Understand the dos and don'ts of blogging, and inject life into your blog with fresh ideas. Explore how you can use digital media to enhance your blogs and learn how blog posts can work on other channels.

1. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
The Power of Blogging
• Seaneen Molloy-Vaughan (s.molloy-Vaughan@mind.org.uk)
• Digital Community Officer at Mind
• Slightly obsessive blogger since 2003
• Slightly less obsessive tweeter @ms_molly_vog

2. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Today, we’ll…
• Think about why we should blog
• How blogs can add value to our
campaigns and brand
• Get some tips for great blogs
• Look at some good examples from the
sector
• Write a blog!

3. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Why should we blog?
• Blogs are a place to showcase our human side- both of
our staff and the people whom our work affects
• Blogs are reactive- they can be written quickly and
add to the buzz of campaigns. They’re also
interactive, a space to talk and share
• Blogs can be adapted and reused-for case studies,
quotes to supplement our information, for fundraising,
for social media and for media articles during
campaigns (e.g Huffington Post or Buzzfeed)
• Having space for our supporters to share their stories
helps them to feel involved, valued and listened to.

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#SMEX16
• Blogs are accessible and can be read
anywhere and on anything-not everyone
wants to use social media or YouTube
• Blogs are easily searchable (unlike Facebook
and Twitter) and shareable
• Blogs are good for SEO- blogs can use
colloquialisms people searching for you
might use, but ones that the brand doesn’t
use (e.g with Mind, “am I crazy”,
“schizophrenic”)

5. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Blogs have the power to…
• Increase awareness of
campaigns and issues
• Increase engagement with a
campaign or issue by
challenging stigma, prejudice
and misinformation
• Demonstrate the impact of
our work- how has what we’ve
done changed someone’s life?
• Increase support by
showcasing real, shareable,
relatable content
#ShelterStories

6. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Tips for effective blogs
 Be human- be brave!
 Create a blogging schedule
 Recruit and promote on social
media
 Create guidelines for bloggers
 Use media sparingly
 Include calls to actions

7. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Be human (and we’re
human!)• Include a mix of blogs- from staff, supporters and
people whom your work affects
• Be conversational- it’s good to keep on brand but you
don’t need to stick to it as rigidly
• Give a, “behind the scenes” glimpse- what was it like
working on your campaign? How did you feel? What
challenges did you face and how did you overcome
them?
• Experiences are an asset. Do you share experiences
with your supporters? Eg Mind has lots of staff who
have mental health problems. It’s good to show that
we know what we’re talking about because we’ve been
there, too.
• Real photos are a plus, if your bloggers are happy to
share one.
(Ahem)

8. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
…and be brave.• Don’t shy away from difficult topics- some of the
most effective blogs are taboo-busting, myth-
challenging and evocative.
• Publish blogs that will inspire debate and that pose
questions
• Bloggers can often be a sneaky conduit for being a
bit more direct than you can be officially…
• But remember to be there for your bloggers- give
them resources they can use if they need further
support and follow up with them to see how they’re
doing.

9. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16

10. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Create a blogging
schedulePlan your content in advance so you can-
• Recruit bloggers whose blogs add to oncoming
campaigns, comms bursts or information
products
• Prioritise submissions and manage expectations
• Build anticipation and interest by sharing,
“coming up soon…”

11. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Recruit (and promote) bloggers via
social media• Invite people to blog for you on certain
topics via social media- it’s fine to be
specific about what you want
• Don’t rely on a pool of bloggers- keep an
eye on relevant hashtags and approach
people sharing interesting stories to keep
things fresh
• Retweet and share your blogs. Use
graphics in your tweets. Research existing
hashtags to tag your tweets
• Some independent bloggers might not
want to blog on a charity website. Create
banners and images they can include on
their own blog to support you.
• If you’re really brave, ask an established
blogger or public figure to blog about your
campaign. Big risk, but big payoff.

12. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
But…
• Not everyone is on social media and not everyone has
English as a first language.
• Sharing your story can be empowering and you shouldn’t
need to be online to get the chance. If you’ve met
someone through your work who you could support to
share their story, then consider doing so. It doesn’t have
to be text based- you can create a video blog or use
Audioboo
• You can also use your existing channels to source and
promote blogs.

13. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
• Tips on planning their blog: Ask your bloggers to reflect
on what they’d like to say. Include examples that they
can refer to.
• Tips on structure and tone: keeping it conversational and
to a general word count
• What you’re looking for: is there a specific topic that
you’d like blogs on?
• What you can’t publish: such as opinion pieces or fiction
• How to submit a blog: include a web form for quick
submissions
• Manage expectations: we can’t respond to everybody who
submits
• Links to blogging sites: so that bloggers can set up their
own blog, too
Create guidelines for bloggers

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#SMEX16
Use media sparingly
There are other ways to tell stories besides text based
blogs- go explore some workshops!
But I’m focusing on written content so…
Use a maximum of 5 images, depending on length
If you include a video, keep the copy short
Use the right storytelling tools for the right stories-
Storify is good for campaigns, Storystream is great for
events

15. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Include a call to action
• It’s nice to read a blog
about someone’s
experiences but what do
you want the person
reading to do next?
• Include a call to action
linked to the blog- to check
out your information,
donate, get involved
• And make sure you include
social sharing buttons!

16. 8th February 2016
#SMEX16
Take 5 minutes to think
of a message that you
want to share
Then write that blog in
Take
5