A basic guide to starting a blog for your business

1. How to Start Blog for Your Business
presented by Bryan W. Alaspa, K Squared Communications, Inc.

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3. What is A Blog?!?
WEB LOG
WEBLOG
BLOG
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4. What is a Blog?!?
A Diary
A Place for Photos
A Video Log or VLOG
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5. As Far as Business is
Concerned…
It’s a Way to Connect With Your
Customers, Vendors and Others In Your
Industry
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6. Why Should You Start a Blog?
Explain Company Products Conversationally
Provide Company Information Easily and Cheaply
Give Customers a Better Understanding of Your
Company
“No-Pressure” Way to Interact with Customers
Can Give You Insight Into Customer Needs
Can Help You Determine Areas of Focus for Your
Company
But Wait, there’s More…
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7. More Reasons…
Help You Develop New Products and Services
Can Make Your Company “Come Alive”
Make Your Company Seem More Approachable
Help You Build “BUZZ” About Your Company and
New Products and Services.
Gives Your Company a Voice
IT’S CHEAP!
Most Blog Sites are Free
Can Be Added to Your Existing Site
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Communications
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8. Isn’t it Complicated?
It Doesn’t Have to Be… Success Story #1
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9. How Do You Get Started?
Start Thinking….
What Do You Want to Write About?
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Communications
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10. Success Story #2
What To Write About…
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11. K Squared
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12. With that In Mind…
Think About What You Want to Write About…
Pick a Niche
Instead of “Travel” Maybe “Caribbean Cruises”
What Do YOU Want to Write About?
Can You Write Consistently?
Do You Have An Opinion on that Topic?
Will Anyone Be Interested?
K Squared
Communications
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13. What Will YOU Consider
Success?
Don’t Do it for the Money
Don’t Do it to Get Famous!
Do it to Connect and Communicate
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Communications
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14. What Will YOU Consider
Success?
The Best Use of A Blog:
A Method of Bringing Attention to
Yourself and Your Business and to
Communicate with Customers
NOT as Some “Get-Rich-Quick” Scenario
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Communications
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15. Picking the Right Format
Decision Time!
Do You Want Your Blog as Part of Your Existing Site?
Or Do You Want it On a Third Party Server?
K Squared
Communications
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16. What’s the Difference?
Adding a Blog Page to your Existing Site:
Brings People Right to Your Site
Can Jump to Another Page Easily
Can Easily Go from Blog Page to Buying
Products and Services
It’s an Easy Way to Update Your Company
Site
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Communications
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17. Remember the Name…
Wordpress.org
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18. Using a Third Party
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19. A Personal Example…
The Main Page of My Own Website
The Blog Part of My Site
It's Hosted by a Third-Party Site
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Communications
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20. Why use a blog hosting site?
There’s Almost No Effort to Set Up
Just Go Out and Sign Up
You Don’t Need a Programmer
The Sites are Very Intuitive
The Hosting Site Provides Tools You Can Use to
Write, Promote and Design Your Blog
You Don’t Need to Know Any Programming
Languages.
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Communications
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21. What to Do Next: Write
But Before You Write a
Word…THINK
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22. Flashback!
Some Things To Ponder
What Is My Blog About?
What Niche Did I Pick?
What Did I Want to Write About?
Can I Write About it Consistently?
What’s My Opinion On that Topic?
Will Anyone Be Interested?
K Squared
Communications
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23. How Do You Get an Audience?
The MOST Important Thing to Remember!
WRITE
WRITE
WRITE
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Communications
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24. How Do You Get an Audience?
Take Some
Time
To
Consider
the Design
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Communications
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25. Some Other Things…
Set Up an RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
Feed.
Lets People to “Subscribe” to Your Blog
FEEDBURNER.COM
The Icon Looks Like this
What it Looks Like On Your Blog
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Communications
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26. Know the Term: Social
Bookmarking
Post Links to Your Blog Articles
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27. Add “Chicklets”
Pieces of Code You Can Add to Each Blog
Entry – Allows Fans to Post Your Blog
Article to Social Bookmarking Sites
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28. Some Success Stories
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29. Another Success Story…
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30. Outside of Travel Successes
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31. Some Potential Pitfalls
Expecting Too Much, Too Fast
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32. Some More Pitfalls
Attacking Negative Comments
Or
Ordering a Cease and Desist
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33. Just a Few More Pitfalls
Talking About Unrelated Things
Stay On Topic – It’s Why the Readers
Are There
Getting Too Personal
Your Readers Don’t Need to Know About
It – Keep It Professional
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Communications
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34. Next steps
Go Out and…
THINK!
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35. Knowledge is just a touch away…
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36. Questions?
Bryan W. Alaspa
773 774 7847
balaspa@ksqrd.com
www.ksqrd.com
K Squared
Communications
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