This is the talk I gave to the American Dental Association in Chicago about the power of blogging for associations.

1. Management Conference Week
July 2009
Chris Bonney
VP of Business Development
cbonney@vtcus.com

2.  Blog basics: What is a blog, really?
 Determine why you should (or shouldn’t) blog
 Understand elements of a successful blog
 How to start a blog
 How to market your blog

3. Passion
Sustainability
Relevance

4. What Is A Blog?

5. Blogging is a conversation

6.  Create more  Starting a
interest conversation
 Increase  Creating value
participation  Being transparent
Perpetuate trust Being
By
 
 Be viewed as an knowledgeable,
expert relevant, passionate
 Expand your  Becoming Google-
online visibility friendly

9. 1. You have something to say – and a unique way to
say it.
2. You have something to say – and a unique way to
say it and you’re passionate about it.
3. You have something to say – and a unique way to
say it and you’re passionate about it and it’s
relevant to your audience.
4. You have something to say – and a unique way to
say it and you’re passionate about it and it’s
relevant to your audience and it provides value.
5. You have something to say – and a unique way to
say it and you’re passionate about it and it’s
relevant to your audience and it provides value and

10.  Read other blogs
 Subscribe to other blogs
 Comment on other blogs
 Track your organization

11.  What type of blog will you write?
 Who will your audience be?
 What subject(s) will you write about?
 Are you passionate about your topic and the
idea of blogging in general?
 Can you sustain the effort?

12. Blogging is like
Blogging is like rowing upstream
rowing upstream

13.  Thought leader/expert
 Practical advice
 Advocacy
 Corporate
 Journalistic

14. The
Biggest 1. Huffington Post
Blogs 2.TechCrunch
3.Engadget
In 4.Boing Boing
The 5.Mashable!
Land
July
2009
According to technorati.com

15.  Your members
 Your prospects
 Your staff
 The press
 Your vendors
 Industry influencers

16.  Determine audience
 Leverage gaps
 What you know
 What you can sustain
 Your passion

17. Are you passionate
about your topic
and the idea of
blogging in general?
Well, are you?

18.  Blogger: Marketing director
 Audience: General public/patients
 Subjects: Tips, tricks and strange facts
 Schedule: 2x week
 Goal: 100 posts

19.  Blog vs. website
 TypePad, WordPress, Blogger
 Preview, post, save, or schedule
 Category, tagging
 Trackbacks

21.  Title
 Picture
 Intro hook
 Body
 Sub-headers
 Closing question
 Photo credit

22. “What The ADA Has To Say About Cosmetic
Dentistry”
OR
“7 Things The ADA Will Never Say About
Cosmetic Dentistry And Why”

23. • Who Else Wants…
• The Secret Of…
• Here Is A Method That Is Helping (blank) to
(blank)
• Little Known Ways To…
• What Everybody Ought To Know About…
Excerpted from CopyBlogger.com: http://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-
work/

24.  Lists
 Numbers
 Anticipation
 Contrarian viewpoint
 Irreverence
 Call to action

26.  RSS
 Email
 About
 Blog roll
 Best posts
 Archive of previous posts
 Your Picture

27.  Consider audience
 Consider your schedule
 Consider the topic
 Consider the long haul
1x week minimum
2x day maximum

28. How Do You Market Your Blog?

29. Remarkable Content
Brings Traffic

30.  Twitter
 Digg
 StumbleUpon
 Facebook
 MySpace
 LinkedIn
 Del.icio.us
 FriendFeed
 SlideShare

31.  Write in other places like Squidoo, HubPages,
Helium, EzineArticles
 Comment on other blogs
 Blog rolls
 Guest bloggers
 Write great content

33. When would now be a good time to
start your blog?

34.  PPT and other resources: www.vtcus.com/ada.aspx
 Email: cbonney@vtcus.com
 Web: www.vtcus.com
 Blogs: chrisbonney.typepad.com and
vanguardtechnology.wordpress.com
 Twitter: @chrisbonney

35. BOOKS
 Naked Conversations – Robert Scoble and Shel Israel
 The News of PR and Marketing – David Meerman Scott
 Here Comes Everybody – Clay Shirky
 The Blog Factor (e-book) – Chris Bonney (www.vtcus.com/ebook)
BLOGS
 http://www.theforumeffect.org/
 http://www.copyblogger.com
 http://www.diaryofareluctantblogger.com/
 http://cindyae.blogspot.com/
 http://www.blogoclump.com/

36.  Rowing - Peter - http://www.flickr.com/people/psmithy/
 What is a blog – Brian Solis - http://www.flickr.com/people/briansolis/
 Conversation – Gideon - http://www.flickr.com/people/malias/
 Clock – Roberto41144 - http://www.flickr.com/people/9385421@N08/
 Secret – MMGoode - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmgoode/
 Trump tower – chascarper - http://www.flickr.com/people/chascarper/
 Syrup – i_yudai - http://www.flickr.com/people/y_i/
 Seth Godin – www.sethgodin.com
 Cat – Katherine - http://www.flickr.com/people/aka_kath/
 Audience – James Emery - http://www.flickr.com/people/emeryjl/
 Stadium – Ian Ransley - http://www.flickr.com/people/design-dog/
 Elephants – Tai Stietman - http://www.flickr.com/people/21949386@N07/
 Tape measure – Shereen M - http://www.flickr.com/people/shereen84/
 Starting line – elisasizzle - http://www.flickr.com/people/crayoncauldron/