Blog On! Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Jesse Greenberg publicaffairs2point0.wordpress.com twitter.com/jessegreenberg

Perfect Position to Blog Positioning/Visibility Expertise/Value Community

Perfect Time to Start Blogging

Blogging 101 What’s a blog? A blog (a contraction of the term weblog ) 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. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. (source: Wikipedia) Translation A blog is a communication tool to tell a (hopefully) compelling story through self publishing and making that content available to everyone.

What’s a blog?

A blog (a contraction of the term weblog ) 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. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. (source: Wikipedia)

Translation

A blog is a communication tool to tell a (hopefully) compelling story through self publishing and making that content available to everyone.

Blogging 101 Blog Data 58% U.S. internet users read blogs ( emarketer) 12% internet users are bloggers ( Pew Center) 77.7 million unique blog visitors vs. 41 million unique Facebook users ( comScore August index ) 133 million blogs since 2002 ( Technorati)

Blog Data

58% U.S. internet users read blogs ( emarketer)

12% internet users are bloggers ( Pew Center)

77.7 million unique blog visitors vs. 41 million unique Facebook users ( comScore August index )

133 million blogs since 2002 ( Technorati)

Reasons to Blog Increased Value for the Chamber Provide business community with more robust voice Humanize the institution More opportunities to interact with members (community) Attract prospective members/retain existing members Campaign vs. Conversation Reinforce Chamber Brand Attributes Position/Visibility Thought leadership Community

Increased Value for the Chamber

Provide business community with more robust voice

Humanize the institution

More opportunities to interact with members (community)

Attract prospective members/retain existing members

Campaign vs. Conversation

Reinforce Chamber Brand Attributes

Position/Visibility

Thought leadership

Community

Why Blogging is Effective

Website vs. Blog Website One way Limited depth “Official” speak Surface level Mainly informational Blog Multi-way Transparency Blogger personality Depth to issues Comments Updates Participation

Website

One way

Limited depth

“Official” speak

Surface level

Mainly informational

Blog

Multi-way

Transparency

Blogger personality

Depth to issues

Comments

Updates

Participation

Before You Start Blogging… Always Be Strategic Define desired outcomes Research Blogger relations Commenting Blog promotion Be comfortable with your voice Frequency/Scheduling Link love and use audio/visual Cultivate your audience Must answer, “What’s in it for me?” Have fun!

Always Be Strategic

Define desired outcomes

Research

Blogger relations

Commenting

Blog promotion

Be comfortable with your voice

Frequency/Scheduling

Link love and use audio/visual

Cultivate your audience

Must answer, “What’s in it for me?”

Have fun!

Blogging: Desired Outcomes

Blogging: Research Who is writing/blogging about subjects that I am covering?

Who is writing/blogging about subjects that I am covering?

Blogging: Blogger Relations

Blogging: Blogger Relations Be generous with your hyperlinks Set goal of minimum 2 hyperlinks per post

Be generous with your hyperlinks

Set goal of minimum 2 hyperlinks per post

Blogging: Link Like Crazy Other bloggers/writers want recognition too They’ll return the favor, helps drive traffic Positions Chamber as thought leader

Other bloggers/writers want recognition too

They’ll return the favor, helps drive traffic

Positions Chamber as thought leader

Blogging: Constructive Comments Never leave comments alone Be constructive Try to stimulate follow up in comment section Inspire a blog post from comments Comment on other blogs (Blogger Relations) Drive value for Chamber members

Never leave comments alone

Be constructive

Try to stimulate follow up in comment section

Inspire a blog post from comments

Comment on other blogs (Blogger Relations)

Drive value for Chamber members

Blogging: Dealing with Negative Comments “ Your blog is like your living room…” Top 5 Ways to Handle Negative Comments Ignore/don’t approve/delete the comment Take time to cool off Let your contacts defend you Clarify comments OFF-BLOG (assume good intentions) (Top 5 source: Jason Alba)

“ Your blog is like your living room…”

Top 5 Ways to Handle Negative Comments

Ignore/don’t approve/delete the comment

Take time to cool off

Let your contacts defend you

Clarify comments OFF-BLOG (assume good intentions)

(Top 5 source: Jason Alba)

Blogging: Promotion Use Aggregators (WindyCitizen, Huffington Post, BlogNet Illinois, etc.) Consistent keywords Email liberally Increase member engagement Drive blog and website traffic Email is shareable

Use Aggregators (WindyCitizen, Huffington Post, BlogNet Illinois, etc.)

Consistent keywords

Email liberally

Increase member engagement

Drive blog and website traffic

Email is shareable

Blogging: Promotion Outgoing hyperlinks Goal is to get people to link to you Chamber members who blog Integrated marketing Website Newsletter Direct mail Facebook & LinkedIn

Outgoing hyperlinks

Goal is to get people to link to you

Chamber members who blog

Integrated marketing

Website

Newsletter

Direct mail

Facebook & LinkedIn

Blogging: Your Voice Write with personality, stay away from “corporate speak”

Write with personality, stay away from “corporate speak”

Blogging: Your Voice

Blogging: Frequency/Schedule Write short, publish in a series Plan ahead, write ahead Think “posts per week,” not on a given day

Write short, publish in a series

Plan ahead, write ahead

Think “posts per week,” not on a given day

Blogging: Need ideas for stories? Guest post Ask a question Re-work a press release Promote an event Top 10s and Top 5s Report on news reports from your favorite sources Read, read, read

Guest post

Ask a question

Re-work a press release

Promote an event

Top 10s and Top 5s

Report on news reports from your favorite sources

Read, read, read

Blogging: Use Multi-media Video Pictures Creative commons Attributions Photo streams Audio Podcasts Presentations

Video

Pictures

Creative commons

Attributions

Photo streams

Audio

Podcasts

Presentations

Blogging: Multi-Media Examples

Blogging: Audience Objective: Create community Comments, responses Insider info Pre-release announcements Polling Calls to Action

Objective:

Create community

Comments, responses

Insider info

Pre-release announcements

Polling

Calls to Action

Blogging: What’s in it for Me? Constituent value Member news Studies Awards/recognitions Guest posts Multimedia

Constituent value

Member news

Studies

Awards/recognitions

Guest posts

Multimedia

Evaluate and Refine Long term view -3 months -6 months -1 year Where do you come up in search? Comments? Traffic? Links to your content? Membership? Event attendance?

Long term view

-3 months

-6 months

-1 year

Where do you come up in search?

Comments?

Traffic?

Links to your content?

Membership?

Event attendance?

Blog Data Resources

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