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This Book is Only the Beginning! Online Seminar Series Coming! ................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Remarkablogger Workbook: How to Start a Business Blog .......................................... 6 Who This Book is For..................................................................................................................... 7 What You'll Find in How to Start a Business Blog ............................................................. 7 Who is Remarkablogger? ............................................................................................................. 9 Why am I giving away all my best ideas in a free book? .............................................10 11-Step Process to Starting a Business Blog ....................................................................11 Step 1: Understand Blogging in General .............................................................................12
You Don't Know What a Blog is? You're Kidding, Right? ................................................... 12 Practical Definition of a Blog and Blogging ...................................................................... 14 How Blogs have Changed Recently .................................................................................. 15
Workbook Exercise: Understanding Blogging in General .............................................17 Step 2: Know the Benefits of Blogging for Business ......................................................19
Why You Should Have a Blog ........................................................................................... 20 Blogs are Easy ................................................................................................................ 20 Blogs are Cheap ............................................................................................................. 21 Choice of Designs........................................................................................................... 22
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Blogs are Easily Extensible .............................................................................................. 22 Wealth of Help and Resources ......................................................................................... 23 Better Search Findability ................................................................................................. 23 Blogs Encourage Interaction ............................................................................................ 24 What if You Already Have a Website? ............................................................................... 24
Exercise: The Benefits of Business Blogging .....................................................................26 Step 3: Understand Who You're Blogging For ...................................................................27
Your Ideal Customer ....................................................................................................... 27 Why Bother? ................................................................................................................... 30
Exercise: Create a Portrait of Your Ideal Customer ........................................................31 Step 4: Determine the Purpose and Goals of Your Business Blog ...........................32
Purpose .......................................................................................................................... 32 Goals ............................................................................................................................. 33
Exercise: Determine the Purpose and Goals of Your Business Blog ........................34 Step 5: Determine the Authors of your Business Blog ..................................................35
Choose the Willing.......................................................................................................... 36 Get Samples ................................................................................................................... 36
Exercise: Choosing Authors for a Business Blog .............................................................37
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Step 6: Determine the Business Blog's Policies ................................................................38 Exercise: Draft a Company Blogging Policy .......................................................................40 Step 7: Determine Blog Platform and Blog / Website Integration ...........................40
Blog Platforms ................................................................................................................ 41 What if You Already have a Website? ............................................................................... 42
Exercise: Working Through Blog/Site Platform/Integration .......................................44 Step 8: Design Considerations ................................................................................................45 Exercise: Deciding Factors for Blog Design .......................................................................48 Step 9: Choose Blog Categories and Tags ..........................................................................49
Categories ...................................................................................................................... 49 Tags ............................................................................................................................... 50 An Example of Categories and Tags ................................................................................ 51
Step 10: Write the Initial Content ...........................................................................................52
Conventional Wisdom ..................................................................................................... 52 How Much Initial Content? .............................................................................................. 53 Should You Backdate Your Initial Content? ...................................................................... 54
Exercise: Draft Initial Content Ideas .....................................................................................54 Step 11: Draft a Comment Policy............................................................................................56
..................60 If a Crisis Hits Before You Have a Blog .................................................................................66 1................................................................................................................................................ 68 5......................................................................................Page 4 of 81 To Comment or Not to Comment ........................... 57 Craft a Comment Policy .........................................................................................63 You Have a Blog............................. 56 Comments and Blogging Go Together ..........................................................................................................64 Posting Frequency ................................................. 66 2........... 61 Exercise: Draft a Crisis Management Plan ........................................................... Upcoming products or services information ...................................................................................................................................................... News and announcements .............................................................. 67 4.......... 61 Creating a Blog Crisis Management Plan................................................................... 56 Problems are Opportunities ...... 68 .......................... 65 What the Heck Do I Blog About? ......................................................................................... 57 Step 12: Develop a Crisis Management Plan ..................................................... Product or service tips and tutorials .............................................. 64 Future Publishing ........................... Customer success stories ........................................... 65 The 10 Types of Freelance/Business Blog Posts ............................. Request feedback from customers ....................................................... Now What?............................................. Congratulations................................................................... 66 3...
. What to look for in a… ....................................... Glossary ........ 70 An Introduction to Gateway Blogging ....................................................................................................... 70 10......... Related interests...... Industry news ...............................................................................................................................................................74 ................................72 Your Business Blog is a Gateway ......................... Product......................................................................................Page 5 of 81 6.................. 68 7...................................Error! Bookmark not defined...................... What to watch out for from… ...................................................................................................... service................................................ or process explanations and stories .... 70 9.... 69 8.................
I also wanted it That's why I'm calling this a workbook. Not only did I want this book to become a real tool that you could use to implement the ideas contained within it.Page 6 of 81 NOTES How to Start a Business Blog Businesses of all stripes and sizes are taking the plunge into business blogging. . Business blogs need to be treated differently than personal or sometimes referred to as pro blogs or money blogs). There are plenty of hyperlinks and proper features in the PDF margin of each page and exercises you can complete to help you plan or (such as bookmarks) that make the on-screen version easy to navigate and use. but hey: books have their advantages. compared to many others. have some real meat on the bone. remarkable. If you're interested in this book. professional blogs (where the blog itself is the revenue-earning vehicle. that means that you are blogging currently for your business or you are considering it. well. It features a notes area on the right improve your blog. There are plenty of ebooks out there that are more fluff than stuff.. That's pretty old-school. I wanted to make this book something different – something.. I know. It really works well if you print it out and scribble on it and mark it up.
• • blogs. why. easy-to-understand listing of the advantages of business for business. and how of business blogging. as well as an unflinching look at their issues and problem areas A step-by-step guide for setting up and managing a business blog. It is aimed squarely at but need to cut through all the buzzwords and marketing crap to get the straight info on the what.Page 7 of 81 NOTES Who This Book is For This book is written for the freelancer or business person who is looking into creating a blog as a marketing tool for the business. Guides for how to stay on track with a business blog and create content that takes into consideration the unique aspects of business blogs. people who know there is value to be found in having a strong web presence. . This book is also written for a freelancer or business person who already has a blog and wants to dramatically improve its performance and its ability to meet its objectives. • Thorough. What You'll Find in How to Start a Business Blog • Plain English explanations of blogging and other terms defined from a business viewpoint.
Page 8 of 81 NOTES • blog. A glossary of blogging terms • . • Exercises and questionnaires to help you think through and plan your An introduction to a better way to frame and understand the function and purpose of a business blog. called Gateway Blogging.
Remarkablogger is the I help you wade through the blizzard of options and choices when it comes to or your blog has stalled or not delivered the expected results. You can learn more about me and read my blog at http://remarkablogger. a long-time web designer.com. and help it fulfill its intended You can reach me most effectively by email at: michaelmartine@gmail. If you're new to blogging start your blog right or take it to the next level. name of my one-man consulting company. blogger. and managing a business blog. and strategist.com You can also call me at 1-802-465-4242. setting up. software trainer. .Page 9 of 81 NOTES Who is Remarkablogger? Remarkablogger is Michael Martine. I can help you purpose. planning. internet consulting and coaching for individuals and companies. I offer blog entrepreneur.
customized strategies and help for your blog. check out my . But I am giving away enough of my ideas and experience on business blogging for one simple. competence. but until you and I are talking about your needs and your blog. To see consulting services. would you be likely to hire me? I can provide all the general information I want.Page 10 of 81 NOTES Why am I giving away all my best ideas in a free book? I'm not! Not even by far. Nothing beats personalized. and insight unless you can take an extended "test drive" of my thinking? And without the trust that is established from that. How can you judge my experience. straightforward business reason: because it brings me business. more about what I can do to help you succeed with your blog. it's still just general information.
What follows after this is an step-by-step process for how to start a business .Page 11 of 81 NOTES 12-Step Process to Starting a Business Blog blog. After each step is an exercise to help you complete this step in real life. Sometimes the exercises will help you clarify your thinking. and other times the exercises involve writing or creating actual material in the set-up and launch of a business blog.
The newest post is the first one at the top. blog. chances are you already know about blogging. and may not care about blogging.Page 12 of 81 NOTES Step 1: Understand Blogging in General A business would be ill-advised to start a blog without understanding what blogging is all about. you don't know what a blog is? Relax! You're not alone. Blogging might seem strange and foreign to a more know about blogging. clicking on a post's title will take you to a page where that post in its only the most recent posts. The main feature of blogs that sets them apart from other kinds of websites is that the site's content appears mostly on one main page in the form of posts. read blogs daily. The word itself. If you're traditionally-inclined businessperson. and why you should have a blog. . with the remainder stored in accessible archives. Right? You mean in this day and age. and the next most recent post comes after the first. and so forth. Many people still don't really know what a blog is. Others simply haven't a clue. You may need to help others understand what is a blog. and have personal blogs. You Don't Know What a Blog is? You're Kidding. A post is the basic unit of content in a blog. Most blogs usually show Usually. Some people in the company might contemplating a blog for your business. is short for web log.
