This document contains the notes from a presentation or workshop about blogging basics and personal branding. It discusses why people should blog, different types of blog posts to write, how to craft blog posts, how often to blog, things to avoid, and using an editorial calendar to plan content. Developing a personal brand and visual identity for a blog is also covered. The goal is to provide information and exercises to help people understand the fundamentals of blogging and building an audience.
7. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
HOW DO I SET UP A
SELF HOSTED BLOG
• In 20 minutes you can have your blog up
and running. Visit
http://www.theblogbuilders.com and his
FREE step by step guidelines will allow you
to be up and running
12. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
YOUR BRAND
IS AN INVESTMENT
Your personal brand has the potential to last longer than your own
lifespan.
If you consider yourself to be in this particular game for the long-haul,
whether it‘s an online business, art, or selling cars, a good personal
brand is an invaluable investment.
People will follow your brand from project to project if they feel
connected to it. When launching new projects, your personal brand has
the potential to guarantee you never have to start from scratch again
16. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
SET GOALS
EXERCISE
PART 2
Write how can you publicly ‗be‘ that brand?
What you‘re ‗about‘. Think about the key ideas you would want
people to associate with you.
Expertise. Every good brand involves the notion of expertise.
Your style. This is not so much what you communicate about
yourself, but rather, how you do it.
18. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
SET GOALS
EXERCISE
PART 4
Who are you competing with?
What makes you unique in the marketplace?
What‘s important to you and your brand outside of the
work that you do?
What causes do you believe in/what does your brand
support?
What impression do you want your branding to give?
19. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
USE YOUR BLOG TO
EXPAND/ENHANCE
YOUR BRAND
Your blog gives people a place to develop a stronger
connection with you.
Here are some content guidelines: Include a mini-bio at the
end of each post, put time and effort into your About page and
use it to paint a picture of your ideal personal brand. People
will only remember a few things about you, so focus on telling
the story that contributes most to your brand. Use your
personal story as the basis for your expertise.
23. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
YOU CAN‘T FAKE IT
―The bottom line is that blogging is like sex. You can‘t fake it.
You can‘t fake passion. You can‘t fake wanting to engage
with the public. If you do, it will ultimately be an unsatisfying
experience for both the blogger and their readers.‖ Kevin
Anderson via @jackiewolven
24. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
START CONNECTING
WITH AS YOUR BRAND
Get people talking.
Think about your personal brand each time you interact
with someone - or don‘t interact with someone.
What impression are you leaving them with?
29. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
IT IS YOUR VOICE –
USE IT!
Make it yours! If you are all about the lingo, use it. If you
are technical, make that yours. If you drip Southern
charm, let it drip!
34. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
FIRST STEPS TO
DESIGNING YOUR
VISUAL BRAND
• Pin all of the brands that you admire and
resonate with you on a Pinterest board
• Hire a designer – if you really aren‘t up to
speed with design/graphics – hire someone
• Two recommendations: The Belford Group
& MoxyOx
40. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
SHARE INFORMATION
What you think is cool others will think is cool
too!
From discovering a new product to a link on
business help, the sharing of information is
valuable. Whenever you stumble across an
interesting article on running an independent
business, share it. - IndieMade
42. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
IT‘S JUST WRITING
And it occurred to me that there is no such thing as
blogging. There is no such thing as a blogger. Blogging
is just writing — writing using a particularly efficient type
of publishing technology. Simon Dumenco
49. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
THE OPENING LINE
First impressions matter. Once you‘ve got
someone past your post‘s title your opening
line draws them deeper into your post. Your
‗point/s‘ (making your posts matter) - a post
needs to have a point. If it‘s just an intriguing
title and opening you‘ll get people to read –
but if the post doesn‘t ‗matter‘ to them it‘ll
never get traction.
63. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
WHINING THAT NO ONE
READS YOUR BLOG
Blogging and all social media is about forming
community around your people – if they aren‘t
coming to you go find them and start
connecting to them.
64. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
DEAR DIARY
Don‘t tell us what you had for dinner, unless
you are sharing the recipe
Don‘t complain about your neighbors unless it
is funny
Don‘t tell us all the errands you have to run,
who cares
65. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
ROOM FOR EVERYTHING
Blogs, social networks, newspapers, any other form of
publication – all have social aspects to them. It is a spectrum
really, with social networks at one extreme and a 19th
century novel at the other. But there‘s room for all types of
social publishing platforms. Richard MacManus
70. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
STEAL CONTENT
Give credit, ask, share with credit – but don‘t
steal. Please don‘t steal.
Problogger, again I am grateful for your
blogging tips and all you have done to
facilitate the work of bloggers everywhere.
79. Robots work at Google
But people read your sites.
Make it work for them.
80. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
STRAIGHT
FROM GOOGLE
Search engine optimization is often about making small modifications
to parts of your website. When viewed individually, these changes
might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined with
other optimizations, they could have a noticeable impact on your site's
user experience and performance in organic search results.
81. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
Create Unique, Accurate Page Titles
• A title tag tells both users and search engines the topic of
each page
• The <title> tag should be placed within the <head> tag of
the HTML document
• Create a unique title for each page on your site
• TIP: You can add OTHER information relevant to your
page in the title
• Location of your business
• The main focus of your site
• Covered topics
84. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
Use the ‖Description" Meta Tag
A pages description meta tag might be used by Google for
further search information
• They must match your content and can‘t be filled with random
keywords – don‘t try to outsmart Google!
85. Use Real
Words in Your
URL‘s
URL‘s should be simple
and understandable
Wordpress Directions
87. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
The Joy and Mystery of Keywords
• Write your own list of words
that relate to your site
• Write posts with keywords
NATURALLY in the text
• TIP: Use a keyword in your
blog page title & in the first
paragraph of your text
• Use the Google Keyword Tool
• https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordTool
(if you already have an adwords account set up)
• https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal (no
adwords account needed, public)
88. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
SEO Super Basics
• Write original content/words
• Make it easy to read
• Google LOVES Top 10 Lists
• Stay organized around
a topic
• Create content for readers
not robots
• Post frequently
89. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
About Links
• Don‘t use Click Here
• Make the link in the text relevant – it tells users what they
are clicking on and it helps Google understand it is
relevant
• Links can be internal – linking to pages within your own
site
• Links can be external – linking to pages that have relevant
content
• You also want links into your site
• PRO TIP: Don‘t leave this conference without securing at least 1
guest post on someone else‘s blog! Do that for EVERY blog
meetup you attend.
95. @JackieWolvenJacquelineWolven.com
LET‘S BEGIN BLOGGING!
In truth, the real opportunities for building authority and
buzz through social media have only just begun. You
simply have to look and see where things are going
instead of where they‘ve been. Brian Clark