1.Nonprofit Blogging Best Practices: Why Your Nonprofit Needs a Blog and How to Create a Great One Julia Campbell November 5, 2013 Use Twitter Hashtag #4GlearnPart Of:Sponsored by:

2. How This Webinar Works A link to the slides/materials will be sent in an email after the webinarIf youd like to ask a question during the webinar, you can type it in the question box of your control panel on the right side of your screenChat with us on twitter using the hashtag - #4GlearnPart Of:Sponsored by: 3. Upcoming Webinars DatesTopic11/12E-Strategy for Your Nonprofit11/13Whats a Mission Statement Worth?11/13Involving Volunteers in Your Fundraising11/19Be Found and Get Found: LinkedIn Best Practices for Nonprofits11/20Beyond Fundraising11/20Building your brand A practical guide for nonprofit organizationsRegister at NonprofitWebinars.com Part Of:Sponsored by: 4. Nonprofit Blogging Best Practices: Why Your Nonprofit Needs a Blog and How to Create a Great One Julia Campbell November 5, 2013 Use Twitter Hashtag #4GlearnPart Of:Sponsored by: 5. Protecting and Preserving the Institutional Memories of Nonprofits Since 1993Part Of:www.cjwconsulting.com (866) 598-0430 info@cjwconsulting.comSponsored by: 6. Coming Soon Part Of:Sponsored by: 7. Todays SpeakersJulia Campbell Principal J Campbell Social MarketingJamie Maloney Community Developer, 4Good Part Of:Hosting: Cheri J Weissman, CJW Consulting & Services, Inc.Sponsored by: 8. Julia Campbell J Campbell Social Marketing http://www.jcsocialmarketing.com 4Good/Nonprofit Webinars November 5, 2013#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 9. Takeaways From Today The benefits of blogging why you need one The best platforms to use How to get more readers How to find and create fresh content How to promote your blog posts Top 10 tips to creating fantastic blog posts#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 10. Before We Begin Blogging is a marathon, not asprint. Dont get discouraged. Time, capacity and resources are needed to do it effectively. Every organization, no matter how small and strapped for resources, has great stories to tell. They key is passionate supporters not number of Facebook fans. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 11. Does the world need one more? It depends. The key to effective blogging quality over quantity!You cant beat the Internet on volume, but you can beat it on quality, clarity and perspective. Rich Brooks @therichbrooks#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 12. You arent writing for the world! You are writing for YOUR audience. They are unique. Your audience is not everyone. You dont need to have 500,000 subscribers to have a great blog. You just need to tell your story and authentically connect with your audience. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 13. Why have a blog? To improve SEO search engine results. To build trust and community. To establish yourself as an authority on the issue. If you are active on social media, you will always havenew content to post! To drive website traffic, email sign ups, social media followers and even donations.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 14. Why have a blog? Have a blog will continually force you and yourorganization to ask the tough questions: What impact are we having on the world? What would happen if we disappeared tomorrow?#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 15. Why not have a blog? According to Technorati 40% of people that have a blog spend more than 3 hours per week blogging. Its a lot of work researching and writing posts, editing posts, formatting them, promoting them.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 16. Establish Goals As with any marketing strategy, you need a measurable goal to determine success. (Blogging is not a strategy its a tool.) You need to know where you are going/want to go. What is the goal for the blog? Establish authority More website traffic More email signups More Facebook fans Advocacy#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 17. Measurement Write down 3-4 goals for your blog (should tie with overall marketing goals). Think measurement and benchmarks. How will you measure? How will you be held accountable? Monthly reporting? Weekly?#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 18. Getting Started Get buy-in from ExecutiveStaff and Board. Hold a staff meeting and a Board meeting to announce that you are going to start a blog and that ideas for posts are welcome. Educate everyone on the importance of the blog its not just one more thing to add on the pile. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 19. Getting Started Tell staff, board, volunteers and Online Social MediaAmbassadors about it first. Be excited and enthusiastic! Let them know that you are going to call on them to help you find content and to promote the blog.