Building online communities, tips for blogging and social media.

1. Amanda Lewan
Writer & Storyteller
Amanda@michipreneur.com
www.michipreneur.com
www.amandalewan.com

2. Our Community
Michigan Startups & Creatives
• An online community unites us. It serves as a way to connect and
inform others with similar interests. As a storyteller, I believe in
creating art and work that unites others.
Niche online publication
Publishing news, startup
stories, interviews, and
resources
85 Michigan based businesses
• Michipreneur Team
• Amanda Lewan, Editor & Community Manager
• Marc Hudson, Web Developer
• Noelle Sciarini, Contributor
• Lauren Ebalt, Contributor
• Kyle Pollock, Contributor
109 Resources
Live coverage of tech and startup
events
Tech, Retail, and Food

3. A quick history on this digital publishing thing.

4. 1448 – Print Press Invented
1792 – Ben Franklin, Pennsylvania Gazette
1846 – Associated Press Founded
1833- 1900 – Journalism becomes “big
business”
1900-1974 – Weekly magazines, broadcast
1965- 1995 – Conglomeration of news
1999- Blogger.com launched, online
journaling
2004 – Facebook is founded
2006 – Twitter and micro blogging movement
2006- Buzzfeed founded
2014 – Where are we now? Content
Marketing (aka Digital Marketing) Media
All businesses and individuals are now media.
Alexa Rating
top news sites by traffic.
Technorati
most popular blog list.

5. Digital Media Trends
 Lists (Listicles)
Businesses
 Click bate – Upworthy Titles
•
Amex Open Forum Blog
 “Buzzworthy” – Detroit $500 house story
•
Shinola Blog + Storytelling
 Shorter and shorter content
•
General Electric – 6 Second
Science Vines
•
Ford Social
•
Chalkfly Blog
 Syndication sites/Roundups
 Visual content
 Instagram
 Pinterest
 Rise of content marketing for businesses/individuals
 Blogs as community watchdogs, leads for national news
Individuals
stories, connections to the local
 PR as social media too
 Hybrid traditional + digital pieces
•
Danielle Laporte
•
Justin Musk
 NYT’s Snow Fall

6. Content guidance for getting started, and growing.

7. Values To Grow By
1.
2.
Authenticity -- Is there a human connection?
Personality – Do I want to pay attention?
1.
Audience
2.
Content Focus
3.
Channels
3.
Reliability – Are you trustworthy and consistent?
4.
Awareness – Are you listening?
4.
Management
5.
Respect – Are you responding?
5.
Reporting
 Community: Who are you trying to serve? What’s your
larger story? What are they looking for online? What
problems do you solve? How do you connect them with?
 My larger story: grounded in place: growing Michigan’s
creative community, uniting others in Detroit
Content Guidelines – create and
identify the voice for your
brand.

8. Blogging Basics – Types of Posts
Brainstorm
 Lists
Subscribe to industry blogs/news
 Storytelling
Create writing habit –
weekly, daily, morning, night
 Tips & advice
Make it fun
 Case studies & examples
Set deadlines
 Interviews
Think about timely, newsworthy
links, or connections across
industries
 Roundups (news/resources)
 Guest posts
 Video/visuals
 In depth industry stories
Write low energy posts when
busy – longer/more in-depth
when free
Take feedback kindly from
editors, give clear, kind feedback
to your writers
Think about seasonal stories

9. Social Media
 Voice of your business online
 Social media is a part of your
overall marketing strategy
 Always be responsive, consistent
 Use visuals
 Encourage sharing, thank others
 Get creative: monthly Tweet
Chat, rewards, contests, user
created content
Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, Social
Sprout, Recite, Tweet reach,
Facebook’s Business marketing
Twitter lists
Wordpress
Read up on marketing: Hubspot
Blog, Content Marketing
Institute, Social Media
Examiner, Mashable, Copyblogger
, Post Advertising Blog
•
33 Resources for your Startup
(Michipreneur)
New favorite resource: free
infographic templates

10. Echoing in a chamber of Tweets.

11. Strategies for Growing
Established similar audience
 Establish strategic content partners
Regularly share, support online
 Guest post for yourself/biz
In person & online relationships
 Measure content and all posts, increase what you see
Help others first
working
 “lean startup approach”
 Grow email subscribers & social following
 eBook content or free content to download
 Reward social sharing, check ins, etc
 Create really, really great content that includes
storytelling. People remember stories that emotionally
move them.

12. Standing Out
 Use storytelling strategies for your brand/business
 Theme, emotion, scene
 Craft Sharable Stories
 Best tweet examples
“At the core of a person’s life
is a narrative. This is why, if
you’re trying to convey a
message, simple, relatable
storytelling will enable your
audience to see themselves
through the eyes of the
people you are trying to help.
This is the beginning of
empathy. The story is the glue
that bind together the human
experience; it’s the device
through with both
understanding and a desire to
help emerge.”
– Randi Zuckerburg

13. From a Community Builder’s Journey
 Have a mentor in your life
 Be creative – try new things, enjoy
 Don’t do it all on your own – talk about your ideas, get
emotional support, get feedback
 Don’t be afraid to get out in person too
 Always thing of ways to serve your community
 Don’t give up until your ready