanksgiving Point

Twin Cities May 9, 2013 at Riverview Theater

NW Indiana May 10, 2013 at Memorial Opera House

Kansas City May 11, 2013 at Unity Temple on the Plaza

St. Louis May 11, 2013 at St. Luke’s Institute for Health Education

Boulder May 12, 2013 at The Dairy Center for the Arts

Eastern Iowa May 12, 2013 at CSPS Hall

Madison May 12, 2013 at Barrymore Theatre

New York City May 12, 2013 at Symphony Space

Sacramento May 12, 2013 at The Crest Theatre

San Francisco May 12, 2013 at Kanbar Hall in the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco

Spokane May 12, 2013 at Bing Crosby Theater

Wilmington May 12, 2013 at World Cafe Live at The Queen

Plumas County May 15, 2013 at Town Hall Theater

NW Arkansas May 30, 2013 at Walton Arts Center

Join the online community today! Follow @LTYM on Twitter, Like LTYM on Facebook, subscribe to LTYM on YouTube, and circle LTYM on G+!

Listen To Your Mother founder, Ann Imig, talks about how LTYM was created.

Harvey Karp, M.D. is best known for his Happiest Baby on the Block book series, the latest of which targets the number one complaint of parents, sleep! In The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep, Dr. Karp shows parents and caregivers how to train babies and young children to sleep longer and more soundly.

One2One Network is excited to have Dr. Karp join us on Thursday, May 2nd for a Twitter party about his latest book! Dr. Karp will be discussing key points from The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep with co-host Crissy Page of Dear Crissy and answering questions you have about babies, kids, and sleep!

• Date: Thursday, May 2, 2013
• Time: 1:00 PM Eastern
• Hashtag: #HappiestSleep
• Custom TweetGrid: http://bit.ly/ZT7DES
• Guest Host: Dr. Harvey Karp – @DrHarveyKarp
• Co-Host: Crissy Page – @Crissy
• Prizes: 10 Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep Prize Packs! They include a hardcover copy of The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep, a Super-Soothing White Noise CD, and a $20 eGift card to Babies ‘R Us!

RSVP below to let us know you’ll be joining us and to be eligible to win a prize!

Eligibility Requirements:

• You must be RSVP’d on the above link list to be eligible for the prize drawing.
• You must be participating in the Twitter conversation using the #HappiestSleep hashtag between 1:00-2:00 pm ET to be eligible to win prizes.
• Prizing is open to U.S. and Canada residents only.
• Winners are chosen using Random.org.
• Winners have 10 minutes to respond to their prize notification tweet. If no response is given, another winner will be chosen.
• Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery of the prizing.

About the Hosts

Dr. Harvey Karp is the world’s leading baby and toddler expert. He has been a pediatrician and child development specialist for 30 years and is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine. Through his books and DVDs he has taught his extraordinary techniques to millions of parents, including: Madonna, Claire Danes, Jewel, Larry David, Michele Pfeiffer, Jody Foster, and Pierce Brosnan.

The popularity of Dr. Karp’s landmark books and award winning DVDs, The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block, have made him one of our nation’s most respected authorities on children’s health and America’s most read pediatrician. His books are translated into over 20 languages and thousands of specially trained educators teach Happiest Baby classes across America.

Dr. Karp and his work have been featured many times in the national press, including: Good Morning America, Dr. Oz, The View, Today Show, CNN, CBS News, ABC Evening News, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Associated Press, People, Time, Newsweek, NPR, and many more.

Crissy Page is a happily married, work-at-home-mother of two from Ohio. She’s the author of Dear Crissy which features savvy product reviews and poignant glimpses into her life as a midwestern mom. She has a B.A. in English from Ohio University, and an unquenchable passion for creative non-fiction. In addition to writing for her own site, she has contributed to Babble, allParenting, BabyCenter and New Parent. Crissy loves photography and writing and enjoys being able to foster both of those creative outlets on her blog.

Unfortunately for bloggers, the Field of Dreams “if you build it, they will come” mantra doesn’t exactly pan out the way it did for Kevin Costner. How much time or money you put into designing your site or writing your posts will not matter if you don’t also take into consideration how people will find you.

So how do you go from only your best friend or your parents reading your blog to getting thousands of views each month? The first thing you need to remember is it takes time; it won’t happen overnight but it can happen. The second thing to keep in mind is there is not one foolproof method.

Now you’re probably wondering, “Well, what does work?” That’s where our upcoming Google Hangout on Air comes in! We’ve gathered a panel of bloggers who have experience in growing their blog traffic. We’ll cover several tips from using social media to interpretting and using your site stats to how RSS can bring in more page views.

• When: Wednesday, April 17th @ 1PM Eastern (12 Central, 11AM Mountain, 10AM Pacific)
• Where: One2One Network’s Google+ Page
• What: Tips for Increasing Blog Traffic
• Who: Julie Meyers Pron of Julieverse, Gigi Ross of KludgyMom, Heather Solos of Home-Ec 101, and Robyn Wright of Robyn’s Online World

The Hangout will be broadcast on air and we invite you to come by and watch, make comments, and ask questions!

About the Panelists:

Julie Meyers Pron is the owner and editor of Julieverse.com, founded as Just-Precious.com, in May 2009 and VlogMom.com, a website and network focused on empowering bloggers to engage on video. An eternal optimist, Julie has been called a “Momcyclopedia” and a “real life Google.” A mom to three, wife, educator, marketer, cheerleader, budding organizer, and me-time enthusiast, Julie shares her knowledge, lifestyle tips, business-savvy suggestions and real life stories helping you to parent confidently while remaining your stylish self.

Gigi Ross has been blogging on her personal blog, KludgyMom, for 3+ years and has a passion for helping others blog better. She’s written about blogging and social media as editor for the SITS Girls and Business 2 Blogger and has spoken at 3 Bloggy Boot Camps. She also works as a freelancer, doing social media and blogger outreach for startups and now, large brands like Johnson & Johnson.

Heather Solos is a professional blogger and author. She founded the everyday living skills site Home-Ec 101 and is the Community Manger for FeedBlitz. Heather’s focus is on helping sites grow their traffic and subscribers through RSS.

Robyn Wright is a lifestyle blogger with a focus on tech and food. She has used social networks since 2008 to grow her blog traffic and will share some of her tips for getting the most traffic from your social networks without feeling spammy.