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 20. Getting Started Determine who is going to write the posts and how often.(Once per week to start is great.) Create an Editorial Calendar either in Google Calendar or in a document in Dropbox that can be accessed in multiple places. Do not keep the Editorial Calendar and blog ideas on the server! Get Dropbox or Google Drive. Get Dropbox: https://db.tt/xJFmfwG#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 21. Editorial Calendar Some things to include in your calendar: Call to Action (Is there a specific andmeasurable action you want to see from this topic?) Post Date Author (if youre not the sole author) Notes Free resources: Working Title (or at least a descriptive idea to the content) Publication location (is this a post for your blog, a guest blog, etc.) Status Category Tags Keywords http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2012/02/free-printableblogplanner.html http://www.business2community.c om/content-marketing/aneditorial-calendar-for-your-blogtips-and-templates-0465693Free resource: http://unbounce.com/content-marketing/blog-editorial-calendar/ #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 22. Choose a Platform Talk to your webmaster what will integrate with your blog? My recommendation is WordPress. Easy to use (you dont need to know HTML or code) Can manage it from anywhere SEO Control Plugins 100% customizable It can grow Multiple users #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 23. Blogging Process 4 elements of blogging 1) Research 2) Writing 3) Formatting/Editing 4) Promotion#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 24. #1: Research What to blog about? Ideas for content: FAQ about your organization. What do you always get emails about? What do people ask on the phone? TIP: Add a short video to go with it. Myths vs. Facts. Top 5 myths you encounter regularly. TIP: Add links to other blog posts andarticles that support factual evidence outgoing links create community and help make your blog more interactive. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 25. #1: Research Video testimonials. Stories! What is happening in the world? What is everyone talkingabout? The government shut down? The Red Sox? How can you tie this in to a blog post? How To A step-by-step list for collecting food for a food drive, organizing afundraising walk, preventing elder abuse or calling a legislator. TIP: Use a testimonial or a story of a person who took this action, how they did it and what impact it had.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 26. #1: Research Top 10 Tips Any number will work. Examples: Top 10 DogTraining Tips, Top 10 Tips To Keep Kids Active in the Summer, Top 10 Tips for Helping the Environment. TIP: Make an infographic of the Top 10 Tips using infogr.am and post it everywhere.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 27. #1: Research Sign up for free Google Alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts Technorati: www.technorati.com Alltop: www.alltop.com Keep a list of topics always accessible so you can add to it when you think of a potential topic (put in Dropbox). Are you locally based, regional or national? Focus on local events and news rather than national depending. Ask your community!#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 28. #2: Writing A blog post can be 300-500 words and a photo (it does notneed to be a novel). Picking a great headline is the most important part. Make it catchy and tweetable!! Look at other blog headlines that grab your attention. Free resource: John Haydon Time-Saving Hacks to WriteMore Blog Posts (Video demo): http://www.johnhaydon.com/2013/10/time-saving-hackswrite-more-blog-posts/#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 29. #2: Writing I find it helpful to do a brain dump and put everything on the page. The create an outline a beginning, middle and end. Opening paragraph should grab peoples attention. One-two sentence paragraphs. Bolded headlines. Bulleted lists. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 30. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 31. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 32. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 33. #3: Formatting Get photos. Canva.com Photopin.com Morguefile.com Flickr Creative Commons#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 34. #3: Formatting Categories Always think of your reader. Will describe what the blog is about. Tags More specific Free resource How to useWordPress categories and tags: http://www.johnhaydon.com/2013 /04/howto-wordpress-tags/ #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 35. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 36. #3: Formatting Make sure: There is a way forpeople to subscribe to the blog. There are social share buttons so people can share it. Experiment with email sign up/pop ups.