Content and Blogging

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What is blogging?

• A website

• Updated frequently

• Central theme – focused on a specific

keyword, topic, or niche

How is blogging different from content?

• Blog posts are 100% available to the public (no

signups)

• Other types of content: ebooks, templates,

infographics, SlideShares (presentations), kits

• Content is sometimes “gated” – only accessible if

the reader provides their name, email, etc.

• Blogging gets traffic to your site

• Content gets you information about your readers

Who/what reads blogs?

• Potential customers: people who are looking for a

product like yours

• “Influencers” and “sharers”: people who may

never buy from you, but share your content with

their network of followers

• Search engines: webcrawlers “read” content and

rank it in search results

What are the components of a blog?• Title: less than 70 characters (webcrawlers stop

reading after 70 characters)

• Length: 200-800 words

• Image

• Calls-to-action: download an ebook, subscribe to

a blog

• Social share: readers can follow you on social

media OR share your content on their profiles

Why should companies blog?• To generate traffic (and leads)

• To establish “thought leadership” – being known

for pioneering a concept or school of thought

that’s related to your product

*Fun fact: The HubSpot blog existed before HubSpot software did. Our co-founder, Dharmesh, blogged about inbound marketing.

What are the components of a blog?• Title: less than 70 characters (webcrawlers stop

reading after 70 characters)

• Length: 200-800 words

• Image

• Calls-to-action: download an ebook, subscribe to

a blog

• Social share: readers can follow you on social

media OR share your content on their profiles

Why is blogging awesome?

• Blogging grows your organic traffic (people who

found you through unpaid search engine results)

• Organic traffic converts 5X better than referral

traffic (people who find you through social, email,

etc.) and 3X better than paid search engine

results

What should I blog about?

• Think about the target market for your product –

who is your ideal buyer?

• What do they think about every day?

• What problems or questions would they

encounter that would lead them to your product?

Example: HubSpot’s Marketing Blog• HubSpot’s ideal buyer is a marketer

• Every day, she thinks about how to connect her

product with potential buyers

• We blog about: how to run marketing campaigns

… how to measure success … how successful

companies do marketing … how to use marketing

tools like LinkedIn & Excel … how to master

marketing concepts like SEO

OK, I’m ready to get started!

• You’ll need a CMS (content management system)

• Free (!) options: Wordpress, Tumblr, Medium

• Free stock photo options:

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/free-stock-

photos

More resources:• Why Blog?

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-benefits-of-business-blogging-ht

• How to Create a Successful Blog Strategy:

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blog-strategy-guide

• The Ultimate List of Free Content Creation Tools:

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/free-content-marketing-tools-list

• How to Choose the Best Blog Topics for Your Audience:

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/choose-the-best-blog-topics

• 11 Questions to Improve Your Blog:

http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/business-blogging-strategy

Thank You!