Blogging Boot CampHow to build, write and run a successful blog for your business.

Mike Schlossberg

Mike Schlossberg Social Media

Blog basics

“A regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal

or conversational style.” - Google

• In other words, a blog is a place to write down whatever pops into your head.

• Blogs have incredible business potential, and businesses are taking advantage.

Blog statistics

Blogging = More business and greater customer trust• Small businesses with blogs generate +125% more leads than businesses without.• 128 million Americans read blogs.• 81% of customers trust blogs.• 61% of customers have made purchases based on blogs.

Blogging = Web Traffic• Companies with +15 blog entries a month generate five times as much web traffic

as webpages that don’t.• 2013 survey: Websites with +51 pages generate 48% more traffic than websites with

<50.• Blogging creates more pages on your website – this means higher search engine optimization.

Blog statistics

Everyone’s doing it!

• 76% of B2B and 72% of B2C marketers are blogging.

• 73% of marketers are increasing their blogging.

• 81% of companies believe their blogs are “important,” “useful” or critical.

Increasing importance of controlling your audience.

• Everyone uses Facebook, right? Have a Facebook page?

• Remember, you do not control access to your Facebook audience: Facebook does.

• You’re in trouble: Facebook is slashing organic page reach – meaning the amount of people you can reach on Facebook, for free.• Being done in the name of forcing people to buy more

paid ads.

• Puts the onus on small business owners to shift to direct-access services: Email lists & blogging.

The first question.

Why do you want to blog?

To get more customers and more money, obviously!

Your answer needs to be more specific

• Making more money isn’t enough. What do you want to accomplish with your blog?• Better customer relations?• Demonstrate your expertise?• Introduce new products?• Provide industry-wide leadership?• Give a behind the scenes look at your operations?

These questions must be answered for your blog to be done right.

Platforms

There are no shortage of options for how to blog

Wordpress Tumblr Blogger

Creation Basics

• Vitally important that you fill in all options. Keep Search Engine Optimization in mind!

• Title: Catchy and descriptive.

• Description: 1-2 sentences about what your blog discusses. Capture key industry and local terms above self-promotion!

• Flavicon: The small icon next to your URL or in the tab with your website:

The Basics

• Consistency over frequency: Frequent blogging will get you more readers, but it’s better to be consistent than frequent.• Create a set frequency of writing, and stick to it.

• Editorial calendar: Plot out what you are going to write and who is going to write it.• Particularly important if you blog as a team!

• Links: Link everywhere! Whenever you refer to another statistic or product, link to it. • Adds to your credibility and enhances your SEO.

• Don’t forget internal links: Link to other blog entries!• Encourages others to read your blog and explore more of your content.

Format

• Keep it brief: Try to stick to around 500 words or less.

• Digestible content made for skimmers: Use bullets, headlines, and subheadings designed to break up the text.

• Pictures: Must have at least one picture, use that as a featured image.• Grabs attention of readers and better for blog aggregators like

Feedly.• Generally speaking, the more pictures, the better.

Content – Types of Entries

• Giveaways, discounts & coupons: People loooooove free stuff.

• Industry-focused: Trends in your industry and how they will affect your customers.

• Sneak peeks: Have a new product coming out soon? Give your social media audience a sneak peek ahead of everyone else.

• Guest blog entries: Get someone in a similar or complimentary industry and have them do a guest blog entry on a subject of interest to your audience. • Allows for cross-pollination of audiences – they will promote their guest blog

entry on your blog – and that will bring more people to you!

• Self-help: Show people how they get use your products.

Content – Types of Entries

• Behind the scenes: Show how your product is built or made.

• How-to: Have a product that requires set-up or installation, like make-up or home improvement? Show people how to use it!• Give step-by-step instructions, or even better, film a video, put it on

YouTube and embed it in your blog.

• Something entertaining: It doesn’t all have to be business related!

• Show your staff: Show off the people behind the counter. After all, people are more likely to shop at a place if they like the people there!

Encouraging comments

• Specifically encourage comments to build engagement by concluding each entry with a call to action related to commenting.

“How will you use this new widget? Let us know in the comments!”

• Reward frequent commenters or sharers—respond to them, give them advanced looks at comments, etc.

• If comments turn negative:• Try to get personal information and take the conversation offline.• Attempt to make amends as best you can.• If they get ugly, vulgar or slanderous, do not hesitate to delete & block.

Sharing

• Each platform has a different way to enable blog entries to be shared on social media. Make sure to make it as easy as possible for your entry to be shared.

• If you use Twitter, you can run a search for your blog URL and see who is sharing the content.• Make sure to favorite, retweet or respond to anyone sharing your blog

entry.

• Reward constant sharers!• If someone repeatedly shares your blog entries – or any of your social

media, give them something free…and post it on social media, of course.

Headlines

• Headline writing is critical: You will not get blog readers without a good headline.

• Tips:• Use numbers and lists (“20 fantastic ways to do better laundry”)• Write a negative (“6 strategies your salesman uses to lie”)• Educate on a concept (“Two surefire ways to gain more

subscribers”)• Generate controversy (“Why the President’s immigration action will

have a negative impact on your employment business”)• Use the word you to make a headline personal.• Don’t forget to use strong adjectives and adverbs. • Keep it tweetable (use less than 140 characters – fewer if possible)

Analytics

• Every platform has some level of analytics to determine what works and what doesn’t.

• Among the items you should review:• Most popular content – any types of content work better than others?• Best time to publish a blog?• Top referrers – where are people coming from to get to your blog?• What are people clicking on?• What search terms are people using to find your blog?

• What blog entries are performing the best on your social media?

Patience is required

• Above is my blog stats – look at the upward slope.

• This takes time. You have to be patient.

Promotion

• Autopost to other social networks – with caution.• Twitter, LinkedIn and your Facebook page are okay – not your personal page.

• Email newsletter.

• Email signature.

• Blogroll• Create a list of blogs that you link to – and ask them to do the same.

• Comment – constructively – on other blogs.• Make sure your blog profile is up to date. This way, when someone clicks on your

name after you leave a blog comment, they go right to your blog.

• Link to relevant sites within your blog entry.• Will increase your SEO.

Contact Information

How to contact me

MichaelSchlossberg@gmail.com

@MikeSchlossberg

www.facebook.com/MikeSchlossberg

www.mikeschlossbergsocialmedia.com

Download my book: Tweets and Consequences via Amazon – and let me know if I can help you or your business!