This document provides tips and strategies for using a blog as an effective marketing tool. It discusses how traditional marketing methods are failing and why online marketing works better. Key points include setting up and optimizing a blog on WordPress, building an email list, demonstrating expertise through regular blog posts, growing an engaged community, and promoting the blog through search engine optimization, social media, guest posting and more. The overall message is that a well-executed blogging strategy can help businesses reach customers online and strengthen their brand.

1. Marketing with a Blog:
Your BEST Marketing Tool!

2. What is the Goal
of Marketing?
To reach the right
customer at the right
time with the right
message.

3. Why Traditional
Marketing
Methods Fail?
TV -- Cable, YouTube (more
views than all four major
networks combined), and
TiVo (people skip ads)
Radio -- Satellite radio &
iTunes/mp3 players
Print -- Blogs & Social
Networks, Online news
sources
Billboards --
Spray & pray!

4. Why Online Marketing Works
83% of US households now use the Internet when
shopping locally for products & services (The
Kelsey Group - 2009).
82% of people who used local search later
followed up their research with offline action
(Comscore Networks Study).
61% of those using local search sites eventually
made a purchase.
Online Marketing Messages are available 24/7.
Online Marketing Messages can be changed
quickly, easily, and at little or no cost.
4

5. Why Blogs Are
Great for Online
Marketing:
Positions you as an expert
in your field.
Enables dialogue with
your audience.
Inexpensive.
Easy to manage.
Ranks well in search
engines.
Flexible.
Reinforces your brand.

6. Steps for Setting Up a Blog:
Embed it into your website.
Use Wordpress.
Structure it to attract traffic, using both
articles & posts.
Optimize it for search engines.
Make it mobile friendly.
Provide value to your readers.
Capture leads -- essential to success!

7. Developing Your Marketing
Game Plan

8. Constructing
Your Blog
Determine your blog’s purpose
Pick your blog’s topic
Do Keyword Research
Register your domain name
Choose a hosting service
Install WordPress on your site
Select your blog’s theme/design
Write your first posts
Launch your blog

9. Build a Responsive
Email List
List-building is the most
important thing you can do
Use a free resource to trade for
email addresses
Use a professional double opt-in
program to maintain your list. I
use & recommend Aweber.com
Develop a relationship with your
list members
Provide incredible value
to your subscribers

10. Demonstrate
Your Expertise
Use a professional-looking name
& design
Research your topic (reference
sources)
Make it easy to contact you
Make your site easy to use
Continue learning
your topic by reading top blogs
Update regularly
Avoid site errors

11. Grow Your
Blog’s
Community
Community-building is an ongoing
process
Reward referrals
Respond to your readers, both in
comments & via email
Visit your commenters’ sites
Thank those who help you
(retweets, diggs, etc.)

12. Provide Readers
with Value
Magnetic Headlines
Compelling Content
Solve Reader Problems
Take-aways/Actionable
Items
Be generous - give away
your best stuff

13. Build Your Brand
The information highway is
quickly evolving into the
“referral” highway -- research
your niche and become an expert
Determine your long-term
objectives
Define the image you wish to
portray to your audience
Communicate your brand message
so readers will know exactly
what you & your blog will deliver
Be consistent &
persistent

14. Definition of Branding:
Influencing a memorable response in your target
market.
Before each blog post think: What message do
you want to send to your audience?
What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)?
-- What makes YOU different from your
competition?

15. Ways to Reinforce Your
Brand:
Blog
Email marketing
One Sheet
Sponsoring events
Festivals/Trade
Shows
Webinars
Cold Calls
Social Media
Press Releases
Traditional media
(focus on content --
articles & interviews)
Civic Club talks
Networking/
Partnering
Advertising

16. Promoting Your Blog
How to get more traffic

17. The Top 10
Ways to Drive
Traffic -- from
data released
this month by a
pro-blogger

18. #10 - Forum
Signatures
At least it doesn’t take
much effort to put your
website link in a forum
profile. :)

19. #9 - Twitter
It’s hard to be heard
among all the noise out
there. Twitter is best
used for building
relationships and
customer service. Don’t
depend on it as a traffic
source.

20. #8 - Social
Bookmarking
Like article marketing,
the primary benefit of
social bookmarking is
to develop backlinks,
not drive traffic,
although you can get
some traffic from these
links.

21. #7 - Article
Marketing
Article Marketing is
still quite possibly the
very best method for
building backlinks, but
it’s not so great for
driving traffic. Unless
your articles get picked
up by a publisher, you
wont’ get much traffic.

22. #6 - Blog
Commenting
The biggest benefit from blog
commenting is networking
and building relationships
with others in your niche.
You may get some traffic,
but it’s not a huge traffic
generator.
Blog commenting isn’t a
great way to get backlinks
either because many use no-
follow tags.

