Week #2: It’s Time to Blog 
~ Finding Your Voice 
with Shannon Bowen-Kelsick 
www.sbkelsick.com 
@sbkelsick
What is a blog ? 
• Web content 
• Not necessarily personal 
@sbkelsick
Why Blog ? 
• Easy to update your website with a blog 
• Brand yourself and & business 
• Express yourself ~ hone your passion 
• SEO! Help people find you & your business 
@sbkelsick Written by Mitch Joel in “Bring back the Corporate Blog” May 2014
Blog Platform Choices 
@sbkelsick
What to write about: 
• Your business services 
• Your portfolio 
• Your experiences, thoughts, questions 
• Events (yours, ones you attend, ones your 
audience is interested in) 
• How to or help doc 
• Curation of other great material 
• Images, videos 
• Resources like other blogs, books, speakers 
• Interview people! 
@sbkelsick
What to write about – Books 
@sbkelsick
What to write about – Interviews 
@sbkelsick
What to write about – Events 
@sbkelsick
What to write about – Curation 
@sbkelsick
What to write about – How To’s 
@sbkelsick
Get inspired, where to find content 
• Magazines 
• Blogs 
• News 
• Podcasts 
• Google Alerts 
• Events 
• Books 
• Customers! 
Group Exercise: 
1. Choose our group topic of 
interest 
2. Find an interesting blog post 
about your topic 
3. Find a podcast about a topic, 
come up with a blog post idea 
4. Google the topic, find an 
infographic 
5. Google Books about the topic, 
find a list of books you will read 
then recommend 
@sbkelsick
How to write 
• When 
– When you are inspired 
– Carve out the time, schedule! 
– All at once, pre-publish 
– When you find new content 
• Tools 
– Journal 
– Storyboard 
– Evernote 
– Notepad! 
@sbkelsick
SEO basics 
search engine optimization 
• Article titles matter 
• Picture names matter 
• Watch your analytics (WordPress or Google) 
• Who is looking for you? 
– Exercise: Answer this question: What is your customer typing 
into a search engine that you want your website to appear? List 
5 things 
@sbkelsick
WordPress Site Stats Example
Honing and Communicating Your 
Passion/Brand 
• Allow your blog to change and morph as you hone your 
passions and your brand 
• Try things! 
• Write from the heart, with personality and character 
@sbkelsick
How to make things easier 
• Making blogging a habit, just do it for a while 
• Just click publish 
• Blogging Planners 
• Carving time out to write 
@sbkelsick
Blog On. 
with Shannon Bowen-Kelsick 
www.sbkelsick.com 
@sbkelsick

Blogging How To (Blogging Presentation Week 2)

  • 1.
    Week #2: It’sTime to Blog ~ Finding Your Voice with Shannon Bowen-Kelsick www.sbkelsick.com @sbkelsick
  • 2.
    What is ablog ? • Web content • Not necessarily personal @sbkelsick
  • 3.
    Why Blog ? • Easy to update your website with a blog • Brand yourself and & business • Express yourself ~ hone your passion • SEO! Help people find you & your business @sbkelsick Written by Mitch Joel in “Bring back the Corporate Blog” May 2014
  • 4.
  • 5.
    What to writeabout: • Your business services • Your portfolio • Your experiences, thoughts, questions • Events (yours, ones you attend, ones your audience is interested in) • How to or help doc • Curation of other great material • Images, videos • Resources like other blogs, books, speakers • Interview people! @sbkelsick
  • 6.
    What to writeabout – Books @sbkelsick
  • 7.
    What to writeabout – Interviews @sbkelsick
  • 8.
    What to writeabout – Events @sbkelsick
  • 9.
    What to writeabout – Curation @sbkelsick
  • 10.
    What to writeabout – How To’s @sbkelsick
  • 11.
    Get inspired, whereto find content • Magazines • Blogs • News • Podcasts • Google Alerts • Events • Books • Customers! Group Exercise: 1. Choose our group topic of interest 2. Find an interesting blog post about your topic 3. Find a podcast about a topic, come up with a blog post idea 4. Google the topic, find an infographic 5. Google Books about the topic, find a list of books you will read then recommend @sbkelsick
  • 12.
    How to write • When – When you are inspired – Carve out the time, schedule! – All at once, pre-publish – When you find new content • Tools – Journal – Storyboard – Evernote – Notepad! @sbkelsick
  • 13.
    SEO basics searchengine optimization • Article titles matter • Picture names matter • Watch your analytics (WordPress or Google) • Who is looking for you? – Exercise: Answer this question: What is your customer typing into a search engine that you want your website to appear? List 5 things @sbkelsick
  • 14.
  • 15.
    Honing and CommunicatingYour Passion/Brand • Allow your blog to change and morph as you hone your passions and your brand • Try things! • Write from the heart, with personality and character @sbkelsick
  • 16.
    How to makethings easier • Making blogging a habit, just do it for a while • Just click publish • Blogging Planners • Carving time out to write @sbkelsick
  • 17.
    Blog On. withShannon Bowen-Kelsick www.sbkelsick.com @sbkelsick

Editor's Notes

  • #8 Build our relationship (great way to connect with people you want to meet!) Good for my SEO Doug shared it online when I didn’t have much of a following Very simple
  • #9 Great for my SEO Shared my WIL Invited me to event
  • #12 Magazines – if you are flying or at a coffee shop and you don’t want to be digital, pick up a magazine that relates to your topic, ENDLESS ideas! (bring an example?) Blogs – subscribe to blogs! This will show you what others are blogging about and either give you good ideas you can twist, or will send you in another direction, you can write an article that disagree’s with another article! Juicy News – listen to the news, radio – if you are relevant there is more likliehood of being found and read Podcasts – when I listen to podcasts I get ENDLESS inspiration to write, be it to share the particular podcast, a quote, an idea etc. ENDLESS Google Alerts – get things come in everyday! Events, people news etc. Events – a great way to stay relevant and provide really valuable content to your audience Books – read and write about it all, again endless inspiration – even a book review, or the top 5 things I learned about x. And it doesn’t have to be positive, if you didn’t like the book write about it. Interviews
  • #13 Be ready when you are inspired, notebook or tablet on hand, jot down notes etc. Carve out the time – use your planner, or carve out time on your calendar, its amazing what you can get done in ½ hour or an hour a week when you have carved out the time to do it. BE SERIOUS, others are.. Carve out a bunch of time to write and pre-publish a lot When you find new content – write notes, write the title and save it in WordPress Tools: Use your journal or notepad or sketch pad Use a storyboard template Use a program like Evernote Or use simple notepad!
  • #14 Article Title example Business Article on accounting, could be titled: Wednesday Business News #45 OR 5 Tips to Using Quickbooks – Bnews #45 Picture Names example 0232fdsfdsajk OR Calgary Large Format Printing Paula Sinclair
  • #16 This blog has YOUR personality, your business and your passion has YOUR personality, stay true to your values and your voice and take the blog where it feels right, while you are paying attention to what your current customers want. Business and customers change, and you have to as well.