Introduction
With an estimated 50 million-plus blogs already on the Internet, and more appearing literally every second, isn’t it about time you created one for your business, yourself or your interests? If a lack of knowledge is stopping you, A Novice’s Guide to Blogging can help.
The Novice’s Guide is a short series of tips designed to help beginners get their first blogs going and keeping them up. We start by looking at blogs are, what they are not and elements they typically contain.
What Blogs Are
World Wide Web logs, abbreviated as “blogs,” are essentially short, simple web pages. Current software allows users to choose from a multitude of preexisting blog design templates that can be slightly modified, all without requiring a single line of programming code.
Each blog contains one or more comments or articles, commonly referred to as “posts.”
Blog posts generally fall into one of three broad categories:
1. Business. Blogs are used to keep employees, customers and the public up-to-date with your business. Topics usually include information not found on company websites. Examples are details about company participation at a local fund-raiser, staff additions, employee promotions and other positive “behind the scenes” information that gives your company a human, family touch.
2. Personal. Another way to look at blogs is considering them on-line diaries. “Here’s what I did today. Here’s what I’m doing tomorrow. Here’s where I’m going and who I’m hanging out with, etc.”
3. Interests and hobbies. People often write about topics of interest to them such as sports teams, recipes, fashion, pets, food, wine and innumerable other topics.
What Blogs Are Not
Blogs are designed to augment, not replace, company and personal websites. Blogs contain brief articles filled with information that changes frequently. Websites, by contrast, contain a lot of material that seldom changes, such as on-line product catalogs, descriptions and price lists.
Unlike websites, blogs are not designed to have nested layers of pages. One way to visualize the difference is considering your website a complete newspaper and your blog a one-page insert.
Blogs are also not replacements for interacting with your public using face-to-face, print and other on-line methods like social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.).
Blogs Have a Structure
All blogs have several common elements.
They are:
· A background, which is often a pre-made static design. An alternative is an image, such as a company logo.
· Overlaid on top of the background is your blog’s title. One example is Your Company at Blogger.com (www.blogger.com).
· Most blogs typically also have a short description of the blog at the top. This is where writers tell the uninformed public what their blog is about. A brief author biography is either included here or placed nearby.
· Most of the blog screen “real estate” is devoted to your current blog post. This is where 99 percent of your effort should be concentrated and where your blog’s success or failure is determined.
· Ways to subscribe to your blog, such as by using RSS (Really Simple Syndication). This way, regular blog readers are automatically told when your latest comment gets posted.
· An archive of past posts. This is important because a post from two weeks ago may be just what a new reader needs.
Next on Blogging 101: Content is King.
A Novice’s Guide to Blogging: Content Is King
The introduction to A Novice’s Guide to Blogging states that while all blogs contain several common elements, your posts—or comments, articles, stories—are the key to gaining and keeping readers.
Why?
People are only going to spend their valuable time reading material they find interesting. If they don’t like the topic, the post does not make sense or is poorly written, readers have one word for the author: goodbye.
Link Your Blog’s Name and Core Content
Your blog’s name should reflect its content and the content should reflect the blog’s core focus.
For example, let’s say your blog is about Joe and JoAnne’s Insurance Services. Your website contains details about the types of services you offer, a listing of agents and contacts plus related business information. Your blog omits this information, but should contain “for more information” links to your website and office.
Instead, your blog contains information that has no permanent, easy place on your website but stays on topics related to the business. For example, a list of common ways to winterize your home can be tied in with a comment like, “Make sure your home stays safe this winter. See us for a homeowner’s insurance check-up.”
Another topic might be, “JoAnne is speaking at the Garden Elementary PTA tomorrow night. Have you got an insurance question? Come ask her.”
A third option might be something like, “Tim Timmons needs help paying for an expensive medical procedure. We are helping. Can you?”
The idea behind blog posts on these and similar topics is creating building trust between the blogger and readers. Blogs help the public relate to you. By addressing comments and concerns you—or a member of your staff—hear, you help create that trust.
Don’t Stray From Your Core Subject
Politics and religion are very emotional topics for some people, topics that often polarize folks. Unless your blog deals with them, stay away. Stay far, far away from them.
Why?
Because you don’t want to lose your core audience. Your readers will leave forever if they don’t share your political or religious views. Readers are looking at your posts because they are interested in your main topic.
It is O-Kay to deviate from your primary focus, but not frequently. For example, our insurance agents might come across an unusual pumpkin pie recipe they want to share. Post it with a note like, “One of our clients, Mary Dolenz, shared her old family recipe for pumpkin pie. It’s fast, easy and healthy. Give it a try.”
This post is not directly related to insurance but by using a named client as the source, there is a link.
Next: What is in a name and why you should care.
A Novice’s Guide to Blogging: What’s In a Name
The first post in this series introduce novices to blogging. The second explains why your key emphasis should always be on blog article content, with a strong suggestion to keep your content related to your blog’s title.
Since readers do not skip the blog title and dive straight into your story, having a descriptive but brief title is critical to getting folks to read further. This post focuses on crafting that title.
