Blogging for marketing and communication profs

I recently had a chance to talk to a group of Public Relations professionals about blogging. Although I did multiple “Intro. to Blogging” talks in the past couple of years I needed to pause and really think about this one. PR folks don’t need training on how to communicate (heck, they can be my teachers on this topic), but what they need is a clear understanding on how to adjust their writing style for blogging success including understanding differences in blogging goals, audience, content and most importantly tone.

Blogging vs. marcom writing

Blogging vs. marcom writing - what's the difference?

The anatomy of a blog post (aka writing for the web)

Starting with a great blog post title and finishing with a call to action great blog posts have a specific anatomy. BTW, I’ve used one of the posts from the HubSpot blog  because I believe they are doing a superb job illustrating all of my blog anatomy points AND I highly recommend for great insights about marketing automation.

Anatomy of a great blog post - left side

tips on constructing your blog post title

1. Make a bold statement
   “Why your blog doesn’t need an audience of thousands”
2. Make a confession or tell a secret
   “5 confessions of a worker turned workaholic”
3. Identify a problem and hint at unusual solution
   “Want 1,000 blog subscribers? Just INVENT them”
4. Appeal to search engines
   “Ten ways to fix your Google reputation & remove negative results”
5. Don’t be too vague
   NOT THIS –> “Learning to listen”
   BUT THIS  –> “Learning to listen – how the “glue guy” helps your customer communications shine”

Anatomy of a great blog post - right side

Want to see both the left and the right side of the blog anatomy image?

Frequently asked blogging questions

•  How often should I blog?
  Rule of thumb is for a blog to have an entry no less than every 10 days.
  Remember though that blogs with multiple authors are the best way to distribute the work. Use a blogging calendar to keep on track and assign writing blog posts to individuals ahead of time.
  

  example of a blogging calendar

• How long should my blog be?
  There is no perfect length to a blog post. Rather than counting characters concentrate on getting your message out succinctly yet effectively. Pay attention to scannability of your text by breaking long passages into short paragraphs with headers, inserting bullets and using images to add visual interest.

• What do I do if I receive unfavorable/negative comment?
  The best way to build your blog’s credibility is to engage in honest dialog with others. If the content of the comment is positive or negative and in context to the conversation, then go ahead and approve the content, regardless of whether it’s favorable or unfavorable to you or your business. But if the content is ugly, offensive, denigrating and completely out of context, then you should reject it.

• What do I blog about?
  Here are some ideas for both business and industry focused blog posts
  BUSINESS FOCUSED
  • Create a video tutorial on how you use your product (don’t be sellsy).
  • Blog about your customers pain points your sales people hear about the most.
  • Give 5 reasons to sign up for your email newsletter.
  • Write what keeps you up at night and how you plan to tackle it.
  • Share a time when you got it wrong in 2010 and what you’ve learned.
  • Blog about the 5 most asked questions about your product (be honest).
  • Profile employees who worked on designing your product.
  • Profile customers who are your product evangelists.

  INDUSTRY FOCUSED

  • Profile customers who are your product evangelists.
  • Write about 10 ways your industry will change in 2011.
  • Break down new laws/trends affecting your industry in 2011.
  • Attend an industry event and blog about it.
  • Write about 3 people in your industry you want to meet & why.
  • Interview someone well-known in your industry and profile them.
  • Have a chat with a competitor & blog about it (with permission).
  • Create a list of 5 books that someone in your industry should read.
  • Rewrite an old post with fresh eyes and new ideas.
  • Profile best industry blogs.

• What are the top 5 steps to blogging success?
• Be authentic to yourself and to the brand
• Write what you know (what you are an expert on)
• Write with a human voice (no corporate-speak allowed)
• Take risks (don’t be boring agreeing with everyone)
• Invite conversation (blogging is NOT a monologue)
• Develop relationships with other bloggers in your topic niche

Blog post check list

The take-away from my presentation was this one sheet check list of things you should remember to review before, during and after composing your blog post.

Blogging for marcom profs  – presentation files

view the blogging overview for marcom profs on slideshare (PDF version) and prezi (interactive version)