NOTES The listing order of blog posts meets the needs of people who want to keep up with the latest news. too. By contrast. and you can click a link if you're interested in reading the rest of the post. like a "normal" website. Your email inbox does the same thing. Two such features are categories and archives. Sometimes posts can be long. thanks to advances in the proficiency of the underlying technology. Blogs can have pages. I assign it to the Google . Can you imagine how exasperating it would be to have to scroll to the bottom of your inbox just to see the latest email you received? This is why blog posts are listed newest first. Remarkablogger I have a category called Google. at features that perplex people. this post format was something new—most Blogs have certain common features other than posts. For example.Page 13 of 81 entirety is the main content on the page. but most are only a few hundred words in length. a series of posts. like how a table of contents points to pages in a book. and it is often these Categories are a way to classify and group blog posts. blogs are very easy to update. but their primary feature is About eight or nine years ago. It was difficult and timeconsuming to make changes to a website. Whenever I write a post about something related to Google services and products. websites consisted of a series of pages linked to from a "home" page. Many home pages of blogs feature only the first few words of each post (an excerpt).
either in the left or right column. each with their own usernames and passwords. which is a happens automatically as a function of the blogging software. A team blog has multiple authors. The archiving of old posts Practical Definition of a Blog and Blogging In practical terms. more and more. Using a blog involves creating written content (and. If all that organization of material seems like a lot of work. if applicable). Writing blog posts is most often done in a web-based form log in to the admin area of your blog with a username and password. so that it can be retrieved and displayed in many different ways by your blogging software. audio and video). computer program that runs on the web server. Archives are past posts collected into groups by month. A blog is just about the easiest way going to have a website. it isn't! That's because what makes this possible is that all of a blog's content is stored in a database. There is often a list of NOTES categories on a blog page. If you click Google. (somewhat like writing an email) in the administration pages of the blog.Page 14 of 81 category (and to other categories. you will see all my posts on Google collected in one place. You can click on any category to see all the posts which are assigned to that category. Links to a blog's archives are also usually in a sidebar. You . a blog is an internet publishing platform that's relatively easy to use and manage.
The advent of a combination of technologies collectively known as AJAX has brought about video players has revolutionized how people watch video online. and for blog authors blogs different from a "regular" website. blogging is. but many of them are getting old. Blogging evolves at a rapid pace. create a list of links to left by visitors. loyal commenting visitors can form a community based around the blog. assign them to categories. This is the reality of doing business today. and respond to comments to respond to those comments. How Blogs have Changed Recently I know there are many articles online defining what a blog is. For many blogs. NOTES other bloggers you like (this is called a blogroll). Flash media in the form of embeddable advances in technology alongside flash video have brought about the rise of .Page 15 of 81 Even if you publish more than one form of media. new levels of interactivity to blogs. is one of the hallmark features that makes writing. essentially. The ability for visitors to leave comments. and if you want to stay current. The ease of use and features keeps improving with each new version of blog software such as WordPress. Other the video blog. you have to put some effort into staying caught up. You write posts.
A widget is a little window or box of content that is fetched from someplace else. such as Twitter. A tag is a descriptive word a context with other blog posts that use the same or similar tags. Many social and community-based services offer some kind of widget you can put on your blog to show your participation in that community. RSS itself has nearly always been associated with blogs. Finally. NOTES or short phrase attached to a blog post so people can find it and so that it has Podcasting. and the tools that facilitate it. or using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to send audio and video to subscribers. posts from a mobile device to a service which broadcasts the posts to people . but it's finally catching on with a mainstream audience. Microblogging is when you text short who are interested in receiving them from you. has also exploded in popularity. the most recent trend is microblogging from mobile devices.Page 16 of 81 The rise of tags has had a big impact on blogging.
Page 17 of 81 NOTES Workbook Exercise: Understanding Blogging in General Test your knowledge about blogs by answering the following questions. What is the name of an article you write on a blog? . What is the one primary defining characteristic of a blog compared to a non-blog website? 2. 1. go back into the previous pages and see if you can find the answer. If you find you don't know the answer. Write your answers in the spaces below each question.
What is the difference between a category and a tag? NOTES 4. What is a blogroll? . What are blog archives? 5.Page 18 of 81 3.
Helps you answer the question: where are my next generation of customers coming from? has previously serviced. and yet also lets you bypass directly to your audience. • Provides an additional tool alongside more traditional marketing traditional news media so that you can speak in your own voice Increases your company's presence and placement in search methods such as press releases. results. more and more businesses have blogs.Page 19 of 81 NOTES Step 2: Know the Benefits of Blogging for Business Blogging offers some compelling advantages for business. • potential customers will using to search online for products and services related to your company. • Puts a human face on an abstract entity such as a company. People who read blogs generally spend more • Provides your existing customers with a new window through which to see you–and through which you can see them. nobody else would be doing it. Here are some of the benefits: • Attracts new customers from new demographics than your company money online than people who don't. If it didn't. But every day. Blogs constantly churn out new content full of keywords your . via visitor statistics and/or comments.
Many more people are blogging now than ever before. As a platform for websites. delivering on them better than a non-blog website can. better communications with your for you in the marketplace. By this time. and better positioning and branding Blogs are Easy A major advantage blogs have over other forms of website is that they are so easy to work with! I've seen a few other Content Management Systems (CMSs) . the benefits of having a website are undeniable. better marketing all around. How? Better search engine optimization.Page 20 of 81 Provides your company with the best possible crisis communications channel available. Why You Should Have a Blog Why should you have a blog? Because everybody else does. right? Just kidding. and you want to be cool. because there are real benefits to blogging. blogs magnify those benefits tremendously. Less expensive and more effective than traditional methods of NOTES • • marketing and public relations. customers.
rinse. customize your blog. Domain names for the free hosted blog services are can be downloaded for free and then installed on your own web server using as: http://yourblogname. as are many other blogging your own domain name. cheap! How cheap? How 'bout platforms. repeat. Lather. blogs are cheap. While it's usually better to host your own blog.blogservicename. Blogs aren't that much NOTES work with than Blogger or WordPress (I know there are other blogging systems harder to work than your email once they're set up. very low. hit the publish button. If you need to hire help for your site. then it might make you feel better to know that even though self-hosted blogs are preferable. cheap. but these two are the easiest I've seen). the more complicated things can get. there are plenty of great . and nearly all of them are waaaaaaaay more complicated to out there. write your post. The more you want to nowhere near the complexity of CMSs like Joomla or Drupal.com which isn't as desirable anymore (often only a few dollars a month). Blogger and WordPress offer free hosted versions. The cost of entry is very. Write a title. like this: http://yourblogname. Joomla and Drupal are free. but blogs are Blogs are Cheap Bang for your buck. if you are on the absolute tightest of budgets. but their complexity is often beyond the skills and experience of a beginner.com Domain names and web hosting are dirt cheap. and WordPress free? Blogger and WordPress are both free.Page 21 of 81 over the years. it can get expensive.
or gadgets… whatever you want to call 'em. Custom WordPress themes can be purchased at very fair prices. The thousands of them. widgets. You need a professional image and you need control over your site. often quite easily. The contact form on my blog email when you leave a comment is also powered by a plugin. Choice of Designs There is an incredible selection of freely available WordPress themes to choose from when deciding on a blog's appearance. you can extend or add extra functionality to your blog. in that's causing you to consider blogging. There also are themes that cost money. Both Blogger and WordPress feature NOTES them prominently. is powered by a plugin. such as helping my posts and pages . There are plugins doing things that you can't see. sheer magnitude of themes available out there just numbs the mind! There are Blogs are Easily Extensible Plugins. Your ability to subscribe to follow-up comments via or the listing of recent comments in the sidebar. I'm not presuming what kind of endeavor you're engaged you should host your own blog and not use a free service. such as the bookmark/email post feature at the bottom of each post. Many blogs use plugins.Page 22 of 81 blogs that are hosted on free services. but if you're running a business.
