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Blogging for Accountants

Copyright © 2016 Garrett Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FIBP. All rights reserved.

Garrett Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FIBP

Web: http://www.garrettwasny.com

E-mail: [email protected] | Cell:

778.898.9059Connect with Garrett Wasny on Social Media

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+GarrettWasny/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/garrettwasny


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Legal Disclaimer This handout and presentation are for general guidance on matters of interest

only. While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information

provided has been obtained from reliable sources, the presenter and sponsors

are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from

the use of this information. All information in this handout and presentation is

provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or ofthe results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of

any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of

performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The handout

is distributed with the understanding that the contributing author and editor, and

the publisher, are not rendering consulting, legal, accounting, or other

professional services in this publication. If advice or other expert assistance isrequired, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Due to

the fluid nature of the Internet, website addresses and other related information

may change without notice.


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What is a Blog?


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A blog is a type of website written in a journal or diary format. They contain

short, conversational-style articles (called “posts”) which are typically

written in a casual, personal style as opposed to more formal, technical

writing.


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Each post is housed on a separate URL that is date/time stamped and can

be commented on by readers.


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Blogs involve posting of fresh educational and op-ed content on a regular

basis.


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Blog may be published on your own website or on a dedicated blogging

platform (Blogger, WordPress).


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Blog can also be used as a VERB, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.


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BLOGGERS are people who write blogs … BLOGGING is the act of writing a

blog.


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Virtually anyone can be a blogger ….


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On a blog, bloggers publish periodic entries in reverse chronological order – the

latest posts are listed first, the oldest posts are listed last.


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Writing style is personal, opinionated, concise and informal.


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The content of blogs feature different types of media – text,

images, videos, links to other blogs, infographics.


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Blogs are interactive – visitors are allowed and encouraged to

leave comments, remark on the comments of others, and engage

in online conversations.


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Interactivity is what distinguishes blogs from other static websites

-- bloggers not only post content on their blogs, they also build

social relations with their readers and other bloggers.


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Until 2009 blogs were typically the work of a single individual or

small group and often covered a single subject.


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More recently "multi-author blogs" (MABs) have developed, with

posts written by large numbers of authors and professionally

edited.


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Blogs are written on every conceivable topic and theme – news,

business, technology, culture, travel, health, politics, sports.


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• Blogs have many different objectives, points of view and

agendas. They can:

• provide commentary on a specific subject.

• be personal online diaries.

• promote a person, brand or company.


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Blogs are be published in a diverse range of media formats:

• Textual (Blogger, Word Press).

• Social Network (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+).

• Video (YouTube, Google Hangouts, Vimeo, Vine, Periscope).

• Images (Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Flickr).• Presentations (Slideshare).

• Podcasts (Opinion, Spreaker, AudioBoom, Soundcloud).


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The definition and nature of blogs has evolved in recent years.


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Pre 2010, blogs were typically written on standalone blogging

platforms (Word Press, Blogger), primarily text, and single

channel.


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• In recent years, blogs have shifted towards:

• social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,

YouTube) to post to a wider audience and tap their more

substantive discussions.

• media-rich and visual context (include a mix of text,images, video content).

• multi-channel (“traditional” bloggers had only one text blog

on one platform while today’s bloggers typically operate

multiple blogs across numerous channels).


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Time Magazine’s 30 Most Influential People on the Internet |

http://time.com/3732203/the-30-most-influential-people-on-the-internet/ | Of Time’s

Magazine’s March 2015 list, seven are bloggers.


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Oh joy! | https://www.pinterest.com/ohjoy/ | Blog of Joy Cho, a design,

fashion and lifestyle blogger.


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Food Babe | https://www.pinterest.com/ohjoy/ | Blog of Vani Hari, a food

nutritionist and health eating advocate.


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Yao Chen | http://www.weibo.com/yaochen/ | Blog of Yao Chen, a Chinese

social activist.


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Bethany Mota | https://www.youtube.com/user/Macbarbie07 | Blog of

Bethany Mota, a fashion designer.


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Alexei Navalny| https://navalny.com/ | Blog of Alexei Navalny, a Russian

political analyst and Putin critic.


