little blog big 2015

CARLY JACOBS!www.smaggle.com!

@smaggle!!

CHRISTINA BUTCHER!www.hairromance.com!

@hairromance!!

@smaggle @hairromance #littleblogbig!!

Little Blog Big!

1.  Creating your kick-ass content strategies!2.  Killing it on social media!3.  How to fit it all in without losing the plot!4.  Let’s talk money $$$!


Creating your kick-ass content strategies!

Creating your kick-ass content strategies!

1.  Why the hell are you blogging?!2.  Content creation hacks!3.  Who the hell are you writing for?!4.  Writing killer headlines!5.  Traffic boost bootcamp!

1. Why the hell are you blogging?!

•  Blogging is amazing – here’s why (list)

BLOGGING IS AWESOME!

KNOW YOUR WHY…!!•  To educate !•  To inspire!•  To promote your business/product!•  To create a portfolio!•  To connect!!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Create a mission statement for your blog.!!

My blog is about… !It helps my readers to…!

!

2. Content creation hacks!

WRITING HACKS!•  Stream of consciousness – pick a topic,

set a timer and write for 20 mins!•  List posts!•  Series posts!•  Themed days (wardrobe Wednesday, Friday drinks, etc)!


THE RICHES ARE IN THE NICHES!

Niche down and categorise what you’re about.!

(but it only works if you say it in an American accent)!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Create 5 distinct themes for your blog!!

1…………………………….!2…………………………….!3…………………………….!4…………………………….!5…………………………….!

BUSINESS EXAMPLE!

Create 5 distinct themes for your blog!!

1. Behind the scenes!2. Your product process!3. Finished products!4. Customer stories!5. Inspiration!

3. Who the hell are you writing for?!

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE:!THEIR PROBLEMS !ARE THE SOURCE !OF YOUR CONTENT !


BE WHERE YOUR AUDIENCE IS!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Write a profile of your ideal reader / customer.!!

See worksheet and be super specific!

4. Writing killer headlines!

I Bled Through My Pants On My First Day Of Work!!LinkedIn Might Owe You $1500!!Your Life Is A Hot Date. Show Up!!‘Pan' Review - A Movie So Resoundingly God-Awful That You Have To See It!!How To Be More Eloquent and Witty!


HEADLINE TIPS!•  Carly’s number theory!•  Think of your headline as a promise to

your reader about what’s ahead!•  Use interesting words !•  Screenshot good headlines for inspiration!•  Using ‘You’!


CLICKBAIT !IS LIKE INVITING SOMEONE !

OVER FOR A FANCY DINNER AND SERVING THEM TOAST!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Boost your last 5 posts with new headlines.!!

Share the shiz out of those posts!

5. Traffic boost bootcamp!

HIGH QUALITY VS LOW QUALITY TRAFFIC!


HIGH QUALITY TRAFFIC TIPS!•  Get involved in the community!•  Comment on other blog posts !•  Be active on social media!•  Promote other bloggers in your posts!•  Be controversial - have an opinion!•  Write about hot topics!•  Solve people’s problems!•  Make people feel something!•  Be useful!•  Create pillar long form content!•  Collaborate!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Connect with the audience you have now.!Forget numbers, focus on people.!

!

Read 1000 true fans – bit.ly/LBBtruefans!

QUESTIONS?!

MORNING TEA BFF SESH!NEXT SESSION STARTS AT 11.30!

Making the most of social media!

Making the most of social media!

1.  Social content strategies!2.  Facebook!3.  Pinterest!4.  Instagram!5.  Photo editing tips!

1. Social content strategies!

PUT THE RIGHT CONTENT !ON THE RIGHT PLATFORM!


BE IN THE RIGHT PLACE !AT THE RIGHT TIME!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Plan out your social content strategy.!!

Pick a platform to focus on.!!

2. Facebook!


HOW TO WORK WITH FACEBOOK

WHEN IT’S WORKING

AGAINST YOU !

CURRENT FACEBOOK TIPS!•  Share popular content from big pages !•  Text only posts – Facebook wants people

to stay on Facebook!•  Native videos!•  Pictures of faces get more engagement!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Optimise your facebook page.!!

Track the engagement on text only posts, photo posts, instagram photos, link posts & video to

find your highest performing media.!!

3. Pinterest!

PINTEREST IS NOT A SOCIAL NETWORK.!THINK OF PINTEREST LIKE GOOGLE FOR IMAGES.!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

If you love Pinterest: Optimise your boards!!

Make your board titles on brand, and search-friendly. Fill your boards!!

!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

If you hate Pinterest: Optimise your images!!

For your next post, add a tower style image with text to make it easy for others to pin your images. !

!!

4. Instagram!

MAXIMISE YOUR INSTA-PROFILE!•  Have fun with your bio! You have 150 characters but can space it

out and use emoticons. !•  Use your one clickable link with intention!•  Use Instagram as an amplification of your blog mission!•  Be aspirational!•  Space!•  Watch the grid – make sure your images look good together!•  Interact – be social – follow others, like back, comment & reply!•  If you’re wondering whether to post, don’t do it!•  Be consistent!•  Don’t worry about unfollows – instagram is transient!


•  examples


@chiliphilly @emmakateco @cj_hendry @socalitybarbie @laurenepbath!!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Define your instagram style.!!

Always make your last nine fine. !

5. Photo editing tips!

THE BEST PHOTO EDITING PROGRAMS!•  Picmonkey!•  Canva!•  Adobe Cloud!•  Lightroom!•  Photoshop!

For stock images:!•  Unsplash!•  Death to the Stock Photo!•  Stock Photos that Don’t Suck!•  Canva!!@smaggle @hairromance #littleblogbig!