Wealth of Help and Resources In addition to the official help documentation for WordPress or Blogger. but help is more likely to be found in diverse discussion forums rather than blogs. but the enormous selection and ease of use of plugins or widgets is another factor that makes blogs an ideal choice as a website platform. you will find that bloggers like to help each other. Sites that use other CMSs are blogger. Extensibility makes your life as a content producer easier and more fruitful. There are strong communities around these other platforms. Better Search Findability There is much about a website's design that can either help or hinder that website's search findability. Nearly all such NOTES extending functions are freely available. If you're not a programmer. and that there is a wealth of often about subjects or commercial interests that aren't as helpful to a information in hundreds of well-written blogs. The biggest . or SEO. Optimizing your website so that it ranks higher in search results is known as search engine optimization. There are free scripts for sites other than blogs. you could never hope to have functionality like this in a non-dynamic website. Web designers must also be search engine optimizers at the design level.Page 23 of 81 be more search optimized and fight spam comments.
but . But here's something to consider: why not bring the ease of blogging to your entire or WordPress (not the free hosted version of WordPress at wordpress. Readers can leave comments at the end of blog posts and pages. especially) that will NOTES help your SEO considerably. As the blog author.Page 24 of 81 factor in better SEO is better content—content that is naturally full of the same keywords that people would use to search online for related information. There are a variety of add-ons or plugins for some blog platforms (WordPress.org). forum. and there are some WordPress themes which have been carefully designed for better SEO. A blog about a single subject or niche is regularly pumping out new content that contains keywords. Blogs Encourage Interaction One of the primary features of blogs that sets them apart from other platforms is commenting. you can participate in and help foster the discussion.com. Blog comments are nowhere near as complex as a discussion they respond to each other as well as to the post content. Often What if You Already Have a Website? Do you have to scrap your existing website in order to have a blog? Certainly not! You can integrate your blog into your existing website with either Blogger the version you must install on your own server at wordpress. and that's good for search ranking.
A and edit pages in WordPress as it is to create and edit posts. It's just as easy to create WordPress themes. for example. specifically lets you create pages. If it's been a while since you last redesigned your CMS for your entire site. In most NOTES particular page can be set as the site's home page. you might want to freshen things up a bit by using WordPress as the . website. adding a new page automatically adds links to that page in the theme's navigation.Page 25 of 81 website? WordPress.
and why? . 1. What do you feel is the most compelling benefit to having a business blog? 2. Which benefit listed above are you the most skeptical about.Page 26 of 81 NOTES Exercise: The Benefits of Business Blogging Answer the questions in the spaces provided below.
It's a mistake to assume that your clients or business and a new blog. how can you know what they want or need? Your Ideal Customer You can create a portrait of your ideal customer.Page 27 of 81 NOTES Step 3: Understand Who You're Blogging For If there's one common mistake people make when they're starting a new who their market really is. such as: • • • • • • • Median age Median income Education level Political views Marital status Number of children Rent or own home . You can put together a list of details about your ideal customer. And if they're not like you. it's that they don't have a clear understanding of customers are going to be people like yourself. Your ideal customer will have certain traits that will make her or him predisposed to do business with you.
these are "nothing more" than marketing demographics and you're looking for as your customer/blog reader? The answer is not things to all to people.Page 28 of 81 Employed or self-employed (or even perhaps unemployed) Sex (majority are male or female) Computer/internet usage Operating system Monitor size/resolution Web browser Location NOTES • • • • • • • Of course. Consider the following points and questions: • In one word. technographics." The world is too big and you won't reach anybody trying to be all Let's take it a step further. It may one of the following: Achievement . but have you sat down to figure out what kind of person "everybody. name your ideal customer's strongest desire.
Page 29 of 81 Belonging Efficiency Productivity Reach Safety Savings NOTES • What does this person most fear? Being a copycat Being attacked Being ignored Being outmaneuvered Being undersold Disapproval Falling behind Losing customers Operating in the red .
Quick searches online will reveal an abundance The point is. If you hone and craft your blog's content to your ideal customer. studies. personas. anyway. and they will leave.Page 30 of 81 Rejection NOTES These represent only a starting point. You can delve quite deeply into this subject by studying things such as census data. And that's good. and the like. Note that I did not say that you need to know who you are talking to—I said you need to know who you want to talk to. Why Bother? Why should you do all of this? Because if you waste all your time and money not buy from you. Others will find the content of the blog does not appeal to anything. your business will fail. because they weren't going to buy . The wrong people will customers. you need to know who you want to talk to. them. but they won't become focusing on the wrong people. your blog will not appeal to anyone but people who match your description of the ideal customer. internet demographics of information on these subjects. They might read your blog.
Page 31 of 81 NOTES Exercise: Create a Portrait of Your Ideal Customer Using the points above as a framework. draft a short written document that is a portrait of your ideal customer. .
Or. Business blogs need to fulfill a business purpose. A business blog helps the business fulfill its greater purpose. Hammering out the purpose of a business blog is one of the most important early steps in the process of starting a business blog. but they're not personal like a diary turn it around to face the customer: a business blog should meet customer needs. A business has a purpose beyond just earning money. They are personable. If I sold products. the purpose of my Remarkablogger blog is to get me sell more products and increase customer loyalty and satisfaction regarding those products. Purpose The purpose of a business blog should be summed up in one simple statement. Earning money is simply the result of a business fulfilling its greater purpose. For example. if you not… well. personal. consulting clients.Page 32 of 81 NOTES Step 4: Determine the Purpose and Goals of Your Business Blog One way in which business blogs are unlike personal blogs is that they're is personal. the purpose of my blog might be to help .
industry. To help you choose a direction. What I've written above could just as easily apply to a business of one as to a Fortune 500 company. When I speak of a business blog. passion. expertise. and authority in a niche or Provide helpful tips and info on getting the most from company services or products. . • Become a resource for the media and cottage industry about your business' market.Page 33 of 81 NOTES Goals Goals are what you need to accomplish in order to fulfill your blog's purpose. Dominate a niche or industry in search results (hence market and mind share) by becoming the authoritative source for information on a subject and using good SEO. I've listed some non-mutually exclusive overarching goals a business blog can strive towards: • • • • • Convey company news and events. Pass along success stories from customers about how your business has helped them become more successful. I'm not specifying any size of business. Demonstrate knowledge. elevating your business' position and brand.
The first one alone would make me and either. Exercise: Determine the Purpose and Goals of Your Business Blog Write your business blog's purpose: List the goals your business blog needs to meet in order to fulfill its purpose: . everyone else yawn as we reached for the back button. They aren't exhaustive.Page 34 of 81 The points above can be combined in any way: all of them or some of them NOTES can be the goals of a business blog.
The word ghostwriter may have Ghostwriters. With business blogs. who do not work at the company. Business bloggers are not necessarily company employees. there are also many possibilities. and who can act as company leader (such as GM's Bob Lutz) or a more front line individual Multiple company employees. who becomes the public voice of the company. who can write well. Below is a list of some Single company person. • negative connotations for some people. who often already have business blog authorship possibilities: • plenty to do without adding blogging responsibilities. but blog for the . ranging from a single author to a team. This person can be a (such as Robert Scoble was for many years at Microsoft).Page 35 of 81 NOTES Step 5: Determine the Authors of your Business Blog With personal blogs. who share a common general company blog or who can author multiple company blogs according to the company's different service and product groups. an author can choose to go it alone or join with others as a group blog. The choice is up to the author. but there are many professional company on the company's blog. who is articulate. Choose someone who is a a bridge between customers and the company. This person must be chosen with care. as they will essentially become the spokesperson for the company. • people person.
You can always begin with just one person and grow from there as needed. There's no reason why the second and third options couldn't both be employed. Don't choose someone who sounds like a commercial or a lawyer. and will harm the company's image. The unwilling and skeptical will make for lousy bloggers. Choose someone whose writing sounds . Which option is best depends on the size of your company and whether or not company people have the skills or time to blog. either. The whole point NOTES behind ghostwriters is that they don't take direct credit and are unknown. Choose the Willing Only choose people who are already blogging on their own or who really want to do it. Get Samples Ask for writing samples from your prospective bloggers. but you don't have to draw undue attention to it. You don't have to hide it. A plain-language disclaimer page is all that's needed.Page 36 of 81 ghostwriters who do excellent work. There is nothing wrong with hiring ghostwriters to help busy high-level executives blog. This applies to employees just as much as it does to ghostwriters. not enhance it.
like they're just being neighborly. NOTES Exercise: Choosing Authors for a Business Blog Answer the questions below in the spaces provided. 1. Who will be the author(s) of your blog. and why? 2.Page 37 of 81 like they're carrying on a conversation with another human being. Would you consider hiring a ghostwriter? Why or why not? .
