Successful Blog

Define Your Own Blogging Success

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The headlines scream new (and often contradictory) dictates in black and white, every morning.

“Blogging is dead.”

“Content is King.”

“Video is a must-have.”

“Orange is the new black.”

Wait, that last one is just a Netflix show. I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention.

You must define your own version of success for the marketing tools you’re using.

If blogging is your chosen tool, there are many possible versions of success:

  • A creative outlet
  • Leads for your business
  • Search engine rank/traffic
  • A portfolio or resume of published work
  • Thought leadership or credibiilty in a niche
  • Platform for book authorship
  • Information & tips for your customers

The only way you fail is if you end up just going through the motions without a purpose.

“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” Yogi Berra

 

Monetized Blog vs Non-Monetized Blog

The first big dividing line would be, do you want to make money directly from your blog?

Direct monetization routes would include a paywall in order to read the posts, or the selling of sponsorships. In both of these cases, you need to be pretty established up-front in order to succeed. No-one is going to pay to read your posts unless they already know how fantastic you are. Teaser content might be effective in this case.

By the same token, you won’t be able to sell sponsorships until you’ve proven a large readership or a very definable audience. Sponsors will want to know your page views and number of subscribers, something that’s not generally very impressive when you’re first starting out.

If you know that you want to run ads in the future, but don’t have enough traffic to be enticing to advertisers, set reader expectations. Consider reserving a footer banner or sidebar square that you will use for future advertising, and use it to promote something of your own (or for a friend). If you make it look professional, you will be subtly letting readers know that your blog will contain advertising. Much better than launching with no ads, and then stuffing them in all of a sudden, months later.

Indirect Blog Monetization

If you want to derive value from your blog, but not direct monetary value, consider the following:

  • Include a call to action with every post
  • Be minimalist with your sidebar information; don’t distract from the primary CTA
  • Be sure to collect email information, to start building your own marketing asset for the future
  • Make it very clear what the purpose of the blog is…if you’re all about thought leadership, consider a photo image of the primary author (perhaps a photo taken at a speaking engagement). Remember social proof too. A quote from a peer or colleague might be appropriate on the page.
  • If your blog is supporting an SEO strategy, don’t be “that guy” who stuffs keywords without meaning. Google doesn’t like that anyway. Focus more on creating in-depth, valuable articles on a regular basis. If your blogging platform includes SEO tools, use them!

Tracking Success

All of the effort you’re putting into your blogging will be for nothing if you don’t have any way to measure progress.

Once you’ve determined what blogging success looks like, you must come up with a way to track whether it’s fulfilling the purpose.

Here are some examples of things you can track:

  • For a “thought leadership” blog – track social mentions of your name or brand, or links back to your blog from other authority sites
  • For a business blog – track leads or emails captured
  • For SEO – track your rank for specific search terms
  • For a customer-focused blog – track any decrease in support requests, or if you’re using customer satisfaction scoring (like Net Promoter Score), see if that is affected over time

Don’t forget to baseline your metric before you start, so that you can see progress as it happens.

The metrics shouldn’t be set in stone, either. Establish a quarterly routine of looking at the numbers, reviewing your blog, and making tweaks as necessary.

Your blog is only one tool in your marketing arsenal, but it should be part of your marketing metrics in order to be effective.

How have you defined blogging success for yourself?

 

Featured image via Flickr Creative Commons: Paxson Woelber

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

5 Great Guest Blogging Topics for Healthcare Providers

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by Mickie Kennedy

Managing a successful, interesting blog is of great benefit to a small practice as most people begin their health-related research online.

This can be incredibly tricky and time-consuming; HIPAA rules and increasing government regulations have seen to that.

Providing reliably accurate information is absolutely essential: not only so your readers and potential patients view you as a trusted source, but also because providing incorrect information could result in your website being removed and even a huge fine levied against your practice.

But blogging on your own website can get lonely, especially when you’re just starting out. One great way to get in front of a new audience is to guest post on another blog.

Start by offering a guest blog post to a colleague or partner.

