Bastille Marketing
Storming the Marketing Establishment…Through Social Media
Jenni Brand
Founder & CEO
June 15, 2009

Who is Jenni Brand?
 Founder & CEO of Bastille Marketing
– A Social Media Consultancy www.bastillemarketing.com
 Social Media Consultant for five years with New Media Strategies
– Helped brands establish, manage and maintain a positive presence
within the online landscape
– Worked with numerous Fortune 10, 50, 100, 500 companies
• Non-profit/Gov’t, CPG, Fashion/Retail, Travel/Tourism,
Financial, etc
 10+ years in traditional marketing & sales
– Fields of grocery retail marketing, radio sales, non-profits, energy
 Extra-curricular activities include:
– Speaking circuit; seminars on Social Media
– Two blogs; contributor to others (Blondes I-View, Bastille
Marketing)
– Event planner (DC’s 1st Annual Cupcake Contest, Wedding,
Charity Events)

What We’ll Cover Today
Blogging for Beginners - An Overview
 What is a Blog?
 What’s the Big Deal with Blogs?
 Who are Bloggers?
 How to Choose the Right Blog for You
– Which platform, what type
 Setting Up & Owning Your Blog - The Bells & Whistles
 You’ve Got a Blog - Now What?
 Examples & Resources

What is a Blog?
According to the Wikipedia definition, a blog is a type of website, usually
maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of
events, or other material such as graphics or video.
A blog is basically a streamlined website that has easier technology
and is designed to facilitate a two-way conversation.

What is a Blog? (cont’d)
 Bloggers are those who write (called
posting) original articles for the blog and/
or oversee the editorial process of a
blog.
 Commenters refer to the online
public who read and interact with the
blogger(s) by leaving a ‘comment’ on a
blog post.
 Content is a common term for the
information written on the blog.
 Blogosphere is a term for all blogs as
a family and their interconnectivity - a
‘social network’ of all blogs. It is common
practice that blogs link to each other and
share or comment on each others’ posts.
 Syndication/RSS Feeds -
Syndication means the ability to make
blog content available for other bloggers
to use and publish, typically at no cost.

Blogs: Why the Hype?
 There are more than 133 million blogs with 1.5 million created
weekly.
 94 million US blog readers and 23 million American bloggers. Nearly
1 million blog posts every 24 hours.
 95% of the top 100 US newspapers have reporter blogs.
 Blogs in 81 languages and 66 countries.
Resource: Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008

Blogs: Why the Hype? (cont’d)
 20% of bloggers
think newspapers
will be obsolete by
2018
 50% think blogs will
be primary news
source by 2013
 37% have had a
blog post quoted in
the traditional press
 61% learn about
products &
services from
other blogs
 Only 1/3 turn to
TV/Print as a
source of info
Resource: Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008

What the Average Blogger Looks Like
Resource: Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008

What the Average Blogger Looks Like (cont’d)
Educated, financially stable, 25-49 y.o.
Resource: Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008

Who Reads Blogs?
 42% of internet users have read a blog(s)
 33% read blogs regularly
 11% read blogs daily
Resource: Pew Internet & American Life Project July 2008 (Aaron Smith)
http://www.pewinternet.org/Commentary/2008/July/New-numbers-for-blogging-and-blog-readership.aspx
 8% of Americans have a blog
 46% of blog readers saying that they visit the same blogs regularly
 54% surf for new and different ones
 43% of blog visitors notice ads on blog websites
Resource: Synovate 2007 http://www.synovate.com/news/article/2007/08/new-study-shows-americans-blogging-behaviour.html
 28% of US blog readers have taken an action based on a blog post
Resource: Edelman, Corporate Guide to Global Blogosphere http://www.micropersuasion.com/2007/01/edelman_study_b.html
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/edelman/whitepaper010907/index.php

What Makes Blogs Special?
 Everyone is Welcome - No matter your internet or technical abilities;
everyone can blog. The free platforms make it easy and available to all.
 Conversational Content - Blog content is designed to be an opinionated,
two way conversation. It is based on personal interests, expertise, etc. This
applies to a corporate or organizational blogs.
 Reader Interaction - Blogs by nature invite reader commentary. It is
recommended to allow comments, with or without an approval feature.
 Freshness - Frequent posting is necessary to attract readers, create stickiness,
gain credibility, and rank in search engines. No less than once weekly.
 Interconnectivity - Blogs create communities by reciprocal linking, blog rolls,
blog networks, etc.
 RSS Technology - Real Simple Syndication allows for content to be
instantaneously updated to other blogs, blog readers, etc.

