Understanding Your Audience Using Community

Driven ToolsWordCampNOLA, April 10, 2009

AUDIENCEMain Entry:au·di·ence

Pronunciation: \ˈo-dē-әn(t)s, ˈä-\Function: nounEtymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin audientia, from audient-, audiens, present participle of audireDate: 14th century

1: the act or state of hearing

2 a: a formal hearing or interview <an audience with the pope> b: an opportunity of being heard <I would succeed if I were once given audience>

3 a: a group of listeners or spectators b: a reading, viewing, or listening public

WWJD?

What is YOU in one sentence?

• How do you define your web presence?

• What do you do in real life? vs.What do you do online?

• Are these two meant to be the same or different?

Setting Goals

• This Wordpress Is For:

• Yourself

• Company

• Hobby / Side Project / Cause

How Do You Measure Success?

• # of unique visitors, pageviews, return visitors...

• Time on site

• SEO

• ROI

• Personal Branding

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

Where Does Your Audience Come

From?

Audience• Direct Traffic

• Business Development

• Partnerships

• Affiliates

• PR

• SEO

• Blogs

• Emails

• Social Networks

• Friends

What To Do?

• Levels of Engagement:

• One-time visitors

• Deeper Engagement

• Return Traffic

Metrics & Analytics

• Google Analytics - click throughs

• Crazy Egg - heat maps, levels of engagement

• SEO - how easy to find you

Brass Tacks

5 Things to Increase Audience

• Develop Your Voice

• Look & Feel

• Regular Features

• Post More

• Consistency

Develop Your Voice

• The YOU online:

• Version 1: “Your Online Interactions Are Meant to Facilitate Your Offline Experiences.”

• Version 2: “Your Voice Online Is A Personality, A Version of You, If Not The Whole You.”

Personality Infusion

• Don’t get so caught up in details that you forget:

• Voice

• Tone

• Core Audience

• Potential Audience

Look & Feel•Easy to use•Accessible•Variety of media:

•Photos•Video•Plugins

Regular Features

• Pick a topic:

• Music Mondays

• Steals & Deal Thursdays

• Weekend Picks

• Online thinking like offline publications

Post, Post, Post

• Online writing don’t haz to be purrfect

• Post early, post often

• Linkback to other blogs - communication

• Educate, engage, entertain

• Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em think, make ‘em mad

Consistency

Social Media• MyBlogLog

• AllTop

• BlogHer

• Technorati

• Facebook/MySpace

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

• Flickr

• YouTube/Vimeo/Viddler

• Digg/Reddit/StumbleUpon

• Last.FM, Blip, Imeem

Resources• Trend Forecasting -

Intelligence Report, PSFK

• Music - BrooklynVegan, StereoGum

• Travel - Gridskipper, The Cool Hunter

• Real Estate - Curbed, BlogDowntown

• Fashion - Go Fug Yourself, Who What Wear Daily

• Food - Eater, Eating LA, la.foodblogging

• Media - Mediabistro, Ed2010

• Philanthropy - Beth Kanter, Tactical Philanthropy, Philanthropy 2173

• Shelter - Apartment Therapy

The Big Picture

• Who would you aspire to be?

• If your blog could take 3 blogs to dinner, who would they be?

• Where do you see your blog in 3 months, 6 months, 1 year?

About meSloane Berrent is a cause-based marketing consultant who works with for-profits and nonprofits companies creating social media strategies around

product evangelizing and community development. She blogs at The Causemopolitan.com, LAist.com and GirlsInTech.com.

Contact:w: http://www.thecausemopolitan.com

e: sloane@thecausemopolitan.comtwitter: @sloane

linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/sloaneberrentcontxts: text “sloane” to 50500

Questions?