do's and dont's of business blogging

Do's and Don’ts of Business BloggingDave RigottiJune 5, 2009

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“WIIFM”

Learn basics of blogging

Link current marketing

Maximize and measure effectiveness

Links to most used resources

Learn from real corporate blogs through case studies

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Should I blog?

Useful Unique Updated

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1211/592835533_9795acd412_m.jpg 3

How do I get started?

1. Designate a blog leader

2. Identify an audience

3. Use WordPress

4. Get key people on board

5. Start and and continue creating great content

6. Establish tone and frequency4

What should I write about?

Anything your readers might like

Avoid the constant “pitch” blog

REMEMBER: It’s a direct, two-way communication

5

How do I integrate my current marketing efforts?

Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin

Include current marketing content on blog

Include blog in current marketing

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How do I maximize effectiveness?

11 plugins every WordPress blog should have

1. All in One SEO Pack2. Google XML Sitemaps3. Popular Posts 4. Subscribe To Comments5. Twitter Tools6. WP125 7. Yet Another Related Posts Plugin

Ask for readers to participate

http://www.bloghighlight.com/wp-content/uploads/wordpress/wordpress-plugin.gif

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How do I measure effectiveness?

Exposure is good

Engagement / action is better

Make sure you’re measuring the right

things!http://www.classicleaners.com/Tape_Measure.jpg

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What are some other tips?

Publish RSS in full-text, not summary

Tell stories and facilitate a conversation

Make it easy to comment

Encourage company-wide engagement

Legality of content

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What are some resources?

Software: http://wordpress.org/, http://wordpress.com/

Webmaster Centers: http://www.bing.com/webmaster, http://www.google.com/webmasters/, http://siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com/

Webhosting: http://www.liquidweb.com/, http://mediatemple.net/

Theme: http://diythemes.com/thesis/

Further Reading: http://www.problogger.net/, http://weblogtoolscollection.com/, http://www.dailyblogtips.com/

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Case Study #1: FreshBooks

http://freshbooks.com/blog

Similar design Value-add content Great use of content

type (text, pictures, video)

Easy to subscribe to Overview of FB and

the blog 11

Case Study #2: 37signals

http://37signals.com/svn/

Single out products in sidebar

Human component Lots of interesting

content Recent tweets Clear search bar Easy to comment 12

Case Study #3: Aptera

http://aptera.com/blog/

No connection with main site

No events on calendar

No search No most popular

posts Sporadic post dates 13

The takeaways.

1. Not for every organization

2. Two-way conversation

3. Create great content

4. It’s ok to ask, if you’re willing to give

5. Engagement is better than exposure

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Thank you for your attention.

Please continue the discussion on the Ning community and my blog or Twitter.

E: mail@daverigotti.com

T: @drigotti

B: http://daverigotti.com

L: http://www.linkedin.com/in/daverigotti

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About the author.

Dave Rigotti is a writer, speaker, and Internet marketer. He’s work(s/ed) with some of the most well-known and influential brands in the world, conducting search engine optimization and developing marketing communication strategies. In July, he will be joining Microsoft as a consumer-focused marketer on Bing (formerly Live Search), Microsoft’s search engine. Read more by clicking here.

Blog: http://daverigotti.com

Twitter: @drigotti

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