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How to Dominate Search with An Effective Blog StrategyVictoria Grieshammer

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• The benefits of blogging • How to implement team structure, processes, and a successful strategy for

blogging • The MFG team blog structure & strategy• How to get/give blogging inspiration • What results to expect/when to expect results

What are we going to talk about today? Blogging…duh!

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Repeatable

Scalable

Measurable

Sustainable

Ultimately, this presentation is about setting up a blogging process & strategy that is:

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• Businesses who prioritize blogging experience a 13X increase in ROI, year after year.– HubSpot “State of Inbound: 2014”

• Businesses with 401-1000 pages of content get 6x more leads than those with 51-100. – HubSpot “Marketing Benchmarks from 7,000+ Businesses”

• According to HubSpot, the average company that blogs has:– 55% more visitors– 97% more inbound links– 434% more indexed pages

• 82% of marketers who blog daily acquired a customer using their blog, as opposed to 57% of marketers who blog monthly– HubSpot “State of Inbound: 2013”

Why Blog? Pt. 1Looking at the Numbers

5Why Blog? Pt. 2Thinking Outside the Box

It’s your direct communication channel: simple, easy-to-use platform for connecting with & sharing timely/relevant information with customers.

Your blog fuels SEO. Search engines love valuable content and will reward you for it.

It gives your company a voice & allows your brand personality to shine.

It creates free PR. Business bloggers are often interviewed by journalists as industry experts.

It is a cost-effective marketing investment. Every post is a long-term asset.

Provides audience insight through blog analytics. Find out which topics they’re most interested, what times they’re most active & more.

Builds confidence, relationships and sales. Customers will look to you as a reliable resource for information on your industry; then come to you to buy.

Sharpens your business focus. To create a blogging strategy you must define who you are blogging for and why.

A blog creates a two-way conversation with customers, prospects and industry peers. It encourages interaction, comments and feedback.Source: 19 Reasons Why Your Business Should Be Writing a Blog, Sprout

Content

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1. Defined Purpose2. Buyer Personas3. Competitor Content Audit4. Keywords 5. Distribution Platforms6. Promotion Plan7. Ownership8. Rhythm 9. Metrics

What Elements Are Necessary for a Successful Blog Strategy?

Source: How to Create a Successful Blog Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide, HubSpot

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Team Structure:– Editor-in-chief – Writer or brand journalist– Administrative support

Guidelines & Processes:– Publishing process– Content lexicon– Style guides and editorial procedures

How to Blog According to CMI Implementing Structure & Processes

Let’s face it: Magazines like Vogue and newspapers like The New York Times didn’t become successful without operating as a well-oiled machine. They didn’t sometimes publish content. They didn’t sometimes have all the resources in place.And they didn’t sometimes follow writing guidelines.-Jessica Lee, “A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher”, Content Marketing Institute (CMI)Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher,

CMI

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• Editor-in-chief – Someone who has his or her finger on the pulse of your industry– Oversees the creative direction for all of your brand’s content– Well versed in the brand – ensures every piece of content created in the

department is informed, relevant, & upholds the brand– Work closely with the brand’s executive team to understand the company’s

business strategy and goals, then align the content with those objectives.

How to Blog According to CMI – Team StructureEditor-in-Chief

Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

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Writer or brand journalist– Someone who finds and tells the stories that are happening at your company– Should be able to communicate a subject well – even if they don’t have direct

experience in the industry. Administrative support

– Someone who can help manage the day-to-day activities, including:• Setting meetings• Uploading and publishing blog posts• Making edits to the editorial calendar• Coordinating design work• Managing people and paperwork• Etc.

How to Blog According to CMI – Team StructureWriter & Administrative Support

Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

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• Publishing process = instructions/framework for content creation• Establishes: who does what, when they do it, and how they do it• Answer questions such as:

– What does the writing process look like?– How does the writer get the information he or she needs?– Who gets the first draft and who reviews it?– How does the review and editing process work?– What sorts of rules are in place for editing between the editorial department

and other internal stakeholders?– What happens when a completed piece is ready for publication?

How to Blog According to CMI – Guidelines & ProcessesThe Publishing Process

Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

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• Create a content lexicon for every content asset that could be created for the brand.

