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You might be sick of seeing them by now, but the fact remains—list posts work. People love reading and sharing good lists. A good list post contains useful or entertaining information in an easy-to-read format that promotes discussion.

Here are 5 easy ideas for list posts that you can create for your blog.

1. Favorite people in your industry to follow on Twitter—I’ve written multiple “Top (insert industry) People to Follow on Twitter” posts on different blogs, and each time, the posts have been a remarkable success. Twitter is a very popular social networking platform, and your readers are always looking for new, interesting people to follow. Put together a list of some of your favorite industry people on Twitter.
2. Best blogs in your niche—Show some love to the other blogs in your niche by creating a list of your favorites. Don’t be afraid to link out to “the competition.” If your content is great and unique, your readers aren’t going to leave you. They’ll enjoy checking out the other blogs, and the bloggers you link to will be grateful for the shout out.
3. Most common mistakes your customers make—As a marketer, I often write about the costly marketing mistakes businesses make time and time again. These posts are effective for multiple reasons. They educate the reader, giving them information they can actually use and benefit from, and they increase the author’s credibility, helping to position him as a thought leader.
4. Biggest myths related to your industry—Every industry is plagued by misinformation. This blog is focused on internet marketing and SEO. Think there aren’t a few SEO myths out there that need busting? Make a list of the biggest myths in your niche and set them on blast!
5. Predictions for the future of your industry—It’s still early on in 2012, so you have time to make your predictions for the future of your industry in the coming year. Don’t be afraid to make some predictions. Just make sure you provide solid reasoning for each of your picks.

What are some other good ideas others can use for list posts? Share your best ideas by leaving a comment below.

Blog comment spammers have been around as long as blogging itself. It wasn’t all that long ago that “blog comment marketing” was seen by some as a great way to build links and drive traffic back to targeted websites. Personally, I always thought it was a spammy tactic, and most people now agree with that sentiment.

That’s not to say that I don’t think there are any benefits to leaving comments on other blogs. On the contrary, leaving thoughtful comments that add to the conversation can be a good way to increase name recognition, build your credibility, and grow your network. But the way some marketers approach blog comment marketing (leave as many comments on as many different blogs as possible) is what irks me.

Are you a blog comment spammer? If you do any of the following, you might be one.

• You use a keyword as your name—If you’re going to leave comments on other blogs, use your real name. Don’t be the guy who uses a keyword in the name field so that you can build a keyword-rich link back to your website. It’s spammy, and the link will carry little value anyway.
• Your comments add no value to the conversation—Comments like “nice post” or “this was really interesting!” are meaningless, spammy, and add no value to the conversation. If you’re going to leave a comment, take the time to come up with something that gets a conversation started. Share your real opinions on the subject. Respond to something specific in the post. Engage with the author and the other commenters.
• You blast the exact same comment out to dozens of blogs—Blog comment spammers are notorious for coming up with a few generic comments and posting them on every blog in their niche. Comments should always be specific to the post at hand. If you’re not addressing something that was brought up in the post, you’re more than likely a comment spammer.
• You pitch your products or services in the comment—The comments section on someone else’s blog is NOT the place to advertise your products and services. If you want to advertise on someone else’s blog, pay for an ad slot. Otherwise, stop spamming.

So, are you a blog comment spammer? What are some of the other things comment spammers do? Share your thoughts by leaving a (non-spammy) comment!

Having goals for your blog is important. It gives you direction, and provides something for you to measure against. This prevents your blog from becoming stagnant, which is a guaranteed way to kill your passion for blogging.

Here are 5 good blogging resolutions you could have for 2012.

