The Perfect Blog Structure [Infographic]
For all those with something to say, even those who dont think they have something to say. Here is a great structure to work to from Social Triggers.
For all those with something to say, even those who dont think they have something to say. Here is a great structure to work to from Social Triggers.
If You Build It, Will They Come?
It is hard work as of late, convincing individuals that blogging needs to be part of their digital personal brand strategy.
Especially those that have amassed valuable knowledge over the years and even those with great ideas and opinions.
Some tend to believe that all they need to have is a static presence, say hello on Twitter or Facebook once in awhile, occasionally add connections to their network and they are set to attract clients.
The “build it and they will come,” theory.
Lets be honest, this method doesn’t work and those that are venturing into this arena can back me up. There is no “one size fits all,” path to success.
It’s about creating relationships and you have to drive, or even buy traffic. BUT it is not only traffic that is important. Unlike traditional media where today’s news is tomorrows fish and chip wrapper, the world of the Internet has staying power. So every entry into the online world leaves a digital footprint about you that can be found.
Magnetism & Four-Letter Words
Streetwise professionals would probably also agree that publishing blog articles is like magnetising your target audience to you. When the blog is quiet, the traffic to your blog slows or stops.
Lets take a look at some benefits:
• Gives the writer credibility.
• Focuses on the author’s ideas and expertise.
• Establishes credibility in the author’s niche.
• Attracts the reader to the author & the author’s additional content.
How awesome, right?
Who wouldn’t want that?
Ever met a salesperson that didn’t like the spotlight or to talk more about themselves?
Even so, when I say the word, “blog,” it’s like I’ve said a four-letter word.
“BLOG“.
The definition of this word has also changed; with the advent of 140 character micro-blogs i.e. Twitter, the use of video blogs i.e. YouTube, picture blogs i.e. Flickr. Penning a few words can lead to engagement however the richer the content the richer the engagement.
Walking the talk
So, for some time, I’ve been pondering how I could get more people interested in blogging. A little more exciting…more “sexy,” if you will.
It would have to be, or I’d lose my audience.
In this case:
• Executives.
• SME’s
• Sales Professionals.
Individuals, that clients will make decisions about, in 2012 and future.
These days, the Internet is a haven of nifty new media. A place where we read, play games, buy, sell, trade, socialise, and more… More telecommunications companies like Circles.Life are offering larger amounts of mobile data usage on a competitive price.
Building a boat
Back to my challenge – To making blogging more attractive and enticing. As a parent, my instincts are to put a fun slant on it.
Much like how we convince our children to take their medicine with the song, “A spoon full of sugar.” Or inspire others to remember something with a groovy acronym.
Finding the Hot Button
So, playing to what gets people enthused I realised this is the sweet spot…the hot button. I should find a way for them to get just as excited about their blog as they might be about “MONEY“.
The acronym…
M – More
O – Opportunity
N – Needs
E – Engagement
from
Y – You
MONEY
More Opportunity Needs Engagement from You
Oh yes, Show me the money!
What sales person wouldn’t get excited about that? Information about themselves – about their purpose – rippling across the Internet where their target audience is hanging out!
Can you imagine what could happen with this slightly changed perspective?
So…
Pen is mightier than the sword
The 2015 roadmap will be tough. Battles between competitors are intense, at a time when our clients need answers and solutions.
Dell are changing customer engagement with mighty mileage from social media. From a marketing, brand and personal standpoint, a blog should be the hub of your social media and digital presence.
Technology is already changing who wins and how.
Employees – regardless of time served, status, or experience – NEED to stop snarling their nose at penning a few words once in awhile, and start realising the benefits.
For them, and their clients.
MONEY
More Opportunity Needs Engagement from You
Start Somewhere
Embrace Brevity
Video. Video. Video
Ideas Drive Platform
Be Yourself
Humble Is Better Marketing
Your Three Roles
Overnight Success
What to Talk/Write About
What to Avoid
In the end, it’s up to you. Yes, this will take work. No, this isn’t simple. Yes, there will be mistakes. But I feel that the world is shifting from simply “use of social networks” into “seeking of value.” This is some of the way you can attain that.
