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6 WAYS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH BLOGGING

Zontee Hou for

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ABOUT ZONTEE HOU• Strategist at top consulting

firm Convince & Convert• Founder of her own firm,

Media Volery, in New York City

• Adjunct professor of communications at the City College of New York

• Current clients range from Allstate Insurance to Indiana University

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PROVIDE RESEARCH RESOURCES• 84% of shoppers said

ZMOT shapes their decisions

• Customers need 10.4 sources before making a purchase decision

Source: Think with Google, 2011

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BUILD TRUST

• 67% of people trust technical experts

• 52% of people trust employees

• 49% of people trust a CEO• 61% of people trust

businesses versus 56% who trust the media

Source: Edelman Trust Barometer 2016

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RETAIN CUSTOMERS• 80% of your company’s

future earnings will come from just 20% of your existing customers (Gartner Research)

• 5% increase in retention can increase a company’s profitability by 75%

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CASE STUDIES 6 examples from real businesses

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CONTENT MARKETING• Provide save-worthy

information• Content hub• Resources for your

audience• Round-up

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP• Create consider-

worthy content• Trustworthiness• Expertise• Point of view

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DIGITAL EVENTS• Create participation-

worthy happenings• Build community among

far-flung customers• Promote action around a

specific product/service

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CUSTOMER SUPPORT• Facilitate repeat-

purchase-worthy experiences

• Provide trustworthy DIY advice

• Show you have customers’ best interests at heart

• Build loyalty

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COMMUNITY BUILDING• Create connect-

worthy opportunities• Engage influencers• Activate advocates• Highlight community

members

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SEO

• Answer search-worthy questions

• Anticipate topics that matter to your audience/customers

• Speak in your customers’ language

• Showcase local expertise

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BEST PRACTICES & RESOURCES Tools, tips, and more.

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EDITORIAL CALENDAR• Keep track of content

ideas by: • Theme• Vertical/product category• Target audience• Author/expert

• http://bit.ly/SCOREedcal

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FORMAT FOR EASY READING• Include multimedia:

• Photos/slideshows• Embedded

videos/Slideshare presentations

• Audio clips/podcasts• Break up the text:

• Subheadlines (H2, H3)• Bullet-points• Pull-quotes

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CROSS-PROMOTE• Email

newsletter/subscription• Social media• Employees/associates• Voicemail/hold message

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TOOLS

• Wordpress, Rainmaker, Medium

• Atomic Reach• CoSchedule• Wordpress SEO by YOAST• Google Analytics

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LET’S CONNECT• Twitter: @zontee_hou• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/

zonteehou• Website & email

newsletter: ConvinceandConvert.comMediaVolery.com