With so many kind of social media and online networks, is good ol’ blogging still useful for business? Yes! This session, intended for independent professionals and business owners, will cover the basics of why and how to create a blog for business, and then how to go beyond the basics to make something amazing. Why blog, how to start, where to find content, how to connect it with other marketing and business processes, and where to find help (especially free resources).
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Blogging for Business
1. Blogging for Business
Cynthia Closkey
Big Big Design
PodCamp Pittsburgh 5
September 19, 2010
2. Why blog?
• Everyone else does
• Have been given a directive from above
• Need to express yourself
• Want to make more money
• Or ... ?
3. Make more money
• Gather new leads from search engines
• Build credibility > turn leads into sales
• Get new business from existing clients
• Get new leads from referrals
• Reduce costs of serving existing clients
• Reduce costs of working with partners & clients
• Retain clients
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aresauburnphotos/2678453389/
6. Building business
through your blog
• Create an original work:
guide, checklist, workbook, toolkit
• Offer this original work on your website
in exchange for contact info
• Write posts about related news,
tying it back to your original work
• Post updates to your original work on your blog
• Invite feedback
• Repeat
7. What should I
blog about?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/etohaholic/3049800858/
12. Value proposition
For [target audience]
who need [compelling reason to read],
[name of blog] is a [blog type]
that provides [key benefit].
13. Value proposition
For [target audience]
who need [compelling reason to read],
[name of blog] is a [blog type]
that provides [key benefit].
Unlike [main competitor],
14. Value proposition
For [target audience]
who need [compelling reason to read],
[name of blog] is a [blog type]
that provides [key benefit].
Unlike [main competitor],
[name of blog] [key differentiation].
16. Example: Big Big Web
For small business owners & independent professionals
17. Example: Big Big Web
For small business owners & independent professionals
who need clear ideas for building business online,
18. Example: Big Big Web
For small business owners & independent professionals
who need clear ideas for building business online,
Big Big Web’s blog is a how-to business blog
19. Example: Big Big Web
For small business owners & independent professionals
who need clear ideas for building business online,
Big Big Web’s blog is a how-to business blog
that provides step-by-step advice that even tech-averse
people can follow.
20. Example: Big Big Web
For small business owners & independent professionals
who need clear ideas for building business online,
Big Big Web’s blog is a how-to business blog
that provides step-by-step advice that even tech-averse
people can follow.
Unlike Mashable,
21. Example: Big Big Web
For small business owners & independent professionals
who need clear ideas for building business online,
Big Big Web’s blog is a how-to business blog
that provides step-by-step advice that even tech-averse
people can follow.
Unlike Mashable,
Big Big Web’s blog doesn’t overload or bog down with
techie details, but cuts to the meat of the advice.
22. Create a business blog
in 7 days
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesjordan/1531979022/
23. Day 1
• Create an account on WordPress.com
• Get a domain name or create a subdomain
(http://blog.MyCompany.com)
• Point the domain to the new WordPress
account
• Create a mailing list account, put form on
blog
24. Day 2
• Make your About Us page with a photo
• Make Contact Us page
• Make page for Services or Products
25. Day 3
Write your first blog post:
• Find an article that would be useful for
your customers
• Write 3 to 7 sentences about why the
article is worth reading
• Choose a key paragraph from the article
• Link to the article
26. Day 4
• Write your second blog post, just as you
did in Day 3
• EXTRA CREDIT:
At the end of the post, include a question
for readers about how they would address
the issue in the article
27. Day 5
• Find 3 blogs in your industry
• Set up a feedreader
(e.g. Google Reader)
• Add the feeds to the feedreader
• Add useful sections of the NYT/news source
• Add industry publications
28. Day 6
• Look through your Sent folder for a
question you’ve answered
• Turn question and answer into a blog post
• Add a photo from Flickr or stock photo
(or your own photo)
• Publish!
29. Day 7
“Soft open”:
• Send emails to 6 trusted contacts with
link to blog
• Ask specific questions to get feedback
30. Easy blog posts
• Link to useful info • Event announcement
• Q/A • Poll
• Recurring theme • Interview
(“Video Wednesday”)
• Guest post/partner post
• Group theme
(“Mixology Monday”) • Photo post/photo essay
31.