The Anatomy of a Blog
Resource: MintBlogger.com - http://www.mintblogger.com/2008/07/understanding-blogger-template-part-1.html

The Anatomy of a Blog (cont’d)
Clean design; easy navigation
Topic Tabs
Subscribe
Feature
Follow Me
Buttons
Date & About Tab Advertising Tab - easily could be a Donate Tab
Author -
linked to bio

The Anatomy of a Blog (cont’d)
Easy to
Share
via
Twitter
Clean
design of
blog post
Picture
insert; yet
not
cluttered
(pls credit all Interactivity - recent comments; frequent commenters;
photos!) encourages time spent on the page

The Anatomy of a Blog (cont’d)
 Hyperlink to Author’s Bio and Post Archive
 Comments visible - link to full list
 Blog community badges
 Blogroll

The Anatomy of a Blog (cont’d)
 A guest post with featured blogger bio & picture

The Anatomy of a Blog (cont’d)
Social Sharing Features & Find Me Functions on
Mashable’s Summer of Social Good blog

Which Blog Platform to Choose?

Setting Up & Owning Your Blog
How to Select a Blog Name
 Make it: Easy to remember & spell
 Make it: Relevant to your business
 Make it: As close to your name or acronym as possible
 Make it: the same as the URL
 Make it: Letters only; no numbers, punctuation, etc.
 Don’t use “blog” in the name - it’s redundant
Secure the Domain Name
 Use a free service, but buy the domain name
–www.bastillemarketing.com, not www.bastillemarketing.blogspot.com
–Google or GoDaddy.com - very simple instructions
–Buy the .org, .com, .net, etc - its worth the $10/year for people to find you easily!
The Intersection of Blogs and Print
 Incorporate your blog into ALL print pieces; Wherever your website is
printed, so should be your blog
 Put it in your email signature (Read our blog: www.associationABC.com)
Resource: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/16/choosing-the-domain-name-for-your-blog/

You’ve Got A Blog! Now What?
 Know the Rules of the Game Before You Start Playing
– Read up on similar blogs, or blogs written about blogging
 Spend Time Introducing Yourself Online & Creating Loyal Followers
– Communicate often & on topic - even if its in an informal tone
– Share Useful Content from media, industry, other blogs
 Determine Your Key Consumer Audience & Target Them!
– Remember that they are Consumers before Members
– Remind them of the WIIFM - What’s in it for them
 Connect with Key Influencers in the Social Mediasphere; Your Industry
– i.e., Social Media Influencers = ChrisBrogan.com, Mashable, & TechCrunch
– Link to them; Share news from their blogs; leave comments on their posts
(remember to sign your name & URL)
 Coordinate/integrate With Traditional PR/Marketing Efforts
– Company news can be a blog post if it’s compelling info and offers original
content (interviews, etc) beyond the press release information
 Recruit Internal Bloggers
– Solicit people from within the organization to be bloggers
– Develop an editorial calendar - STICK TO IT!

Examples of Non-Profit & Gov’t Agency Blogs

Additional Resources
Blogging Terms - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_blogging_terms
What Not to Do on a Blog (Tips) -
 Coding Horror -
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000834.html
 Use It - http://www.useit.com/alertbox/weblogs.html
Blogs about Non-Profits & NP Blogging -
 Frogloop - http://www.frogloop.com/
 Beth’s Blog - http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/
 Non-Profit Tech Blog - http://www.nonprofittechblog.org/
How-to Tips on Good Blog Design -
http://www.blogdesignblog.com/blog-design/how-to-blog-design-style-guide/
Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere (Education & Stats) -
http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/
Mashable - The Social Media Guide - http://mashable.com/
Social Media Tools 101 -
http://www.interactiveinsightsgroup.com/blog1/socialmediabeginnersguide/social-me
Social News for NonProfits - http://www.idealistnews.com/

Questions?
Thank you.