What you will learn: The benefits of blogging How to implement team structure, processes, and a successful strategy for blogging The MFG team blog structure & strategy How to get/give blogging inspiration What results to expect/when to expect results

1. 1
How to Dominate Search
with An Effective Blog
Strategy
Victoria Grieshammer

2. 2
• The benefits of blogging
• How to implement team structure, processes, and a successful strategy for
blogging
• The MFG team blog structure & strategy
• How to get/give blogging inspiration
• What results to expect/when to expect results
What are we going to talk about today?
Blogging…duh!

3. 3
Repeatable
Scalable
Measurable
Sustainable
Ultimately, this presentation is about setting up a blogging
process & strategy that is:

4. 4
• Businesses who prioritize blogging experience a 13X increase in ROI, year after
year.
– HubSpot “State of Inbound: 2014”
• Businesses with 401-1000 pages of content get 6x more leads than those with
51-100.
– HubSpot “Marketing Benchmarks from 7,000+ Businesses”
• According to HubSpot, the average company that blogs has:
– 55% more visitors
– 97% more inbound links
– 434% more indexed pages
• 82% of marketers who blog daily acquired a customer using their blog, as
opposed to 57% of marketers who blog monthly
– HubSpot “State of Inbound: 2013”
Why Blog? Pt. 1
Looking at the Numbers

5. 5
Why Blog? Pt. 2
Thinking Outside the Box
It’s your direct communication channel: simple,
easy-to-use platform for connecting with &
sharing timely/relevant information with
customers.
Your blog fuels SEO. Search engines love
valuable content and will reward you for it.
It gives your company a voice & allows your
brand personality to shine.
It creates free PR. Business bloggers are often
interviewed by journalists as industry experts.
It is a cost-effective marketing
investment. Every post is a long-term asset.
Provides audience insight through blog
analytics. Find out which topics they’re most
interested, what times they’re most active & more.
Builds confidence, relationships and sales.
Customers will look to you as a reliable resource
for information on your industry; then come to you
to buy.
Sharpens your business focus. To create a
blogging strategy you must define who you are
blogging for and why.
A blog creates a two-way conversation with
customers, prospects and industry peers. It
encourages interaction, comments and
feedback.
Source: 19 Reasons Why Your Business Should Be Writing a Blog, Sprout Content

6. 6
1. Defined Purpose
2. Buyer Personas
3. Competitor Content Audit
4. Keywords
5. Distribution Platforms
6. Promotion Plan
7. Ownership
8. Rhythm
9. Metrics
What Elements Are Necessary for a Successful Blog Strategy?
Source: How to Create a Successful Blog Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide, HubSpot

7. 7
Team Structure:
– Editor-in-chief
– Writer or brand journalist
– Administrative support
Guidelines & Processes:
– Publishing process
– Content lexicon
– Style guides and editorial procedures
How to Blog According to CMI
Implementing Structure & Processes
Let’s face it: Magazines like Vogue
and newspapers like The New York
Times didn’t become successful
without operating as a well-oiled
machine.
They didn’t sometimes publish
content.
They didn’t sometimes have all the
resources in place.
And they didn’t sometimes follow
writing guidelines.
-Jessica Lee, “A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand
Publisher”, Content Marketing Institute (CMI)Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

8. 8
• Editor-in-chief
– Someone who has his or her finger on the pulse of your industry
– Oversees the creative direction for all of your brand’s content
– Well versed in the brand – ensures every piece of content created in the
department is informed, relevant, & upholds the brand
– Work closely with the brand’s executive team to understand the company’s
business strategy and goals, then align the content with those objectives.
How to Blog According to CMI – Team Structure
Editor-in-Chief
Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

9. 9
Writer or brand journalist
– Someone who finds and tells the stories that are happening at your company
– Should be able to communicate a subject well – even if they don’t have direct
experience in the industry.
Administrative support
– Someone who can help manage the day-to-day activities, including:
• Setting meetings
• Uploading and publishing blog posts
• Making edits to the editorial calendar
• Coordinating design work
• Managing people and paperwork
• Etc.
How to Blog According to CMI – Team Structure
Writer & Administrative Support
Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

10. 10
• Publishing process = instructions/framework for content creation
• Establishes: who does what, when they do it, and how they do it
• Answer questions such as:
– What does the writing process look like?
– How does the writer get the information he or she needs?
– Who gets the first draft and who reviews it?
– How does the review and editing process work?
– What sorts of rules are in place for editing between the editorial department and
other internal stakeholders?
– What happens when a completed piece is ready for publication?
How to Blog According to CMI – Guidelines & Processes
The Publishing Process
Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

