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A Beginner’s Guide to Successful Business Blogging

Nikki Little | Identity

Confession TimeBlogging is hard work!

But…Hard work reaps REAL RESULTS.

Both B2B & B2C brands said “creating

article/blog content”

is the most effective social

marketing tactic.

(2013 eMarketer study)

Why should your small business have a blog?• Showcase expertise/build online

reputation.• Manage your own publishing hub.• Promote your company & leaders.• Generate business leads.• Media/guest post opportunities.• Presentation/speaking opportunities.• Content for social channels.• Build relationships with influencers &

other bloggers.

One ThingTo keep in

mind…

The content landscape has shifted over the years.

Many brands are producing content, so yours MUST stand out.

HOW TO GET STARTED

First steps: Establish goals & choose your platform.

Blog platform options:• WordPress (my fave!) –

Customization, self hosting, own domain name.

• Blogger – Good for text, less customizing, own domain name.

• Tumblr – Great for images, own domain name.

• Medium – A “beautiful space for reading and writing”, less customizing, nice user interface.

• LinkedIn – Blog right within LinkedIn on profile page (good for execs).

Pro Tip #1:Your blog should be part of your

website.

Pro Tip #2:Install analytics &

use to measure success.

Additional first steps:• Audit existing content (what can

be turned into blog posts?).• Determine voice and tone.• Determine authors.• Create content guidelines for

contributors.• Determine posting frequency.• Create content calendar.

Pro Tip #3:Empower employees to

contribute to blog success.

Employees are often a brand’s strongest proponents.

How to get employees involved:• Share blog strategy and content

guidelines with them. • Invite them to contribute ideas and

content. • Give them suggested copy to share posts

on their personal social networks.• Listen to them – help them work through

post ideas. • Create an email template they can send

to contacts to share new posts. • Provide rewards/incentives for

sharing/contributing content.

CONTENT INSPIRATION

Content generation ideas:• Your customers/clients: What questions

are they asking? What do they care about?

• Your employees.• Keywords relevant to your

company/industry (use Google AdWords Keyword Planner and KeywordTool.io).

• Company news/announcements.• Events/philanthropic efforts.• Your company culture.• Hot industry trends (add your unique

perspective).

Content generation ideas cont.:• Customer stories/testimonials.• Forums – what questions are people

asking about your company/products/services?

• News and blogs related to your industry (build off their content – don’t copy).

• Book reviews, recaps of conferences/events/webinars/seminars.

• Content idea generator sites (Portent’s Content Idea Generator, Hubspot’s Blog Topic Generator).

• Google autocomplete and related searches.

8 Elements of a Rockstar Business Blog

Important Elements:

1 Frequent and unique content

2 Photos and video

3 Email and RSS subscription options

4 Commenting and sharing options

Important Elements:

5 Responsive design

6 SEO elements

7 Calls to action

8 Content promotion strategy

PROMOTING CONTENT

Content promotion opportunities:• Personal and company social networks. • Email signature.• URL in online profiles.• Business cards.• Comment on other blogs.• Paid ops: AdWords, LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter

ads.• Guest blogging. • Share with relevant groups/people online (be

selective – don’t spam!).• Link to previous posts within content.• Use for new business follow ups/customer

retention.• Include in e-marketing campaigns.

PostMeasureAnalyzeRinse

Repeat

Your Recipe For Success:

Tips From the Identity

Team…

Think like journalists. Dig up the stories people will gravitate toward and invest in emotionally. Find real life examples to validate tips/advice you offer.

Courtney Howell, @CourtneyLHowell

Don’t write for your company. Write for your audience. Latch on to news/industry trends. And pay attention to what competitors are blogging about.

Meaghan Priebe, @MegPriebe

Embrace your core business competencies and let those guide your content strategy. And clearly define your customer demographic.

Sarah Ambrose, @sarambrose

Final Pro Tip

Social media is like an engine. It needs fuel to run.

The best fuel is great content.

Social media is like an engine. It needs fuel to run.

The best fuel is great content.

Your Turn!Questions/Com

ments?

Nikki Little

Account Manager, Social Media Identity

@nikki_little

nlittle@identitypr.com