Blogging 101: The good, the better, and the fabulous!
1. The good, the better, and the
fabulous!
Karen Freberg, Ph.D.
2. Introduction
Karen Freberg, Ph.D. – University of Louisville
Education:
Ph.D., Communications (University of Tennessee)
MA, Strategic Public Relations (University of Southern
California)
BS, Public Relations (University of Florida)
Interests:
Social media, Crisis Communications, and PR
Social Media:
FB, LinkedIn, Twitter (@kfreberg), and Pinterest
Blog: www.karenfreberg.com/blog
3. How did I get started with
my blog?
1996: Started my own personal website –
originally a Val Kilmer fan site.
1997-2001: Website for track and field
activities in HS (threw the shot put)
2001-2006: Website for college track and field
activities, newsletters, pictures, updates, and
commentary on other track and field sites
2006: Started blog on PR, Sports PR, and New
Media
2012: Six years of blogging on social
media, PR, and crisis communications. Blog
used as a reading list for several PR classes
and programs, and ranked among Traacker’s
top 25 PR Influential Blogs
4. Overview
Blogging is considered to be traditional
social media practices in 2012
Many brands have a blog to
communicate with their publics
Southwest Airlines
Starbucks
Whole Foods
Employers today expect young
professionals to know
1) how to blog
2) how to write on a blog
3) how to professionally conduct themselves
on a blog as well as integrate innovative
ways for storytelling on the behalf of the
brand / organization
5.
6. What exactly is a blog?
Usually written by either one person
or a team of writers on various yet
related topics
Updated regularly
Incorporates multimedia
components to emphasize points
and commentary in posts
Written in a different format than
other forms of media in Advertising
and PR
1000 words most
Issue of key words tagged to posts to
be easily searchable
Categories
7. Why Blog?
Humanizes your brand
Separates yourself from rest of
the PR field
Updates your presence in social
media community
Practices writing
Promotion and drives interest /
traffic to your brand
Promotion in sharing insights and
expertise in the field
Job opportunities from blogging
Digital Word-of-Mouth /
Storytelling
10. What to include on your blog
Title Links to other blogs in profession /
industry as well as specialized
Contact information interests
Categories of interest PRSA
Advertising Age
Site traffic widget Mashable
Twitter feed widget UTK
PR Firms (ex. Edelman)
Share button for other social
Other blogs & bloggers in PR &
media platforms
Advertising
Comment
CV or Resume (page AND PDF)
11. How to get started?
Determine your overall goal and purpose for your
blog
Professional and Personal / Professional?
How do you want to be perceived on your blog?
How will this blog help your reputation management
online?
What do you want to write about?
What will be your domain name?
Format
What platform will you be using for your blog
What tools will you use to enhance content on blog
12.
13. Other tips
Read other blogs you find to be successful
Determine what will be your area of specialization and expertise within the
blogosphere.
Write posts w/ multimedia. This can be
videos, infographics, pictures, slideshows, etc.
Guest blog on other sites. Engage with other bloggers to see if you can
exchange opportunities to write posts.
Engage with followers who are commenting on your site
Write catchy headlines that are easily searchable.
Have a unique, strong, and confident voice on your blog
Use proper grammar and spelling in blog posts
Write, write, and write some more! The best way to learn how to blog is to
practice.
14. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are not the only social media
platforms to think about when it comes to getting traffic to your
blog – Pinterest / Quora / Vimeo
Be aware of what you can and cannot post on your blog (ex.
Copyright pictures, videos, documents, etc)
Sign up for your blog on a blog directory (Technorati or BlogPulse)
Promote your blog on FB & Twitter – make sure to space out timing
of posts to not overwhelm audiences
Have a schedule for writing on your blog – determine most
popular days in terms of web traffic
Analyze your web traffic results through Google Analytics, Feedjit
(free), Topsy, Bottlenose, and other resources
15. Final Thoughts on Blogging
Blogging is a great way to distinguish yourself in the PR and
Advertising community
Great tool to practice your writing and creative skills
Think before you post – you never know who may be reading
your blog post!
Write, write, and write some more! The best way to get good
at blogging is to write a little bit each day.
16. Blog Resources
PR Blogs to follow
Brian Solis: http://www.briansolis.com
Jeremiah Owyang: http://web-strategist.com
Jason Falls: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/
Katie Paine: http://kdpaine.blogs.com/
Social Media websites
Mashable: http://www.mashable.com
Social Media Influence: http://www.socialmediainfluence.com
Social Media Today: http://socialmediatoday.com/
Visuals for Inspiration
Visual.ly - Awesome community for creating and sharing
infographics.
Video Infographics: http://www.videoinfographs.com/