Posts Tagged Company Blogs
Blogging Part II: ‘Why Am I Doing This?’
Posted by Sheryl Sargent in Brand Building, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Networking on January 21, 2011
Previously, I divulged my formula for creating a marketable blog. To motivate you to actually do it, here is the rundown on what makes blogging so useful.
Reason 1: Your blog is the “Big Daddy” of all social media.
Not Facebook, not Twitter, but indeed it’s your company blog that is the cornerstone of social media marketing (SMM). When used effectively, it functions as the hub of SMM – a space where you drive all social traffic. Twitter and Facebook have suffered glitches in which users could not access or communicate with their fans/followers as normal. However, your blog is an online space that you have control over. Furthermore, a blog allows you to have more personal, in depth conversations. Even though you can post “notes” on Facebook, people typically expect all other social media platforms to be brief and immediate.
Reason 2: Blog means Better Listings on Google…and other search engines.
As mentioned in my previous blog, when your blog is on your website, the more articles you publish, the deeper your website becomes. This means, you’re expanding your website, adding a new page with each blog you release, which aids in search engine optimization. Add this to quality content with keywords relevant to your business, and you’ve increased the possibility of improving your ranking. In other words, people are more likely to find your website.
Reason 3: It’s easy enough…
Posting a blog allows you to communicate your branded message, interact with customers and/or other businesses and give your business a voice without the formality other marketing tactics require (e.g. a press release, brochures, web design, etc.) It’s a relatively inexpensive, ongoing tool that can be used at your discretion.
Blogging is absolutely beneficial and one of the easier methods to promote your brand. The hardest part sometimes is simply finding the time.
Up next…How to add more hours to the day… (Spoiler: Sleep less.)
Blogging Should Never Be Painful: A Quick ‘How to’
Posted by Sheryl Sargent in Brand Building, Entertainment, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Social Networking on January 20, 2011
I’ve been suffering from writer’s block for the past week and FINALLY I’m cured. Ironically, this is the topic that had me stumped:
HOW TO WRITE A MARKETABLE BLOG
(Sub-Rule: Stop Thinking So Hard)
If I adhered to this, I would’ve had this article for you last week…
By not adhering to this simple rule, you risk stifling your creative flow, and your readers will pick up on that…Then they’ll stop reading.
Rule 1: Develop a Strategy
Your blog should be consistent with your brand strategy. You should know who you’re targeting and the message you want to deliver.
Rule 2: Content Matters
Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Not only does content matter to the person reading it, but search engines pick up on it to. That’s why it’s important to have a catchy title with a keyword or two placed in the mix. Then (naturally) place those same keywords throughout your blog article for the web crawlers to find, aiding your site with a more visible ranking.
Rule 3: Get to the Point
Obviously, I’m a little lenient with this rule, but as rule of thumb, try not to give readers a textbook of information. That’s what Wikipedia is for.
Rule 4: Link Your Blog Off
Including internal links helps with search engine optimization (SEO). The more internal links you can reasonably include, the better.
Rule 5: Highlight the Important Stuff
For the skimmers out there, myself included, it’s ideal to have an article where the important points are emphasized through a bulleted list, bold print or all caps. Also, when it comes to creating a list, you can relay the same information, while making the article an easier, faster read.
Rule 6: It’s about Quality AND Quantity
Get in the habit of developing quality content frequently. The more blogs you release, the deeper your site becomes which, in turn, increases its visibility to search bots. This can potentially improve your ranking as well, especially if you jam pack it with relevant keywords.
Rule 7: Have Some Personality
This is important if you want to keep readers interested all the way to the end. Your blog should be just as personable as you.
Rule 8: Spell Check
(No explanation required.)
Now zealously start writing and get ready to publish your new and improved blog.
Up next…why you’re writing a blog in the first place…
B2Blog: Social Media Marketing Tips for B2B Companies
Posted by admin in Social Networking on October 14, 2009
Social media marketing, like any marketing strategy, takes planning, a tactical approach and most importantly, effort. For B2B companies, social networking can easily fall to the wayside or even sometimes, be abandoned completely. It seems though that with the right mix of strategy and planning and the all-important effort, B2B companies can reap the benefits that social media offers.
Strategy
Have a strategy. Why does your company want to use social media? To help with search engine optimization? To interact with clients? Whatever the reason, just have a reason. Your company will not stick with it, if there is no reason to do it. At Marion, every time we post a blog, we put a link to it on our FaceBook page. It keeps the content updated regularly and utilizes a bit of link strategy to optimize it.
Planning
Have a plan, and stick with it. Search engines, like Google, like it when content is updated. Simply having a blog and never updating it, doesn’t help you. So, make a plan and update it regularly. Here, at the Marion Group, we try to update our blog on every Friday and then post a link to it on our Company FaceBook page.
Effort
Execute your plan. It takes 100 “fans” for your Company FaceBook page to be picked up by Google. So, make some effort. Contact everyone in your Outlook and ask them to join. They help your page get picked up by Google, which is great for optimization purposes, and it keeps your company’s name in front of them, which is key in any marketing strategy.
The Marion Group provides Social Media Packages for clients seeking Social Media Marketing, but don’t know where to start. We develop the strategy, provide the planning and can even put forth the effort for you too. Whatever your marketing need is, The Marion Group has the solution.
For more information on our Social Media Packages, contact us at 713-623-6444 or email us at info2@marion.com.
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