nick westergaard | branddrivendigital.com | 2015 social spotlight BRAND DRIVEN digital Blogging 101 Building an Online Content Hub to Position Your Brand’s Expertise
Transcript
nick westergaard | branddrivendigital.com | 2015
social spotlight
BRAND DRIVEN digital
Blogging 101Building an Online Content Hub to Position Your Brand’s Expertise
Your Brand’s Online Hub
Photo via Flickr user Velo Steve
Blogging: Social Spotlight
‣ By the Numbers
‣ How Brands Use Blogs
‣ 5 Cs to Building Your Blog
‣ Things to Remember
1
Blogging by the Numbers
156 millionpublic blogs in existence
Source: Dream Systems Media
23% of timeonline is spent with blogs — twice as much as gaming
Source: Dream Systems Media
31% morebloggers today than their were three years ago
Source: eMarketer
60%of businesses have a business or company blog
61%of u.s. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog
Source: BlogHer
81%of u.s. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs
Source: BlogHer
82%of marketers who blog daily acquired a customer using their blog, as opposed to 57% of marketers who blog monthly — which, by itself, is still an impressive result.
Source: Hubspot
B2B Blogsb2b companies with blogs generate 67% more leads per month than non-blogging firms
Source: Social B2B
13xMarketers who have prioritized blogging are 13x more likely to enjoy positive roi
Source: Hubspot
Blogs Create Real Customers
Marketers See the Value
Blog Importance Is Increasing
Top Area of Investment
35 v. 6535% actively update their blog at least once a month where as 65% haven’t updated their blog in a year or more!
Weekly is the most popular blog posting frequency
Source: Marketing Charts
2
How Brands Use Blogs
Types of Bloggers
‣ Hobbyist
‣ Professional/Part-Time/Full-Time
‣ Corporate
‣ Entrepreneurs
Source: Technorati
Who Are Business Bloggers?
Blogging Benefits for Businesses
‣ SEO — Google loves new content
‣ Positioning — Your Brand as a thought leader
‣ Customer Focus — Place for engaging, providing
feedback, & creating evangelists
‣ Market Research — Inform product development
‣ Sales — Platform for info relevant to the sales process
‣ Public Relations — Trusted resource by news media
‣ BONUS! Puts Faces with Your Business
Positioning: Manpower
Customer Focus: Southwest Airlines
Customer Focus: Citrix
Market Research: Starbucks
Sales Process (B2C): Disney Parks
Sales Process (B2B): Caterpillar
PR/Branding: GE
BONUS! Sweet Leaf Tea
3
The Five Cs to Building Your Blog
The Five Cs of Building Your Blog
‣ Content
‣ Consistency
‣ Construction
‣ Composition
‣ Connection
CONTENT:
Determine Focus
Photo via Flickr user Otto Phokus
CONTENT:
Define Your Audience
Photo via Flickr user DeaPeaJay
CONTENT:
Tone & Style
Photo via Flickr user nerrisa’s ring
CONTENT:
Flexible vs. Focused
Photo via Flickr user highlimitzz
Photo via Flickr user cliff1066
CONTENT:
Curation Counts
CONTENT:
Features
Photo via Flickr user Rameshng
CONTENT:
Guest Posts
Photo via Flickr user ScottieT812
Photo via Flickr user DafneCholet
CONSISTENCY:
How Often?
Photo via Flickr user Artnow314
CONSISTENCY:
When to Post?
Photo via Flickr user jmrodri
CONSTRUCTION:
Foundation = Platform
Blogging Platforms
‣ Wordpress — .com & .org
‣ Blogger
‣ TypePad
‣ Tumblr
‣ Posterous
Photo via Flickr user Concrete Forms
CONSTRUCTION:
Trimming Interior
Clean Sidebar
Categories & Tags
Widgets That Engage
Pages That Build the Brand
Photo via Flickr user Dorron
COMPOSITION:
Identity
Logo & Consistent Avatar
Photo via Flickr user alan_cleaver 2000
COMPOSITION:
Colors
Photo via Flickr user DaveFayram
COMPOSITION:
Fonts
Photo via Flickr user eshipul
COMPOSITION:
Look for New Ideas
Photo via Flickr user C!
CONNECTION:
Easy Share & Connect Buttons
4
Things to Remember
Top Highest Earning Blogs‣ Huffington Post ($2.3 Million)
‣ Mashable ($560K)
‣ Perez Hilton ($450K)
‣ TechCrunch ($400K)
‣ Smashing Magazine ($190K)
‣ Timothy Sykes ($150K)
‣ Gothamist ($110K)
‣ Tuts Plus ($110K)
‣ Car Advise ($70K)
‣ Venture Beat ($62K)
Responsive Design
Photo via Flickr user UXmash
Participate in #Blogchat SUNDAYS AT 8 PM CENTRAL ON TWITTER