Or take a poll and find out where your colleagues and patients get their information online and ask to write a guest post there. 

Not sure what to write about? Here are some topics to get you headed in the right direction:

  1. Medical Research
    Share some news on the latest advancements either in technology or medicine to give readers better insight when it comes to making health-related decisions.
  2. Conferences and Events
    If your company is attending a conference or promoting a health event, write about it. You can also do a giveaway of any conference or event swag.
  3. Share a Personal Story
    Write about a health experience that you have had personally or get permission to share another person’s experience. (Always be very aware of HIPAA rules!)
  4. Common Problem
    If there is a common problem (like allergies) that your practice sees often, blog about. Patients looking for an allergy doctor will see you as an authority on the subject. You can also research comments on the blog to see what readers have questions about most often.
  5. Infographics
    Health information can be a lot to process and infographics can help! Share one that your company has created or another public infographic on health issues.

There are many other topics will result in a successful guest blogging experience, which helps to build your practice’s credibility. Some other thoughts to keep in mind as you pursue writing opportunities include:

  • Research
    It is imperative that you know the blog that you are writing for and are familiar with their readers. It is near impossible to be granted a writing opportunity from a cold call or email.
  • FAQs
    If they have a frequently asked question section on their page, review it for potential guest topics. Is there a particular subject that your practice deals with regularly?
  • Recycle
    Look at previous posts from either your blog or theirs and find topics that you can explore more in depth.
  • Crowdsource
    Ask your readers which topics they want to know more about or take a look at trending health topics through Google or Twitter.

As you know the medical field changes rapidly so choose your topics with care, especially when covering subjects like new technology or emergencies; be sure to state your qualifications up front to prove your great track record; and be sure to add a call to action at the end of your guest post so that their readers can follow you as well.

Do you have any other tips for writing practices in the healthcare field? Talk to us in the comments.

Mickie Kennedy, founder of eReleases, offers Free Whitepapers and eBooks for businesses of all stripes.

Featured image via Flickr, Creative Commons: www.audio-luci-store.it

What you need to know about the FTC disclosure guidelines

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“Just like my Facebook page for a chance to win a Visa gift card.”

“Review my software application and I’ll give you a year of free service.”

“Tweet out ‘Product xyz is awesome’ for amazing prizes.”

Each of those is a no-no under the FTC’s expanded guidelines about disclosure.

As a brand, if you are soliciting endorsements, reviews, or other social media promotion from someone, you are responsible for making them aware of the disclosure rules. That means reminding them that promotional Tweets must have #ad or #sponsored or some other language that lets the reader know the Tweet was solicited. And no, the FTC doesn’t care that you only have 140 characters.

As a writer/reviewer, you need to be careful about telling your readers that you received something in exchange for any written review or endorsement. The disclosure needs to be clear, prominent, and honest. You cannot say you liked something if you never actually tried it. (One would think that doesn’t even need to be said, but hey.)

This doesn’t mean that brands can’t offer free samples, or send out books for review, or run contests. It means the brand has to find a way to tell the audience (in whatever format available) that there was an exchange.

The value of the item in question is also important. There’s a difference between a KitKat candy bar sample you got at the Mall, and the free use of a new car for a month.

If you are using an agency or another 3rd party to run your social media campaigns, you are still the one responsible for compliance. It’s a good idea to keep an eye on the disclosure instructions being passed on to your audience by the agency or contractor.

There’s a lot of buzz around activating employees on social media as well. The guidelines make it clear that having your employer listed in your profile isn’t enough to establish disclosure. If you are an employee endorsing or promoting the product your company makes, you need to note your relationship within the context of the promotional post or review. Employers must also make it clear to employees that disclosure is required.

If these guidelines affect your role as a marketer or business owner, I strongly recommend that you go read the entire document. The rules have been in place for a while now, but the example scenarios and questions that were recently added make it even more clear that we all need to be paying attention.

In summary: honesty is always the best policy.

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

 

5 Tips for Creating an Unforgettable Name for your Product or Company

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By Mark Skoultchi

In the US alone, 543,000 businesses start up each month. Whether those businesses are large corporations or just one guy selling T-shirts online, they all need a name. Most large companies can afford to hire a professional naming agency, but what about the little guys?