23. #5 - Facebook
Facebook can be both a boon
and a bane to marketers.
Over a half-billion people use
Facebook.
The average Facebook user
spends 16% of their time on
Facebook -- BUT, if you’re
not engaging them, they
won’t even know your page
exists!
Don’t forget Google+ or
Pinterest - which
happens to be the
fastest growing
social site today.

24. #4 - Video &
Podcasting
YouTube and iTunes are, in
effect, search engines
Video & Audio engage the
audience -- excellent for
content, backlinks & traffic
Video & Audio keep readers
on your site longer &
decrease your bounce rate

25. #3 - SEO and
PPC Advertising
Search Engine Optimization
still stands as the best way
to bring consistent traffic
to your site -- plus it’s FREE!
Paid advertising is probably
the fastest way to bring
traffic to your site, but if
you do it wrong, you can
lose a LOT of money very
quickly!

26. #2 - Guest
Posting
Boosts your credibility
Brings in targeted traffic
Builds relationships with
others in
your niche
Some visitors will be
one-timers, but you may
gain new readers

27. #1 - Do a
Product Launch
with JV
Partners &
Affiliates
Tip: Webinars are HUGE
right now!

28. The Top 10
ways bloggers
made money
last year (2011)

29. Monetizing Your Blog:
The best ways for bloggers
to make money

30. #10 - Site
Flipping
Some people build blogs
with the specific intent
of selling them for
profit.

31. #9 - Job/Ad
Boards
Job and Ad blogs are
growing in popularity.
This blogging business
model works best for
blogs with a lot of
traffic.

32. #8 - Paid Posts
Writing posts for pay
is similar to freelance
writing, only you’re
hiring yourself out to
write blog posts.
Bloggers need lots of
great content, so there
is always plenty of
work to do!

33. #7 - Ad Sales
Another opportunity
for sites with a good
amount of traffic is
selling ads - either
direct ad sales, banner
ads, or sales of ads
from services, such as
Google Adsense.

34. #6 - Affiliate
Marketing
Affiliate marketers
introduce their readers
to related products
created by others. This
can be a win-win-win
situation, as it helps
the product owner, the
affiliate, and the
customer!

35. #5 - Product
Sales
Many bloggers create a
good income stream by
setting up shop right
on their blog. Online
stores can sell a
variety of products -
both digital and
physical.

36. #4 - Speaking
Many writers make
extra income by speaking
at workshops, seminars,
and conferences, and
bloggers are no exception.
If you know enough about
a topic to blog well about
it, you can likely earn
money speaking.

37. #3 - Services
From building websites, to
content creation, to search
engine optimization, to
graphics design - chances
are you can do something
someone else needs. Not
only is selling services the
number three way to make
money, it is probably the
fastest way to earn
money online.

38. #2 - Information
Products
Creating and selling your
OWN information
products is one of the best
ways to make money
online. There are a variety
of platforms to choose
from - video, eBooks,
training courses - there
are LOTS of opportunities!

39. #1 - Membership
Sites
Membership Sites were
the NUMBER ONE way
bloggers made money in
2011.

40. Tips for Successful
Blog Marketing

41. Search Engine
Optimization
Tips:
Pick an SEO-friendly platform
Keywords -- what are people
searching for? Which keywords
have low-moderate competition?
Deep Linking
Create SEO-friendly
permalinks
Optimize for long-tail searches
Title Tags
Anchor Text

42. Develop a
Linking Strategy
Article Marketing is the best way
to develop quality backlinks
Use your target keywords as
anchor text in your links
Create internal (or deep) links
within your blog
Implement a social bookmarking
plan
Remember -- links are not created
equal

43. Establish Your
Outposts
Video
Podcast
Social Media - especially
Facebook & Twitter
Guest Posts
Article Marketing

44. Write for your
Readers
First of all -- Research your
audience so you KNOW what
they want! Do thorough
market research.
Make your blog a
conversation, not a lecture
Keep your content fresh
Provide “insider” information
Let readers get to know you
as a person

45. Provide Quality
Content
Be Prepared
Be Precise
Be Personable
Produce Curiosity
Be Passionate
Be a Problem-solver
Promote Interaction
Permit Wiggle Room

46. Make a
Commitment
Focus on your purpose for
blogging
Develop a blogging system
Make your blog the hub of
your marketing strategy --
don’t think of it as an
afterthought

47. Have Fun!

48. So . . .
We’ve discussed a lot of the WHAT --
How do we DO all this stuff?

49. Coming Soon --
CREATING BIZ BUZZ!
A step-by-step marketing course.

50. Creating Biz Buzz
will cover:
Market Research
Branding
Website/Blog
Development
Content Creation
Search Engine
Optimization
Geo-targeted
Marketing
Social Media
Email Marketing
Offline Promotion
Tactics
Reputation
Management
Analytics &
Tracking
BizBuzz System

51. Go to
CREATINGBIZBUZZ.com
and sign up on the notification list!
PLUS - you’ll receive FREE marketing tips!