A crash course in blogging basics for new marketers. A great refresher for experienced digital marketers and communication professionals. Pocketsquaremedia.co

1. Grow Your Brand by Wayne Chen
©WayneEthanChen(AT) Gmail (dot) com 2011-2012

2.  Anyone can blog about
anything, anywhere, anytime
 Web-based log of entries on a
subject interesting to the
creator and audience
 Multimedia community with
photos, videos, and more
 TypePad, WordPress, and
Blogger offer blogs
 Blog execution yields
marketing success not the tool

3.  Create relationships
with blogs
 4 reasons to blog
 Powerful SEO tool
 Build authority in
your field
 Grow users with RSS
 Enable user feedback

4.  Address the “push backs” with benefits
 Blogging drives traffic vs. infrequent new content
 Personalize your organization with human face(s)
 Transparent customer service and response
 Develop untapped niche markets as a microsite
 Manage reputation and inaccurate information
 Free press release promotion
 Harness focus groups with current readers
 Reduce efforts on emails and support calls

5.  Integrate your blog, never isolate
 Blog, develop your marketing
power house
 Build active community base for all
readers
 Grow loyal users and stealth lead-
generation
 Build and cultivate partnerships
 Repurpose old content as insightful
 Generate free press coverage and
leads
 Push announcements with SEO
benefits
 Enable quick response to dynamic
industry news
 Promote all aspects of social media
marketing

6.  Reinforces: credibility,
usability, visibility,
sellability, and scalability
 Blog if you
 Offer something value for
your audience
 Have the tools and time
to blog
 Willing and able to create
community along with the
content
 Have a purpose to blog
 Passionate about sharing
information

7.  Free blog tools
 WordPress
 Tumblr
 Posterous
 Weebly
 Blogger
 LiveJournal
 Pros & cons
 Hosting

8.  Ask yourself:  Tips:
 Who is the end user  Focus on fun topics
 What is the purpose of  Entertaining content
the blog?  Quotes
 What content will be  Not a preapproved press
valuable to your material
audience?  Use humor (when
 How do you want to warranted)
connect with the reader?  Generally less serious
 Will emotional appeal and more friendly
matter?  Informative

9.  Readers crave  Tips:
perspective  Address something
 Education? bigger than the company
 Controversial? or product if possible
 Customer service  Does it benefit the
oriented? customer, industry, or
the world?
 Get to know customers?
 Support the blog with
 Lifestyle?
resources to drive
repeatable content
 Easy to share

10.  Write and Share  Tips:
 Authentic content  Organize content with
 Long or short tags
 Valuable to reader  Show and track labels
 Tips or advice  Monitor reader feedback
 Direct to resource
and labels
 Show related content or
post if available
 Analyze blog SEO
performance bi-monhtly

11.  First impressions  Tips:
 Represents content,  Think big
voice, and theme  Don’t get carried away
 Get creative with crazy fonts and
 Be consistent with look colors
and feel guidelines  Simplicity is often a
 Readability and usability winner
 Audience readability and
blog navigation
 Hire a designer or use
free templates

12.  Maximize  Tips:
 Boost blog visibility  Keep your category tags
 Priority key phrases to a minimum if possible
 Consistent labels,  Highlight individuals and
categories, and format industry keywords or
 Add analytics
phrases (no more than
two words)
 Embrace SEO patience
 Track performance at
 Backlink and post to
least bi-monthly against
social media marketing campaign
goals

13.  Plan and Execute  Tips:
 Announce new blog via press  Outreach should include key
release industry readers and content
 Form partnerships with promoters
others  Guest write but keep it
 Offer to guest write to beneficial for both parties
increase traffic  Promote blogs and quotes
 Interview influential people with your perspective
 Find complementary blogs  Capitalize on social trends
and endorse them. within 24 hours of the
 Build mutual relationships industry news
 Select your sharing widgets
 Equip blog with cool widgets carefully and make posting
 Add RSS easy for users
 Set user posting policies

14.  Social Media Directories  Social Bookmarking
 Technorati.com  Digg.com
 Blogged.com  Reddit.com
 BlogCatalog.com  StumbleUpon
 Blogarama.com  Yahoo Buzz
 Dmoz.com  CoRank.com
 Blogs.botw.org  Tweetmeme.com
 PitchEngine.com  Delicious.com
 Article Marketing Sites  Kaboodle.com
 Industry related sites  Folkd.com
 Mixx.com
 Slashdot.org

15.  Social Media Widgets for easy share with smart “status” across
social networks
 RSS feed and email sign-up widgets
 Create a Facebook page and drive fan traffic
 Optimize Twitter background image and contact information
 Create YouTube accounts with links back to blog
 Establish Flickr.com /Instagram account to show mission
supported photos
 Create LinkedIn company profile with product and service
information
 Add three – four tag clouds per article
 Strategically plan and build your categories
 Leverage multiple blogs with same content
 Ask for feedback from the reader
 Embed blog link in email signatures across the company

16.  Write as simply as possible
 Keep it short and juicy
 Plan and set writing schedule and keep it up to date
 List of topics to cover
 Scan the industry calendar
 Look for key phrases for ideas
 Establish editorial department
 Take advantage of inspirations and everyday experiences
 Plan “think pieces”
 Phase the content into multiple pieces
 Author how-to articles
 Add educational or professional articles
 Share your infographic and procedure checklists
 Create a top 3, 5, 10, or 20+ list
 Interview people in your industry from top to bottom
 Incorporate YouTube or podcast playable from site