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Feminist Frequency | https://twitter.com/femfreq | Blog of Anita Sarkeesian,

a feminist writer and social critic.

H f N Y k | h // h f

k / | Ph bl f


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Humans of New York | http://www.humansofnewyork.com/ | Photo blog of

Brandon Stanton, an American photographer.

A ti T d F it A ti Bl | htt //bit l

/1RKF4 | L di


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Accounting Today Favorite Accounting Blogs | http://bit.ly/1RKF4rs | Leading

tax-related blogs according to Accounting Today magazine.

T J | htt //bl t j / | H l li ll i lif th h l f


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TaxJar | http://blog.taxjar.com/ | Helps online sellers simplify the hassles of

tracking and filing sales tax so they can focus on growing their business.

Lib t T L | htt // lib t t /t l / | Bl f


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Liberty Tax Lounge | https://www.libertytax.com/tax-lounge/ | Blog of

Liberty Tax Service accounting franchise.

T I d t T lk | htt // th i t h l /bl / | Bl f


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Tax Industry Talk | http://www.theincometaxschool.com/blog/ | Blog of

Income Tax School tax education.

Solutions for CPA Leaders| http://ritakeller com/blog/ | Blog of Rita Keller


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Solutions for CPA Leaders| http://ritakeller.com/blog/ | Blog of Rita Keller,

an award-winning and widely respected voice to CPA firm management.

Due Diligence | http://www mahanyertl com/blog/ | Blog of Mahany Law


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Due Diligence | http://www.mahanyertl.com/blog/ | Blog of Mahany Law,

whistleblower and fraud recovery lawyers.

Federal Tax Crimes | http://federaltaxcrimes blogspot ca/ | Blog of Jack


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Federal Tax Crimes | http://federaltaxcrimes.blogspot.ca/ | Blog of Jack

Townsend, federal tax crimes specialist.

Mauled Again | http://mauledagain blogspot ca/ | Blog of Prof James


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Mauled Again | http://mauledagain.blogspot.ca/ | Blog of Prof. James

Edward Maule of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Tax Analysts Blog |


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Tax Analysts Blog |

http://tax.or g/www/website.nsf/Web/Blogs?OpenDocument | Blog of Tax

Analysts, a Washington, DC accountancy.

Bloomberg BNA Softwware Discussions | http://bnas wpengine com/ |


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Bloomberg BNA Softwware Discussions | http://bnas.wpengine.com/ |

Blog of Bloomberg Tax Analysts on new accounting software.

TaxVox | http://taxvox taxpolicycenter org/ | Blog of Tax Policy Center in


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TaxVox | http://taxvox.taxpolicycenter.org/ | Blog of Tax Policy Center in

Washington, DC.

TaxTimes | http://taxlaw ms/ma-blo

g php | Blog of Marini & Associates a


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TaxTimes | http://taxlaw.ms/ma-blog.php | Blog of Marini & Associates, a

tax law firm based in Miami, Florida.

Tax Policy Blog | http://taxfoundation or

g/blog | Blog of Tax Foundation an


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Tax Policy Blog | http://taxfoundation.or g/blog | Blog of Tax Foundation, an

independent tax policy research organization.

Rubin On Tax | http://rubinontax floridatax com/ | Blog of Charles (Chuck)


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Rubin On Tax | http://rubinontax.floridatax.com/ | Blog of Charles (Chuck)

Rubin is a Florida Bar Board Certified tax attorney with the firm of Gutter

Chaves Josepher Rubin Forman Fleisher Miller P.A.

Procedurally Taxing| http://www procedurallytaxing com/ | Blog of


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Procedurally Taxing| http://www.procedurallytaxing.com/ | Blog of

Professor Les Book, a Professor of Law at the Villanova University School of

Law.

Quick Lessons


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Quick Lessons

Accounting blogs come in all shapes and sizes.

• Variety of voices – accountants, academics,lawyers.

• Different organizations – sole practitioners,

accounting firms, think tanks, legal firms.

• Range of design – basic text, sophisticatedlayouts.

• Countless perspectives and issues –

federal, state, local, legal, technical,

instructional.• Wide range of tone – humorous, serious, mix.