don't publish it. State expectations for posting frequency and length.Page 38 of 81 NOTES Step 6: Determine the Business Blog's Policies clear blogging policies and procedures is essential. capacity." I For a business of more than one person with a blog or multiple blogs. don't go writing something that sounds like a contract from Business Blog Policies should: • • • Clearly state what the blog topics are to be. Explain the business blog's commenting or no-commenting policy. after all)." If you're going to join the 1700s. Clearly state what should be done if there is any doubt whether or not a topic is acceptable (most of you might take that to automatically mean its rewards. customer service issues that may arise through the blog if the blog allows comments. having mean: plain English that anyone can understand. Clearly state what is unacceptable or out-of-bounds. but that may not be the best thing to do–risk does have • • • • Provide a mechanism for review and approval of gray area topics. Clearly outline the bloggers' authority. And when I say "clear. the blogosphere. not "clearly this was written by lawyers and you have no hope of understanding it. and procedures for .
computer. Businesses not in the . Dell. but are afraid of the risks. there is more to this than you might first think. Many business blogging. Use the framework above to draft some common-sense business decision-makers are coming to understand the power and benefits of The above are policy points for company blogs–not for employees' personal 1 computer/internet/software tech industries that have blogs include GM. McDonald's. • Outline what should happen if bloggers temporarily cannot fulfill their or employ a guest blogger. can be expensed. images. printers. explain the pay As you can see. and Google all have blogs.) and what. and Stonyfield Farms. obligations: who they should contact and what will be done (skip posts For ghostwriters or professional company bloggers. etc.Page 39 of 81 NOTES • List what company resources the blogger has at her disposal etc. and so far the experiences of real businesses that are blogging are bearing blog policies. Businesses such as Microsoft. blogs. (information. if anything. • package and payment schedule. I think the benefits far outweigh the risks. and audio/video equipment.). this out1.
likely conform to one of these: • • • • things have been done in the past. static sites Multiple domains or subdomains. static site Single domain.Page 40 of 81 NOTES Exercise: Draft a Company Blogging Policy Using the guidelines above. and your business site will Single domain. write a company blogging policy in a word processor. Some of these possibilities mean taking a hard look at the way way that better serve the company's future. with an eye towards doing things in a new There are several business website configurations. deciding to blog opens the doorway to many possibilities and questions. dynamic site platform Multiple domains or subdomains. dynamic sites all on the same . Step 7: Determine Blog Platform and Blog / Website Integration For a business.
com. By "platform. Company employees can add and modify website content using the dynamic. markup language) by a person." I mean any kind of software or service.com or products. Most new websites created now are Blogs are the dynamic type of website. Static sites are comprised of web pages written only in HTML (hypertext once created. such as finances.com. Software on the web server called a content management system (CMS) puts the content together as HTML and sends the dynamically generated web page to a visitor's web browser.Page 41 of 81 NOTES • Multiple domains or subdomains. such as yourcompany. dynamic sites all on different platforms Domains are the website address names. This is how all websites were Dynamic sites store all their content in a database. Blog Platforms There are a great many blogging platforms.yourcompany. Subdomains are a way to have multiple sites on a single address. regardless of where that software is located (your . page by page. and many are still static sites.yourcompany. CMS with little to no technical skills.
so that your company blog is taken seriously. It's important to go with a winner in business blogging just as in many other endeavors. these are native to the CMS. main business site. If the blog doesn't work out. you can easily "cut it Disadvantages are that your online presence just got a split personality . knowledgeable communities. This is due to their capabilities and their widespread support by extensive. such as Drupal or Joomla. They are: • • • • WordPress TypePad Moveable Type NOTES Blogging add-ins for other CMS's. However.Page 42 of 81 company's servers or hosted by a third party). others allow for integration of WordPress or What if You Already have a Website? Another issue to consider when starting a business blog is what do with the existing site. there are really only a few that you would want to go with. Some of TypePad blogs into the site. Here are your choices: • This allows you to have a different look for the blog compared to the off" since it never was deeply intertwined with the main site. Create a blog as an entirely separate site on its own domain.
makes an excellent content probably needed to be done. it's not 2001. though. anyway (hey. This is a common option. and you still have to figure out a way to link to the blog from the main site. your new WordPress-powered site will probably be far more optimized for search engines than your old site was before. but your company's entire website doing this: with only a few tweaks. There's even a secret bonus for that not only did you get blogging. • Create a blog as a subdomain or directory of the existing site. which your blog-savvy This option gives you the chance to do that redesign of the old site that WordPress blog system. The win-win in this situation is just got insanely easier to manage. in particular. anymore). You'll have to get the blog and the main site to play nice with each other. • Replace your current site with the blog's CMS. . You'll want visual consistency add links to the blog from the main site where appropriate without and for good reason: it makes sense from all points of view. You'll have to figure out how to making it look like you duct-taped your site. The management system. This shows a greater dedication to blogging. to company. to visitor. from blogger. if that's your preference. You don't even have to have the blog on the home page. NOTES customers will appreciate.Page 43 of 81 which may confuse some customers. between the blog and the main site.
What are this person's qualifications for dealing with blogs? .Page 44 of 81 As you can probably tell. Who would you consult with in order to decide what blog platform to use and how to deal with your current website? 2. making it even more powerful in future releases. I'm strongly in favor of the last option. The people NOTES WordPress' CMS capabilities. behind WordPress have plans to continue ah… pressing forward (sorry!) with Exercise: Working Through Blog/Site Platform/Integration 1.
It's one of the things that makes personal blogging blog. shoutboxes 3. overflowing with widgets. and all other kinds of junk. phases of the moon. with the email more visible and prominent than RSS. . blogrolls 2. All you Subscription tools for visitors. personal. Personal blogs are like kitchen junk drawers. Leave out all those blog-specific customers that do not know what a blog is when they see it. but nearly all of these things have no business being on a business There is still a large percentage of the general population who may be your ignore that which they don't understand.Page 45 of 81 NOTES Step 8: Design Considerations One aspect of personal blogging that doesn't translate into business blogging is blog design. both RSS and Email. advertising. People tend to generally need are the following: • • items and focus on the content and fulfilling the purpose of the blog. music lists. A shoutbox is a small box on a web page in which visitors can type short public messages 3 ("shouts" or "shout outs") that appear in a running list of messages in the box. Categories 2 A blogroll is a list of links to other blogs the blog author likes or reads regularly.
Make sure your blog looks great in all common browsers: Internet If you're going to really use it as a blog. It's somebody else. Do not just get an off-the- professional web design. That's not you.000 for a good one. Expect to pay well over $1. A WordPress custom theme design doesn't cost any less than any other are plenty of good designers out there. and Safari for the Mac." If you're redesigning your entire site to use the blog CMS.Page 46 of 81 NOTES • • Archives About or author information customize a free theme enough to "make it yours. Use the word "blog" or "weblog" theme or template professionally designed. or for goodness' sake at least shelf or free template. Have your blog Make sure your business blog carries your brand. Firefox. have your theme professionally designed. There Explorer 6 and 7. Some final tips: • • • Pay for a good stock photography and let your blogger(s) use it to add visual interest to posts. make it clear that it's a blog. and not just as a light CMS. . prominently at the top.
Page 47 of 81 NOTES • Consider using non-bloggy terms." 4 blog's database. like "permanent link" instead of "permalink 4" and "links to this post" instead of "trackbacks 5. Because old posts "fall off" the home page of a blog and go into the archives. 5 Permalink is the permanently available hyperlink to dynamically generated content stored in a inspiration for their post. the permalink for it will still work. a term that communicated the idea of an unchanging link to a post had to be created. When a post enters the archives. thus permalink was born. Trackback is when another blogger links to one of your posts or cites one of your posts as the . Trackback links to these posts often appear along with comments in a blog.
how will you find out? . Is your current web designer knowledgeable and experienced in designing blogs? 2.Page 48 of 81 NOTES Exercise: Deciding Factors for Blog Design 1. How web-savvy do you consider your customers and audience? How do you know? If you don't know.
When categories. Most business blogs seem to divide Tips or information on specific product/service lines. you'll need to decide what they are. Business blogs should have categories. you will have a greater understanding of how your business is to strengthen and build on your position. and at some their content into the following general categories: • • • • Company news and announcements classifying blog content. Even for specific products or services.Page 49 of 81 NOTES Step 9: Choose Blog Categories and Tags Categories Nearly all blogs have categories and/or tags as a means of organizing and your blog's content. You can leverage your knowledge of that perception in the market . Categories are high-level general classifications of point. with one category for each particular product or service Customer success stories Relevant industry news and opinion A business blog doesn't need a lot of categories. you see what kind of traffic and comment activity your blog gets for certain perceived. you only would want categories for the ones that warrant it.
