Session 4 - Blogging 101 & Website Concepting

blogging 101how it works & how to make it work

democratization

publishing & marketing through self-publishing (blogging) and self-marketing (social media)

everyone is a publisher

what’s blog?

weblog

early 2000 -- typepad, blogspot, blogger, wordpress, tumblr

bloggers

is not a journalist

but some are just as belieavable

don’t trust everything you read

recheck: source, author, affiliation, interest

what blogging is for

monitor conversation

participate in those conversations

cooperate with bloggers

shape conversations

benefits of blogging

Marcus Sheridan - Social Media Examiner

The power of team

benefits of blogging

Blogging sharpens your sword

Create 2-3 articles per week, and you will:

be forced to stay up to date with current news

learned to be a better teacher

have an answer to everything your customer ask

benefits of blogging

You become a trust agent

helpful content = trust

trust = leads

leads = sales

be a kindergarten teacher to your customers

benefits of blogging

The power of the blog comment

finding out passionate individuals

measure customers’ perception & understanding

how to get into blogging

read, read, read

try to gain: insight, understanding, netiquette

leave comments

create your own!

monitoring blogs

measure perception

leverage available tools: Technocrati, google blog search

analyze trends

comment on blogs

Participate in the conversation.

Let people know about your point of view.

Leave track of your own identity - blog, website, google profile

working with bloggers

“The technology is easy. If you provide people with the technology tools and there is excitement, then people will make it successful.” - Flynn, member of Obama socmed team

bloggers love interesting experience

new product

key people

cont

Tips on writing blog postA blog is a tool to make a company/brand more ‘human’, instead of just brick-and-mortar. Hence, be personal. Use pronouns to create a closer connection with your readers. It’s okay to use ‘you’, ‘me’, ‘us’.

Be authentic. Tell your story in your own way. No need to exaggerate it, just be honest.

Have a stand. Blog could be opinionated, that’s okay. Blog post is not a news article. Use it to amplify your corporate values, what you believe in and what you want to advocate for.

concept a compelling websitehow to build a rich but not ‘too much’ site

website = house

a great website is...

...an intersection of every other online initiative. in a cohesive and interesting way,

the content-rich website organizes the online personality of your organization to delight,

entertain, and - most important - inform each of your buyers.

focus on content

what do you want to say?

what’s your story?

what do you want people to know?

who are you talking to?

alternative of content

product / services

team

distinctive value proposition

contact

portfolio

career

blog

campaign

promotion

link to other channels

RSS-feed / mail subscription

tips

useful info

success story

examples of sitemap

developing a sitemap

what content do you want to include?

what content do you want to focus on?

think about what customers want to know

think about how customers will find information easily