get your blog on
TRANSCRIPT
Get Your Blog On
An Introduction to BloggingBy
Paul Martinez
Blog: paulpowered.com Twitter: @phxwebguy
Why Blog?
• Promotion of a cause or a business
• Record your thoughts or ideas• People are searching• Create relationships• Sharing
Questions for Prospects
• Are you self motivated?• Do you enjoy writing?• Are you open to feedback?• Are you well organized?• Do you have the time?
Choosing Your Topic
• Casual versus business purpose driven
• Hobbies or pastimes• Amount of knowledge and
research• Enough content on the topic
Choosing Your Topic
• Tied to income– Direct– Indirect
• Competitive landscape– Growing– Shrinking
Choosing a Blog Platform
• Are you using a CMS for your site?• Do you wish to integrate the blog
with your current site?• Is the blog going to be at its own
location?
Choosing a Blog Platform
• Hosted versus non-hosted solutions
• Movable Type• Typepad• Blogger• WordPress
Choosing a Domain Name
• Easily recognizable• Tied to your topic• Intended audience• Tone of the blog• Keyword based• Branding
Joining a Blog Network
• Pros– Increase visibility– Build relationships– Additional traffic– SEO Benefits– Increase your level of expertise
Joining a Blog Network
• Cons– Ownership rights and loss of control– Additional risk of exposure– Complicated legalities– Advertising requirements
Writing Tips
• Have an “Idea Box”• Stick to your schedule• No such thing as too many drafts• Invite guest writers• Write often and for other blogs
Reading Tips
• Read blogs on similar topics for ideas
• Create alerts• Subscribe to newsletters• Subscribe to feeds
Comments
• Read and respond, don’t just moderate your comments
• Commenting on other blogs• Handling comment spam
Driving Traffic
• Featured articles• Get listed• Strategic partnerships• Syndication• Promote your site feed
Blogging Resources
• problogger.com• bloggingtips.com• wordpress.org• phxwptraining.com
Questions