Have no fear!

We believe that everyone, big or small, deserves to have a great name. Let these naming tips serve as a jumping off point for creating a great brand name. And after you feel good about your strategy, you can dive even deeper with our naming guide and other naming resources.

1. Stare at your palm and ask, Who are we?

The first step to any successful naming project is to convene with the key stakeholders of your brand, which could be a product, company, or service. Really think about what makes your brand tick.

What makes you unique? Are you the practical jokers, like Playstation? The sages, like Google? The outlaws, like Xbox?

These are examples of a brand’’s archetype, which, when defined, can help you choose how you will communicate your brand to your audience. This will be the foundation upon which your name will grow.

2. Look up from your palm, and stare down the competition

Explore the competitive landscape to see what sorts of names are out there. Often you will notice that there are identifiable trends.

There are literally hundreds of cloud computing companies whose names include Cloud in some way, like Cloud One, Cloud Web, Cloud Bus, etc. While most brand stakeholders gravitate towards names that sound familiar, this leads them to just regurgitating what’s already out there!

Be brave and go against the grain. Choose a metaphorical name to stand out from a cloud of descriptive names or coined name in a land of real-word names. A great name makes you-you, and not you-them.

3. Now look at who’’s standing with you

You should always think about your customers before embarking on your naming project and remember that there are many customers that you don’t have yet. What language do they speak? What do they enjoy? Who do they love? Your name can address some of these questions.

Clif Bar is a great name for the outdoorsy consumers who buy organic, whereas PowerBar appeals to the consumers who want pure, invigorating energy. Whatever name you choose, make it resonate with your audience.

4. Look over your portfolio or get ready to have one

Brand architecture refers to the way that one company’s products or services are named in relation to each other. Even if you’re naming your first product or service, make sure that you choose a name that can be built upon if needed. Or, if what you’re naming will be part of a line of products that already has a naming protocol, do not stray from it.

Take Lexus’’s alphanumeric car names as an example. The IS, ES, GS, and LS sedans all follow the same naming pattern. Brand architecture allows your customers to easily identify and compare what you have to offer.

5. Now stand up, and take a look outside

Consider in which contexts will you use this name. Are you naming an App for which there is a strict character limit? Will your name be traveling to foreign language speakers where it may encounter unanticipated negative associations?

The name Cosm sounds pretty hip to us English speakers, but in German it sounds very close to kotzen, which means “to vomit”.

Will your customers be spreading your name via word of mouth? If so, it should be pretty intuitive to spell. Also, If you’’re planning on registering a domain for your new name, ensure that it makes sense when spelled out in lowercase letters.

Would you believe that penisland.com used to be an island-themed pen store? Lastly, don’’t get too hung up on getting an exact domain name because these days, you probably won’’t without pretty deep pockets. It’s really not a big deal to add a modifier to your domain name (we did it ourselves).

Ponder these five tips and do the soul searching before you start naming. We promise it will help you arrive at a robust list of names that communicate who you are as a brand. Naming is a long process, but it’s time worth spending because your name is the first thing that your customers will see. It is a vehicle that can drive your customer to images, emotions, and memories. And with some work, you can steer them right where you want.

Author’s Bio: Mark Skoultchi is Principal, Project Lead, and Head of East Coast Operations at Catchword. He is a veteran naming professional with 20 years experience counseling clients in every aspect of product and company name development. As head of Catchword’’s East Coast operations he’s managed projects for Volkswagen, Weight Watchers, McDonald’s, Time Warner Cable, Xerox and many other multinational companies.

8 Apps That Help You Run Your Business Like a Boss

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We live in an amazing time for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Tools and software that were once only accessible to huge corporations are now free (or very inexpensive) via the web. No IT department needed.

Here is my latest list of applications that can help a consultant or small team act like ‘the big boys.’

  • Time tracking for teams – Toggl

    (https://www.toggl.com/features)

    One-click time tracking for projects, with ability to mark billable hours, save data when offline, and share time reports. Free with Pro option for extra features.

