how blogging can transform your marketing
DESCRIPTION
A presentation on why and how to create amazing business blogs that generate ROI for your business. Explains how to use blogs for SEO, how to leverage social media channels to spread them and how to fill them with remarkable content.TRANSCRIPT
How Blogging Can Transform Your Marketing
Rick Burnes
Twitter: @rickburnes
Community Manager, HubSpot
October 14, 2010
Oklahoma City American Marketing Association
Agenda
I. About Inbound Marketing
II. Why Blog?
III. Six Keys to a Successful Blog1. Pick Your Target Personas
2. Create a Mix of Posts
3. Write Great Posts
4. Sustain It
5. Spread It
6. Convert It
IV. How to Measure Your Blog
Traditional Marketing (Outbound)
Marketing Today (Inbound)
Declining Traffic for Trade Publications
But We’re Now a Trade Publication
Best Young Companies? Inbound.
7
1950 - 2000 2000 - 2050
Flickr: Refracted Moments Flickr: Gaetoan Lee
Marketing With Budget? Or Brain?
www.HubSpot.com/ROIMore:
Why Inbound Is Cheaper
11
What Is Inbound Marketing?
Leads
Get Found• Publish• Promote• Optimize
Process ToolsGet Found• Content Mgmt• Blogging• Social Media• SEO• Analytics
Convert• Test• Target• Nurture
Website Visitors
Customers
Convert
• Offers / CTAs• Landing Pages• Email• Lead Intelligence• Lead Mgmt• Analytics
Agenda
I. About Inbound Marketing
II. Why Blog?
III. Six Keys to a Successful Blog1. Pick Your Target Personas
2. Create a Mix of Posts
3. Write Great Posts
4. Sustain It
5. Spread It
6. Convert It
IV. How to Measure Your Blog
13
Blogging doesn’t make sense for my industry.
Lazy Excuse!
14
Blogging About Soldering Materials
15
And Fencing Supplies
16
And Golf
17
And Pools
18
OK, but what’s the business impact?
19
1,941 Leads – in the Last Month
20
Where did all those people come from?
A Nice-Looking Restaurant Site
Another Nice-Looking Restaurant Site
What’s the difference?
Blog = Better SEO, More Traffic
Website Grade
Google Indexed Pages
Monthly Unique Visitors
www.craigieonmain.com 56 99 6,000
www.greenstreetgrill.com 25 8 2,200
Data from website.grader.com and compete.com
How Many Tickets Do You Have?
25
Blogging Means More Inbound Links
26
More Indexed Pages
27
More Visitors
28
It’s simple: If you want to rank in search engines,
you have to blog.
29
And Blogging Does More Than SEO
One blog, multiple functions:• Search Engine Optimization• Social Media Optimization• Lead Generation• Education• Thought Leadership• Nurturing• PR• Brand Building• Recruiting• Internal Communication
Agenda
I. About HubSpot & Inbound Marketing
II. Why Blog?
III. Five Keys to a Successful Blog1. Pick Your Target Personas
2. Create a Mix of Posts
3. Write Great Posts
4. Sustain It
5. Spread It
6. Convert It
IV. How to Measure Your Blog
Key #1: Identify Target Personas
Kadient photo by David Meerman Scott
Every time you publish an article, ask:
“Will this attract my target personas?”
Content Attracts the Right People
Neil Diamond
Flick Photo: Marciela
What Keywords Will Attract Your Personas?