!

THE BEST PHOTO EDITING APPS!•  Snapseed!•  VSCOCam!•  PicTapGo!•  Little Moments!•  Afterlight!

For text over images:!•  Wordswag!•  Phonto!•  Little Moments!•  Superimpose!! @smaggle @hairromance #littleblogbig!

!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Make a promise to never ever post crappy photos again.!

!

It’s so quick to edit before you post.!!

QUESTIONS?!

LUNCH TIME NOMS!NEXT SESSION STARTS AT 1.30!

How to fit it all in without losing the plot!

5 focus areas for nailing blog productivity!

1.  Prioritising!2.  Setting realistic goals!3.  Calendars and planning!4.  Batching and productivity!5.  Scheduling tools and organisational hacks!

1. Prioritising!

•  make commitment – quote – someone marrying their blog or kissing their computer

MAKE A!COMMITMENT!

TO YOUR!BLOG!


•  research your niche

Focus on what is necessary for YOUR blog!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Create a positive statement about prioritising your blog.!

!

My blog is important. I blog because… !My blog is worth my time.!

!

2. Setting realistic goals!

SUCCESS!is rarely!

ACCIDENTAL!


WHAT DOES !YOUR SUCCESS !

LOOK LIKE?!


WISHES AREN’T GOALS!Be specific!


•  Final slide that stays up for ques@ons – thank you & links

“I want to grow my Instagram account” is not a goal. !A goal is “I want 10,000 followers by December”!

!

To get there I know I need to grow XX followers a week. To do this I will:!!•  Share better images!•  Use relevant hashtags!•  Interact every day!•  Test for best posting times!•  Learn about every new change!!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Set yourself a measurable growth goal.!!

I will have … followers / subscribers / uniques by… I will do this by taking the following steps…!

!

3. Calendars and planning !

THE MORE!ROUTINE!

I HAVE!THE MORE!

!I CAN BE!Creative


•  Write 100 post ideas

@smaggle @hairromance #pbevent!!

PRE-PLANNING = LESS STRESS!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Write a list of 100 blog post ideas.!

4. Batching and productivity!

THINK LIKE!! !A WAITER!


•  Never sit down without an idea

NEVER SIT DOWN!WITHOUT!AN IDEA!


•  Know your best hours to work

KNOW YOUR !BEST HOURS!

TO WORK!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Write down 3 tasks you can batch.!

5. Scheduling tools and organisational hacks!

•  Timers – 20 min / 53/17 day

SET A !! ! !TIMER!


•  Don’t mul@task

DON’T MULTITASK!


•  Google knows you bePer than you know yourself (use data)

GOOGLE!KNOWS YOU BETTER!

THAN YOU!KNOW YOURSELF!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Plan out your next month of blogging.!

QUESTIONS?!

AFTERNOON REFRESHER!NEXT SESSION STARTS AT 3.00!

Let’s talk money!$$$!

Let’s talk money!

1.  How do you make money blogging?!2.  Understanding your stats and value!3.  Collaborations!4.  What’s in a media kit?!5.  Tips for the perfect pitch!

1. How do you make money blogging?!

ADVERTISING!•  Banner advertising!•  Sponsored posts!•  Sponsored social media!•  Ambassadorships!•  Paid on-site directory / job board!PRODUCTS!•  E-books / Print books!•  E-courses / Membership programs !•  Software / plugins!•  Physical products!CONSULTING!•  Events!•  Webinars!•  One-on-one / Group Coaching!•  Masterminds!SERVICES!•  Speaking / presenting!•  Photography / Videography!•  Copywriting!•  Web designer!•  Virtual Assistant!

DON’T PUT!ALL YOUR EGGS IN!

ONE BASKET!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Choose three income streams for your blog.!!

!

2. Understanding your stats and value!

Understanding your stats!•  Use Google Analytics & Facebook insights

to understand your audience behaviour!•  Know the difference between high quality

traffic vs low quality traffic!•  Learn to predict your reader’s needs and

behaviour!@smaggle @hairromance #littleblogbig!!

It’s not just about numbers,!it’s about engagement.!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Install analytics and analyse your blog traffic.!!

Look at your top 10 posts to see where readers come from and how long they stay on site.!

!

3. Collaborations!

THERE IS STRENGTH IN NUMBERS!YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING ALONE.!


Collaborations are key to growth !Collaborators are all around:!•  Brands!•  Agents!•  Employees!•  Other bloggers!•  Other businesses!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Make a list of potential collaborators.!!

A good collaborator’s strengths will complement your weakness!

!

4. What’s in a media kit?!

A media kit is like your blog’s CV!

•  It highlights your best features!•  It explains how people can work with you!•  It should include:!

•  Your name!•  Your blog name!•  Your elevator pitch!•  Your social handles!•  Your readership and follower numbers!•  Any insights about your readers!

•  How brands can work with you!•  Highlights from previous work, or

testimonials !•  How brands can reach you (email / phone /

address)!•  Photo of you, or blog images!


Sample Media Kit Layout!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Create a media kit for your blog.!!

!

5. Tips for the perfect pitch!

Pitching is like dating…!


IF YOU DON’T ASK, !THE ANSWER !

IS ALWAYS NO.!


TAKE ACTION NOW!

Write your dream brand list.!!

Then take the first step in building the relationship.!

!

THE PATH TO SUCCESS IS NEVER STRAIGHT!


•  A rising @de liRs all boats A RISING TIDE!

LIFTS ALL BOATS!


WINE TIME !& QUESTIONS!

little blog big 2015

Internet