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All this raises key questions …

How can blogs help accountants in

their own work and workflow?

How can blogs be used to boost the

online profile and credibility of CPAs

and other financial professionals?

What exact steps do CPAs need to

take and which specific tools should

they use to tap the power of blogs and

improve their online reach, clout and

business prospects?


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Today, we'll explore all this

and much more in ..

Blogging for

Accountants

Agenda


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Agenda

• What is a Blog?

• Website vs. Blog: What’s the Difference?• Blogging Pros and Cons

• Leading Corporate Blogs

• How Accountants are Blogging

• How to Search for Blogs• Leading Blogging Platforms

• Key Blog Writing Tips

• Using Images to Boost Blog Engagement

• Blog Outsourcing

• Key Blogging Tools

• Blogger Starter Strategy


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FYI

Upfront Disclaimer and Full Disclosure


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Upfront Disclaimer and Full Disclosure

• I’m an independent Certified

Management Consultant.

• I don’t represent any technology

manufacturer, retailer, software

developer or telecom provider.

• “I don’t take sides, I take notes.”

• Blogging tools spotlighted today are

based on hundreds of hours of due

diligence, extensive literature

reviews, tech press analysis, and

consultations with CPAs and otheraccounting practitioners from around

world.

• Intention is to provide a quick

overview for a techno layperson.


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1. Which is a key characteristic of blogs?

a) postings are made in reverse chronological order.

b) writing style is personal, opinionated, concise and

informal.c) readers are encouraged to leave comments and

engage in online discussions.

d) All of the above.

Polling Question #1


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Website vs. Blog:

What’s the Difference?


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WEBSITE BLOG

Content is static. Content is regularly updated.

Formal/professional. More informal and personal.

Minimal or no interactivity.

Mostly one-way communication.

Interactive.

Transactional. Information and educational.

Communication about products

and services.

Interactivity about industry and

customer issues.

Websites are ubiquitous. Fewer people have blogs.

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“Blog vs Website: What’s the Difference?.” Michael Cohn. LinkedIn Blog. May 16, 2014. http://linkd.in/1xwDi6o


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Blogging Pros and Cons

Blogging Pros


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• Most everyone loves blogs -- 77% of Internet users read blogs according to Universal

McCann.• Free or nearly free.

• Less expensive to host than traditional website.• Blogs can replace or supplement an email content distribution program at far less

expense and far greater ease.

• Channel for thought leadership – you can produce valuable content, demonstrate expertise

and earn trust of web visitors.

• Soap-box to show a bit of your personality and the “button down” you.

• Vehicle for customer engagement – readers can comment on your blog and respond to

other comments by other readers.• Connect – engage and share with like-minded professionals.

• Enhance search engine optimization – attracts high quality inbound links and increases

number of webpages indexed in search engines. Blogs give websites 434% more indexed

pages, 97% more indexed links, and 67% more leads than those that do not blog. (Content+).

• Increased traffic and buzz – companies that blog have 55% more visitors to their official

websites (Calbe Newquist).

• Attract new clients –If your blog answers common questions of customers who seekanswers online, clients will come to you.

• Build marketing foundation -- blogging can be used as online base to elevate the firm in the

public eye (Hinge Marketing: blogging is second only to white papers/ebooks as the mosteffective social channel to generate new business leads).

• Relationship accelerant – having a person regularly read your blog makes them more likelyto buy from you since people would rather purchase from people they know and trust.

Blogging Pros

Blogging Cons


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• Blogs require constant updates and more energy to maintain than a

simple LinkedIn or Facebook profile.

• Studies have shown that blogs require more than 52 total posts topass the tipping point in terms of traffic and lead generation. Why

52? Companies that hit the big 52 have a commitment to posting

regularly and they also have a critical mass of pages indexed by

Google. This helps boost their search engine results substantially

because it helps them rank for dozens if not more than a hundreddifferent key works.

• You must be willing to respond to and manage comments on a blog.

• May have to address difficult questions and critical comments.

• Risk of defamation and liability – “blog” has appeared in 4,200 federal

court citations.• Expectations must be managed . – Blogging is a long-term initiative

that can take six months to a year (and maybe longer) before you see

results. Don’t expect leads to pour in after a single post.

