Upload
johnpatton
View
70
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Does your organization have a blog? Use this tutorial to help evaluate your strategy and to find to optimize your blog for today's online audience. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
Best Practices in BloggingPatton Group Advisors, LLC
August 8, 2012 John S. Patton, III
TUTORIAL OUTLINESection One: Why Blog?
• Is there Sufficient Demand?• Opportunities to Expand Your Influence• A Timely Knowledge Sharing Platform
Section Two: Changes in News Consumption• Where Do People Get Their News?• How the Internet Has Changed News• Snapshot of a Typical Blog Reader
TUTORIAL OUTLINESection Three: Writing An Effective Blog Post
• Improving the Scanability of a Blog Post• Choosing Format & Post Length• Writing Engaging & Provocative Content• Additional Tools For Creating Exciting Content
Section Four: Template Recommendations• Writing a Good Headline• Intro• Body• Conclusion
SECTION ONE: Why Blog?
Is There Sufficient Demand for your Topic?
a) Is a Blog appropriate for your organization’s goals?• Do you have anything interesting to
say?• Are your competitors blogging
successfully?• Do you have the budget?
b) If you are already blogging, how has your readership developed over times?• Do you have metrics in place to
evaluate which posts have performed well?
• Has your overall readership increased?
Opportunities to Expand Influence
a) A well crafted blog post can:• Influence trends• Create a breakthrough idea – OR –• Provide information
b) Example of influence: What happens when you “google” a term that your organization has coined?
SECTION ONE: Why Blog?
A Timely Knowledge Sharing Platform
a) Disseminate timely knowledge in your digital network
b) Two Way Communication• Audience and peers can comment directly
on your blog• Immediate Feedback
c) Medium for ideas to go viral• A blog post, tweet, or other digital product
can quickly be shared by other orgs, people
• With this potential, there is no limit to how many people can see your publication
SECTION ONE: Why Blog?
Where Do People Get Their News?
Statistics as of March, 2011
SECTION TWO: Changes in News Consumption
a) Democratization of News• Online news sources can be created from
almost nothing
b) News is Free• Blogs, twitter and other online platforms
are free
c) Decentralization of News• News can come from anywhere at any
time• An unknown blog can break the biggest
story
How the Internet Has Changed News
SECTION TWO: Changes in News Consumption
Snapshot of a Typical Blog Reader
Average reader spends only 96 seconds reading a single blog post
Because your reader is looking at a computer screen:
People read 25% slower than reading on paper
Only 16% of people read blog posts word for word
SECTION TWO: Changes in News Consumption
Improving the Scanability of a Blog PostThe Problem:
This problem exists across all platforms:
• Twitter• Facebook• Inboxes• RSS Feeds
SECTION THREE: Writing an Effective Blog Post
Improving the Scanability of a Blog PostThe Solution: • Grab Reader’s Attention by Breaking
Through with: Photos, Videos & Infographics
SECTION THREE: Writing an Effective Blog Post
Choosing Format & Post Length
Distribution of Blog Posts by Number of Words
SECTION THREE: Writing an Effective Blog Post
Choosing Format & Post Length
Perceived Problem: Blog posts have to be long and heavily researched
Reality: Shorter, more frequent posts (150-600 words) should be the norm
• Take less time to write• Fit the 96 second average • Increased frequency in news
feeds• Increase RSS pings• Increase SEO ranking
What is the average post length of your blog?
SECTION THREE: Writing an Effective Blog Post
Writing Engaging and Provocative Content
Problem: Blog posts can be boring, esoteric and too internally focused
Solution: Create a list of provocative questions that will be answered in your post.• Use a question at the beginning of your blog post
to draw the reader into a two-way discussion• Keep a list of your questions that can be used as
an entry for numerous tweets pointing back to your blog post
SECTION THREE: Writing an Effective Blog Post
SECTION THREE: Writing an Effective Blog PostAdditional Tools For Creating Exciting ContentCurate
• Help people see your organization as a thought leader with a timely perspective by offering important insights on current events, reports or studies
Add Value• Offer critical observation or inquiries
Link Up• Use hyperlinks to reference other parts of your
website or external sitesWhen in Doubt, Post!
• Don’t let this guide put you in handcuffs• If you feel like your blog post will be out of line
with these principles, write it anyway
Problem: Readers are often deterred by bad headlines
Solution: Create something informative and engaging that leaves your reader wanting more…
Bad Headline• 'Qatar TV Channel Acquires New Hardware'
Good Headline• 'Al Jazeera International Chooses Apple
Technology'
Writing a Good Headline
SECTION FOUR: Suggested Template
SECTION FOUR: Suggested Template
Intro Paragraph
1. Start with values and framing of why the subject
is important
2. Evidence, anecdotes or current events
3. Focus on the unique knowledge of this post
1. Support your key message(s)2. Use language that is simple, straightforward and
understandable by all audiences3. Think about how this post could be disseminated
on twitter or facebook• Include a few sentences that could be used on these
platforms• Refer back to the initial questions to be answered
Body
SECTION FOUR: Suggested Template
Conclusion1. Provide info about what your topic means
for Living Cities and the broader field2. Provide ways for people to get more
information if applicable
SECTION FOUR: Suggested Template
Who Is Your Audience?
• Members• Customers• Stakeholders• Media
• Government• Casual Reader• Customers
What Groups Read Your Blog?
This is an example of just some group categories. Take the time to think about the people that comprise your readership and keep them in mind when writing.