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Blogging 101: Helping You Get Started

May 2013

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• Aaron Strout, Managing Director, W2O Group• Co-author of Location-Based Marketing for Dummies• Blog: http://blog.wcgworld.com• Twitter: @aaronstrout

Today’s Speakers

• Simon Salt, Digital Marketing Strategist/Small Business Blogger• Author of Social Location Marketing• Blog: http://www.theincslingers.com/blog/• Twitter: @incslinger

• Caron Beesley, Blogger, SBA.gov Community• Small business owner, writer & marketing communications consultant.• Blog: http://www.sba.gov/community/blog_contributors/1631• Twitter: @caronbeesley

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• We ARE recording this webinar. You will receive an e-mail with a link to the webinar in the next 48 hours.

• Feel free to ask questions via the “Questions” module in the GoTo panel on the right of your screen.

• If you want to follow along on the back-channel via Twitter, the hashtag is #SBASocial.

Housekeeping

Special thank you to Justin Levy of Citrix for providing today’s GoTo Webinar platform – gotomeeting.com

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blog /blôg/Noun

Short for web log: a type of website that is changed regularly to give the latest news. The page usually contains a person or business’s opinions, insights or experiences. Many blogs allow for other people to comment on the posts on the site.

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The Basics

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Top (Free) Blogging Platforms

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Top (Free) Commenting Platforms

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US Blogging Stats For 2012

42,000,000 Blogs in the US

329 Million People View A Blog Monthly

25 Billion Pages Viewed Monthly

500,000 Daily New Posts

400,000 Daily Comments

Source: http://blogging.org/blog/blogging-stats-2012-infographic/

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Businesses Blogging Stats

There are an estimated 31

Million bloggers in the US as of

July 2012

60% of Businesses

have a Business Blog

35% Blog At Least Once A

Month

65% Haven’t Blogged Once

In The Past Year

Source: http://blogging.org/blog/blogging-stats-2012-infographic/

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Value of Business Blogs

• Good for search engine optimization (SEO)• Way to demonstrate thought leadership• Lead generator• Opportunity to showcase employees, partners and

clients• Smart way to involve key stake holders in conversations• Flexible way to present content on your website

#SBASocialWhile sharing is important, the real control rests with the 1 percent

The 1-9-90 Principle of Social Media

Source: Jake McKee; Manhattan Research, Cybercitizen Health® v2.0-9.0

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Best Practices

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• The key to effective blogging: write. And then write some more.• Find an Editor: Nearly all writing benefits from an extra pair of eyes.

Find a good editor – or let us help – to spot leaps in logic and typos.• Read/Research as Much as Possible: Blogs are a vehicle for both

original perspective and commentary. Understanding what others are saying can help refine the arguments you wish to make.

• Prepare for a long-term commitment: Blogs are designed for continual updating; Do you have something to say today? Tomorrow? A year from now

Road Rules

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What to blog about

• Have a goal and keep it in mind - Thought leadership- Information sharing- Improved SEO

• Get ideas from others- From customers, other bloggers, your industry- Use comments feature/social media for ideas and input- Tie in marketing campaigns / topical events

• Write within your means• Showcase people

- Introduce your staff, what do they bring to the table- Interview an industry expert

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What to blog about (cont.)

• Be helpful – offer tips, “how-to” content- Become the go-to resource in your area of expertise

• Share the load – invite guest bloggers• For more ideas, read:• http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/

never-run-out-blog-topic-ideas-here-are-36

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Writing your blog – write for your reader

• Improve your hit rate with headlines that resonate with the reader but also with the search engine (“Top 10 ways to…”, “5 Tips…”, “How-to…” work well)

• Avoid musings – in the headline, in the intro, get straight to the point

• Start with a question - what is it you want to answer for your readers?

• End with a question • Be conversational – connect with the reader• Link, link, link - you can’t convey everything in one article

- Link to bulleted list of “Related Articles” and “Additional Resources” at end of post

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Writing your blog post – formatting is your friend

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Bring Your Blog to Life with Images

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Never use images/content/etc found on the web unless you have permission or the site states permission and under what conditions– Look for the Creative Commons copyright license

symbols which make it easy to know how to share content legally

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Blog Titles – The Good, the OK, the ?!

• Write your headline last

• Be descriptive

• Be concise

• How do you search?

• Use tips, how to’s and questions

• Don’t make statements

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Managing your Time

• Maintain an editorial calendar• Keep blogs to 500-700 words

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Sharing Your Content

• Plugins for sharing across Social Networks – supported on all platforms

• Use Social Networks individually – craft different messages for each platform. E.g. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, G+

• Build a network of co-authors you can share links with• Build a presence on other blogs that post content that

supports yours, leave a comment with a link to your post

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Case Study

• River Pools and Spas – Owner, Marcus Sheridan, started in 2008 by answering customers questions via blog posts

• Today, his company gets more traffic than any other pool company in the world

Source: http://www.copyblogger.com/brick-and-mortar-content-marketing/

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Round Table Discussion

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Small Business Blogs

• SBA’s Bloghttp://www.sba.gov/community/blogs

• Jim Connolly’s Marketing Blog – Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business – http://jimsmarketingblog.com

• Escape from Cubicle Nation – advice for small/startup bizhttp://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/pamela-slims-blog

• CopyBlogger – All things content marketing for small biz –• http://www.copyblogger.com/blog/• Duct Tape Marketing – http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog

/• WCG’s Blog (a W2O Group Company) –

http://blog.wcgworld.com

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Questions?

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THANK YOU!

• Aaron Strout, Managing Director, W2O Group• Co-author of Location-Based Marketing for Dummies• Blog: http://blog.wcgworld.com• Twitter: @aaronstrout

• Simon Salt, Digital Marketing Strategist/Small Business Blogger• Author of Social Location Marketing• Blog: http://www.theincslingers.com/blog/• Twitter: @incslinger

• Caron Beesley, Blogger, SBA.gov Community• Small business owner, writer & marketing communications consultant.• Blog: http://www.sba.gov/community/blog_contributors/1631• Twitter: @caronbeesley