Blogging Cons


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2. What is a key benefit of blogging?

a) Demonstrate thought leadership.

b) Boost search engine optimization.

c) Attract new clients.d) All of the above.

Polling Question #2


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Leading Corporate Blogs



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How Accountants AreBlogging


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Deloitte Perspectives Blog | http://globalblogs.deloitte.com/deloitteperspectives/

Deloitte Company Page on LinkedIn | http://linkd.in/1DmRC j8

Deloitte Private Group on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=45218

Deloitte on Twitter | https://twitter.com/deloitte

Deloitte on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/user/deloittevideo/featured

Deloitte on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/deloitte

Deloitte on Google+ | https://plus.google.com/+Deloitte/posts

Deloitte on Instagram | https://instagram.com/deloittedigital/

Deloitte on Pinterest | https://www.pinterest.com/deloitte/

Deloitte on Slideshare | http://www.slideshare.net/DeloitteUS

Deloitte Global Insights Podcast Series | http://www2.deloitte.com/lv/en/pages/about-

deloitte/articles/podcasts-deloitte-global-insights.html

Ernst and Young on Social Media | http://www.e

y.com/GL/en/Home/Social-

di | Di t f 100 EY bl T itt Li k dI F b k d Y T b


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media | Directory of 100+ EY blogs on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

KPMG on Social Media | http://www

.kpmg.com/global/en/pages/social-

di | Di t f 100+ KPMG bl d i l h l T itt


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media.aspx | Directory of 100+ KPMG blogs and social channels on Twitter,

LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and more.


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PwC Global Blogs | http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/blogs/index.jhtml

PwC Company Page on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/pwc

PwC Private Group on LinkedIn | http://linkd.in/1NAlLfF

PwC on Twitter | https://twitter.com/pwc_llp

PwC on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/user/PwC/videos?view=1

PwC on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/pwcfanpage

PwC on Google+ | https://plus.google.com/u/0/100980668534684158363/posts

PwC on Instagram | https://instagram.com/pwc_us_careers

PwC on Pinterest | https://www.pinterest.com/PwCGlobal/

PwC on Slideshare | http://www.slideshare.net/PWC

PwC Videos, Podcasts and Multimedia Events | http://www.pwc.com/us/en/tax-accounting-services/our-

perspectives.jhtml (US) | http://www.pwc.com/us/en/tax-services/webcasts/index.jhtml(US) |

http://www.pwc.co.uk/multimedia/index.jhtml(UK).


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AICPA Insights Blog | http://blog.aicpa.org/

AICPA Company Page on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/company/aicpa

AICPA Private Group on LinkedIn | http://linkd.in/1NAra6r

AICPA on Twitter | https://twitter.com/aicpa

AICPA on YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/user/AICPAMultiMedia

AICPA on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/AICPA

AICPA on Google+ | https://plus.google.com/107869402565755115027/posts

AICPA on Instagram | https://instagram.com/theAICPA/

AICPA on Pinterest | https://www.pinterest.com/myaicpa/

AICPA on Slideshare | http://www.slideshare.net/AICPA

AICPA | http://blog.aicpa.org/podcasts/

Accounting Blog List |

http://

goldenmarketing typepad com/weblog/accountingbloglist html | Directory of


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http://goldenmarketing.typepad.com/weblog/accountingbloglist.html | Directory of

nearly CPA blogs compiled by Michele Golden, a professional services consultant.

Top Accounting Blogs | http://buildyournumbers.com/top-accounting-blogs/ |

Directory of top accounting blogs according to BuildOne accountants


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Directory of top accounting blogs according to BuildOne accountants.