• With each type of content, document these aspects:– Name of the content asset– Purpose of this type of content– General length, approach– Tone– Style framework– Cases when and where it would be used

• You can also break content down by style/theme – In-depth, News, Opinion, Thought leadership, How-to

How to Blog According to CMI – Guidelines & ProcessesContent Lexicon

Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

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• Choose which style guide to follow: – AP– MLA – CMS

• Make sure to make note where you will frequently make exceptions to these rules in a custom style guide

How to Blog According to CMI – Guidelines & Processes Style Guides

Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

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Brand and editorial missionProfessional style guide usedBrand’s style guide, including

– Common terms used in the industry– Preferred spelling and punctuation (that differentiate from the standard style guide)– Preferred references of brand products and services

Documentation for all content procedures, such as:– How to create a newsletter– How to write for the blog– How to format the blog– How to create a press release– How to publish a case study– How to secure review and approval

Collection of executive biographies – short and long versionsLogo and brand guidelines and usageGeographic-specific guidelines if applicable.

How to Blog According to CMI – Guidelines & ProcessesEditorial Procedures Manual

Source: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a Brand Publisher, CMI

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That’s great and all, but how do I implement a structure like that if I’m lacking resources and/or team buy-in?

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MFG blog structure– Editorial calendar– Basecamp

MFG blog strategy– Keywords – Persona – Editorial mission statement– Quarterly theme

Incentives– Highest engagement – Hitting deadline

How does Fathom MFG Blog?Structure, Strategy, and Incentivizing

16Fathom MFG Blog StructureEditorial Calendar

17Fathom MFG Blog StructureBasecamp

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– General marketing keywords & manufacturing marketing keywords• Used organic search & AdWords Keyword Planner to compare # of results & # of

searches to find areas w/ low competition & ample opportunity • Strategy: rank for longer tail keywords w/ low competition to boost overall authority and

set us up to rank well for more competitive keywords– Personas

• 3 personas, each w/ corresponding list of topics – Product Line Manager

» Strategy & Implementation– VP of Marketing

» Reporting & How to Convey Value to C-Level – C-Level

» Staying Ahead of Trends, Company Growth through Marketing • General topics, allow for significant room for change

Fathom MFG Blog Strategy – Keywords/PersonasKeywords & Personas

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Reinterprets persona information with specific objectives around the role of your content in this personas’ life. It specifically covers:

– Who are we speaking to?• Persona’s role & responsibilities • What outcomes must this persona achieve? • Pain points associated with that persona’s industry• What roles/responsibilities & outcomes can we directly help this persona with• Tactical solutions we can provide this persona today

– Quarterly Theme• Editorial goals • What’s delivered (assets & topics) • What’s the outcome?

Fathom MFG Blog StrategyEditorial Mission Statement & Quarterly Theme

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• Offer quarterly prizes: – Highest engagement – Deadline raffle

• There are many ways to do this, but the point is recognizing that majority of people that are blogging are doing this after working hours or on top of their day-to-day client work, so we want to show appreciation.

Fathom MFG Blog Incentives

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Content: – Buzz Sumo– Curated Quotes– Content Idea Generator

Grammar: – Hemingway App – Grammarly

Images/Design:– Piktochart– Stock Photos for Free– Death to Stock Photo– Canva

How Do You Get Blogging Inspiration? Tools, tools, and more tools

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Somewhere to start: • Assign topics or give ideas • Utilize themes

Show performance: • Show performance• Give prizes• Recognize those who regularly participate

How Do You Give Blogging Inspiration?Give people somewhere to start—then reward them when they finish!

Support efforts:• Always promote organically • Experiment with paid

promotion if you have the budget

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• The truthful answer is: it depends• According to Marcus Sheridan, it depends on “Content Saturation Index”

(CSI)– CSI: The more content an industry/niche has written about it, the harder it is for

a blog to make headway and find success in that field.– Marcus Sheridan example:

• Pool blog w/ low CSI: after 18 months of blogging it was dominating all relevant search terms & new content was at the top of the first page within hours

• Sales blog w/ high CSI: took 20 months to start seeing any results & required the help of networking and promoting other blogs to get there

• The average for most companies, who intelligently blog at least 2-3 times per week, is 6-12 months.

Reporting & Results – What to Expect& When to Expect It

Source: How Long Does It Truly Take For A Business Blog To Grow Big?, The Sales Lion

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• Document your editorial calendar, processes, and strategy. Make these assets easily accessible.

• Have a laser focus on your keywords and personas. Go for quality, not quantity.

• Measure, report, repeat.

Top 3 Actionable Takeaways

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Any questions?

Thank you for listening!