  • Personal booking page – Meetme

    (http://www.scheduleonce.com/meetme.aspx)

    Simple online appointment setting. Offers multiple meeting times, locations, and time slots, with ability to delegate appointment management to an assistant.

  • Group chat, file sharing – Hipchat

    (https://www.hipchat.com)

    Collaborate with your team no matter where they are. Create separate rooms for separate groups of colleagues, share images or files, and create on-the-fly video chats.

  • Sales & CRM – Pipedrive

    (http://app.pipedrive.com)

    Visually track your contacts from initial inquiry through paying customer. Graphic pipeline visualization, reporting, reminders, and email integration makes it easy to keep the deals flowing and keep track of next steps.

  • Documentation – Genius Scan

    (http://thegrizzlylabs.com/)

    The easiest way to scan documents, receipts, etc., into your phone and then share them. Pull together a stack of pages into a PDF for emailing in a matter of seconds.

  • Tutorials, Instructions – ShowHows

    (http://www.showho.ws/)

    Still in private beta, but worth checking out. It’s an easy way to make step-by-step instructions that are beautifully designed and shareable. Include images, screenshots, and text, and then grab the embed code to share it on your website.

  • Demos and Screensharing – Zoom & Join.me

    (http://www.zoom.us and http://join.me)

    Instantly set up remote meetings, share your screen, and give a presentation, with audio and/or video. Add notations, record the meeting, and chat with other participants.

And here’s a fun bonus app, in case you find yourself in an environment that’s too quiet:

Coffee shop noises – https://coffitivity.com/

What are your favorite new apps for small business productivity?

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for Social Strata — makers of the Hoop.la community platform. Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

 

SMART Goals – Or Better Yet Smart-ER Goals!

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By Deb Bixler

When experienced business professionals tell you that you need to make SMART goals, they are referring to more than just using your intelligence to guide your planning.

The SMART goal concept for developing and achieving goals has been around for a while and it has been used by business professionals to grow their businesses and find success.

smarter goals
  • S (Specific)

The ““S” stands for creating specific goals that you can reach for.

Too many people say that their business goal is to ““make a lot of money”,” or “‘hold more direct selling parties”‘ or something equally as generic. A specific goal would be to grow sales in a particular product line by 10 percent or to date 12 shows per month and actually hold 10 after cancellations.

With that kind of specific goal, you can then create a plan of attack.

  • M (Measurable)

If you cannot measure your goals, then you have no way of knowing whether or not you are on the way to achieving them. You may have to get creative to be able to measure some of your goals, but specific goals can always be measured in some way.

  • A (Attainable)

Business goals need to be attainable to be practical. If you set goals that you know you cannot achieve just to try and motivate yourself, then you miss the point of business planning. You can make your goals aggressive, just be sure that you can attain your goals with hard work.

  • R (Relevant)

Entrepreneurs can sometimes allow personal feelings to get in the way of setting business goals. If you set a goal to “crush your biggest competitor”,then that is not really relevant to your business. Keep your goals focused on growing your business and the things you need to do to make achieving those goals a reality.

  • T (Timely)

In business, timing is everything. Your business planning needs to keep up with current trends and keep your company ahead of the competition. If you are basing your business goals on trends that have already passed, then you are putting yourself in a hole.

Smart-ER Goals Work Best

Now take it a step further and make them SMART-ER goals!

  • E (Evaluate)

Part of the reason that your business goals need to be measurable is because you have to be able to set milestones that you can use to evaluate your progress. The process of evaluating your plan and making necessary changes is critical to its success.

  • R (Re-evaluate)

When the plan has been completed, you need to re-evaluate what happened and pull as many lessons as possible from the results. There is no such thing as over-evaluating the results of a business plan.

Setting goals is the way that successful entrepreneurs find success.

When you use the SMARTER method for planning, you will be able to take your business where you want it to be.

Deb Bixler specializes teaching party plan consultants systems for business success. Visit her website, www.CreateACashFlowShow.com to learn how to create systems for your business.