Accounting Software Blogs


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Quickbooks Blog | http://quickbooks.intuit.com/blog/

Xero Blog | https://www.xero.com/blog/

Freshbooks Blog | http://www.freshbooks.com/blog

Zoho Books Blog | https://www.zoho.com/books/blog

Wave Accounting Blog | https://www.waveapps.com/blog/

Sage One Blog | https://sageoneblog.wordpress.com/

Kashoo Blog | http://kashoo.com/blog/

Intacct Blog | http://blog.intacct.com/

Free Agent Blog | http://www.freeagent.com/central

Less Accounting Blog | https://lessaccounting.com/blog/

Accounting Software Blogs

50 Best Accounting Blogs | http://www.accounting-degree.org/50-best-

accounting blogs of 2014/ | 50 best accounting blogs according to Accounting


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accounting-blogs-of-2014/ | 50 best accounting blogs according to Accounting

Degree Review, a resource for accounting and finance students.


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3. The Big 4 accounting firms are using how many

blogging channels?

a) 1-2.

b) 3-4.c) 5-6.

d) Up to 10 or more.

Polling Question #3


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Search for leading blogs on Google | In Google, type the name of any person or

company followed by the word “blog”


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any person or company blogDeloitte blogErnst & Young blogKMPG blogpwc blogBen Bernanke blog

company followed by the word blog

Search for leading bloggers on Google | In Google, type the name of any

person or company followed by the word “blogger”


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any person or company blogger Deloitte blogger Ernst & Young blogger KMPG blogger pwc blogger Ben Bernanke blogger

person or company followed by the word blogger

Search for blog channels on Google | In Google, type the name of any person

or company followed by name of different blogging and social media channels


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any person or company linkedinany person or company twitter any person or company youtubeany person or company facebookany person or company google+any person or company instagram

any person or company pinterestany person or company slideshareany person or company podcastany person or company video

or company followed by name of different blogging and social media channels

AllTop | http://alltop.com/ | Blog and website aggregator.


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Networked Blogs | http://www.networkedblogs.com/ | Facebook blog search app.


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Best of the Web Blogs | http://blogs.botw.org/ | Directory of leading blogs

selected by human curators.


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selected by human curators.

Blog Catalog | http://www.blogcatalog.com/ | Social blog directory that helps

users promote, search and connect with other blogs.


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users promote, search and connect with other blogs.

Ice Rocket | http://www.icerocket.com/ | Real-time social media and blog search.


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Ontoplist | http://www.ontoplist.com/ | Blogosphere search.


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4. How do you search for blogs on Google?

a) Add the word “blog” in your search query.

b) Add the word “blogger” in your search query.

c) Add the name of a blogging channel in yoursearch query.


Polling Question #4


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Leading Blogging Platforms

Leading Blogging Platforms | Monthly Active Users in Millions, 2015


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“Social Media Active Users by Network.” Mike Alton. Social Media Hat. March 9, 2015. http://bit.ly/1CAiXzx

1,390

1,000

540300288

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Blogger | http://www.blo

gger.com | Google’s blog publishing platform.


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Live Journal | http://www.livejournal.com/ | Blogging platform.


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Wordpress | https://wordpress.com/ | Create new website for free.


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Paper.li | http://paper.li/ | http://

paper.li/CPA_Trendlines | Automatically create and

distribute online newspaper.


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LinkedIn Company Page | https://business.linkedin.com/marketin

g-

solutions/company-pages/get-started | Create free promotion page on LinkedIn.


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Twitter | https://twitter.com/ | Real-time information network and micro-blogging

service.


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YouTube Channel | https://su

pport.google.com/youtube/answer/1646861?hl=en |

Create YouTube channel.


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Vimeo | https://vimeo.com/ | Video watching, uploading and sharing service.


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Vine | https://vimeo.com/ | Watch, upload and sharing looping six-second videos.


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Periscope | https://itunes.a

pple.com/app/id972909677 | Live streaming app

available on iOS only (as of March, 2015) and purchased by Twitter. Allows users

to live stream to their Twitter followers and gives you option to let anyone play


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to live stream to their Twitter followers and gives you option to let anyone play

stream back.

Facebook Fan Page | https://www.facebook.com/business/overview | Create

Facebook Fan page.


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Google+ Business Page | https://

plus.google.com/pages/create | Create Google+

company page.


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Instagram Page | http://blog.business.instagram.com/ | Create Instagram blog.


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Tumblr Blog | https://www.tumblr.com/ | Create visual blog.


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Flickr | https://www.flickr.com/ | Photo sharing blog platform.


