maximise your web marketing blogging for success
DESCRIPTION
29.09.10 and 02.12.10 Maximise your web marketing - BLOGGING AND MICRO BLOGGINGTRANSCRIPT
Blogging
Build Traffic, Links, Engagement
Roan Fair
Search Marketing Consultant
www.intergage.co.uk
Today’s agenda…
• What is blogging?
• Why is it important?
• Why should I use it?
• How do I use it?
• Hints and tips
What is blogging, a blog?
• A website with an ongoing series of entries, opinions, comments…
• An online diary of what matters most to you, your company, your followers/customers…
• Your personality, your brand’s personality online…
• Your site’s ‘editorial’ column
• Your digital soul (a bit poetic perhaps)…
…but it’s all about passion!
Why blogging matters
Build relationships, trust, brand recognition
Why blogging matters
Connect with new customers, strengthen links with existing ones
Why blogging matters
Build and cement your reputation for expertise, share best practice
Be a centre of authority!
Create unique content…
…and listen
But will it drive sales?
• Yes! Keep your products and services in front of your customers
• Yes! Boost customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Yes! Drive more traffic to your site, higher quality traffic
• Yes! Drive word of mouth marketing
• Yes! Learn from the feedback
How do I start?
Free software…
Blogger v WordPress
But which is better…?
Blogger – pros and cons
• Owned by Google
• Free
• Quick to set up
• No technical knowledge needed
• Customisable html…but not much
• You can’t host your own Blogger blog
WordPress – pros
• Free
• Quick to set up
• Can be hosted in-house
• Great community support
• Huge library of plug-ins for extra functionality
• Extremely customisable!
WordPress – cons
• Advanced features can come at a cost
• Can become overly technical
• Free version has limited editable areas
• Security?
How do I start?
• Define your goals – why does your blog exist?
• Schedule your posts – post consistently, regularly
• Develop a rhythm
• Readers should look forward to it!
What should I post? Reviews
Review post – review a product, a service, another blog
Don’t be afraid to have an opinion when you review. You want feedback
What should I post? Opinions
The Opinions post:
• Positions you as a specialist
• Builds your blog/site as a centre of authority
• Don’t be afraid to take a different tack
What should I post? Lists
The List post:
• Magnificent seven software apps…
• Seven deadly sins of…
• Five fabulous free ways to…
• 10 great ways to…
What should I post? Updates
The Update post:
• Revisit past topics, celebrate/criticise new developments
• Link to previous posts as a running story
What should I post? Featured Reader
The Featured Reader post:
• Reward one of your readers with a featured post about them
• What do they bring to the party that is new and exciting?
• Reader comments can inspire blog posts
• Way to work in or link to case studies, testimonials
What should I post? Ask A Question
The Question post:
• Ask an important question about a topical issue
• It can provoke a response
• Deliberately controversial v sit-on-the-fence? Be yourself
It’s demanding…
• Your blog is the voice of your website
• Needs to have its own style, feel
• But it can feature guest posts (they can make it even more interesting!)
• Or use a ghostwriter
Will a blog help with my SEO?
• Yes – WordPress and Blogger posts both have ‘follow’
• Comment on others’ blogs that have ‘follow’
• But not all blogs allow ‘follow’ on comments
Microblogs
• Twitter – 140-character limit
• Tumblr (without an ‘e’)
• Traffic and links benefits
• ¾ of Fortune 500 companies had a Twitter account in July 2010
• 1.76 billion tweets in April 2010, 47% up on January 2010
• 105 million registered users
• 48% of people who see a brand on Twitter go on to search for it
Why use Twitter?
• Great introduction to quick and easy blogging for very busy people
• Converse, network, reply
• News – Stop Press!
• Announcements, events
• Link building* (despite tweets = ‘no follow’) • Research, prospecting
Why use Twitter?
• Private tweets – staff updates• Live coverage of events• Acquire votes (Digg, Buzz)• Get feedback, monitor it• Respond to negative feedback• Answer questions, FAQs• Helpdesk• Sourcing/recruiting staff• Research, read news
Twitter profile
Using Twitter
• Very easy to create, edit, update, customise
• Access it via PC or mobile
• Superb ‘listening’ tool, even if you never tweet (but you should tweet)
• Hundreds of apps to get the best out of Twitter – bit.ly, Hootsuite, Topsy
Thank you!
Any questions?
Roan Fair
Intergage, Search Marketing Consultant
Tel: 0845 456 1022
Web: www.intergage.co.uk
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/roanfair
Twitter: http://twitter.com/roanfair
Intergage Blog: http://blog.intergage.co.uk/