But on less valuable. Tags are more specific Manifesto is that hyperlinks subvert hierarchies. hierarchies are rather than "top down". where everything is only a click or a search away. One of the primary tenets of book The Cluetrain hierarchical system is critical to finding what you want in the material. That doesn't mean you should put any forethought the same tag. You can think of categories as quasi-hierarchical.Page 50 of 81 Another reason to keep your initial list of categories small is to give it room to grow over time. It's very likely you'll add some new categories down the road. but tags are "bottom up" the internet. In fact. with tags. Significant events (for good or ill) may occur in the future and might warrant their own categories. things can be quite disorganized and messy. You really shouldn't remove any NOTES categories. Because every tag is a hyperlink to the other posts with . It's true: in physical media a and granular than categories. make sure to have your web people redirect the old addresses to relevant new ones. and people can still find what they need. each tag acts like a little doorway to grouped information into tags on your blog. Tags Tags are a more recent method for labeling blog posts. but if you have to. New products and services will go online and might need their own categories.
But for tags.Page 51 of 81 NOTES An Example of Categories and Tags Say you're an organization coach – you help people organize their workspaces. In the post. any or all of the following could apply: • • • • • • Top ten Tips Procrastination Tickler file Decision-making Reducing clutter clutter. You have a blog category called Office Organization. you write about not having a "tickler" file allows for things to pile up on your desk. You also mention that not making immediate decisions leads to on your desk. and their lives. On your blog you write a post called "Top Ten Tips for Keeping Your Desk Clean". That's a broadly defined bucket to put the post in. so you assign the post to that category. Your primary web vehicle is your blog. on your organization blog. you have written about tickler files before and tagged those posts in which tickler files are mentioned with the tag "tickler . so you describe a fast way to make a decision about any thing you put If. their homes.
really is pretty good: there had better be something to read.Page 52 of 81 file". then this isn't as crucial. a reader who hasn't heard of a tickler file before can click on the tag. If you're not going to make a big noise about starting a blog. see the other posts with the same tag. so there had better be Many companies have one foot in the old-school world of business empowerment and its consequences. and learn more about tickler files. NOTES Step 10: Write the Initial Content Conventional Wisdom It's been given out as good advice that a blog should have something more than a few measly posts for people to read if you're going to make a big production out of announcing the blog's existence. But if you're an established business with a bit of longevity and presence in the market. then when you announce the launch of your blog. A good old-fashioned press release can something of substance there to create a good first impression. and the other foot is testing the waters of technological drive an initial surge of traffic to the new blog. the standard good advice management. .
what's your gut reaction about the blog? It depends! Some blogs (like great and the newborn status of the blog didn't matter. There's no formula you can apply. Chris Garrett calls it flagship content. How Much Initial Content? How much initial content should your blog have? There's no single answer to this. Whatever you want to call it. My own personal threshold for this sort of thing is usually more than a couple months. it needs to be written before the blog launches.Page 53 of 81 What are you going to offer your new readers that will impress them and NOTES convert them into RSS subscribers and long-term readers? Many other great bloggers have written plenty of excellent material on creating initial content for a blog. Yaro Starak calls it pillar articles. But think about how much content you'd want to see at a blog before you would ever consider trusting it or subscribing to it. . but compelling content can make for an exception. But you can answer a question for yourself: when you visit a blog and see there's hardly any posts older than a Skelliewag) didn't have much content when starting but what was there was month.
think of these people as allies to help you get started. A soft launch is when you make the blog public and you begin posting. Write them personal emails thanking them for you show yourself to the world officially. Recruit them. And then what kind of business relationships is that going to make for? Don't do it. Some of your customers might naturally discover the blog before you've launched it officially. Use some or all of these as a basis for creating the initial content for your blog: • Why we're starting this blog .Page 54 of 81 NOTES Should You Backdate Your Initial Content? In blogging software. but you don't blare the trumpets from the mountaintops about it. it's a simple matter to give your posts date/time stamps from earlier than when they were written and posted. Some bloggers are tempted to backdate posts on a new blog to give the appearance of longevity. You will be found out. This sort of Instead. thing can easily be exposed on the internet. You cannot fool people by backdating your content. any feedback they might care to give. so don't even think about it. do a soft launch. Once you've built up some material then Exercise: Draft Initial Content Ideas Here are some initial content ideas to help you get started. That's fine.
Page 55 of 81 Write the About page The number one piece of advice you can give to your customers Tips for getting the most out of your products/services What customers should do if there is a problem with a product/service Convey the vision of your company: what problems are you solving. .. yet. The list above should give some ideas on how to get started. but with your spin on it Why people need a (your product or service) What to watch out for in a (product or service in your industry. use this type of post to differentiate your product or service) • • Where the company's going in the future (heh. you had better know!) Little-known killer uses for your product/service NOTES • • • • • • • • • You get the idea. you can fire up the ol' word processor and start writing. and how? (Write it like a manifesto) A list of links to frequently searched-for pages on the main website Industry news.. Even if you don't have a blog.
to allow comments at all. I know that there are some customers who will never be satisfied. The thought of random people (some of whom are trolls and idiots) or even the competition showing up and leaving comments gives c-level types and lawyers hives. There may be Problems are Opportunities None of these are reasons not to allow comments. which will cause positive word-of-mouth and lead to increased sales and loyalty. The first decision is whether of them are as strong as the reasons why you should allow comments. Yes. There are many reasons not to. but absolutely none (people who deliberately leave nasty comments to incite you).Page 56 of 81 NOTES Step 11: Draft a Comment Policy To Comment or Not to Comment One of the most hand-wringing decisions a company has to make if it's going to blog is how to handle comments. Every one of them is an opportunity to show the world what great stuff your company is made of. There will be trolls spies from your competitors. There will be unhappy customers. and they are a . Every customer service problem is an opportunity to prove yourself and cement your relationship with that customer further. there will be idiots who leave dumb comments. no matter what.
Those customers should be "fired. And if you don't believe in business. which do not abide by the policy are to be rejected. It shows that you care. Comments you don't like what the commenter says–should be allowed. Having comments shows you are fantastic suggestions and information that you would never get any other way. then hang up your hat and go home." But for NOTES the most part. Comments are a large part of what makes blogging special and appealing. because you have no business being Comments and Blogging Go Together My take is that if you're going to blog. don't blog. Many companies have bravely entered the blogosphere listening. If anything. that. then you're going to allow comments. And if you are smart. problems are opportunities to impress.Page 57 of 81 drain on your time and resources. and those that do–even if . Otherwise. A comment policy informs your blog's readers what is acceptable in comments and what is not. Craft a Comment Policy But you're going to need a comment policy. you will indeed listen and care and take some of those comments right to the bank in the form of allowing comments and reaped the benefits. it is the lack of communication which has ruined reputations and sunk sales.
Only allowing pleasant and praising comments or no comments at all What does a comment policy look like? You can use the one below as an Comment Policy All comments are moderated 6. nobody will trust you. And customer trust is your most valuable Trust is one of the main forms of currency on the internet (attention is the kills trust in a business. or hate speech Not relevant to the subject of the blog post Contains excessive links 6 approved or rejected. Moderated means that comments are held until they can be reviewed by a blogger and .Page 58 of 81 You absolutely must allow people to say negative things about your company and/or its products! asset. Comments will be rejected for the following: • • • • • Spam Blatant self-promotion Contains foul language. example: NOTES other). If you don't. inappropriate sexual content.
this blog is not a customer service center. purposes. hate speech. you had better have decent customer service . If you're going to blog. The last point about customer service and billing requests/issues is something that is specific to a business blog. then you don't want the blog to be used for those available and easy billing resolution (see how blogging helps everything?). The usual points about spam.Page 59 of 81 Is a customer service request or a question about your bill NOTES • While you are welcome and encouraged to comment on the blog and we value for customer service issues and billing. and self-promotion are included in the policy. You can check out the FAQ or go to our help site for customer service issues. This gives you an opportunity to screen comments for violations of your policy before they appear on the blog. We have avenues moderated. If your company already has service and billing methods in place. Moderated comments do not appear on the blog until someone approves them. Note that the above sample comment policy states that comments are your participation.