32. How to make a compelling
blog that’s something more
33. How to make a compelling
blog that’s something more
• Be really funny and/or entertaining
34. How to make a compelling
blog that’s something more
• Be really funny and/or entertaining
• Foster controversy
35. How to make a compelling
blog that’s something more
• Be really funny and/or entertaining
• Foster controversy
• Teach, inform, explain
36. How to make a compelling
blog that’s something more
• Be really funny and/or entertaining
• Foster controversy
• Teach, inform, explain
• Curate
37. How to make a compelling
blog that’s something more
• Be really funny and/or entertaining
• Foster controversy
• Teach, inform, explain
• Curate
• Be the go-to guy for a particular topic
38. How to make a compelling
blog that’s something more
• Be really funny and/or entertaining
• Foster controversy
• Teach, inform, explain
• Curate
• Be the go-to guy for a particular topic
• Give a home to a community
39. How to make a compelling
blog that’s something more
• Be really funny and/or entertaining
• Foster controversy
• Teach, inform, explain
• Curate
• Be the go-to guy for a particular topic
• Give a home to a community
• Start a movement
50. How to create a
compelling blog
• Be really funny and/or entertaining
• Foster controversy
• Teach, inform, explain
• Curate
• Be the go-to guy for a particular topic
• Build a home for a community
• Start a movement
52. Example redux
For small business owners & independent professionals
who need to share ideas and resources and commiserate
with others like themselves,
Big Big Web’s blog is a community
that provides a supportive and safe space to connect with
like-minded professionals.
Unlike the local chamber of commerce,
Big Big Web’s blog includes people outside of the
immediate region, but in the same industry.
53. Why blog?
• Everyone else does
• Directive from above
• Express yourself
• Make more money
• Or ... ?
54. Why blog?
• Everyone else does
• Directive from above
• Express yourself
• Make more money
• To see what amazing things
could happen
55. Tools & Resources
• WordPress
• Delicious
• Firebug
• Flickr
• Google “19 Online Presence Management
Tasks You Could Do Every Day”
56. Sites referenced
• Amanda Palmer • Murketing
• Perez Hilton • WTF Podcast
• John Haydon/ • LeanBlog
CorporateDollar.org
• Seth Godin
• Maud Newton
• Secret Agent L
• John August
What makes a good blog?
We all know it’s a conversation.
In reality, social media by business tends to come off less as a conversation and more as shouting into the wilderness.
Lots of focus on new media for broadcast, and there’s a place for it. Let’s start here.
Strategy for building contacts through your business blog
-- AKA broadcast strategy or the e-book strategy
NOTE: make sure to give people a way to opt out later
How this applies to blogging:
Who is your target?
What’s your unique value?
What can you tell your target that embodies your unique value?
How this applies to blogging:
Who is your target?
What’s your unique value?
What can you tell your target that embodies your unique value?
How this applies to blogging:
Who is your target?
What’s your unique value?
What can you tell your target that embodies your unique value?
How this applies to blogging:
Who is your target?
What’s your unique value?
What can you tell your target that embodies your unique value?
How this applies to blogging:
Who is your target?
What’s your unique value?
What can you tell your target that embodies your unique value?
How this applies to blogging:
Who is your target?
What’s your unique value?
What can you tell your target that embodies your unique value?
But what’s really interesting is when you can create conversation between and among a community. Something bigger than just your business.
Note overlap with Justin Kownacki’s talk Saturday morning
Note overlap with Justin Kownacki’s talk Saturday morning
Note overlap with Justin Kownacki’s talk Saturday morning
Note overlap with Justin Kownacki’s talk Saturday morning
Note overlap with Justin Kownacki’s talk Saturday morning
Note overlap with Justin Kownacki’s talk Saturday morning
Note overlap with Justin Kownacki’s talk Saturday morning
Amanda Palmer
Bob Parsons/GoDaddy
Made to Stick
These days, need to be a super-curator to stand out
Maud Newton