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Slideshare Blog | http://www.slideshare.net/ | Create Slideshare blog.


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Opinion Podcast Recorder | https://itunes.a

pple.com/us/app/opinion-record-

podcasts-edit/id926260308?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4 | Create and edit podcasts

on your iPhone and iPad


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on your iPhone and iPad.

Spreaker |

https://

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spreaker.android&hl=en |

https://itunes a

pple com/au/app/spreaker-radio-podcast-


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https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/spreaker radio podcast

recorder/id388449677?mt=8 | Create and edit podcasts.

AudioBoom | https://audioboom.com/ | Upload recordings made and saved on

your computer, create a channel to which people can subscribe, embed your

recordings into blog posts and webpages and upload a picture to accompany


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recordings into blog posts and webpages, and upload a picture to accompany

your recordings. AudioBoom limits each recording to ten minutes.

SoundCloud | https://soundcloud.com/ | Upload recordings made and saved on

your computer, create a channel to which people can subscribe, embed your



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your recordings. SoundCloud doesn't limit your individual recording lengths, but

does limit you to two hours of total time before you have to upgrade your plan or

delete old recordings.

Google Drive | https://drive

.google.com/ | Create a public Google Drive folder and

upload your recordings to it. From there your audience could download the

recordings to listen to on their laptops.


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recordings to listen to on their laptops.


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5. Which blogging tools allow you to live stream

online for free?

a) Instagram.

b) Periscope.

c) Tumblr.

d) Pinterest.

Polling Question #5


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Key Blog Writing Tips



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• Start blogging as soon as you can afford the resources (time and

people) – in-house marketing teams and top executives are typical

bloggers (although blogging can be outsourced).• Educate your clients and prospects on the latest issues that may

affect their business or personal lives.

• Get people thinking (and commenting) in line with your practice's

goals

• Give your opinion of issue in the news or article you read (thumbsup or thumbs down?)

• Differentiate your firm -- why should a client consider your firm?

What are your core talents? What makes you special/unique? - let

others know.

• Post content that will attract the right client for your practice --

write posts that answer questions, speak language and address topics

of interest to your target market and customers.

• Put yourself in the mind of your buyer persona -- what are the pain

points and what can you answer related to those pain points?

“Brand Your Firm on the Net .” Bob Torella. LinkedIn. October 16, 2014. http://linkd.in/1NFlQij



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• Share – pass along latest industry trends, news and innovative

practices.

• In your blog, add links to your website and other social platforms• Keep your blogs relatively short

• Have a signup form to get blog updates or notifications using email.

• Embed your blog into your website. Fresh content is key to SEO.

• Fast start: Use the LinkedIn Publishing platform for your blog. Your

articles are visible right from your LinkedIn profile.• Speak visually – include strong images with all text-based posts.

Visually striking content is more likely to be read on important

publishing platforms such as Facebook.

• Blog frequently -- have a regular schedule whether it is once a week

or once a month (the more frequent the better). Share your blog posts

across your other social media platforms as well.

• Don’t be afraid to add personal touch and show personality (blog

on favourite hobby, TV show, sports team, food). This promotes trust

and likeability.

“Brand Your Firm on the Net .” Bob Torella. LinkedIn. October 16, 2014. http://linkd.in/1NFlQij


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Develop White Papers/eBooks


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• Once your blog has been up and running for three to six months, start

planning a longer content piece, such as a white paper or ebook

which is a “greatest hits” package of your best blog postings.

“Brand Your Firm on the Net (best posting practices)..” Bob Torella. LinkedIn. October 21, 2014. http://linkd.in/1NFmi05


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Blog Event Calendar

Develop Blog Content Calendar


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• A content calendar is a shareable resource that marketing teams

can use to plan all content marketing activity. The benefit ofusing the calendar format, rather than just a long list of content

to be published, is that you can visualize how your content is

distributed throughout the year. This allows you to:

• plan content around key events in your industry or important

dates;• see where you have gaps in your content plan, with plenty of

warning to line up more content;

• and make sure you have your content ready in plenty of time to

publish.