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 37. #3: Formatting Enable comments. Encourage communication. Can be monitored/approved. Great WordPress plugins: Disqus Comment System Akismet (for spam) WordPress SEO by Yoast JetPack CommentLuv places a link to the commenters blog WordPress Popular Posts #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 38. #3: Promotion If you write it, they will come! Not necessarily You need to promote each blog post. Great WordPress plugin: Publicize#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 39. #3: Promotion Post the blog to all social mediachannels: Facebook Pinterest Twitter Google+ Syndicate to your local Patch andWicked Local. Create a checklist.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 40. Julias Blog Promotion Checklist Automatically goes to: FB personal Twitter LinkedIn personal Tumblr StumbleUpon Reddit Digg Delicious Social Buzz ClubSocialMarker.com ShareBloc.com SocialADR.com LinkedIn groups Facebook page add hashtags Google+ Community add hashtags LinkedIn Company Page Pinterest#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg Scoop.it Business 2 Community Sulia.com Patch WickedLocal Triberr NetSquared MosaicHub Quora 41. #3: Promotion Include in email blasts. Guest blogging look atTechnorati for the lists of top bloggers in your industry and contact them to write guests posts. Ensure that readers can subscribe to your blog to see a new post when its published either via email or RSS feed.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 42. #3: Promotion Dont be passive! Ask Board, staff and volunteers toshare the blog posts. Read them at staff meetings and encourage comments. Make it a team affair. Remember you cannot do it alone!!!#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 43. Questions?#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 44. A Word On Content The Customer Insight Group (CIG) at the New York Times published a study exploring why people share content online. People share to: Bring valuable and entertaining content to others Define themselves to others Grow and nourish relationships Give self-fulfillment Market causes or brands How can you help your community do these things through your blog? http://nytmarketing.whsites.net/mediakit/pos/ #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 45. A Word On Content Spend some time and dedicate some resources to creating content that is wellwritten, original, compelling, timely, relevant and interesting. This may seem like a tall order, but thats what it takes to stand-out in the noise of social media.#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 46. Keeping Momentum Be open-minded and dontget discouraged. Not everyone will a superstar blogger. Just because someone is influential does not mean that your cause will resonate with them. Actively look everywhere for people who are passionate about your cause. #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 47. Get Inspired Third Sector Today Nonprofit Blog Post Best of theDay: http://thirdsectortoday.com/2013/10/28/nonprofitblog-post-best-of-the-day/#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 48. Top 11 Takeaways Figure out the why of your blog and be consistent. 2) Write good stuff. 3) Post at a regular time. 4) Mix up content How To posts, FAQ, Video Testimonials, etc. 5) Dont be long-winded. 6) Make sure you keep readers with an RSS feed, email sign up, etc. 7) Promote all posts. 8) Use an SEO plugin. 9) Measure, improve, measure, improve. 10) Incorporate visuals. 11) Be social yourself comment on other blogs, be active. 1)#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 49. In Conclusion Always think back to your audience. What are they reading about, writing about, sharing and commenting on? What are they interested in? Its not about YOU its about them!#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 50. Nonprofit Resources John Haydon www.johnhaydon.com Nonprofit Tech for Good www.nptechforgood.com Beth Kanter www.bethkanter.org Amy Sample Ward www.amysampleward.org Problogger www.problogger.net My blog www.jcsocialmarketing.com #npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 51. Questions? Tweet me: @JuliaCSocial Facebook me: www.facebook.com/jcsocial marketing.com Email me: julia@jcsocialmarketing.co m THANK YOU!#npblog @JuliaCSocial @4GoodOrg 52. Upcoming Webinars DatesTopic11/12E-Strategy for Your Nonprofit11/13Whats a Mission Statement Worth?11/13Involving Volunteers in Your Fundraising11/19Be Found and Get Found: LinkedIn Best Practices for Nonprofits11/20Beyond Fundraising11/20Building your brand A practical guide for nonprofit organizationsRegister at NonprofitWebinars.com Part Of:Sponsored by: 53. Thank you! Please complete the post event survey that will show up as you leave the webinar. You will be receiving an email with links to the materials shortly after the webinar. Part Of:Sponsored by: