Small BusinessSocial Media Marketing

Create a WordPressWebsite/Blog Session I

Suzanne HullContemporary Business Solutions

suzanne@contemporary-business-solutions.comTwitter: @contempbusiness

Plan of Attack• Develop a Word Press

Website/Blog–Welcome, About, Contact & Blog–Learn how to navigate the admin site

• Learn how to write a blog

WHY BLOG?• It's a platform to showcase

your knowledge and expertise• It’s an interactive platform

to build a community• It’s a low cost marketing

tool to promote products/services• It helps you create trust & credibility• Search engine friendly and drives high traffic

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGBEFORE YOU GO PUBLIC

• Define your customer– Where do they come from?– What type of content should you

create that helps them? – Where do your customers hang out online so you can

go and find them when you’re ready to launch

• Register your social media accounts• Compose your posts in Word• Write for several weeks before you tell anyone –

this takes a lot of practice

HOW TO WRITE A BLOG BEFORE YOU GO PUBLIC

• Spend some time building an audience– Search for at least 15 blogs & save them to

your Google Reader– Read and comment on a few of them

• This will get your website URL out there• The blogger and their readers may take an interest• For every hour you spend on your blog, spend 3

on others

– It takes time to build trust within the community

HOW TO WRITE A BLOG BEFORE YOU GO PUBLIC

• Reach out to key influencers– All small business niches have industry

leaders who are online and could potentially assist you with getting the word out regarding your blog

– Get to know them before you launch!• Subscribe to their blog in your Google Reader• Comment frequently on their posts• Engage with them via their social media outlets

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGYOU’RE READY TO WRITE

• Variety– Mix short posts with long posts (250-500 wds)– Mix text with video (blog/vlog)– Mix personal with professional

• Include an image and eye rests

• Don’t just ramble – be helpful - educate

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGYOU’RE READY TO WRITE

• Build a community by:– Asking questions

– Mentioning others

– Answering questions

– Thanking others

– Asking for help

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGYOU’RE READY TO WRITE

• Virality– Write good headlines

with <120 characters

– Use numbers or lists

in the headline

– Use keywords and

unexpected words

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGMAINTENANCE

• More blog posts equals more of everything

• Develop and stick to your editorial schedule – consecutive days builds traction

• Draft at least ten posts in advance and have them loaded with preset publish dates

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGUSING THE RIGHT METRICS

Three strategies for blogging:

Content

Commerce

Community

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGUSING THE RIGHT METRICS

If your strategy is blogging for content:• Write with emphasis on search

optimization, trying to drive traffic to the blog via strategic content creation & keyword inclusion– Total visits– Percentage of new visits– Visits from search engines

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGUSING THE RIGHT METRICS

If your strategy is blogging for commerce:• More interested in conversion events than in

traffic generation. Funneling traffic from the blog to some other destination to make a purchase is the prime objective– Average length of stay

– Number of pages viewed per visit

– Referrers from other sites

HOW TO WRITE A BLOGUSING THE RIGHT METRICS

If your strategy is blogging for community:• These blogs seek to create a consistent

readership that interact with the blogger(s) and advocate on behalf of the content through other social outposts– Repeat visits

– RSS subscribers

– Comments

– Referrers from social outposts

WordPress Homework• Choose a theme that suits you and your

business

• Develop the copy for your site

• Develop pages on your own

• Think about what you want to have in the sidebar(s)

Blogging Homework• Email me your website/blog’s URL

• Write blog posts we can critique next week

• Find your industry’s key influencers and begin creating a relationship

Create a WordPressWebsite/Blog Session II

• Learn how to create sub-pages

• Build out the side bar with widgets– Social Media Buttons, head shot, etc.

• Critique blog posts

• Troubleshoot any problems

QUESTIONS?

Suzanne HullContemporary Business Solutions

suzanne@contemporary-business-solutions.comTwitter: @contempbusiness