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Blogging for Beginners
The document outlines a training module on blogging for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), covering various aspects such as audience building, content creation, and monetization strategies. It discusses different blogging platforms, their pros and cons, and emphasizes the importance of understanding the target audience and setting measurable goals to gauge success. The document concludes with resources for further learning and ways to contact Graduate Media for support in designing and promoting blogs.
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Blogging for Beginners
- 2. Kristy Kroll, Cofounder,Graduate Media About Me: About Graduate Media: Former AdWords trainer & tax accountant (180) Graduate: Baylor University / Walsh College Passion for SMBs and finding the right marketing mix Online Marketing & Web Design for SMBs Training Focus – Know your marketing Grow your marketing as your business grows
- 3. Blogging for Beginners– What We’ll Cover: How to Build Your Audience ◦ Self-promotion ◦ Research Gauging Success ◦ Setting goals ◦ Monitoring performance Wrap-up and Questions Basics ◦ What is a blog ◦ Formats ◦ Why you might want to create one How to Create a Blog ◦ Platforms for Blogging ◦ Knowing your Audience ◦ Monetization
- 4. What is aBlog? noun A website containing a writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other websites: She regularly contributes a blog to the magazine's website. verb To express or write about on a blog: She’s been blogging her illness for almost a year. origin From the word weblog (web +log) Blog /blawg/ Source: Dictionary.com
- 5. Blog Formats Microblog & Liveblog Business– Traditional Personal – Traditional
- 6. Blog Formats Beauty Blog (bblog) Personal -Graphic Video Blogs (vlogs)
- 7. Topics Beauty Blogs Products/Services DIY Guides Travel Food Self-Help &Improvement Charity Personal Life Video Games Personal Life Product Review Anything, really. Health & Fitness Politics DesignPets Interviews
- 8. So, why shouldI create a blog? Business ◦ Share updates and product announcements ◦ Share knowledge and expertise ◦ Influence customer purchase decisions ◦ SEO credibility Personal ◦ For fun or to share a hobby ◦ Document & share travels and experiences ◦ Create a community ◦ Monetization
- 9. Cool, I wantone. Now, how do I create it? Pros ◦ Most commonly used platform for websites ◦ Flexibility & customization ◦ Started as a blogging platform ◦ Can be inexpensive to set up Cons ◦ Steep learning curve ◦ Prices can add up quickly ◦ Requires updates & maintenance Wordpress.org & Wordpress.com
- 10. Cool, I wantone. Now, how do I create it? Pros ◦ Quick setup ◦ Free ◦ Easily merge with other Google products ◦ Great for beginners Cons ◦ Not much room for growth ◦ Blogging platform only ◦ Not easily integrated with existing websites Blogger.com
- 11. Cool, I wantone. Now, how do I create it? Pros ◦ All-in-one website builder ◦ Easy to use design tools ◦ Room for growth ◦ Highly visual ◦ 24/7 support Cons ◦ Limited functions – login, etc. ◦ Small learning curve Squarespace.com
- 12. Cool, I wantone. Now, how do I create it? Drupal Joomla Medium Other Platforms Costs Weebly Typepad Twitter Tumblr Wix Ghost YouTube More Domain Hosting Platform Theme & Plugins Content Time $15 per year $5-$30 per month Free + Free – $1,000s Depends on topics Setup & Posting
- 13. What should Iwrite about? Know your audience & what you have to offer 1. Business knowledge or related content 2. Industry expertise 3. Product knowledge 4. Interesting & engaging content It needs to Sell be engaging be informative
- 14. Monetization $$$ Advertising ◦ Adsense ◦ Sponsorships ◦Product reviews Products ◦ Premium content downloads ◦ Webinars ◦ Subscriptions ◦ Merchandise ◦ eBooks Services ◦ Training ◦ Coaching Donations/Crowdfunded Business ◦ Support sales objectives ◦ Retain customers & build brand loyalty
- 15. Building Your Audience– Self-Promotion Advertising Networking Social Media SEO Email Marketing Guest Blogging & Cross- Promotion The Online Marketing Mix
- 16. Research ◦ Learn moreabout your customers ◦ Google Analytics, Facebook Audience Insights, etc. ◦ Topic ideas ◦ Keyword research ◦ Continuous process
- 17. My blog isbetter than yours! How to gauge success ◦ Selecting KPIs ◦ Views, likes, engagement, sales ◦ Depends on your goals
- 18. Monitoring & ImprovingPerformance Monitor performance for your KPIs ◦ Check on a weekly basis ◦ Increase what’s doing well and cut what isn’t Respond to your users! Try new marketing tactics Test new content Ask your followers what they want to see Analyze & Test
- 19.
- 20. Want to LearnMore? Resources: http://www.bloggingbasics101.com/ http://www.copyblogger.com/business-blogging-tips/ http://howtomakemyblog.com/blog-or-vlog/ Contact us to design and promote your blog: Graduatemediaservices.com facebook.com/GraduateMedia/ linkedin.com/company/graduate-media instagram.com/graduate_media twitter.com/graduate_media
Editor's Notes
- #5 Often monitored through RSS (Rich Site Summary/Really Simple Syndication) feeds. This allows content to be aggregated into one platform, eliminating the need to check the blog daily. Common services are Bloglovin’, Medium, and other news sources.
- #6 Traditional blogs are primarily text-based and share updates, thoughts, etc. and can be personal or business-related. Microblogs are short-form content and usually updated often, like Twitter and other social platofrms. Liveblogs are live or recordings of live content, which could be an event, interview, video game stream, and more.
- #7 Video blogs are primarily in video format. Beauty blogs are a specific niche of blog and can be video, personal, or any other type. Image blogs contain rich imagery and descriptions of content.
- #8 Want people to be interested in the content, but you could blog about anything you want.
- #9 Why are you here? What are you looking to create? SEO = search engine optimization, or the process of increasing your website’s rankings in search results. Blogs influence: content, links, freshness, and more.
- #13 Many direct and indirect costs associated with setting up a blog.
- #14 Who are you writing for? What do they want to read about? Why should they care?
- #16 Maintain the basics – regular, quality content made with your audience’s interests in mind. Engage other forms of promotion.
- #17 Can spend a lot of time and resources digging into your data and finding new insights. Generally, it’s worth the time and effort, but in moderation. You need to balance creating content and learning about your field.
- #18 Select KPIs based on your goals – Sales vs. Awareness.