Ignite the Conversation: Using Blogs as a Marketing Tool

IGNITE THE CONVERSATION�Using Blogs as a Marketing Tool

WHAT IS A BLOG?

At it’s core, a blog is nothing more than a

content management system.

http://blogsessive.com/blogging-tools/10-beautiful-wordpress-websites/

Blogs are nothing to be afraid of!

WHAT MAKES A BLOG?

•  A specific topic

•  Frequent updates

•  Comments

•  Conversational tone

•  Strong personality

•  RSS – the ability to subscribe

WHAT MAKES A BLOG?

•  A specific topic

•  Frequent updates

•  Comments

•  Conversational tone

•  Strong personality

•  RSS – the ability to subscribe

WHAT MAKES A BLOG?

•  A specific topic

•  Frequent updates

•  Comments

•  Conversational tone

•  Strong personality

•  RSS – the ability to subscribe

Without fresh content, a blog �ceases to be relevant

WHAT MAKES A BLOG?

•  A specific topic

•  Frequent updates

•  Comments

•  Conversational tone

•  Strong personality

•  RSS – the ability to subscribe

Without comments, why not just have a

static webpage?

WHAT MAKES A BLOG?

•  A specific topic

•  Frequent updates

•  Comments

•  Conversational tone

•  Strong personality

•  RSS – the ability to subscribe

http://www.proctoracademy.org/chucks_corner/

WHAT MAKES A BLOG?

•  A specific topic

•  Frequent updates

•  Comments

•  Conversational tone

•  Strong personality

•  RSS – the ability to subscribe

BLOGS & MARKETING STRATEGY

MARKETING FRAMEWORK

1.  SET STRATEGY: What are your higher level goals? What does success look?

2.  PLAN TACTICS: What types of communications will we use to achieve our goals and how will we measure results?

3.  EXECUTE COMMUNICATION: Communicate with your audience with planned tactics.

4. ASSESS RESULTS: Did we achieve our goals? What can we do better next time?

MARKETING FRAMEWORK

1.  SET STRATEGY: What are your higher level goals? What does success look?

2.  PLAN TACTICS: What types of communications will we use to achieve our goals and how will we measure results?

3.  EXECUTE COMMUNICATION: Communicate with your audience with planned tactics.

4. ASSESS RESULTS: Did we achieve our goals? What can we do better next time?

MARKETING FRAMEWORK

1.  SET STRATEGY: What are your higher level goals? What does success look?

2.  PLAN TACTICS: What types of communications will we use to achieve our goals and how will we measure results?

3.  EXECUTE COMMUNICATION: Communicate with your audience with planned tactics.

4. ASSESS RESULTS: Did we achieve our goals? What can we do better next time?

Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/teachandlearn

PLANNING

- Select a blog as your medium - Coordination with other staff

- Time commitment

- Hiring/training bloggers

- Editorial calendar

- Media production

- Marketing plan

MARKETING FRAMEWORK

1.  SET STRATEGY: What are your higher level goals? What does success look?

2.  PLAN TACTICS: What types of communications will we use to achieve our goals and how will we measure results?

3.  EXECUTE COMMUNICATION: Communicate with your audience with planned tactics.

4. ASSESS RESULTS: Did we achieve our goals? What can we do better next time?

EXECUTE

Schedule in advance

Stockpile Posts

Baby Sit Bloggers

MARKETING FRAMEWORK

1.  SET STRATEGY: What are your higher level goals? What does success look?

2.  PLAN TACTICS: What types of communications will we use to achieve our goals and how will we measure results?

3.  EXECUTE COMMUNICATION: Communicate with your audience with planned tactics.

4. ASSESS RESULTS: Did we achieve our goals? What can we do better next time?

EXAMPLE

DoSomethingDifferent

http://norwich.typepad.com/fall2007

SET STRATEGY

Keep enrolling students engaged throughout the summer, with the goal of reducing summer sugar-off.

Convey important information to deposited students and their families

—  Blog format selected/set up

—  Coordination with admissions counselors for questions, videos and new student profiles

—  Coordination for updating, copy editing and video editing.

—  Marketing plan created

—  Measurement Plan created

PLAN TACTICS

Online June 2007 - August 2007.

The publication was updated every day, as planned.

Marketing included placement on the institutional home page, the admissions main page, and in email communications.

EXECUTE COMMUNICATION

20,000 hits over three months, against a target audience of 650.

Anecdotal evidence from counseling staff

ASSESS RESULTS

SUCCESS!

Updated Daily

Information the audience wanted

It featured “people like them”

KEY TAKEAWAYS

- Blogs are a way of managing and publishing content. They don’t have to be student journals, but they do have expectations.

- Blogs are ubiquitous – they aren’t cutting edge.

- The biggest expense associated with a blog is the time commitment – make sure you have a plan going in!

YOUR HOMEWORK

- Read Groundswell

- Start a personal blog

- Listen to what people are saying on blogs about your institution

- Make a list of five ways you could implement blogs on your institutional website

Karlyn Morissette www.dojo-web.com

DoJo Web Strategy www.karlynmorissette.com karlyn@dojo-web.com www.twitter.com/karlynm