1. Try new things—The more you blog, the easier it is to slip into a pattern of publishing the same type of content over and over. You probably tend to write about the same subjects in the same format. This year, mix it up! Try to incorporate new blogging styles. Maybe you can begin doing some video posts. Or perhaps you can find some new topics to write about.
2. Update your blog’s appearance—Too many bloggers think that content is all that matters. Yes, your content is the foundation of your blog. If your posts suck, you’re not going to build a successful blog. However, looks are important too. When’s the last time you updated your blog’s appearance? A new design could help build credibility and keep readers on site longer.
3. Become a better networker—Networking with other bloggers, social media influencers, and colleagues is important for helping your blog grow. The more known you become, the more popular your blog will also become. Take some time to use the social networking tools that are out there to start building strategic relationships so you can have a powerful network at your fingertips.
4. Try a new method of promoting your blog—Want to build your blog? You need to promote it. Maybe you’re promoting it now, but you’re probably using the same basic methods each time you publish a new post. It’s time to try some new things. Promote your posts on websites and forums that you don’t typically use. Use blog carnivals. Build your email list. Maybe even use PPC to drive traffic to certain blog posts.
5. Guest blog more often—Guest blogging is a great way to increase your name recognition, build credibility, drive traffic back to your blog, and grow your network. This year, make a conscious effort to guest blog more often. If you only guest blog once a month right now, bump it up to once a week. If you’re already guest posting on other blogs once a week, try doing it twice a week. Take your guest blogging efforts to the next level.

What are some of your blogging resolutions for 2012?

Trying to land a guest posting opportunity on another blog? These opportunities won’t just be handed to you. You have to work for them. Bloggers are very protective of their websites, and they only want to provide their readers with the best possible content.

That’s where the pitch comes in. Before your guest post can be accepted, you need to pitch the blog owner. This means sending them a short email introducing yourself and telling them what you have to offer (your guest post). In essence, you’re trying to sell the blogger on your guest post. You want them to see that you have an understanding of their audience, and that you can provide them with content their readers will love.

What better way to do this than to show them the guest post you have for them?

Some writers come up with idea for a guest post, and then they pitch the blog owner on this idea. If the blogger accepts the pitch, they then write the post and send it over.

I prefer writing my guest post before I ever pitch it. Why?

• The blogger can see exactly what he will be getting—I’ve received some great pitches from potential guest bloggers, but when they turned in the post to me, it didn’t live up to my expectations. By writing the post before you send your pitch, you cut out the guesswork. The blogger can see the full post and decide whether or not it’s a good fit for his blog.
• The post is ready to go, making it easier and more appealing for the blogger—Bloggers are a busy bunch, and the easier you make it for them to accept and publish your guest post, the likelier it is that they’ll do so. A great post that’s already good to go is much more appealing than just an idea for a potential guest post.
• If the post isn’t accepted, it’s still mine to use—At the worst, the blogger will reject the guest post, and you’ll have a pre-written post on your hands. You could still pitch this to another blogger, or you could simply post it on your own blog. It won’t go to waste either way.

What do you think about writing the guest post before the pitch?

Accepting guest posts on your blog offers a range of benefits, such as increased traffic, a fresh perspective, and new content with minimal work on your part. But it’s important to have some guidelines for your guest bloggers.

1. Guest posts must be useful and relevant to the blog’s audience—Above all else, your duty is to provide your readers with content that interests them. The most important requirement for guest bloggers is that they provide you with content that’s relevant to your blog and that will appeal to your audience.
2. Guest posts must be original and published nowhere else—Some shady guest bloggers will try to pass off content that they’ve already published on other blogs, or even worse, they’ll steal someone else’s content off another blog and present it as their own. You should only accept original content on your blog that hasn’t been posted anywhere else.
3. Guest posts must not be promotional in nature—I’ve received guest blogs that were nothing more than a thinly-veiled advertisement for the author’s products or services. I refuse to publish such posts. If you want to advertise, pay for an ad spot on a blog. Don’t try to pass off a self-promotional guest post.
4. Guest posts must be proofread properly—Guest bloggers should be providing you with their very best work. They shouldn’t turn in work that’s full of grammatical and spelling errors. You have a responsibility to your readers to provide them with great content, so don’t let your quality standards decline with guest posts.
5. Guests posts should meet a minimum word count—Now, if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you might remember that I’m anti-word count. I’ve never bought into the idea that content needs to be a certain number of words in order to provide value to the reader, but when it comes to guest blogging, I make an exception. Why? Because there are some people out there who just want the links back to their website, so they quickly crank out short guest posts, without focusing on quality. Instituting a minimum word count for guest bloggers can help deter some of this behavior.

What are some other important guest blogging guidelines you’d add to this list?