• Fill posts with them• Build an archive of content full of them
How We Pick Keywords: Keyword Grader
A Word of Caution
• DO NOT focus on the things you sell your target personas• DO write about the things they want to learn about
Key #2 Create a Mix of Posts
Jek-a-go-go on flickr
Media Companies Thrive on Their Mix
News
Feature
Video
Photos
Opinion
Many Types of Posts Get Traffic
PostInboundLinks
"Baby Got Leads" New Inbound Marketing Music Video 715
Study Shows Small Businesses That Blog Get 55% More Website Visitors 338
Retweeting in Real Life [Cartoon] 97
Is PR Dead? 64
10 Ways a Start-Up Can Use Social Media to Market Itself 58
Raisin Bran – Basic, Everyday Posts
• How-to posts• Rich in keywords• Get good at whipping
them out• Make sure they’re
useful
Greeneyesmilw on flickr
Spinach – Healthy, Thoughtful Posts
• Should establish your site a thought leader in the industry
• Put time into them• Don’t do too many
ulteriorepicture on flickr
Roasts – Big Blog Projects
• Lots of work• Lots of links, discussion
and attention• Pick them well
Chocolate Cake – The Sweet Stuff
• These posts make your blog fun
• A chance to poke fun at yourself
• Lots of traffic/links • Often video, images
Scubadive on flickr
Tabasco – Posts That Start Fires
• Make a bold statement• Be prepared to defend
yourself• Lots of comments and
links• Too many of these post
could lose trust
ANOXLOU on flickr
Key #3 Write Great Posts
Olivander on flickr
No Need to Be Hemingway
Just follow a few simple rules.Photo: Wikipedia
Get Into the Content Mindset
• Make emails into blog posts• Turn forum posts into blog
posts• Shoot videos at events• Interview customers for your
blog• Repurpose company data for
public reports• Share lessons you learn
Flick Photo: Cindiann
Tips for Post Structure
• Use Headings• 500-800 words (or
shorter!)• Lists are OK (just not too
many)• 1 idea per post
Always Add a Photo
• Flickr• iStockphoto• Shoot your own
How to Search for a Flickr Photo
Go to Advanced Search
Then search for CC licensed photos
Write Great Headlines
Top Six Tips for Great Headlines
1. Write the headline before the article
2. Imagine the reader won’t see the article
3. Surprise people
4. No spelling errors!
5. Use your keywords
6. Ask a question (that’s how people search!)
Key #4: Sustain It
Michalo on flickr
Pick a Publishing Schedule
• Once a week? Every Monday and Wednesday?
• Stick to it• The goal is to build up a body of
keyword-rich content (create an asset)
Different Ways of Doing Posts
• Email interviews• Video interviews (conferences, office visitors, clients)• Guest posts from people with similar blogs• “Best of” lists• “How we do it” posts
Should I Hire People?
It depends.
Pros:• You don’t have to do the work• You hire a “professional writer”
Cons:• Nobody knows your business like you do• You don’t build your personal reputation• You don’t participate in the conversation
Key #5: Spread It
Felipearte on flickr
Think of Blogging Like a Job Search
59
Network for a Blog as You Would for a Job
Take Comments Seriously
Use these links• Make sure you comment back• Find out who the people are
• Follow their links• Subscribe to their blog, follow them on Twitter
Put Your Blog on Bigger Bloggers’ Radar
• Write posts that link to and/or respond to their posts• Mention their names; most people do Google or
Technorati searches for their name, so they’ll see your post
• Reach out to them on social media
62
Build Your Networks, Distribute Your Posts
Where Do You Link to Your Blog?
• Your homepage• Press releases• Business cards• Email signatures
Key #6: Convert It
65
How Does HubSpot Convert Visitors?
66
Quality Content Behind Forms
67
TEST! TEST! TEST!
Agenda
I. About HubSpot & Inbound Marketing
II. Why Blog?
III. Six Keys to a Successful Blog1. Pick Your Target Keywords
2. Create a Mix of Posts
3. Write Great Posts
4. Sustain It
5. Spread It
6. Convert It
IV. How to measure your blog
Metric #1: Subscriptions
• A measure of you blog’s total reach• A “sticky” number
Metric #2: Pageviews
• Great for media sites selling display advertising• Potential problems for your business:
• Doesn’t measure RSS• Weak measure of engagement• What’s the business value of a “view”?
Metric #3: Comments
• Quantitatively, a good indicator of engagement• Qualitatively, a great way to listen to market
Metric #4: Inbound Links
• Measure the SEO impact of your blog• An indicator of your blog’s role in outside conversations
Leads
Website Visitors
Customers
Conversion Is King
Compare Blog Conversions to Other Channels
75
Final Thoughts …
76
A Blog Gives You Leverage
77
Who Knows How to Put All the Pieces Together?
d.j.k. on flickr
78
HubSpot Puts the Pieces Together
Connect with me:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rickburnes
Twitter: www.twitter.com/rickburnes
Thank You!
Sign up for a free trial of HubSpot:
www.hubspot.com/free-trial/