Do's and Don’ts of
Business Blogging
Dave Rigotti
June 5, 2009
1

“WIIFM”
 Learn basics of blogging
 Link current marketing
 Maximize and measure effectiveness
 Links to most used resources
 Learn from real corporate blogs
through case studies
2

Should I blog?
 Useful
 Unique
 Updated
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1211/592835533_979
5acd412_m.jpg 3

How do I get started?
1. Designate a blog leader
2. Identify an audience
3. Use WordPress
4. Get key people on board
5. Start and and continue creating great
content
6. Establish tone and frequency
4

What should I write about?
 Anything your readers might like
 Avoid the constant “pitch” blog
 REMEMBER: It’s a direct, two-way
communication
5

How do I integrate my
current marketing efforts?
 Meatball Sundae by
Seth Godin
 Include current
marketing content
on blog
 Include blog in
current marketing
6

How do I maximize
effectiveness?
 11 plugins every WordPress blog should
have
1. All in One SEO Pack
2. Google XML Sitemaps
3. Popular Posts
4. Subscribe To Comments
5. Twitter Tools http://www.bloghighlight.com/wp-
content/uploads/wordpress/wordpress
6. WP125 -plugin.gif
7. Yet Another Related Posts Plugin
 Ask for readers to participate
7

How do I measure
effectiveness?
 Exposure is good
 Engagement / action is
better
Make sure you’re
measuring the right
things!
http://www.classicleaners.com/T
ape_Measure.jpg
8

What are some other tips?
 Publish RSS in full-text, not summary
 Tell stories and facilitate a conversation
 Make it easy to comment
 Encourage company-wide
engagement
 Legality of content
9

What are some resources?
 Software: http://wordpress.org/, http://wordpress.com/
 Webmaster Centers:
http://www.bing.com/webmaster, http://www.google.
com/webmasters/, http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.co
m/
 Webhosting:
http://www.liquidweb.com/, http://mediatemple.net/
 Theme: http://diythemes.com/thesis/
 Further Reading:
http://www.problogger.net/, http://weblogtoolscollectio
n.com/, http://www.dailyblogtips.com/
10

Case Study #1: FreshBooks
 http://freshbooks.com
/blog
 Similar design
 Value-add content
 Great use of content
type
(text, pictures, video)
 Easy to subscribe to
 Overview of FB and
the blog
11

Case Study #2: 37signals
 http://37signals.com/s
vn/
 Single out products in
sidebar
 Human component
 Lots of interesting
content
 Recent tweets
 Clear search bar
 Easy to comment
12

Case Study #3: Aptera
 http://aptera.com/blo
g/
 No connection with
main site
 No events on
calendar
 No search
 No most popular posts
 Sporadic post dates
13

The takeaways.
1. Not for every organization
2. Two-way conversation
3. Create great content
4. It’s ok to ask, if you’re willing to give
5. Engagement is better than exposure
14

Thank youfor your attention.
Please continue the discussion on the Ning
community and my blog or Twitter.
 E: mail@daverigotti.com
 T:@drigotti
 B: http://daverigotti.com
 L: http://www.linkedin.com/in/daverigotti
15

About the author.
Dave Rigotti is a
writer, speaker, and Internet
marketer. He’s work(s/ed) with
some of the most well-known
and influential brands in the
world, conducting search
engine optimization and
developing marketing
communication strategies. In
July, he will be joining Microsoft
as a consumer-focused
marketer on Bing (formerly Live
 Blog: http://daverigotti.com
Search), Microsoft’s search
 Twitter: @drigotti
engine. Read more by clicking
here.
16