It could be a natural disaster in your website. people will eagerly wait for every post that updates them on the situation. Stony silence and traditional communications they started handing out grenades cleverly disguised as latptop batteries. Their reputation was ruined. During any kind of crisis. and video of it spread across the internet. It could be a financial crisis.Page 60 of 81 NOTES Step 12: Develop a Crisis Management Plan Sooner or later. hoping for the latest information freshly posted only minutes ago just A company blog is probably the best crisis management tool you will ever have. It could be a customer region. Kryptonite's response was to shove its collective head further into the sand. Whatever it is. channels are going to hurt you. not by their badly designed bike locks. Dell learned this the hard way when Kryptonite bike locks learned this the hard way when it was discovered that their locks could be compromised with a simple ball point pen. Big time. tell me: where will people go in order to learn what's going on? That's right: your website. . And what will they see when they arrive at your like they get on so many other websites? service crisis. your company will experience a crisis. but by the way they so poorly handled the crisis.
then have the other bloggers link to the main source of crisis information and then defer to that source. If you want your multiple bloggers to cover the crisis. That doesn't mean it will be any good or that you have to follow it. Especially if their advice will . you're not going to say. through to the end. but in a crisis you may want their advice. but you want only one voice to be the official source during the crisis. and then you can figure out what to do with the blog and Creating a Blog Crisis Management Plan • Decide who is going to do the crisis blogging. whip through the decisions I'm going to outline below and set up a blog immediately. I'm adverse to bringing lawyers into anything about blogging. then make sure they have access to information so that nobody is posting at cross-purposes with each other or with the company. if a crisis hits.Page 61 of 81 NOTES If a Crisis Hits Before You Have a Blog Even if your company has never had a blog before. • Decide what you're going to say and. If your company has multiple bloggers. just as importantly. Set up a central information hub for your bloggers through email or RSS. Put a big fat link to it from your home page. Manage the crisis your site. what Normally.
However. time and manpower being two of them. to win them for life. you may want to temporarily turn off commenting. There may be perfectly good will be missing out on the greatest opportunity to really show your comments on crisis blog posts. If you really get blogging.Page 62 of 81 cause you to lose customers and create an even worse public relations nightmare. • to something you've decided not talk about. I Use traditional media to your advantage. you customers how awesome you can be by how you respond to and handle biggest chance to impress. If they tell you not to say anything at all. • reasons to do so. too. to win people over. get new lawyers who understand the internet and the new rules. . you will of course allow comments on your company blog. Depending on the nature of the crisis situation. be polite but firm and ask Decide whether you're going to allow comments during the crisis. If someone pushes you to speak for their understanding and patience. When the shit hits the fan is your suggest you take that chance. The most important NOTES thing is to talk to people through your blog like you are a human being and your audience members are. and that they can treat each post as a press release. Inform your traditional media contacts that crisis information will be available from the blog.
but a crisis can send a tsunami of traffic that will crash your web servers in no time flat. What a bunch of corporate crap. Don't you feel safer If you think all of this sounds overly serious. NOTES • You may not have had all that much traffic before. Mattel can't. resist the urge to write a crisis management plan that locks down communications. Ride the discomfort—it won't last long. contact them know they'll need to be able to handle a spike. . I have one word for you: Mattel. It may seem counterintuitive.Page 63 of 81 Make sure your web servers can handle the traffic surge. Most importantly. If you pay for hosting. Make sure you're prepared: upgrade your hosting service or your own equipment if you maintain in-house. Can you imagine how powerful a blog would be for this? How it could win people's trust back even stronger than before? Apparently. Here is their recall page. and silence is your enemy. but open communications during a crisis are your friend. your hosting representative immediately when the crisis starts and let already for your kids? Me neither. Doing this often forces people to think about things they don't want to. Exercise: Draft a Crisis Management Plan Write your business blog's crisis management plan according the guidelines above.
posting every day may not be possible. Go for quality. Keep blogging. Congratulations. You could get away The stronger the online component of your business is. . the less frequently you need to post. Now you have a blog Posting Frequency You or your bloggers keep writing. Now What? You've followed the 11-step plan (there were originally going to be 12 steps.Page 64 of 81 NOTES You Have a Blog. with some initial core content. with once a week. if necessary. the more frequently you need to post. not starting!). If you and/or a few compatriots are doing that A big team blog can offer quantity and quality. contract with them specifies. If you have hired professional bloggers. What next? but that too much like quitting something. you should expect them to post as often as your particular bit of heavy lifting yourselves. but a small one can usually only offer one or the other. It's best if you can post every day. The stronger the offline component of your business is. but three times a week would be much better.
keep reading. which just so happens to be the next section. . you can publish on weekends. so please. If you'll be using much. your blog relies heavily on current events and timely news. this isn't an option What the Heck Do I Blog About? This is so important it gets a whole section..Page 65 of 81 NOTES Future Publishing Some blogging platforms (such as WordPress) offer the ability to write a post and publish it at a predetermined date and time in the future. This way. or even during the blogger's vacation. holidays..
you are in business to help them. you could go as far as to say that your business helps others do their business has helped others do their business faster. When you're trying to write for your business blog and you feel a little stuck (or if you're new to posts to use as a guide. or cheaper than without you. business blogging). you can just pick one of these 10 types of business blog 1. because it sells without the "hard" sell.Page 66 of 81 NOTES The 10 Types of Freelance/Business Blog Posts Business blog posts generally fall into one of 10 types. Product or service tips and tutorials Keep your customers informed with your blog. Chances are. better. better. business faster. you and others in your company are the foremost experts on your own products or services. So you want to tell stories about how your 2. You . Customer success stories One of the most powerful types of posts you can write for a business blog is other people are concerned. or cheaper. the customer success story. As far as In fact.
. teasers. developers at Microsoft previewed the new interface and new functionality. Before Office 2007 was publicly available. 3. lately. Customers very well be early adopters of your company's products or services. and prone to brag about you. also helps you create scenarios in which customer success stories can happen. NOTES Keeping them educated with constant tutorials and tips helps you do that. we can look to Microsoft as an example. of mouth marketing without even being asked to. and other buzz-builders. focus group/survey invites. These are people whom Seth Godin calls "sneezers". it was available as a beta (test) version. who frequent your blog — especially those who frequently comment — may beta invites. Office 2007 which helped to build buzz about Office 2007 before it was released. Again. It Microsoft has become very good at this.Page 67 of 81 want your customers to be loyal. informed. Upcoming products or services information Use your business blog to provide your readers with sneak previews. They spread your "ideavirus" Providing some information on upcoming products and services makes your business blog a place of excitement and anticipation. It helps reward loyalty and spread your marketing message and brand at the same time. They are the ones who can do word to others.
Why? Precisely because of the reasons most people would say "no way" to such an idea: it's messy and impossible to graph. I wanted to you get some exposure to other post ideas 6. how it affects . but likely your most valuable insights will come from comments to the post. Tell them why it's important for them to know this. because it costs nothing to get what may be the most intelligent. and that's why I deliberately did not and get you thinking about them. Request feedback from customers Your business blog is a much better avenue than surveys and focus groups for getting feedback. place it high on the list. News and announcements Reporting news and announcements is often the first type of business blog post that comes to most people's minds.Page 68 of 81 NOTES 4. Industry news Position yourself as a leader in your industry by relating industry news to your customers. 5. You can use blog polling services or plugins to provide some graph-able structure to the feedback. People who feel strongly enough to take the time to leave a comment (good or bad) are a precious resource for your business. valuable feedback you can have.
Page 69 of 81 them. 7. being opinionated is okay. What to look for in a… This is a classic educated customer type of post. and don't sell in these want your readers to trust you. You need to show modesty and humility and NOTES posts. you can't sell to someone who doesn't understand what's so great about your products unless you can educate them about performance and quality. Objectivity is not possible and most people know this. You refrain from bragging or selling. There's an old saying: an live in. but trust is. Your customers want to know that you are aware of the big picture and that you're looking out for them. In the so-called information age we decisions will be. the better-educated you are about something. Educated people who are experts. If you sold with your unwanted "marketing messages") puts them in control of a purchase aftermarket performance parts for cars. Don't go for the hard sell. the smarter your educated customer is our best customer. With type of post. but remember some important points: don't bash your competition — say nice things about them. That helps reinforce the notion that they made the right decision by going with your products or services. sell themselves on your products because you deal with them more as equals . Educating your customers (as opposed to bombarding them process that engenders confidence by being knowledgeable.
You're relating to your customers by blogging about related interests you have in common with them. If you sell diapers then you should blog about parenting and your own experiences as a parent. This is a benefit you get when you target a niche demographic rather than just a niche product. or process explanations and stories Consumers want to know your process because they want to trust you. if you sold expensive. and you will someone who sells higher end products and services. 10." look like you're just fear-mongering. this type of business blog post implies that you're not doing these things — and others might be. custom-built computer workstations. Related interests If you sell outdoor gear then you should blog about trips you take. and they will if you give a reason. This is part of the new . because its effect quickly wears off with repetition. you cold write a post called "What to Watch Out for from Cheap Parts Computer Companies. Helps to build trust because you're looking out for your customers. For instance.Page 70 of 81 NOTES 8. You will see this type of post from 9. You can only use a post of this type occasionally. Product. They really do. What to watch out for from… Used judiciously. service.
