Understanding the Impact of Blogs in Content Marketing
Blogs have evolved from personal diaries to powerful tools in content marketing. They are key in engaging audiences, fostering community, and driving actions. Learn how blogs are embedded in websites, stand-alone for monetization, and contribute to branding stories.
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Blog stands for Weblog and used to be used like public journals or diaries for self-expression. Blogs are now used strategically in content marketing. Posts are featured in reverse chronological order (the most recent first), and often there s a collection of the Most Popular blog posts. Embedded Blogs: Blogs are most commonly embedded in organizations websites for content marketing i.e., to provide information, education, community, opinions, and other content of value that will ultimately motivate readers to take an action that is their goal (e.g., buy, join, donate, etc.) Stand-alone Blogs: When the blog itself IS the product (a stand- alone blog), it can be monetized by endorsements and advertising after developing a following (e.g., 10,000 page views per month). For example, a home improvement blogger might be sponsored by Home Depot or a combination of noncompeting companies the influencer endorses. BLOG DEFINITION & FEATURES
Q: Whats the difference between a blog and other websites? A: Blogs must be continually updated, and people subscribe to feeds. They also must be tightly focused on one topic (e.g., new moms).
EXAMPLE: Blogs That Contribute to a Branding Story What s New is Ben & Jerry s blog on current issues.
8 Activists Continuing MLK s Work Today
When you click on Starbucks blog, you get the Starbucks Channel
EXAMPLE: Some stand-alone political and Educational Blogs like Everyday Feminism run on donations.
Monetized Blogs can make money through endorsements, advertising, shopping, etc. Scary Mommy is a top mommy blog that features advice, community, and shopping.
A word about fake news (fabricated stories)
Fake news isn t always political.
Heres real news (CBS) calling out fake news (YourNewsWire.com) for saying fake news is . . . fake news.
Fake News has been around a long time. Weekly World News was sold in grocery store check-out aisles until 2007. The Sun (U.S.) survived until 2012. Both had small-print disclaimers, but many readers believed the stories anyway. Many tabloid publications mix verifiable news with heresay or fabrication. This is why it s important to check credibility of what you read and to write credibly for clients.
Embedded Marketing Blog (Lyfe Marketing) Keys to Blogging Establish Expertise in a Niche Many blogs are intended to position the writer or organization as an expert in a field (as this YFE Marketing blog does) Offer Content of Value It offers information of value to prospective customers and promotes its services in the process. Utilize Key Words Bloggers utilize key words that will be picked up by a search engine e.g., types of content marketing
A blog can be monetized (created to make money) in many ways, though it s hard to do. Scary Mommy makes money by selling ad space on blog pages and selling products in the store. Reviews on a blog can recommend products from the store as well. Influencers can be paid to promote products on their blogs. You need a special/needed niche, large following, and proven performance to advertisers. You ll need a passion for your blog (to stay motivated and writing fluidly), great content, a competitive edge, and lots of patience and hard work. Usually, blogs are used as marketing vehicles rather than stand-alone attractions. But there are some extraordinary examples of successful stand-alone blogs (e.g., Huffington Post). Monetizing Stand-Alone Blogs STARTING GOAL: 10,000 page views per month
How to Make Money Skivens recommends these niches Personal Finance Food Beauty and Fashion Lifestyle Personal Development
Header with the menu or navigation bar Main content area with highlighted or latest blog posts Sidebar with social profiles, favorite content, or call-to-action Footer with relevant links like a disclaimer, privacy policy, contact page, etc. Menu bar usualy features an About button so readers can find out about the author.
13 Types of Headlines That Will Get You More Traffic (Hubspot) LINK TO ARTICLE
Best, Easiest, Fastest 1) THE BEST WAYS TO . . . The 'Best' Headlines These headlines are powerful for SEO Study Less, Study Smart: The Best Ways to Retain More in Less Time The Best Ways to Do Market Research For Your Business Plan 2) THE EASIEST WAY TO. . . The 'Make My Life Easier' Headlines This is the little sister to the 'Best' headlines. If your customers are facing problems, they don't always want to know the best way to do something. Sometimes, they want to know the easiest way. The Easiest Way to Become a Successful Writer The Easiest Way to Build an On-Demand Training Library 3) THE FASTEST WAYTO . . . The 'It's a Race' Headlines (fast) Sometimes people don't want the best, and they don't want easy - they want fast. In some industries, you see personas that are always in panic mode, needing something done yesterday. The plus side of "fast" content is, it means they will jump through the buyers' journey much faster if you can prove the value of your product or service. The Fastest Way to Clean a Deer Skull The Quickest Way to Deliver Your Message? Make It Visual. (ironically, this article has 0 visuals.)
