Blogging For Profit - A presentation given at the CIMCIG Conference on Strategy & Tactics of Digital Communication

1. Blogging for
Profit
Gemma Went
Red Cube Marketing
@GemmaWent

2. What is
blogging
?

3. Blogging allows you to publish
thought pieces, opinion and advice ...

4. ... that showcase your expertise and
knowledge. The stuff you’re good at

5. It’s an online platform that allows
you to engage with your audiences

6. The results achieved through PR in
the past are amplified in a successful
blog

7. The benefits of
blogging

8. Establish
yourself as
a thought
leader

9. Grow your community

10. Raise awareness
and establish
credibility

11. Connect with people
previously out of reach

12. Strengthen your press
and pr activity

13. Greatly improve search
engine optimisation

14. Yes yes, that’s all well
and good. But how
does it make PROFIT?

15. Your blog SHOWS you
know what you’re
talking about …

16. … instead of TELLING
readers you know what
you’re talking about

17. ShowingTelling
Website
Brochures
Advertising
Press
Releases
Blog
Social
Networking
Event
Speaking
Testimonials
Case
Studies
Press
Articles

18. The difference …
if you tell people, they
are less likely to believe
than if you show them

19. If they believe you,
they’re more likely to
buy from or
recommend you

20. But
you
can’t
dive
in

21. It’s a marathon
not a sprint

22. Getting Started

23. Objectives
Audience
Content plan
Measurement

24. Objectives

25. What are your goals? What do you
want to achieve from the blog?
Thought leadership?
Brand awareness?
Improved SEO?
New business generation?
Online PR

26. Audience

27. Who do you want to connect with?
Segment as much as possible
Then think about what they need to hear.
Remember, you’re writing for them, not yourselves
or your peers

28. Content

29. What are the common questions you’re
asked by clients?
What are industry bloggers and journalists
interested in right now?
This gives you an idea of what your
audience will genuinely be interested in

30. If you already have a SEO strategy, list your
target keywords and ensure these are
included in your blog posts ... naturally
though, nobody wants to read an
obviously optimised blog post

31. Hold a mind mapping brainstorm with your team
Suggest the key topic areas you should write
about
Then come up with a range of blog post ideas for
each topic
Ask people to volunteer to write posts

32. Measurement

33. Once you have your objectives, think about how you
will measure them
What does success look like for each? Put a target
on it

34. Once objectives and metrics agreed, create a
system to measure
A simple spreadsheet works well
Metrics should be recorded and reported monthly,
alongside other marketing and pr measurement
reports (because you’re doing this already right?)

35. What Makes
A Good Blog

36. Passion
Authenticity
Transparency
‘Real’ knowledge
Healthy debate
Controversy
NO selling

37. Who Can
Do It?

38. Some really enjoy blogging, so make
the most of your internal talent and
let them get involved

39. Share the strategy and content
requirement and ask for volunteers

40. The writing stars will soon shine
through

41. Once you’ve identified a team of
capable bloggers and agreed who
will write, set deadlines ...

42. ... and appoint one person to proof,
edit and publish if you’re not
comfortable with self publishing

43. Integrate

44. Integrating the blog with other activities to
increase reach and drive traffic
Link with all online activities
Promote and support other activities such as
press pr, speaking events, emailers, newsletters

45. Thank You.
Gemma Went
Red Cube Marketing
+44 (0)20 7993 4998
gemma@redcubemarketing.com
redcubemarketing.com
twitter.com/gemmawent
linkedin.com/in/gemmawent