The Blog Factor: Why Starting A Blog Now Is More Important Than Ever

The Blog Factor: Why Starting A Blog Now Is More Important Than Ever. August 2008 Chris Bonney Speaker/Writer/Trainer VP of client services at Vanguard Technology [email_address]

7 Key Takeaways www.chrisbonney.com [email_address] What Is A Blog?

www.chrisbonney.com chris@chrisbonney.com

www.chrisbonney.com chris@chrisbonney.com Blogging is a conversation

Why Blog?

Create more leads

Increase your margins

Close more deals

Expand your online visibility

Be viewed as an expert

Starting a conversation

Creating value

Being transparent

Becoming Google-friendly

Being knowledgeable, relevant, passionate

www.chrisbonney.com [email_address] By

Is It Right For You?

You have something to say – and a unique way to say it.

You have something to say – and a unique way to say it and you’re passionate about it.

You have something to say – and a unique way to say it and you’re passionate about it and it’s relevant to your audience.

You have something to say – and a unique way to say it and you’re passionate about it and it’s relevant to your audience and it provides value.

You have something to say – and a unique way to say it and you’re passionate about it and it’s relevant to your audience and it provides value and you can sustain it.

www.chrisbonney.com [email_address]

Before You Blog

Read other blogs

Subscribe to other blogs

Comment on other blogs

Track your company

Mini Business Plan

What type of blog will you write?

Who will your audience be?

What subject(s) will you write about?

Are you passionate about your topic and the idea of blogging in general?

Can you sustain the effort?

www.chrisbonney.com [email_address] Blogging is like rowing upstream

What Types Of Blogs Are There?

Thought leader/expert

Practical advice

Advocacy

Corporate

Journalistic

www.chrisbonney.com chris@chrisbonney.com The Biggest Blogs In The Land July 2008 According to technorati.com, June 25, 2008.

Who’s Your Audience?

Your customers

Your prospects

Your employees

The press

Your investors

Your vendors

Industry influencers

What Should You Blog About?

Determine audience

What isn’t being talked about?

What you know

What you can sustain

Your passion

Are you passionate about your topic and the idea of blogging in general?

Well, are you?

.

Your Blog Plan

Blog: Wedding catering

Audience: Brides-to-be

Subjects: The basics with humorous stories

Schedule: 2x week: 1x tip and 1x story

Goal: 100 posts

How Do You Actually Blog?

Blog vs. website

TypePad, WordPress, Blogger

Preview, post, save, or schedule

Category, tagging

Trackbacks

Structure Of Posts

Title

Picture

Intro hook

Body

Sub-headers

Closing question

Photo credit

What’s A Better Title?

“ Cooking Under Pressure”

OR

“ 7 Insider Secrets For Cooking A World-class Dish When The Heat Is On”

Brain Starters

Who Else Wants…

The Secret Of…

Here Is A Method That Is Helping (blank) to (blank)

Little Known Ways To…

What Everybody Ought To Know About…

Excerpted from CopyBlogger.com: http://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work/

It’s Just This Easy!

7 Things Every Bride Should Know Before Hiring A Caterer

Why Italian Food Is Always Your Best Choice

The Secret Of Success For Any Corporate Event

Why Event Planners Make The Best Therapists

The One Immutable Law Of Event Planning

Why The Best Weddings Are In The Winter

How To Handle A Food Scare

Why Color On The Plate Creates Happy Customers

How To Make Any Event A Little More Green

The Renegade’s Guide To Marketing Your Catering Business

The Fool’s Guide To Family Reunions

What I Learned From Planning The Super Bowl Half-time Show

How To Sell Anything To Any Food Service Business

The Dollars And Sense Of Catering Cash Flow

Sticky Elements Of Posts

Lists

Numbers

Anticipation

Contrarian viewpoint

Irreverence

Call to action

Your Side Bar

RSS

Email

About

Blog roll

Best posts

Archive of previous posts

Your Picture

How Often Should You Post?

Consider audience

Consider your schedule

Consider the topic

Consider the long haul

1x week minimum

2x day maximum

How Do You Market Your Blog? www.chrisbonney.com [email_address] How Do You Market Your Blog?

www.chrisbonney.com chris@chrisbonney.com Remarkable Content Brings Traffic

Social Networking

Digg

StumbleUpon

Facebook

MySpace

LinkedIn

Del.icio.us

FriendFeed

SlideShare

What Else?

Write in other places like Squidoo, HubPages, Helium, EzineArticles

Comment on other blogs

Blog rolls

Guest bloggers

Write great content

www.chrisbonney.com chris@chrisbonney.com How do you measure success?

Is There An ROI?

(Comments + trackbacks) ∕ posts = ≥2

Result in loyal clients?

Result in revenues and/or profits?

Result in leads and referrals?

Result in getting us noticed?

Places To Measure Your Success

MyBlogLog

Google Blogs

Technorati

Google Analytics

Feedburner

Trackbacks

Comments

Diggs

Stumbles

Other blog mentions

Google alerts

Mybloglog; www.chrisbonney.com chris@chrisbonney.com

What Will Make Your Blog Great? www.chrisbonney.com [email_address]

So will you start today? www.chrisbonney.com [email_address] When would now be a good time To start your blog?

Contact

Materials: www.chrisbonney.com/nace

Email: [email_address]

Web: www.chrisbonney.com

Blog: http://chrisbonney.typepad.com

Book: www.blackberrybook.com

Twitter: @chrisbonney

YouTube: www.youtube.com/cbbonney

Books And Blogs

BOOKS

Naked Conversations – Robert Scoble and Shel Israel

The News of PR and Marketing – David Meerman Scott

Here Comes Everybody – Clay Shirky

BLOGS

www.problogger.com

www.copyblogger.com

sethgodin.typepad.com

www.chrisbrogan.com

www.thefoodwhore.com

http://kitchenpantry.blogspot.com/

http://aidanbrooks.blogspot.com/

Photo Credits

Rowing - Peter - http://www.flickr.com/people/psmithy/

What is a blog – Brian Solis - http://www.flickr.com/people/briansolis/

Conversation – Gideon - http://www.flickr.com/people/malias/

Clock – Roberto41144 - http://www.flickr.com/people/9385421@N08/

Secret – MMGoode - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmgoode/

Trump tower – chascarper - http://www.flickr.com/people/chascarper/

Syrup – i_yudai - http://www.flickr.com/people/y_i/

Seth Godin – www.sethgodin.com

Cat – Katherine - http://www.flickr.com/people/aka_kath/

Audience – James Emery - http://www.flickr.com/people/emeryjl/

Stadium – Ian Ransley - http://www.flickr.com/people/design-dog/

Elephants – Tai Stietman - http://www.flickr.com/people/21949386@N07/

Tape measure – Shereen M - http://www.flickr.com/people/shereen84/

Starting line – elisasizzle - http://www.flickr.com/people/crayoncauldron/

The Blog Factor: Why Starting A Blog Now Is More Important Than Ever

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