“How to Build a Content Calendar.” Jamie Griffiths. Convince and Convert. April, 2015. http://bit.ly/1NFfEHa

List of Content Calendar Events


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“Creating an Editorial Calendar for Content Marketing.” Rob Ousbey. Distilled. March 22, 2013. http://bit.ly/1NFfRKr



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Blog Editorial Calendar Template | http://offers.hub

spot.com/blog-editorial-

calendar | Free Excel editorial calendar template.


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Chase’s Calendar of Events | http://www.mhprofessional.com/templates/chases/

| Find out what’s going on any day of the year.


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6. How do you write an effective blog?

a) Educate your clients and prospects on the latest

issues.

b) Give your opinion on industry developments.

c) Speak visually using images.


Polling Question #6


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"Images used in your blogs are far more attention-

grabbing than text or plain old links, more likely to be


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shared, evoke emotional reactions in viewers (and

emotion SELLS), and can portray a lot of informationquickly and more efficiently than text.“

Carla Gates | 3 to 5 Marketing Blog

Visual Content to Boost Blog Posts | http://mashable.com/2014/04/24/social-

media-images/ | Visual ideas that promote blogs.


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• Product shot – show off what you sell.

• Head shot – close up photo of smiling exec or employee.

• Fan spotlight – close up photo of smiling customer.• Peek behind scenes – show exclusive “backstage” images of

company.

• Action shot – image of people doing their jobs.

• Graphic – infographic or chart that complement text.

• Spontaneous shot – impromptu, unexpected, “gotcha” images.

• Moving picture – video clips.

• Collage – mix together three or more photos in one.

• Selfie – self portrait photograph.

“10 Types of Images to Boost Your Social Media Engagement.” Bob Cargill. Mashable. April 24, 2014.http://on.mash.to/1Gi8b05

Pixabay | http://www

.pixabay.com | Free images for your blog or website.


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Morgue File | http://www.mor

guefile.com | Free images for your blog or website.


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134Advanced Internet Research Techniques for Accountants—

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Easel.ly

• Drag and Drop pre-designed themes and

vector assets onto your

canvas for easy creation

and customization of rich

infographics.

http://www.easel.ly/


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135Advanced Internet Research Techniques for Accountants—

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Infogram

• Infographic generator.• Choose from amongtemplates, add content

and share.

http://infogr.am/beta/


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Canvahttps://www.canva.com/

• Infographics creator.


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PicMonkey Collage Maker | http://www

.picmonkey.com/collage | Freephoto collage maker.


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WordSwag | http://www.wordswag.co/ | Add text to photos in seconds.


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Blog Outsourcing

Blog outsourcing refers to hiring outside

contractors and freelancers to write your


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blog on your behalf.

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Writtent | http://writtent.com/ | Content creation marketplace.

Blog and Writing Marketplaces


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Textbroker | https://www.textbroker.com/ | Authors deliver high-quality content at

competitive pricing.

Demand Studios | http://create.demandstudios.com/ | Content creator platform.

Zerys | http://www.zerys.com/writers/ | Clients post their article requests and writers can

subsequently claim them.

Scripted | https://scripted.com/ | Matches content needs with writers.

Great Content | http://www.greatcontent.co.uk/ | Content and writing marketplace.

Content Authority | http://thecontentauthority.com/ | Content and writing marketplace.

WriterAccess | http://www.writeraccess.com/ | Professional writing marketplace.

iWriter | http://www.iwriter.com/ | Professional writing marketplace.

Writers Domain | https://www.writersdomain.net/ | Earn money for writing.

Contently | https://contently.com/ | Online marketplace for content creators and journalists.

eLance Blog Writing Experts | https://www.elance.com/blo

g-writing-professionals-jobs/1934 | Directory of global bloggers-for-hire.


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People Per Hour | http://www

.peopleperhour.com/blog%20post-hourlies?ref=homepage_tag | Directory of global bloggers-for-hire.


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Guru | http://www.guru.com/d/freelancers/q/blog-writing/ | Directory of globalbloggers-for-hire.


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iFreelance | http://www.ifreelance.com/find

/providers/browse.aspx?c=13&sc=297| Directory of global bloggers-for-hire.


