Week #2: It’s Time to Blog ~ Finding Your Voice

with Shannon Bowen-Kelsickwww.sbkelsick.com

@sbkelsick

What is a blog ?

• Web content• Not necessarily personal

@sbkelsick

Why Blog ?

• Easy to update your website with a blog• Brand yourself and & business• Express yourself ~ hone your passion• SEO! Help people find you & your business

@sbkelsickWritten by Mitch Joel in “Bring back the Corporate Blog” May 2014

Blog Platform Choices

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What to write about:

• Your business services• Your portfolio• Your experiences, thoughts, questions• Events (yours, ones you attend, ones your audience is interested in)

• How to or help doc• Curation of other great material• Images, videos• Resources like other blogs, books, speakers

• Interview people!@sbkelsick

What to write about – Books

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What to write about – Interviews

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What to write about – Events

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What to write about – Curation

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What to write about – How To’s

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Get inspired, where to find content

• Magazines• Blogs• News• Podcasts• Google Alerts• Events• Books• Customers!

Group Exercise: 1. Choose our group topic

of interest2. Find an interesting blog

post about your topic3. Find a podcast about a

topic, come up with a blog post idea

4. Google the topic, find an infographic

5. Google Books about the topic, find a list of books you will read then recommend

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How to write

• When– When you are inspired– Carve out the time, schedule!– All at once, pre-publish– When you find new content

• Tools– Journal– Storyboard– Evernote– Notepad!

@sbkelsick

SEO basicssearch engine optimization

• Article titles matter• Picture names matter• Watch your analytics (WordPress or Google)• Who is looking for you?

– Exercise: Answer this question: What is your customer typing into a search engine that you want your website to appear? List 5 things

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WordPress Site Stats Example

Honing and Communicating Your Passion/Brand

• Allow your blog to change and morph as you hone your passions and your brand

• Try things!• Write from the heart, with personality and character

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Remember!

How to make things easier

• Making blogging a habit, just do it for a while

• Just click publish• Blogging Planners• Carving time out to write

@sbkelsick

Blog On. with Shannon Bowen-Kelsick

www.sbkelsick.com@sbkelsick