the official state of the financial blogosphere - gregory go and ashley jacobs
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STATE OF THEFINANCIAL
BLOGOSPHERE2012
Greg Go & Ashley JacobsWise Bread
FINCON12 – Denver, CO
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
ABOUT US
GREG GOChief Technologist
ASHLEY JACOBSCommunity & Social Media Maven
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
WISE1000 RANKINGS
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
WISE1000 NEWSLETTER
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
AGENDA
BloggersReadersTopicsSocial MediaBest PracticesCommunity
5ACTIONABLETAKEAWAYS
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
DON’T TAKE NOTES
SLIDES
WISEBREAD.COM/FINCON12
VIDEO
VIRTUAL FINCON12
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
WHAT IS A“FINANCIAL”
BLOGGER?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
WHAT IS A BLOG?
noun
A Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
WHAT IS A BLOG?
noun
A Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
EVERYONE HAS A BLOG
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
COMPANY BLOGS
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
VLOGGER
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TAKEAWAY #1
YOUR BRANDNOT YOUR WEBSITE
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
FINANCIAL BLOGSBY THE NUMBERS
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
LINKING DOMAINS
ALL BLOGS
Median: 593Average: 2,410Highest: 139,210Lowest: 1
TOP 100Median: 7,572Average: 10,530Highest: 139,210
Lowest: 705
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
LINKING DOMAINS
ALL BLOGS
Median: 593Average: 2,410Highest: 139,210Lowest: 1
TOP 100Median: 7,572Average: 10,530Highest: 139,210
Lowest: 705
Better than half the sphere. As good as a Top 100 blog.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
ALEXA
ALL BLOGS
Median: 795,531Average: 3,277,673Highest: 11Lowest: 25,665,064
TOP 100Median: 90,411Average: 106,885Highest: 11
Lowest: 770,920
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
PAGE VIEWS PER MONTHALL BLOGS
Median: 2,601Average: 28,413Highest: 1,891,584Lowest: 39
TOP 100Median: 37,158Average: 120,844Highest: 1,891,584
Lowest: 1,405
FROM COMPETE. ABOUT 3X LOWER VERSUS DIRECTLY MEASURED.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
RSS SUBSCRIBERS
ALL BLOGS
Median: 639Average: 3,374Highest: 114,284Lowest: 1
TOP 100Median: 5,151Average: 11,701Highest: 114,284
Lowest: 42
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
FACEBOOK PAGE LIKES
ALL BLOGS
Median: 260Average: 6,778Highest: 862,662Lowest: 1
TOP 100Median: 3,939Average: 24,873Highest: 862,662
Lowest: 47
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TWITTER FOLLOWERS
ALL BLOGS
Median: 925Average: 2,810Highest: 123,970Lowest: 1
TOP 100Median: 5,403Average: 10,343Highest: 123,970
Lowest: 517
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
KLOUT SCORE
ALL BLOGS
Median: 40Average: 36Highest: 79Lowest: 1
TOP 100Median: 53Average: 54Highest: 79
Lowest: 32
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
WHAT READERS WANT
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
UNEMPLOYMENT
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
LOSS OF MID-WAGE JOBS
LOW-WAGE JOBS
HIGH-WAGE
MID-WAGE
SOURCE: THE ATLANTIC
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“FINANCIAL” TOPICS
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TOPICS BY FINANCIAL BLOG0 100 200 300 400
Financial AdviceFrugalityInvestingPersonal JourneyDebtConsumerFamily FinanceDeals & CouponsCredit CardsNewsCareer / JobRetirementSimple LivingCollegeBankingFaith & FinancesWomen & FinancesSmall BusinessTaxesFoodReal EstateInsuranceGreen / EnvironmentTravelFashion
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
EXPECTED TOPICS0 100 200 300 400
Financial Advice
Frugality
Investing
Personal Journey
Debt
Consumer
Family Finance
Deals & Coupons
Credit Cards
News
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TOPICS WITH OPPORTUNITY0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Faith & Finances
Women & Finances
Small Business
Taxes
Food
Real Estate
Insurance
Green
Travel
Fashion
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TAKEAWAY #2
YOU CAN WRITEABOUT ANYTHING
Finances touch every part ofour readers’ lives.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
BROWSER SHARE
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Internet Explorer
Chrome
Firefox
Safari
Opera
Other
8/2011 – 8/2012STATCOUNTER.COM
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
CHROME IS TOP BROWSER
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3
Internet Explorer
Chrome
Firefox8/2011 – 8/2012STATCOUNTER.COM
Chrome overtakes IE astop browser in May 2012.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
SMARTPHONE USAGE %
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Feb-11 Oct-11 Jan-12
SOURCE: GOOGLE INSIGHTS
Over HALF thepopulation will be using smartphones by end of the year.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TABLET USAGE %
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
Feb-11 Oct-11 Jan-12
SOURCE: GOOGLE INSIGHTS
1 in every 7 usersuse a tablet tobrowse Internet.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
MOBILE vs PC VISITORS
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
2009 2010 2011 2012
Mobile
Vis
itor %
SOURCE: STATCOUNTER
Mobile website visitors aredoubling every year.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TAKEAWAY #3
THE SMALL SCREENIS BACK IN FORCE
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
SOCIAL NETWORKING
98%of American online users
have used a social network
20%of online time
spent on social networks
75%of social networkers
are on FacebookSOURCE: COMSCORE
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
What are the Social Media Options for Bloggers?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Well-Known Outlets
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STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Non-Traditional Outlet
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Most Popular
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Stats: Based on the Wise1000
• 79% of blogs use Twitter– Average Number of Followers: 2,810– Average Number Following: 1,360
• 53% have a Facebook– Average Likes: 6,778
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Usage Followers
Facebook is Underused
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Twitter: Stats and Patterns of the Top 50
Twitter Titans
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Top 50 Twitter Titans Breakdown
29 arePF Blogs
21 areDeals &CouponsBlogs
• Top 5 are Deals & Coupons Blogs
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
What are the Top Twitter Deals & Coupons Bloggers
Doing?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Two Strategies:
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
What are the Top Twitter Personal Finance Bloggers
Doing?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
1. Share articles.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
1. Share articles.
2. Interact with followers.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
1. Share articles.
2. Interact with followers.
3. Get personal.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Unexpected Findings for the Top 50 Twitter Titans
• 6 haven’t tweeted in the last 2 months.
• Pretty even split between tweeting a lot and tweeting a little.
• Only 11 employ a follow back strategy.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
THE OATMEAL
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Facebook: Stats and Patterns of the Top 50
Facebook Titans
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Top 50 Facebook Titans Breakdown
• The Top 19 Facebook Titans are Deals & Coupons Blogs
14 ArePF Blogs
36 AreDeals &CouponsBlogs
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
What are Deals & Coupons Bloggers Doing
Differently?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Making it Personal
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
What Strategies are Both PF Bloggers and Deals &
Coupons Bloggers Using?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Sharing Content
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Interacting with Followers
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Added Sharing
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
What Other Strategies are the Top PF Bloggers Using
on Facebook?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
A New Level of Asking Questions
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Giveaways
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Overall Social Media Strategies from the Heavy
Hitters: Wise1000 Top Bloggers on What TO Do
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“Hold occasional gift card giveaways - the reader can qualify to win by liking and answering a question about personal
finance.” -Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“The more you get personal and have FUN on Twitter and other social media channels,
the more you’ll ‘connect’ with people.”-J. Money, Budgets Are Sexy
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“My only real strategy is to personally and manually post updates.” -Jeremy
Vohwinkle, Generation X Finance
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
"We work to reach out and support other key influencers in the savings and financial blogosphere.” -Teresa
Mullins, Get Rich Slowly
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“Asking open ended questions has been the single best way to get people to
chime in on Facebook and Twitter.” -David Weliver, Money Under 30
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“Hosting events like a weekly Tweetchat
is a great way to engage followers
and get a discussion going!” -Will Chen, Wise
Bread
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Wise1000 Top Bloggers on What NOT To Do
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“The worst strategy for me was having my twitter feed duplicated on my facebook status updates since I only used my personal facebook account as a personal tool.” -David Ning, MoneyNing
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“We initially failed to realize the importance of Facebook in the marketing of our small
business.” -Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TAKEAWAY #4
Create and Use Your Facebook Page
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Don’t Be Boring
GEEK AND POKE
“Anyone I've seen who just promotes the $hit out of their stuff fails miserably or gets bored and eventually stops.” -J. Money, Budgets Are Sexy
“Don't ask about taxes. Too boring.” -David Weliver, Money Under 30
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
What about Emails/Newsletters?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“I have an email newsletter that ends up being one of the more ‘social’ outlets on my site. It’s practically the most social thing I do for
MoneyNing!” -David Ning, MoneyNing
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
Others Agree!
• “My email list is still my best way of communicating with my readers.” -David Weliver, Money Under 30
• “I follow a few people that send out really good weekly email newsletters.” -Ben Edwards, Money Smart Life
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
So What’s the Bottom Line?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
“You have to really interact and talk with people to get the best out of these sites - at the end of the day we're all people!!”
-J. Money, Budgets Are Sexy
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
TAKEAWAY #5
ENGAGEMENT IS KEY
Email is your secret weapon.
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
THIS YEAR,OUR COMMUNITY...
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
...HAD BABIES
WISE BREAD
GOOD FINANCIALCENTS
SQUAWKFOX
BUDGETS ARE SEXY
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
...BOUGHT OR BUILT HOMES
BUDGETING IN THE FUN STUFF
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
...MADE FEATURE MOVIES
ADAM BAKERMAN VS DEBT
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
...PUBLISHED BOOKS
TODD TRESIDDERFINANCIAL MENTOR
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
...CONSULTED THE PRESIDENT
DAVID NING
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
...QUIT OUR DAY JOBS
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
...CONNECTED IN PERSONTHANKS TO FINCON LOCAL MEETUPSAROUND THE COUNTRY
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
QUESTIONS?
STATE OF FINANCIAL BLOGOSPHERE – FINCON12
THANK YOU!
WISEBREAD.COM/FINCON12