11. 11
• Create a content lexicon for every content asset that could be created for
the brand.
• With each type of content, document these aspects:
– Name of the content asset
– Purpose of this type of content
– General length, approach
– Tone
– Style framework
– Cases when and where it would be used
• You can also break content down by style/theme
– In-depth, News, Opinion, Thought leadership, How-to
How to Blog According to CMI – Guidelines & Processes
Content Lexicon
Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

12. 12
• Choose which style guide to follow:
– AP
– MLA
– CMS
• Make sure to make note where you will frequently make exceptions to these
rules in a custom style guide
How to Blog According to CMI – Guidelines & Processes
Style Guides
Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

13. 13
Brand and editorial mission
Professional style guide used
Brand’s style guide, including
– Common terms used in the industry
– Preferred spelling and punctuation (that differentiate from the standard style guide)
– Preferred references of brand products and services
Documentation for all content procedures, such as:
– How to create a newsletter
– How to write for the blog
– How to format the blog
– How to create a press release
– How to publish a case study
– How to secure review and approval
Collection of executive biographies – short and long versions
Logo and brand guidelines and usage
Geographic-specific guidelines if applicable.
How to Blog According to CMI – Guidelines & Processes
Editorial Procedures Manual
Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

14. 14
That’s great and all, but how do
I implement a structure like that
if I’m lacking resources and/or
team buy-in?

15. 15
MFG blog structure
– Editorial calendar
– Basecamp
MFG blog strategy
– Keywords
– Persona
– Editorial mission statement
– Quarterly theme
Incentives
– Highest engagement
– Hitting deadline
How does Fathom MFG Blog?
Structure, Strategy, and Incentivizing

16. 16
Fathom MFG Blog Structure
Editorial Calendar

17. 17
Fathom MFG Blog Structure
Basecamp

18. 18
– General marketing keywords & manufacturing marketing keywords
• Used organic search & AdWords Keyword Planner to compare # of results & # of searches
to find areas w/ low competition & ample opportunity
• Strategy: rank for longer tail keywords w/ low competition to boost overall authority and set
us up to rank well for more competitive keywords
– Personas
• 3 personas, each w/ corresponding list of topics
– Product Line Manager
» Strategy & Implementation
– VP of Marketing
» Reporting & How to Convey Value to C-Level
– C-Level
» Staying Ahead of Trends, Company Growth through Marketing
• General topics, allow for significant room for change
Fathom MFG Blog Strategy – Keywords/Personas
Keywords & Personas

19. 19
Reinterprets persona information with specific objectives around the role of your
content in this personas’ life.
It specifically covers:
– Who are we speaking to?
• Persona’s role & responsibilities
• What outcomes must this persona achieve?
• Pain points associated with that persona’s industry
• What roles/responsibilities & outcomes can we directly help this persona with
• Tactical solutions we can provide this persona today
– Quarterly Theme
• Editorial goals
• What’s delivered (assets & topics)
• What’s the outcome?
Fathom MFG Blog Strategy
Editorial Mission Statement & Quarterly Theme

20. 20
• Offer quarterly prizes:
– Highest engagement
– Deadline raffle
• There are many ways to do this, but the point is recognizing that majority of
people that are blogging are doing this after working hours or on top of their
day-to-day client work, so we want to show appreciation.
Fathom MFG Blog Incentives

21. 21
Content:
– Buzz Sumo
– Curated Quotes
– Content Idea Generator
Grammar:
– Hemingway App
– Grammarly
Images/Design:
– Piktochart
– Stock Photos for Free
– Death to Stock Photo
– Canva
How Do You Get Blogging Inspiration?
Tools, tools, and more tools 

22. 22
Somewhere to start:
• Assign topics or give ideas
• Utilize themes
Show performance:
• Show performance
• Give prizes
• Recognize those who regularly participate
How Do You Give Blogging Inspiration?
Give people somewhere to start—then reward them when they finish!
Support efforts:
• Always promote organically
• Experiment with paid promotion
if you have the budget

23. 23
• The truthful answer is: it depends
• According to Marcus Sheridan, it depends on “Content Saturation Index”
(CSI)
– CSI: The more content an industry/niche has written about it, the harder it is for a
blog to make headway and find success in that field.
– Marcus Sheridan example:
• Pool blog w/ low CSI: after 18 months of blogging it was dominating all relevant search
terms & new content was at the top of the first page within hours
• Sales blog w/ high CSI: took 20 months to start seeing any results & required the help of
networking and promoting other blogs to get there
• The average for most companies, who intelligently blog at least 2-3 times per
week, is 6-12 months.
Reporting & Results – What to Expect
& When to Expect It
Source: How Long Does It Truly Take For A Business Blog To Grow Big?, The Sales Lion

24. 24
• Document your editorial calendar, processes,
and strategy. Make these assets easily accessible.
• Have a laser focus on your keywords and
personas. Go for quality, not quantity.
• Measure, report, repeat.
Top 3 Actionable Takeaways

25. 25
Any questions?
Thank you for listening!