Wondering why you should blog? How you should blog? Wondering how often you should blog? Which platform you should use? Wondering how to increase your blog traffic?

1. Effective & Simple Blogging
For Your Business
Introduction to Blogging

2. Blogging for You
• What is a blog?
• Why Blog?
• Benefits of Blogging
• Business Blogging
• How to Attract Your Target Market
• How to become a Thought Leader
• Which Blogging Platform?

3. What is a blog?

4. Why Blog? / Benefits of Blogging
• Improved SEO
• Brand Awareness
• More traffic
• Free Publicity
• Reveal your personality
• Connect with (potential) customers
• Open for Business
• Cost effective
• Showcase your product / service

5. Blog = Open Door

6. Blog = Displaying Products

7. Business blogging
• Showcase
• Don’t make it all about the product/service
• Add value
• Benefits of product/service for customers
• Have a ‘negative’ strategy in place
• Call to action – v important

8. AIDA approach to blogging
• Attract – readers with a good headline e.g. 10
tips to / How to / Probably the best xxxx ever
• Interest – Interest them in your offer/info
• Desire – Make them want it but don’t give all
the information away.
• Act – end with the “Call to Action” that you
want them to take

9. How to Attract Your Target Market
• Keyword Analysis Tool
• Expertise
• Community – conversational
• Commenting on other blogs
• Be professional, not too personal
• Never apologise for not blogging

10. Keyword Research Tool

11. Keyword Results

12. How Much Traffic Can You Expect?
• 2 Experiments – 2 blogs started on 1st Sept
2011
• Irish Farmerette – for me and for friends. Lots
of comments. No keyword analysis. More
non-friend visits now.
• Wallpaper Review – purely keyword analysis.
V few comments. More traffic than IF

13. Traffic to New Blogs

14. ‘Community-built’ traffic

15. Using Keyword Analysis

16. Stats by Month

17. Become a ‘Thought Leader’
• Be Topical (within your business area)
• Be quick – follow the news
• Show your expertise
• Be seasonal
• No Jargon – plain English

18. How Much Time?
• Minimum of one post a week
• Try to be consistent (but don’t apologise)
• 10-90min depending on research / links /
images
• Keep a list of ideas for blog topics – prevents
bloggers block

19. Which Blogging Platform?
• Blogspot
• Tumblr
• Wordpress.com = hosted by Wordpress
• Wordpress.org = self-hosted
• Integrate your business blog into your website

20. Find Me At:
• Lorna Sixsmith
• www.garrendennylane.com
• www.facebook.com/GarrendennyLane
• www.write-on-track.com
• www.facebook.com/Writeontrackresults
• 086 1051007 / 056 4442310
• www.linkedin.com/in/lornasixsmith