Page 71 of 81 transparency and openness in business. Consumers want to know where what they buy comes from and how it's made. Tell your customers where your materials come from, how things are made,
how your service processes are structured. Inform, inform, inform. Educated the story and anyone will "see" increased value in the product or service.
customers really are the best customers. And yet, you can do a great job with For example, I could show you a plain spice jar labeled Cinnamon. And I could show you an unusually shaped and designed jar that contained Moroccan cinnamon from a particular region where the soil is the best possible for family for generation after generation and blah, blah, blah. growing amazing cinnamon and this cinnamon is processed by the same Which one would cost more? Nearly everyone would say the second jar would cost more. How do you know the first jar didn't have the same kind of cinnamon in it? It depends on the story I tell. Now, I am not suggesting for
even a moment that you make things up that aren't true. Think about it this way: if your products or services don't have any good stories behind them, maybe there's something else deeply wrong with your business that a blog to tell the best stories about your products. And here's what is especially comments and in some cases even on their own blogs.
ain't gonna fix anyway. But otherwise, a blog is one of the best ways you have amazing about this: your customers will tell great stories, too, in the form of
Page 72 of 81 The previous 10 types of business blog posts will serve you in good stead for a long time. You can literally just pick one and start writing. It's a formula for always having something to blog about.
But to really make your business blog do what it was designed to do, which is way that recognizes the differences between business blogging and other kinds of blogging and that serves the needs of a business blogger. To do this, I have coined the term Gateway Blogging.
further your business, we need to reframe how business blogging is done in a
An Introduction to Gateway Blogging
activities so that the blog supports the business, and not the other way around. Gateway blogging is a term I created that helps to frame business blogging
and the like are more likely to have a blog as our main website than larger
Those of us who are running small companies, micro-businesses, micro-ISVs 7,
companies. We understand the importance of blogging generally, but it's easy
to get lost in the minutia and distractions of blogging. We forget that the blog
a handful of people at the most) who develop custom software solutions for their clients.
Micro-ISV is a micro independent software vendor, which is a very small company (often only
Page 73 of 81 is really the tip of a wedge of paid products or services. Because directly nature of blogging lead us away from the purpose of the blog.
selling or pushing product on the blog is a turn-off, it's easy to let the indirect
Page 74 of 81
When blog posts go below the cutoff threshold for being
displayed on the home page (usually 10 posts, but the number can vary) they are automatically placed in the archive. Archives are often grouped by month.
chronological order.
A web publishing platform that displays content in reverse
One who blogs. Also, a blogging platform owned by Google at http://blogger.com.
Writing on a blog. Can be used as a substitute for the word about our new product."
"writing" when applied to a blog. For example, "I'm blogging
The world of blogs and bloggers. For example, commenting is a common occurrence in the blogosphere. Another example: transparency and openness are highly valued in the blogosphere, and was all the buzz. blogosphere. Another example: the news shot across the
A list of links to other blogs a blogger reads or admires.
Allows people to create and update website content themselves. . A program on a web server that uses a database to store website content and information. Comments left by software programs or by real humans for purpose of creating links back to sites that have heavy blog post. after the end of the post. posts assigned to that category. Clicking on a category takes you to a page that collects all the CMS Content Management System. advertising or affiliate sales content which is unrelated to the Comment spam Comment troll A person who deliberately attempts to incite anger or a reaction from the blogger in comments. Comment policy A set of guidelines for what kind of comments on a blog are acceptable and what kind of comments might be disallowed.Page 75 of 81 NOTES Category A broad label for the various subjects for a blog's content. and attached to the post so that all of a post's comments come aspects of blogging that makes blogging different than other Comment moderation Submitted comments are held until they can be reviewed by a blogger and approved or rejected. Comment A reaction or opinion written by a visitor and reader of a blog. Comments are one of the unique kinds of websites.
a paid professional blogger who blogs as another person in a company. such as blog posts and podcasts.com. A blog post that has been started but which hasn't been published. Domain Draft A website name. HTML Hypertext Markup Language is the computer language that web . Google Reader. and Bloglines. Allows you to write posts in advance. Ghostwriter For blogging. Firefox. feed readers are: Internet Explorer 7. Drupal Dynamic site A CMS that is more complex than most blogging platforms.Page 76 of 81 NOTES Database A system to store and organize information (data) electronically on a computer. The most popular database system for blogs is MySQL. Microsoft Outlook Future publishing Setting a blog post to automatically publish at a future date and time. Feed reader Software that receives and allows a user to consume information via RSS feeds. A website whose content is stored in a database and served via a program that converts the data into web pages and sends them to a web browser. Examples of 2007. such as remarkablogger.
In blogging. which is a very small company (often only a handful of people at the most) who develop custom software solutions for their clients. often from mobile devices. Because blog posts MoveableType Niche Permalink move off the home page and end up in an archive. . in fact. Money blog A blog about how to make money. Microblogging services include Twitter and Pownce. Pingback A trackback that is created when a blogger links to another What most people call trackbacks are. advertising. A newer form of blog that features very short posts. Joomla Microblog A CMS that is more complex than most blogging platforms. Combination of the words permanent link. the only way to link on a blog post in a way that stays correct after time passes is to link to a post's permalink. blog's post. pingbacks. A blog software platform. The blogging software does this automatically. NOTES Micro-ISV A micro independent software vendor. a niche is a very specific overall topic for a blog. and internet marketing. usually online via affiliate sales programs.Page 77 of 81 pages are written in.
paid reviews/posts. Problogger Person who earns a living blogging: Pro. The act of making a post also sometimes said to be posted. Podcasting is a way to make audio or video A combination of the words iPod and broadcasting. The practice of designing websites and content to rank better in search results. RSS people who subscribe to them using special software that receives RSS updates (called feeds). Podcasting podcasting has little to do with Apple's iPod media player. Comments are Pro blog Blog that makes money through internet advertising sales. Google Reader is an Really Simple Syndication. Although media available to subscribers. Podcasting uses RSS to send updates to subscribers (see the entry on RSS).Page 78 of 81 NOTES Plugin A small program that extends or enhances the functionality of a WordPress blog. the name has stuck. available for everyone to read is called posting. RSS is a way to send updates to example of such software (see the entry for Feed reader). People subscribe using software such as iTunes or Google Reader. and blogger. Post The main unit of content on a blog. SEO Search Engine Optimization. as in professional. or marketing. .
Subdomain A way to have multiple sites on a single address. and often have stolen (scraped) content from other blogs. Clicking on a tag categories. Short descriptor for content in a blog post. Tag usually shows all posts with the same tag.com or products.yourcompany. Static site Website made up of HTML pages on the server which are delivered to web browsers as they are.Page 79 of 81 NOTES SMO Social Media Optimization. but are more granular in detail. Splogs are automated blogs that make money for their owners via advertising or affiliate sales.com. Tags are similar to Trackback When another blogger links back to a post on your blog and manually pastes in the URL of your blog post into the trackback . such as finances.com. This gives you a way to build content and get feedback from the small number of initial visitors.com and http://stumbleupon.yourcompany. Soft launch Making a blog publicly available but not announcing it. such as http://digg. The practice of designing websites to make it easy for people to spread word about content they like through various social media services. Splog A combination of spam and blog.
Learn more at http://typepad. . Many people don't like the words vlog or vlogger and prefer video blog instead. Learn more at http://wordpress. Widget A small unit of content that often fetches data from another website. Transparency A business value growing in popularity. in which full disclosure and a lack of any deception are the rule. NOTES TypePad Vlog A blog software service. rather than written posts. widgets are units of content in via drag and drop. A person who runs a vlog is a vlogger.org. the sidebar of the blog that can easily be created and managed WordPress A blog software platform. Combination of Video and Blog (itself a combination of web and log).Page 80 of 81 field. Vlogs feature video as their primary form of content. On a WordPress blog.com.


