Blogging Basics

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(No Transcript)
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Blogging Basics

• Why do you want to blog and can you be committed
  to it?
• What does it take to be successful?

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Webinar

• Please Mute your Lines
• Ask Questions through Question tool

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VTC Digital Marketing

• Dave Neudeck
• Digital Marketing Director
• dneudeck_at_virginia.org
• Mary Bishop
• Digital Marketing Manager
• mbishop_at_virginia.org
• Robin Mamunes
• Digital Marketing Content Coordinator
• rmamunes_at_virginia.org

Casey Higgins Digital Marketing Content
Specialist chiggins_at_virginia.org Tom
Kirk Multimedia Specialist tkirk_at_virginia.org
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So Whats Different?

• A blog the web
• The web a blog

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BLOG in a Nutshell

• New content is added often
• Blogs are interactive, especially comments
• Blogs link to other blogs and websites which make
  them more semantically rich for Google and other
  search

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Getting Started

• Whats your purpose?
• Serious brand development/writing
• Casual involvement
• This can determine your platform

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Getting Started

• Some Considerations
• Technical skill/Support
• Customization
• Format/Media capabilities
• Social integration
• Cost Paid vs. Free
• SEO
• Monetization

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Getting Started

• Some examples
• WordPress
• Most popular, huge user base, many add-ons, wide
  range of what you can do
• Blogger
• Popular, Google supported, Google restricted
• TypePad
• Been around, 9 and up a month
• Tumblr
• Very niche, short format, hybrid blog/social,
  trendy

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Getting Started

• Other Options
• Squarespace paid
• Livejournal hybrid social
• Ghost web 2.0
• Posterous (DEAD!)
• Facebook?, Instagram?, LinkedIn?, Google?

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Purposes of a Blog

• Easily Create Manage Content
• Be your own publisher.
• Push Your Strengths
• Focus on what your destination does well
  (outdoors, food and spirits, history, the arts )
• Showcase Your Lesser-Knowns
• Shine a spotlight on your hidden gems
• Plant Ideas of What Youd Like to Be Known For
• Is craft beer just making its way into your area?
  Or maybe your restaurants are receiving acclaim.
  Tell about it.
• Receive and Respond to Feedback
• Enable commenting on your posts to build audience
  interaction
• Invite QA

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Gather Your Ideas

• The Content where does it come from?
• You write it
• You find it elsewhere and share it
• You invite others to write it for you
• The Calendar how often to publish?
• Depends on the above
• If you write it, youll want to give yourself
  some space (once a week or once every two weeks).
• If you find and share, post more often (twice a
  week).
• If you invite others, post more often (once a
  week).
• Caveat Be prepared to edit what youre sent,
  which takes time.

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Time Commitment

• How you answer the content questions dictates
  your time commitment.

• You Write Greatest Amount of Time
• Establishes a report with readers.
• Opportunity to establish a brand voice if you
  dont have one.
• Delivers the message you want sent.
• You Share Guest Writes
• Either youre finding content to share or youre
  editing, giving feedback, and importing what a
  guest writes.
• Finding content can simply be leaning on Google
  Alerts to deliver content to your inbox.

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Share Everywhere

• No one will know your blog exists if you dont
  tell them.
• Facebook
• Twitter
• G
• Pinterest
• eNewsletter
• RSS feed

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Share Everywhere

• No one will know your blog exists if you dont
  tell them.
• Facebook
• Twitter
• G
• Pinterest
• eNewsletter
• RSS feed

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Measure Test

• Determine what resonates with your audience by
  trying different approaches.
• Do they like photos?
• Video embeds?
• In depth reporting?
• Lists of hot spots?
• Insight from authorities?
• Does one topic gain more attention than another?
• Test each approach.
• Google Analytics
• Social feedback Facebook engagement, Twitter
  interactions, etc.

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Spend a Little

• Does your Facebook audience seem to like your
  blog post?
• Boost it to reach more people.