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Craigslist | http://www.searchcraigslist.org/ | Directory of global bloggers-for-hire.


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Fiverr | http://bit.

ly/1IkzrKh | http://www.fiverr.com | Directory of global bloggers-for-hire on Fiverr..


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7. Which is a resource for blog outsourcing?

a) Writtent.

b) eLance.

c) People per Hour.


Polling Question #7


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Key Blogging Tools

Google Analytics | http://www.google.com/analytics/ | Generates detailedstatistics about website traffic. To set up a tracking code, select: Admin | Account

(drop down menu to “Create new account”).


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Fanpage Karma | http://www.fan

pagekarma.com/ | Online tool for social mediaanalytics and monitoring that provides valuable insights on posting strategies and

performance of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social profiles.


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Google Trends | http://www.google.com/trends/ | Tells you what’s trending inGoogle search, how topics have performed over time, how regional interest in the

topic varies and see related searches. All of those help you hone your article ideas

so you appeal to as many readers as possible.


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SumoMe | https://sumome.com/a

pp/share | Makes it easy for your blog visitors toshare your content.


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Portent’s Idea Generator | http://www

.portent.com/tools/title-maker | Automatically generates new blog ideas and headlines.


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Blog Topic Generator | http://www.hub

spot.com/blog-topic-generator | Automatically generates new blog ideas and headlines.


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Content Ideator | http://ideas.contentforest.com/ | Generate content ideas withone click.


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Grammarly | http://ideas.contentforest.com/ | Grammar checker which can helpyou improve your own word choice and detect plagiarism.


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Atomic Ally | https://www.atomicreach.com/ | Analyzes the emotional appeal ofyour title, checks spelling and grammar and assesses whether your content is

written correctly for the type of audience that reads your content. The app then

returns an overall score from 1 to 100.


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Google Keep | https://keep.google.com/ | Online note-taking tool.


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Crazy Egg | http://www.crazyegg.com/ | Lets you see where people are clicking,how far down they’re scrolling, where they’re falling off in the buying process,

where they’re coming from and more.


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Hello Bar | https://www.hellobar.com/ | Banner that appears at the top of your webpage. You can add a call to action and a button that allows visitors to complete

that action.


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Process Street | https://process.st/ | Manage recurring checklists and proceduresincluding blog posting.


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8. Which tool provides detailed statistics on blogand website traffic?

a) Google Analytics.

b) Buffer.

c) Grammarly.

d) Portent’s Idea Generator.

Polling Question #8


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Blogging Starter Strategy

Appoint a blogging champion from your in-house

marketing team or top executive ranks. Make them

accountable for developing a blogging strategy for your


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enterprise and reporting to top management on progress.

Select which blogging channels to develop – text-based,social network, video, images, presentations and/or

podcasts. Unless you are a large global brand, you won’t

have the resources to sign up for every social media


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have the resources to sign up for every social media

channel. That means you must pick-and-choose --determine which is most relevant to your business and most

popular with your target customers. Strive to be excellent

with one or two channels than mediocre at five or six.

Launch your blog and post content that will attract theright client for your

practice. Write posts that answer

questions, speak the language and address the topics of

interest to your target market and customers Along the


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interest to your target market and customers. Along the

way, be patient and manage your expectations: this is along-term initiative that can take six months to a year before

you see results. In time, your blog has the potential to

generate more leads, new clients, improved SEO, higher

brand visibility and credibility, increased traffic and buzz,

and many other business and marketing benefits.

Recap

• What is a Blog?


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• Website vs. Blog: What’s the Difference?

• Blogging Pros and Cons

• Leading Corporate Blogs

• How Accountants are Blogging

• How to Search for Blogs• Leading Blogging Platforms

• Key Blog Writing Tips

• Blog Event Calendar

• Using Images to Boost Blog Engagement• Blog Outsourcing

• Key Blogging Tools

• Blogger Starter Strategy


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Blogging for Accountants

Garrett Wasny, MA, CMC, CITP/FIBP

Web: http://www.garrettwasny.com

E-mail: [email protected] | Cell:

778.898.9059

Connect with Garrett Wasny on Social MediaGoogle+: https://plus google com/+GarrettWasny/

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