Building an Online Content Hub to 
Position Your Brand’s Expertise

1. nick westergaard | branddrivendigital.com | 2015
social spotlight
BRAND DRIVEN digital
Blogging 101
Building an Online Content Hub to
Position Your Brand’s Expertise

2. Your Brand’s Online Hub
Photo via Flickr user Velo Steve

4. Blogging: Social Spotlight
‣ By the Numbers
‣ How Brands Use Blogs
‣ 5 Cs to Building Your Blog
‣ Things to Remember

5. 1
Blogging by
the Numbers

6. 156 millionpublic blogs in existence
Source: Dream Systems Media

7. 23% of timeonline is spent with blogs
— twice as much as gaming
Source: Dream Systems Media

8. 31% morebloggers today than their were three years ago
Source: eMarketer

9. 60%of businesses have a business or company blog

10. 61%of u.s. online consumers have made a purchase
based on recommendations from a blog
Source: BlogHer

11. 81%of u.s. online consumers trust information and
advice from blogs
Source: BlogHer

12. 82%of marketers who blog daily acquired a customer
using their blog, as opposed to 57% of marketers
who blog monthly — which, by itself, is still an
impressive result.
Source: Hubspot

13. B2B Blogsb2b companies with blogs generate 67% more leads
per month than non-blogging firms
Source: Social B2B

14. 13xMarketers who have prioritized blogging are 13x
more likely to enjoy positive roi
Source: Hubspot

15. Blogs Create Real Customers

16. Marketers See the Value

17. Blog Importance Is Increasing

18. Top Area of Investment

19. 35 v. 6535% actively update their blog at least once a
month where as 65% haven’t updated their blog in a
year or more!

20. Weekly
is the most popular blog posting frequency
Source: Marketing Charts

21. 2
How Brands
Use Blogs

22. Types of Bloggers
‣ Hobbyist
‣ Professional/Part-Time/Full-Time
‣ Corporate
‣ Entrepreneurs
Source: Technorati

23. Who Are Business Bloggers?

24. Blogging Benefits for Businesses
‣ SEO — Google loves new content
‣ Positioning — Your Brand as a thought leader
‣ Customer Focus — Place for engaging, providing
feedback, & creating evangelists
‣ Market Research — Inform product development
‣ Sales — Platform for info relevant to the sales process
‣ Public Relations — Trusted resource by news media
‣ BONUS! Puts Faces with Your Business

25. Positioning: Manpower

26. Customer Focus: Southwest Airlines

27. Customer Focus: Citrix

28. Market Research: Starbucks

29. Sales Process (B2C): Disney Parks

30. Sales Process (B2B): Caterpillar

31. PR/Branding: GE

32. BONUS! Sweet Leaf Tea

33. 3
The Five Cs to
Building Your Blog

34. The Five Cs of Building Your Blog
‣ Content
‣ Consistency
‣ Construction
‣ Composition
‣ Connection

35. CONTENT:
Determine Focus
Photo via Flickr user Otto Phokus

36. CONTENT:
Define Your Audience
Photo via Flickr user DeaPeaJay

37. CONTENT:
Tone & Style
Photo via Flickr user nerrisa’s ring

38. CONTENT:
Flexible vs. Focused
Photo via Flickr user highlimitzz

39. Photo via Flickr user cliff1066
CONTENT:
Curation Counts

40. CONTENT:
Features
Photo via Flickr user Rameshng

41. CONTENT:
Guest Posts
Photo via Flickr user ScottieT812

42. Photo via Flickr user DafneCholet
CONSISTENCY:
How Often?

43. Photo via Flickr user Artnow314
CONSISTENCY:
When to Post?

44. Photo via Flickr user jmrodri
CONSTRUCTION:
Foundation = Platform

45. Blogging Platforms
‣ Wordpress — .com & .org
‣ Blogger
‣ TypePad
‣ Tumblr
‣ Posterous

46. Photo via Flickr user Concrete Forms
CONSTRUCTION:
Trimming Interior

47. Clean Sidebar

48. Categories & Tags

49. Widgets That Engage

50. Pages That Build the Brand

51. Photo via Flickr user Dorron
COMPOSITION:
Identity

52. Logo & Consistent Avatar

53. Photo via Flickr user alan_cleaver 2000
COMPOSITION:
Colors

54. Photo via Flickr user DaveFayram
COMPOSITION:
Fonts

55. Photo via Flickr user eshipul
COMPOSITION:
Look for New Ideas

56. Photo via Flickr user C!
CONNECTION:
Easy Share & Connect
Buttons

57. 4
Things to Remember

58. Top Highest Earning Blogs
‣ Huffington Post ($2.3 Million)
‣ Mashable ($560K)
‣ Perez Hilton ($450K)
‣ TechCrunch ($400K)
‣ Smashing Magazine ($190K)
‣ Timothy Sykes ($150K)
‣ Gothamist ($110K)
‣ Tuts Plus ($110K)
‣ Car Advise ($70K)
‣ Venture Beat ($62K)

59. Responsive Design
Photo via Flickr user UXmash

60. Participate in #Blogchat
SUNDAYS AT 8 PM CENTRAL ON TWITTER
Photo via Flickr user cogdogblog

61. Things to Remember
‣ Web Analytics (Google)
‣ Time & Resources
‣ Communicate Value Internally
‣ Blog = Your Brand’s Digital Hub
‣ Think Like a Publisher
‣ “Just Push Publish!”

62. Get Started
Photo via Flickr user Tyler Merbler

63. Which Blogs Do You Read?

64. nick westergaard | branddrivendigital.com | 2015
BRAND DRIVEN digital
Questions?
blog: branddrivendigital.com
podcast: onbrandpodcast.com
twitter: @nickwestergaard