Blog World East 2011 Recap

Angie Laxdalwriter + public relations specialistThe Flint Group

Blogging: love it or leave it?

• Love it: – Serves as brand microphone.– When done right, gives brand personality.– Improves SEO. Messages reach more people.

• Leave it:– Needs constant attention.– Content cannot be an afterthought. Planning

takes time. – Don’t bury it in a website; link to from

homepage.– If you’re going to do it, do it right.

What should businesses talk about?

• Be conversational.• Be helpful.• Be useful.• Stop talking about yourself.

Transparency + Authenticity

• Finding balance:– Be real.– But be smart. Use best judgment. – Don’t air out your dirty laundry.

Content Curation

• The hardest part: getting into the habit.• Share what you’re already doing offline

(but adapt everything for the channel). • Mental checklist: should I get video,

photos, etc.?

Analytics

• Pay attention to time spent on site– Google analytics provides this

• Don’t be a slave to your numbers– Instead, focus on making great content– Best practices

A company blog can:

• Promote transparency• Give a human voice• Start a conversation • Improve SEO• Provide a platform in a crisis • Cautions: – It’s a commitment– Establish a focus

How to establish your brand:

1) Become the authority in your field. – Be open to giving more info.

2) Be authentic.– Say it like it is. People like honest.

3) Do not launch your blog too soon.– Do you have enough content to launch?– How often will you update?– Can you stop and take a break?• Get ahead and schedule posts.

How to establish your brand:

4) Provide quality content.– The little things will take you to the next level.• Video, audio, photos, logos (brand our

content), music (your own intro music or theme song)

5) Turn everything you do into content.– Record Skype calls. Encourage user-generated

content. Etc.– Make a “rainy day” idea jar.

6) Keep it fun.7) Post consistently.

How to get free traffic:

• Always link back to home.• YouTube– Use clear keywords and descriptions.

• Facebook– Use Facebook comments as blog comments.– Include like and share buttons.– Create page for blog.

• Twitter• Contests with free giveaways• Get your content posted on popular sites

Why YouTube?

• It’s where the people are.• It’s free.• People can share your content.• Videos appear in Google search

results.

• Don’t just embed videos into your blog. First, upload to YouTube and then embed from YouTube.

Establish a connection with readers• Answer emails• Respond to comments• Create meeting place (community)

for readers – Forum leads to more content

Why people are social-media obsessed:

• Quick read• Easy access• Immediately gratifying• If valuable, walk away smarter• Entertaining

• We want what we want and we want it now.–We’re hard-wired to consume content in

bite-sized bits.

Blogging pain points:

1) Not enough traffic2) Lack of interest and relevant content ideas– It’s all been said before… but not by you.– You have a unique perspective.• Flint example: Any agency can talk about

marketing. But only we can talk about our clients, our case studies, our employees, our culture, our history and our story.

• The Solution?– Steal key elements from social media, apply to

blog

5 elements that make social media addictive:

1) Instant rapport2) Relevance (real time)3) Instant gratification4) Share-ability (beyond buttons)5) The promise of more (calls to action)

The captive audience is dead.

• Treat each post like a 1st impression.• Make those 1st few seconds personal,

friendly, inviting—get the readers thinking about themselves.

• Write like you’re talking to just one person.

Tips for building instant rapport:• Make sure your blog reflects your brand

impeccably.• If you have website shame, tackle that right now.• Make it about them, not you.– The most important word in the human

language: you.– Think about how you build rapport in person—

you ask people about them.• Become a storyteller.– Tell your story as a way to let your readers

connect to theirs.– Case study: whitehottruth.com (crazy thoughts

– show your flaws to bring people in).

How to be relevant:

• Make it mean something.• Get clear on who your audience is.• Uncover the essentials needed in your

content. – You can’t be everything to everybody.– Don’t worry what everyone else thinks—

care about what your audience thinks. • Give something tangible and easy to

digest.– It’s no longer okay to just state the

obvious.

History

PopCulture

Collectibles

HarryPotterRoyal

weddingtreasure

hunt

Dance mobat world of Coca-Cola

Exhibits/displays

Shareold ads

Wha

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abo

ut?

Employees’hobbies

Client work

Communityevents

Companyhistory/

65thCultureclub

activities

Partnerspotlight

Ad critiques

Industrynews

Wha

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talk

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