Blogging can be an effective way to position yourself as a subject matter expert, build communities around specific topics, and market professional services if done strategically. While blogging takes significant effort, it provides benefits like communicating directly with clients and prospects, educating non-customers to attract new business, and improving search engine optimization. To blog effectively, focus on a niche topic, say something worth reading through original and specific content, promote posts across other social media platforms, and use tags and images to optimize each blog for sharing and discovery online.

1. Blogging: Is it effective?
The evidence is clear….
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2. Is Blogging worth the time?
• What is a blog?
• How do I blog effectively?
• What are the benefits?
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3. What blogging?
• The term "blog" is short for "weblog," which
refers to an online journal
• Blogs can be for businesses, news,
networking, and other professional means
• Blogging is about having conversations in a
public space that position you as a subject
matter expert.
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4. How do blogs work?
• Blogs consist of a series of posts made by
one or more bloggers
• Posts appear in reverse chronological order,
with the most recent post at the top of the
main page
• Readers can browse these back through the
blog to read older entries
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5. What do I Blog
about?
• Message that you want to convey
• A professional service that you're looking to sell
• A simple desire to have your words published for
others to read
Blogs can accomplish these goals simply and easily.
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6. A Niche Market
• Blogs usually have limited readership, since most
people aren't interested in the day-to-day lives of
strangers.
• Niche blogs that focus on one specific topic have
a wider range, and these can become very
popular.
• Like-minded people with similar interests become
regular readers, and sometimes small
communities are formed this way.
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7. You are a niche
market!
• Blogging is VERY effective, but….
Are you blogging effectively?
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8. Effective Blogging
• Blogging is an intensive media, requires a high
level of:
– Effort,
– Skill,
– Planning,
– Resources
– Strategy.
• Basically it isn’t easy to do effective blogging.
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9. Common problems
• Too much content?
– Rather focus on your original content
• Say something worth reading
– Be specific
• Take advantage of other SM mediums
– LinkedIn, twitter, Facebook G+
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10. Too much content
• Promote your content using SEO and effective
online reading studies
• What will you achieve by blogging to nobody?
(Other than Google, but more on that later)
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11. Say something
• Most blogs say the same things as everyone
else… and nobody cares.
• Its easy to write a blog on Botox, but how
many people write blogs about 35 year old
soccer moms?
• Yes, this might pigeon hole you but you can
build later.
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12. Social media
• Share your blogs with your other media and
share audiences
• Comment on other blogs and encourage
sharing
• This takes effort, and of course similar effort in
other SM mediums
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13. A good blog
• Written with a plan
• Posted effectively
– Tags, links, pull quotes, images
• Promoted by other SM, Bloggers and online
means
• Shared across all platforms
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14. What are the benefits?
• Communicate with your patients directly –
builds loyalty
– Its not always about getting new clients
• Lets you educate non-patients – external
marketing (they find you online)
• Get honest and quick feedback
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15. The BIGGEST benefit!
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16. SM Problems
• Small business who enter the SM market
(Including blogging) are not understanding the
role
• An online presence is essential to how you are
judged. Blogging may or may not bring masses
through your door.
• It will give you credentials
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17. Blogs and Google
• Blogs can be SEO’d
• Blogs link – each carries Google rankings
– Website
– LinkedIn
– Facebook
– Google +
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18. SEO and Blogging
• Blogs allow you to:
– Add images
– Add links
– Add pull quotes
– Bullet point posts
In other words, Blogs can function just like mini
websites
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19. Where do I START?
• Find free blogging platforms (Google loves
Wordpress)
• Register your name (company/brand name)
• Complete your profile, including logo and
description
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20. Conclusion
• Blogging for business is a popular content
marketing tactic that is still on the rise.
• Business blogging positively attracts traffic to
your website and considerably affects your
lead goals
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21. Thank you
• Any Questions?
• About blogging or Social
Media in general?
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22. Instar Consulting
• Social Media
• Brand development & Management
• Website development & Design
• Prodcution
• Tel: 011 706 9763
• e-mail: colin@instargroup.co.za or
info@instargroup.co.za
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