blogging for business: measuring success when your goal isn't sales

BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS: MEASURING SUCCESS WHEN YOUR GOAL ISN’T SALES

With Verizon Wireless & Identity

http://www.lendingmemo.com/

WHAT’S THE ROI OF BLOGGING?

MEASUREMENT IS CRUCIAL, BUT EVERY ONLINE MARKETING EFFORT WON’T RESULT IN DIRECT SALES.

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BUT IT’S OK!http://www.flickr.com/photos/13951072@N00/9072463612/

THE FACE YOUR BOSS MAY GIVE YOU AFTER MAKING THAT STATEMENT…

THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER WAYS TO PROVE SUCCESS THROUGH BLOGGING, BUT YOU MUST DO THIS FIRST:

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OUTLINE YOUR:• Goals

• Objectives

• Strategy

• Tactics

• Plan to track and report onresults/success

CASE STUDY: VERIZON WIRELESS MIDWEST AREA BLOG & CONTENT STRATEGYhttp://vzwmidwestarea.com

2011: TUMBLR

INITIAL MWA BLOG GOALS:• Support corporate messaging.

• Create a central MWA news hub.

• Amplify top MWA media and blog stories.

• Incorporate multimedia into PR strategy.

• Continue building strong relationships with media and bloggers.

• Grow monthly social shares and reblogs on Tumblr.

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CHALLENGES:• Verizon MWA team support.• Tumblr limitations.• Content limitations – could only

share partial blog post/news article.

• Need to go beyond vanity metrics (reblogs, social shares).

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SUCCESSES:• Media Tumblr pages

liking/sharing our content.• Bloggers asking to have their

stories syndicated on our blog.• PR team on board with strategy

and frequently providing content to highlight.

THE FUTURE - 2012 AND BEYOND…

CURRENT MWA BLOG GOALS:• Feature weekly technology/wireless stories (both related and

unrelated to Verizon), MWA community events, product experiences and personal stories highlighting innovative uses of mobile technology from Midwest media/bloggers/customers. No more highlighting media/blog stories. All original content.

• Feature guest stories monthly to build new and strengthen existing relationships.

• Drive traffic from MWA blog to Verizon owned sites (main site, 4G LTE site, HopeLine site, etc.), as well as Google Play and iTunes.

• Garner majority of website traffic from visitors within the 15 states that comprise the MWA.

• Position Twitter as main traffic referral source.

• Increase pageviews year-over-year.

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ELEVATED INITIAL STRATEGY BY:• Creating #vzwmidwest hashtag to brand and track

content.

• Adding SEO elements to content and CMS backend.

• Providing suggested tweets of blog content to PR team.

• Partnering with other PR agencies to recommend story ideas, guest contributors and coordinate content.

• Redesigned blog – more emphasis on images.

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ELEVATED INITIAL STRATEGY BY:• Including more links to Verizon sites and previous

content.

• Creating a Verizon MWA Blog Contributor badge for guest bloggers to post on their site (links back to MWA blog).

• Creating robust editorial calendar. Send every Monday morning with weekly posting schedule.

• Providing monthly blog report with key metrics and month-over-month comparisons.

• Thinking more like storytellers than traditional PR practitioners.

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HOW WE MEASURE SUCCESS

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LEVEL ONE SUCCESSES:• Pageviews (63% increase from 2012 to 2013, up

68% from this time last year).• Social shares:

• Twitter, Facebook & Facebook Mobile consistently top 3 referring sites. Twitter was #1 referral source 9/12 months in 2013.

• #vzwmidwest hashtag shared 3,934 times in 2013.

• In 2013, more than 75% of monthly content was original stories.

• In 2013, featured at least one guest contributor each month.

• Existing relationships strengthened and new relationships formed.

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LEVEL TWO SUCCESSES:• In 2013, 27% of clicks on outbound links

took visitors to relevant Verizon sites.• More than 50% of visitors each month in

2013 came from 15 states within the MWA.• All content is now original, with multiple

contributions per month from guest bloggers.

• Verizon HQ digital team utilized MWA content strategy as a roadmap to build its own.

• Blog contributors converted to new customers.

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SO YA WANNA

BE A BLOGGING ROCKSTAR

?

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BLOGGING TIPS:• Define your goals and strategy. Refine as needed.• Once strategy is outlined – STICK TO IT! It’s OK to say

no when content isn’t up to par with standards.• Create style and guest post guidelines.• Work collaboratively, but have one editorial director

or team.• Create and update editorial calendar.• Partner with those who already have established

communities to build your online presence.• Pay attention to the data and rework content as

needed. Get comfy with Google Analytics.• Over-communicate successes; highlight wins.• Reward your readers.• Include blog URL in press releases, marketing

materials, email, etc.

QUESTIONS & DISCUSSION

THANK YOU!Paul Ulreich – PR Manager, Verizon Wireless in Michigan, Indiana & Kentucky | @VZWpaulu

Nikki Little – Social Media Manager, Identity | @nikki_little