Businesses have it easy in this respect. Libby’s Pottery Place can have an online store selling handmade pottery creations and a website devoted to her craft. Naming her blog, Libby’s Pottery Place Blog lets her write about new topics she’s interested while retaining her business identity.
But if Libby wants to write about another passion—like finding homes for lost and unwanted pets—she is better off creating a separate, distinct blog for that purpose.
Pick Your Name Carefully
As stated in an earlier post, your blog’s name should reflect its core subject. If you want to cover multiple subjects, don’t fret: create more blogs.
Libby could name her pet blog, “All I Want is a Loving Home.” Combined with a photo of a sorrowful dog or cat, readers quickly understand that the blog is about pets, not home repairs.
Other key points in picking your blog’s name are:
· Keep it short, simple and easy to remember. Libby wants you to know she sells pottery. Using her name plus the alliterative (the first letters have the same sounds) phrase “Pottery Place” achieve that goal. Naming her blog “All About Raku” does not help those who do not know this a type of pottery glaze, nor will it help people find Libby’s pottery products.
· Use the same name as your website if your website already exists. If that blog’s name is taken at one provider, find another one where it is still available. For example, there might already be a Libby’s Pottery Place at blogger.com, but not at posterous.com.
· If you create your blog first, give your website the same name. The idea is to make it easy for customers to remember you. If they remember you, they know where to go when it’s time to purchase your products or services.
· Pick a name that relates to your primary topic. Calling your blog, “The Elephant’s Ear” does not scream that it’s about Republican Party politics. Calling it “United Republicans of My County” does.
· Avoid acronyms and jargon at all cost. Remember, the goal here is to attract new people who are unfamiliar with you. Instead of “George Shaw, LLC, Inc.,” consider “Making Sense of Limited Liability Investing Partnerships.”
Next up: writing your first post.
A Novice’s Guide to Blogging: Your First Post
If you’ve been following this series, you know have an idea what blogs are about and how they are organized, the reason content is king and why picking an appropriate name is important.
Without going into a lot of details on good writing (see my archives for tips), lets focus on a few pointers aimed at making your blog stand out from the crowd.
The top three blog writing tips are:
Keep the topics consistent with your blog’s main subject. If a post’s topic is not transparently related to the blog—you start writing about health care when you sell insurance—spend a few words explaining the relationship. Writing about health care makes perfect sense if you sell independent health insurance policies.
Keep the posts brief. A maximum length is between 500-600 words, though shorter is better. Instead of combining three topics in one longer post, write three short posts.
Post regularly. One way to do this is by developing a new habit such as a writing your blog post after your weekly staff meeting.
Be Informative, Relevant
People want to read information that benefits them. Constantly asking yourself the question “What’s in it for me?” from the reader’s perspective allows you to do just that. Use your posts to not only discuss something you consider important, but how it benefits each reader.
You have the time and screen space to explain in detail why readers should care about your topic, such as a new service. For example, an insurance broker might have a new policy aimed specifically at returning military veterans.
Writing: It’s Not Rocket Science
Here’s the best news for some folks: blogging can be simple and fun. Ideally you want to use fresh, original content. However, you might some valuable information nuggets on your travels across the world wide web. When you do, post them. Be sure to include a link (copy the www.blank.com from the top of your Internet surfing software into your post) and attribute the original post.
Another shortcut is when you send out a press release, post a copy on your blog. Check it for the blog factors. If the release isn’t consistent with your blog’s theme and isn’t relevant to your audience, rewrite the release.
Good journalists find their biggest problem is not finding topics to write about. The problem is sorting through all the choices to find the best ones. Bloggers have the luxury of not paying for any ink so they can write as often as they want.
Adding Keywords Helps People Find You
Most blogging software lets you add keywords. What are they? What do they do? Why should I care?
Keywords are individual words and short phrases readers might use to pick your particular blog post out of the billions of others. Placing them in a key word box on the blog creation form (this depends on the software used. Some require you enter it manually, while others do it for you) makes it easier for search engines like Bing and Google to put your entry toward the top. The more specific your keywords are, the greater the chance of searches for those specific words to result in a positive search engine match.
For example, an insurance agency’s blog post on new health coverage plans for returning veterans would include these keywords: the name of your agency (so people looking for your agency might find you), veterans, health care, veterans health care, health insurance and other terms that are used in the story.
Next: Comments create communication.
A Novice’s Guide to Blogging: Comments Create Communication
Here’s a not too hypothetical situation all bloggers will not only experience, but avidly seek out: you just posted an update and someone wants to comment on it. What do you do?
First and foremost, make sure all comments must be approved before they can be posted. Why? You can into a ton of trouble if random, unedited comments are allowed to appear.
In addition to rude, nasty and generally offensive materials, you might also be subjected to: posts for unrelated products (spam) that if allowed to appear, show readers you don’t care what appears on your blog; links to websites that might contain viruses and other nastiness; even comments saying, “Your product sucks. Mine is better. Here’s a link to my site.”
If you are going to have a blog, it is your job to ensure that all content is suitable for your audience. This means editing it. Editing can be as minor as running a spellchecker and fixing bad grammar or as major as removing offensive language and killing the post altogether.
