Learn how to blog to grow your business and engage your best customers. This presentation was created for Sierra Commons and taught by Coryon Redd and Erin Thiem. Lots of tips, tricks, and techniques to fuel your social media and make Google stand up and take notice.

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Blogging to Grow your Business

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View this presentation online at:
http://www.coryon.com/sc-blogging
Thanks to Sierra Commons.
Our Local Business Ignitor!
Coryon Redd
coryon@gmail.com
Coryon.com
Erin Thiem
erin@outsideinn.com

3. Why Should I Blog for Business?

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Here’s Why!
Blog Marketing to Achieve Business Goals
Generate Traffic, Leads and Sales
Build Audience and Influence
Link Bait for SEO
Answer Questions

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What are your Blogging Goals?
Marketing – Branding, Content, Generate Leads
Build Customer Engagement
Increase Brand Awareness
Good Content
• What Topics Are You Going To Write About?
• What is Expertise, Passion, & Mission?
Website Traffic, Generate Leads, Sales

6. What is Marketing?

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Here’s What!
Marketing 101 (in 1 slide)
Who is your Market?
Branding
What is your Mission? - Why Are You in Business?
• Simon Sinek TED Talk - goo.gl/4OMRpr
Manage your Message – Takes Time and Effort
Features vs. Benefits
Marketing is Not Selling!

8. What is Internet Marketing?

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Let’s Start with the Basics
• Start with a persuasive website
• Drive traffic from a variety of sources:
Search Engines (SEO)
Social Media
Email
Video
Paid Search
Lots more options…

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Get to Know
the Outside Inn
History
Mission
A Bit about the Hospitality Industry
Locally Focused Marketing
Learn more at Outsideinn.com/about-us/

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http://outsideinn.com/blog/hallmark-movie-the-christmas-card-locations.htm/
The movie “The Christmas Card”
brings visitors to Nevada City.
Match your blog content to the
market!
What’s Interesting & Relevant?

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• Look at past blog posts to
see if they can be updated
• Add text to images to bring
blog content to life
• Create Pinterest friendly
images
• Pin and drive traffic to blog
• http://outsideinn.com/blog/best
-of-nevada-county-hikes.htm/
What Works?

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What do People Love?
Epic Outside Inn Blog Giveaway
• Encourages local businesses
to donate items
• Visitors must comment to
enter
• Sharing on social media
doubles your chances
• Very popular because people
win great stuff!

16. Blogging Basics
Blog Should Be On your Website
Use Keywords in your Blogs (Don’t go nuts)
Set a Goal for Frequency of Posts
Plan Out your Content
Include Visuals – Pictures or Video
Check Spelling and Grammar
Promote in Social Media

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Blogging for Business – Pick a Platform
• Wordpress – Free, open source, easy
to install on most hosts.
• Others include: blogger.com,
tumblr.com, squidoo.com,
hubpages.com
• Wordpress.org – Build a website
and/or blog. Download, themes,
plugins, and get support.
• Blogging – It’s got that too.
(Psst… It’s Wordpress)

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Why use WordPress?
• Easy to Use
• Lives on your Website
• Free
• Many Themes Available – Many are Free
• SEO Friendly
• Highly Customizable – Plugins & Widgets
• Large, Active Community
• Lots of Support
A Few Words about WordPress
WordPress is a free and easy to use tool
to build websites. www.wordpress.org

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WordPress Support and Tutorials
Learn How to Blog and Use WordPress
http://becomeablogger.com/
Thousands of Free Themes
http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/
Big list of WordPress Tutorials
http://www.syntaxxx.com/15-best-wordpress-tutorials-for-beginners/
List of WordPress Articles including Setup, SEO and Backup
http://www.siteground.com/tutorials/wordpress/
Detailed Tutorial on How to Use WordPress
http://youtu.be/G8o8u7OtuZY

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27. Make a Blog the Hub
of your Online Marketing

28. Blogging Basics
Blog Should Be On your Website
Use Keywords in your Blogs (Don’t go nuts)
Set a Goal for Frequency of Posts
Plan Out your Content
Check Spelling and Grammar
Promote in Social Media

29. Blogging Tips and Tricks
Answer Questions
• Questions Audience is Asking and Should be Asking
Cross Promotion and Co-Marketing
Contests and Giveaways
Use Blog to Create Content on your Website
Use Stock Photography

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Blogging and SMM References
Create compelling content for your blog – Lots of ideas
http://www.copyblogger.com/
Blogging glossary (including dofollow/nofollow)
http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/2010/03/blogging-glossary-defining-basic-
blogging-terms/
21 Tactics to increase blog traffic
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/21-tactics-to-increase-blog-traffic
7 tips to increase your blog comments
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/7-tips-to-increase-your-blog-comments/
Tips and lots of links for small business owners
http://www.successfulblogging.com/essential-blogging-tips-from-2010/

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More Blogging and SMM References
Why a blog should have an editorial policy
http://blog.case.edu/webdev/2008/05/04/editorialpolicy.html
Blog Commenting to increase PageRank
http://www.seohosting.com/blog/link-strategies/effective-blog-commenting-to-
increase-page-rank/
How to find dofollow blogs:
http://www.smuggecko.com/seo-tips-how-to-find-dofollow-blogs/
Ad Age list of top marketing blogs
http://adage.com/power150/
2011 review of best blogging software
http://blog-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

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