How a Blogger can Build a Global Audience from Zero: Part One http://ow.ly/7bFLF
Written by Jeff Bullas
I was involved recently with a telecommunications company that had been operating with no web site for nearly a year and its main form of marketing was cold calling …you know the type that call you in your office or home and offer you… that special latest mobile phone deal. So what was their target market.. every business that drew breath… and what value did they offer the cusomer except maybe a cheaper price… very little. So their marketing was made up of one strategy, cold calling. The marketing department consisted of staff calling for up to 6 hours per day and only booking one appointment in that time. People were literally hanging up on them. There is a better way! Our lives are so busy now and and with so much media noise and clutter that traditional marketing is becoming less and less efficient.
So how would a company stand out from the pack by using Internet Marketing such as a search engine optimised (SEO) web site, low cost blogs and inbound marketing instead of expensive traditonal marketing .
10 Tips To Stand Out From The Crowd In Your Industry
Ths challenge with anything is just.. doing it… You can research forever but just start the journey. The one thing that a company can easily do is start a blog, and add a content to that blog and update it regularly. It is easy to do you, you can go to WordPress and set up a blog for free and be up and running within a very short time frame.
The cry of “Content is King” has been a rallying call for bloggers and on-line publishers for years
Creating and marketing your content is now as easy as typing text and uploading images and videos and then hitting the publishing button.
This has been facilitated by the advent of social networks and blogging software that facilitate fast efficient multi-media publishing.
The reality is that everyone is now a publisher as social media has provided easy to use tools which has put a personal printing press in everyone’s hand.
We are not only creating but sharing this content on desktops, laptops, ipads and smart phones to our Facebook and Twitter streams. The mobility of the smart phones has accelerated this publishing revolution that allows us to share anytime and anywhere as the impulse takes us.
The more engaging the content whether it be video or text the more likely it is to be shared.
To put some perspective on the scale of this on-line publishing phenomenon here are some facts and figures
Content is what drives people to subscribe to blogs, search on YouTube and play on Facebook. Internet users are looking for information and content that
In a knowledge economy the thirst for information and meaningful content is never ending.
If you dig deeper into the term “social media” you will be reminded that content can be any type of media and format. Media in all its formats that was previously hidden on personal computers or buried in files offline can be published to a variety of social media platforms that host and make public your previously unpublished media. These include social media platforms such as Flickr for photos and images as well as Slideshare for presentations such as your last Powerpoint workshop.
I often hear questions from new and aspiring bloggers about what should you publish and how do you find the inspiration for the content. It isn’t difficult if you start to let the imagination run free.
The development of inexpensive video cameras with high definition and now included in smart phones as a standard feature allow you to record impromptu interviews or capture presentations and keynote speakers. The mantra to keep top of mind is to “think like a publisher”
What can you video and publish?
Slideshare is the primary site to upload your presentations and with over 50 million monthly visitors and 90 million pageviews it now ranks as one of the top 250 websites in the world. It also supports document sharing.
Also make sure that the presentations and PDF’s are well structured for scanning and skimming with good headings and subtitles.
King of image uploading is Flickr but other platforms to consider is Google’s Picasa (now included in Google+) and of course Facebook. High definition images that are well produced can provide high engagement.
Text content is one of the oldest of formats since the pen and pencil was invented but still maintains its importance as a primary publishing medium.
What are some highly engaging text formats that help you sell your products and services?
Audio and radio has not died but evolved and podcasts and audio are still widely used. Podcasts can also be very effective when packaged together with a Slideshare presentation and a PDF
This list is not exhaustive but will provide you with some tips that will maybe inspire you to engage in many media types that communicate with your readers , prospects and customers.
Sometimes bundling a range of formats for the same information will allow you to reach a broader audience that a singular media type cannot.
What media and formats do you use for your content marketing and what is most effective for you?
Source of Facts and Figures: Royal Pingdom
Image by dirkshaw
The cry of “Content is King” has been a rallying call for bloggers and on-line publishers for years.
Creating and marketing your content is now as easy as typing text and uploading images and videos