One problem with moderated blogs, especially those getting heavy traffic, is posters expect to see comments appear within a “reasonable” time. “Reasonable” can be loosely defined as 24 hours or less.
How can you handle this editing?
Many blog creation programs automatically send comments directly to your email address, which may or may not appear in the blog. So long as you regularly check your email—consider setting up a separate account for the blog—you’re fine. However you set up your blog, make sure—doubly sure—all comments are moderated before being allowed to appear.
Comments Serve a Critical Purpose
When you put up a blog post, you tell people something. When they comment, they are talking back to you. If you respond to their response, you have begun a conversation.
Starting conservations between yourself and potential customers is the number one goal of having a blog.
New products and services are great conversation starters. Mention a new product and people may say they like dislike or think it can be improved. Many a new product, or new use for an old one, as come from reader comments.
Reader comments are great, but with one important provision: that you respond to the comments and move the conversation along. If you stay mute, readers will—understandably—think you don’t care.
For example, let’s say your post mentions a new type of insurance policy. A comment asks how the new policy differs from the old. You could respond with a direct email to the writer, where only they would benefit, or you could respond to their comment. A public response allows you to explain the differences and why they should care.
Next: a brief look at four blog creation sites.
A Novice’s Guide to Blogging: Picking the Right Software
By this point you should be comfortable with the idea of blogging and how to do it effectively. At this point you might want to know this: what mechanism do I use to blog?
The good news is several very good, and extremely simple, free programs exist to help you blog. If one doesn’t work for you, you can have a blog up on a different site in a matter of minutes. Most of these programs are platform independent, meaning they work equally well on any machine. The key limiting factor is your internet connection speed.
Important Considerations
Consider these important questions before you decide which blogging program to use:
1. Who is writing and uploading the blog posts? You? Someone else? Several people? Make sure they can all use it.
2. Where are the blog posts likely to come from? A lot of people use their smart phones (e.g., Blackberries and iPhones) for a wide range of tasks, including blogging.
3. What is the computer literacy level of the main blogger? Highly competent people will want to play with the programming code and spiff it up. Novices just want to write, post and move on. When in doubt, err on the simple side. Your blog won’t look as pretty as something requiring more programming skill, but will still function and that is what counts.
Four (Of Many) Good Options
Assuming your company lets you pick your blogging software, take a look at two established and two newer programs: Google’s Blogger.com (www.blogger.com) and WordPress (www.wordpress.com) host literally millions of blogs each. Newer firms Posterous (https://www.posterous.com) and Tumblr (www.tumblr.com) were reviewed Oct. 23 by Ellen Lee at www.sfgate.com under the headline “New platforms make blogging more immediate, mobile” and they show promise as alternatives.
· Blogger.com is fast, simple and straight-forward. Users pick from among numerous templates, create their design and start blogging. Posts are created directly within the on-screen word processor, which offers typographic controls limited by html (the web page creation programming). It has limited design options but does include a template designer. Comment: a good choice for beginners.
· WordPress is frequently used in the business world because it provides easy access to html code, allowing users to customize their blogs. This customization makes it tougher for novices. Numerous books exist on how to customize WordPress blogs. Comment: excellent choice if you have a tech person uploading the content or you have specific design concerns.
· Tumblr is simple and easy to use, making it similar to Blogger. A key difference is this: you can create blog posts directly on the site or copy and paste them into Tumblr. Comment: good choice for people in the office and on the go.
· Posterous is similar to Tumblr except that posts are sent from your mobile device only. You cannot create posts within it. A brief look at the program indicates Posterous is primarily aimed at mobile-only users. Comment: if you’re seldom in your office, this is a good choice.
It’s important to realize that these are but four of many choices. The good news is any of them will work for almost everyone.
Now that you’ve got a good handle on how to do it, it’s time to stop reading and start blogging. However, you might want to read the final post in this series first.
Next: Blogging is only part of a communications strategy.
A Novice’s Guide to Blogging: Blogs Are Only Part of the Picture
Blogs are a great way to help communicate with people, but blog are not the only way. Effective communicators use blogs as one of many tools along with other forms of social electronic media and print publications.
Many individuals and companies also have public Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts plus web pages. Blogs belong in this mix and, when used with these other forms of social media, can help gain additional attention for your firm.
For example, let’s say you just posted a story about a new contest. Promote it. Include the same story under a “News” heading on your web page, send a press release to the local print outlets, run several Twitter comments with links to the blog post and mention it—and link it—on Facebook.
Another method, which some people might say falls under the heading “market research,” has you blogging and Tweeting about the contest so you can fine tune it before sending it directly to the press. The downside to that is many reporters scan the internet and blogs for story ideas.
Regardless of how you do it, your goal should be to get the word out to as many people as possible then develop two-way communications with them. Get the word out. Get comments from folks. Respond to their comments then respond to their responses.
Another very good idea is to add photos when appropriate. Good photos show, not tell, a story that words cannot. The combination of a good story and a good photo is more powerful than either alone.
On a personal note, I hope you enjoyed this series. Let me know how I can improve it.
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