http://onlinebizsmarts.com This is a 4 part class covering the 4 foundation steps to blogging. We will be answering in the 4 parts. 1. Why should I blog? 2. Who is my audience? 3. How do I optimize posts? 4. How do I promote my posts and where? +Michael Gray Is our host and presenter for this presentation.

1. Michael Gray
4-4-2014
http://OnlineBizSmarts.com
How to Blog

2. 1. Why Should I Blog?
2. Who Is My Audience?
3. How Do I Optimize My Blog Posts ?
4. How Do I Promote My Blog Posts &
Where?
Basics of Blogging

3. 1. Why Should I Blog?
2. Who Is My Audience?
3. How Do I Optimize My Blog Posts?
4. How Do I Promote My Blog Posts &
Where?
Basics of Blogging

4. Don’t build your
(marketing) house
on rented property!
Think
Conversions!

5. Why Should I Blog?

7. Why Does Blogging Benefit Your
Business??
 Builds Traffic
 Search engine traffic(SEO)
 More site visitors
 More conversions
 Increases Credibility
 Builds pre-sell trust
 Establishes you as an expert
 Voice and Authority
 Humanizes Your Company
 Generate Leads
 Customer Service

8. 1. Why Should I Blog?
2. Who Is My Audience?
3. How Do I Optimize My Blog Posts?
4. How Do I Promote My Blog Posts &
Where?
Basics of Blogging

9. Who is the WHO
Identify Your Target Audience
 who is your target audience?
 break your target down into 3
or 4 segments.
 where do they spend their
time online?
 http://leanstack.com/
What are their...
• interests?
• goals?
• problems?
• pain points?
• hot buttons?

10. Who is the WHO 2
• Who (age, location, gender, education, job title)
• Environment (when and where are they using your site? What
device are they using?)
• Tasks (what are they trying to complete/learn)
• Motivation (what is their broader desired outcome?)
• Goals, Problems, Pain Points?
• Avatar or nickname & representative photo
Source: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/user-personas-for-seo/
Drilling Down

11. 1. Why Should I Blog?
2. Who Is My Audience?
3. How Do I Optimize My Blog Posts?
4. How Do I Promote My Blog Posts &
Where?
Basics of Blogging

12. Start with the Topic/Title
but…Before you pick a
topic… Listen!
Social Media
Conversations
Surveys
Questions
Clients’ FAQs
Clients’ Emails
Common Problems

13. Pick Inviting Topics That Make
People Want To Click And Read
Answer the questions your
customers are asking.

14. Tools For Topics

15. Google Trends
http://www.google.com/trends/

16. Why is a headline important?
“The anatomy of post”
 People judge a [post] by it’s [headline]
 Catchy… [ if not, they may not click! ]
 High SEO value
 Include your keyword phrases
Perfect
Timeless
Shareable

17. Write Headlines that SHINE
Specificity / Helpfulness / Immediacy / Newsworthiness / Entertainment Value
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/how-to-write-headlines
A Scientific Approach to Writing Page Title
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2012/03/06/a-scientific-approach-to-
writing-page-titles
52 Headline Hacks!
http://headlinehacks.com (by Jon Morrow)
3 Tools to Help You Write
Amazing Headlines

18. How to Achieve Your
Blogging Strategy
 Conclude with a call to action:
 ask an engaging question
 ask them to comment, share, connect
 Ask for an opt in
 Ask for a purchase
 Include email subscription box after the post
 Make it easy for them to take the action you want them
to

19. make it easy to share

20. make it easy to subscribe

21. The SEO – Search Engine Optimization
Definition –
optimizing your site and content to
match the phrase someone would type
into a Google search box.

23. The Simple Guide to SEO
SEO techniques are important, but…
write for people and for search engines
 write great post titles and include your keywords/keyphrase
 provide quality content with related keywords/keyphrases
 include relevant and helpful links
when you do that… people will link back,
share on social media, etc.

24. Blog Posting Template for
Generating Website SEO
http://onlinebizsmarts.com/postseotemplate

25. Yoast for WordPress SEO
 http://yoast.com/wordpress/
 Optimize your website for search
 Optimize each blog posts for search

27. 1. Why Should I Blog?
2. Who Is My Audience?
3. How Do I Optimize My Blog Posts?
4. How Do I Promote My Blog Posts &
Where?
Basics of Blogging

28. Social Publishing or Curation
 Publish where your target audience spends
time
 Publish when your TA is online
 Publish for search

29. Publish where your target
audience spends time.
Publish when your TA is
online.
Automate
Publish for search by
answering client questions.
Social Publishing or Curation

30. Recap
 Write for people & Google
 Optimize the SEO but don’t overdo it.
 Make it memorable
 Make it easy to share
 Close with a call to action
 Make it easy to subscribe via email
Double Bonus – Now that you have people on your
website, what do you want them to do? Think
Conversion!

31. Michael Gray
www.OnlineBizSmarts.com