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Hotels in Forsyth
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Motel 6 Forsyth480 Holiday Circle , GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)This motel is located off Interstate 75, opposite the Central Georgia Convention Center. It offers an outdoor pool and a fitness centre on site. A flat-screen TV with cable is featured in every guestroom of this motel along with free WiFi.Rates: USD 39.99 - 72.99Stars: ★★★Rooms: 120
Days Inn Forsyth343 North Lee Street, GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)Located just off Interstate 75 and less than 5 minutes drive from central Forsyth, this hotel features a seasonal outdoor pool. Free Wi-Fi and a continental breakfast are provided.Rates: USD 46.00 - 58.99Stars: ★★★Rooms: 112
Econo Lodge Forsyth320 Cabiness Road, GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)The Econo Lodge hotel is located right off the intersection of Interstate 75 and Georgia Highway 83.Rates: USD 45.00 - 0.00Stars: ★★Rooms: 39
New Forsyth Inn130N Frontage Road, GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)Offering an outdoor pool, New Forsyth Inn is located in Forsyth. Free WiFi access is available. Each room here will provide you with a TV, air conditioning and cable channels. Featuring a shower, private bathroom also comes with a bath.Rates: USD 40.00 - 0.00Stars: Rooms: 50
Super 8 Forsyth436 Tift College Drive, GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)Featuring a seasonal outdoor pool this Forsyth, Georgia motel is located off Interstate 75 and 17.4 miles from Indian Springs State Park. Bright rooms include a flat-screen cable TV.Rates: USD 57.00 - 54.00Stars: ★★Rooms: 66
Hilltop Garden Inn951 Georgia Highway 42 North, GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)This Forsyth, Georgia motel is located off Interstate 75 Exit 188 and features a free continental breakfast. An outdoor pool is also on site. The 19th Forsyth Train Depot museum is 3 minutes' drive away.Rates: USD 49.00 - 0.00Stars: Rooms: 120
Holiday Inn Express Forsyth520 Holiday Circle, GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)Located off Interstate 75, this hotel in Forsyth, Georgia is a 30 minute drive from Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge. It features a seasonal outdoor pool and guest rooms with free Wi-Fi.Rates: USD 73.70 - 124.00Stars: ★★★Rooms: 121
Comfort Inn Forsyth333 Harold G. Clark Pkwy, GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)The Comfort Inn is located off Interstate 75. This Forsyth, GA hotel is convenient to many area attractions and businesses, including Lake Juliette, Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site, the Old Train Depot and the Georgia Public Safety Training...Rates: USD 69.00 - 0.00Stars: ★★Rooms: 192
Comfort Suites Forsyth343 Harold G Clarke Pkwy, GA 31029, Forsyth (Georgia)Situated in the historic district of Forsyth, the Comfort Suites hotel's location offers easy access to many area attractions and businesses.Rates: USD 89.00 - 0.00Stars: ★★★Rooms: 162


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Read Across America Week Schedule:
Monday, February 27 – The Cat in the Hat
Read by ACSD School Board Members
Wear your favorite hat to school for the day
Tuesday, February 28 – Fox in Socks
Read by Dr. Yennie, ACSD Superintendent
Wear your favorite silly or mismatched socks
Wednesday, March 1 – Wacky Wednesday
Read by Ms. Stacy Bush, LHS Principal
Wear your clothes backwards, inside out, or mismatched
Thursday, March 2 – Happy Birthday to You
Read by special guest readers
Dress as your favorite Dr. Seuss character
Enjoy birthday cake celebrating Dr. Seuss provided by PTA
Friday, March 3 – Hooray for Diffendoofer Day
Read by Mr. Engel
Door decoration prizes announced after 15 minutes DEAR school wide
Beitel Read Across America Reading Challenge
Monday, February 27 to Friday, March 3 is Read Across America Week (RAAW). During the weeks leading up to RAAW, read your favorite books using the chart to mix it up a little! Complete 5 of the activities below in a row just like BINGO and bring your sheet to the Beitel library at the beginning or end of the school day during RAAW to be featured on our Wall of Reading Fame. Do ALL of the activities and you'll receive a Dr. Seuss bookmark, be featured on the Reading Wall of Fame, and put your name into a drawing for great books! Open to all Beitel readers including students, families, and staff!
|Your Choice
|Read wearing a HAT
|Read to your favorite stuffed friend
|Read to a friend
|Read upside down
|Read under a table
|Listen to someone read to you
|Your choice
|Read out loud!
|Read in bed
|Read a Dr. Seuss book
|Read a book about animals
|Read a book that rhymes
|Read a book that is true
|Your choice
|Read to someone small
|Your choice
|Read in the bathtub without water
|Read a book you've never read before
|Read while having a snack
|Read in the car
|Read under a blanket with a flashlight
|Read lying down
|Your choice
|Read standing up
*Students who complete the Dr. Seuss Reading Challenge with their families can bring it to the library at 7:55 am or 3:00 pm each day of Read Across America Week to take a picture for the Wall of Reading Fame.
Beitel Read Across America Reading Challenge


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Woman burnt 90pc in Korangi
KARACHI: A woman got seriously burnt in suspicious circumstances in Korangi on Sunday night.
Sources at the Civil Hospital said that 22-year-old Raheela, wife of Adnan, was brought to the hospital and shifted to the Burns Centre with serious burn injuries.
Hospital sources quoting the girl's father Abdul Rehman said that the woman had allegedly been burnt by a friend of her husband.
The woman's husband Adnan was said to be at his workplace when the incident happened, the sources said.
Hospital sources said that the woman had over 90 per cent burn injuries.
However, it was not clear the victim was able to record her statement to the police or not, as the area police were not aware of the incident till late on Sunday.
About Jawad HussainI'm a guy who believes in sheer hardwork and dedication to the tasks in hand. I would be the last person on earth to be disappointed with the world. Hope is the key and for me Honesty is still the best policy.
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Graduation Dog Money Cards
$3.59 package of 6
($0.60 each)
Ships In 1–2 Weeks
Front of card says: Way to go graduate! Inside of card says: You did it! Best wishes for a great future! Whether you need one or many greeting cards buying in bulk is the way to go, this way you will always have an extra money card in case of an emergency. The money card is the favorite card for…


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Press Releases
Weinhold Legal advises Bohemia Sekt on sale of its liquor business to Stock Plzeň
Weinhold Legal provided comprehensive legal assistance to Bohemia Sekt, one of the leading producers of sparkling wines and still wines in Central and Eastern Europe, in connection with the sale of its liquor business to Stock Plzeň, the market leader in the Czech Republic producing the finest traditional spirits and bitters.
Our complex legal services included among others advice on transactional structure and negotiating contractual documentation governed by Czech law.
The Weinhold Legal team was led by partner Ondřej Havránek, in cooperation with Dalibor Šimeček and Václav Smetana, attorneys-at-law, and others.
Ondřej Havránek commented on the transaction: "We are pleased to assist in such a prestigious transaction where both parties are market leaders with high reputations."
Weinhold Legal celebrates 20th anniversary
Weinhold Legal (WL) celebrated its twentieth anniversary with its clients and business partners at a Garden Party in the magical garden of Velkopřevorský Palace in Malá Strana.
The participants were inspired by the garden wall, which in recent decades has become the Lennon Wall. They left messages and wishes to WL and its lawyers on the LEGAL wall which had been installed in the garden especially for the party.
Daniel Weinhold reminded our guests that the WL team was among the first pioneers of multidisciplinary advisory services provided together with tax, transaction and other EY advisory groups and this concept is still very successful.
Weinhold Legal advises ITAKA group on acquisition of the oldest Czech travel agency ČEDOK
Weinhold Legal provided comprehensive legal advice to the Polish group ITAKA, the biggest travel agency active on the Polish market, in respect of the acquisition of the oldest and the most famous Czech travel agency ČEDOK. ČEDOK has been on the market continuously since 1920.
Our complex legal services in relation to the acquisition of ČEDOK included among others advice on transactional structure, legal due diligence and negotiating contractual documentation governed by Czech law.
The Weinhold Legal team was led by partner Ondřej Havránek, in cooperation with managing attorney-at-law Ondřej Havlíček and others. Ondřej Havránek commented on the transaction: "We are very pleased to have assisted in the transaction involving one of the famous Czech travel agencies. The structuring of the transaction to ensure the further development of the travel agency was a valuable experience for us."
Weinhold Legal provided legal services to LKQ Corporation - a leading US distributor of auto parts and accessories - in connection with the acquisition of Rhiag-Inter Auto Parts group from the private equity group Apax Partners. Rhiag-Inter Auto Parts group includes the leading distributors of auto parts in the Czech Republic and Slovakia - ELIT Group and Auto Kelly.
The announced deal value was 1.04 billion euros. Weinhold Legal´s team led by Daniel Weinhold and Dušan Kmoch provided legal services that included Czech and Slovak legal aspects of the transaction, including extensive legal due diligence. K&L Gates advised LKQ Corp. on other aspects of the transaction.


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Take my money
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This Gif entitled Take my money was created from the youtube video 2 years ago. It uses 14 frames per second and is displayed at 360px resolution. This animated image plays for 4 seconds, was built with normal quality and an estimated weight of 852.31 KB for download. This animation was originally created from the STEAM SUMMER SALE 2014!!! video from 00:23 to 00:27.
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