4) YOU SHOULD . . . The 'If I Were You' Headlines (and Why Headlines) Most of us share a desire to improve. We want to be more productive and more successful. We all would love to accomplish more in less time. And, we all want to be good at what we do. It's those desires that make the, "If I were you..." headlines so powerful. Why You Should Forget Facebook Why You Should Hire People Toughened by Failure, Not Those Coddled by Success 5) WHAT WE DO WHEN . . . The 'What We Do When...' Headlines Transparency is a new paradigm in marketing. For years, companies have done all they could to keep their "secret sauce" hidden from the public. What companies have started to realize is, the real secret sauce is trust. And every company has access to it if they want it. EXAMPLE: Buffer Why We Don't Have Technical Interviews for Technical Roles at Buffer How We Research: A Look Inside the Buffer Blog Process What We Do When (Almost) Everyone Gets It Wrong 6) BACKED BY SCIENCE: The 'Backed By Science' Headlines For example, if you can prove through research that waking up to Mozart translates to more energy in the morning, iTunes will light up with Mozart-seekers. Why not do the same with your product or service? How is it going to make someone's life better? Share that, but base it on research. Examples: The Science Of Simplicity: Why Successful People Wear The Same Thing Every Day 4 Simple Remedies for Burnout: Backed By Science 10 Productivity Strategies Backed By Science
7) WHY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO THIS: The 'Why X People Do X' Headlines This title appeals to our desire to be the best. As Brian Tracy in his book, Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life, says, "The people you most admire and look up to have an inordinate amount of influence on how you think and feed about yourself, and the kind of decisions you make." Successes & Mistakes If your title can appeal to the kind of people your audience look up to, it can be a powerful incentive to read more. Examples: Why Successful People Never Bring Smartphones Into Meetings What Successful People Do Before Going to Bed Why Steve Jobs Didn t Let His Kids Use iPads (And Why You Shouldn t Either) 8) WHAT I LEARNED: The 'Experience Has Taught Well' Headlines Experience is the best teacher. But sometimes, the tuition is just too high. Smart people learn from other's mistakes. They also learn from other's success. These titles speak to the problems your target personas are facing and promise to deliver insight on how to deal with these problems. Examples: What I Learned From Being a Broke, Unemployed Graduate Parenting Lessons I Learned From a Waldorf Kindergarten 9) NUMBERED LISTS: The 'Let Me List Them Out For You' Headlines For some reason, we like list posts. They appeal to a wide audience and inspire a lot of clicks compared to other types of articles. Which is why blogs like buzzfeedconstantly use them. Examples: 7 Ugly Truths a Pretty Website Can't Hide The Ultimate List of 95 Blogpost Ideas for Creating Craveable Content to Share on Social 10 Awesome Headlines that Drive Traffic and Attract Readers 10) 9 MISTAKES THAT . . . The 'Don't Be Stupid' Headlines The most compelling headlines are those that appeal to our desire to be accepted. We don't want to look like fools. Headlines that connect to that desire are extremely compelling. When you mention mistakes, we all want to ensure we're not making them, especially if they are well-known. Examples: 9 Resume Mistakes That Might Cost You a Job 9 Marketing Mistakes That Make You Look Like a Rookie
11) THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT . . . The 'Don't Be Ignorant' Headlines We don't want to be the last to know. We don't want to be left in the dark, especially if our colleagues know something, we want to be in the loop. So do our customers. Knowledge If there is something they should know, we should be writing about it. Examples: Stephen King s Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully in Ten Minutes 7 Things You Need to Know About Narcissists, From A Psychologist s Perspective Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Better Listener 12) COMPARISONS: ______ vs __________: The 'Everyone Loves Competition' Headlines This is a powerful title option. It allows you to replace third-party, uncontrollable reviews of your product or service with reviews you can control. Not only that, but it can steal traffic from your competitors as well. In very competitive spaces, these types of headlines perform very well. Marcus Sheridan, of The Sales Lion loves these types of articles. Don't get him started on talking about Yelp. Instead, write some comparative articles and use these headlines to drive organic traffic from your competitors' websites. Examples: Fiberglass vs Concrete vs Vinyl Inground Pools: Which is Best? Responsive vs. Adaptive Web Design, Which is Best For You? 13) CLICK BAIT HEADLINES . . . The 'Click Bait' HeadlinesIf you're going to use this tactic, you better deliver content that excites as much as the title. If not, you'll just annoy your audience. I've started to loath these headlines, because more and more people are using them and not delivering on the anticipation. Examples: This Guy Covered His Car With Putty. What Happened Next Will Blow You Away After A Lioness Killed A Baboon, This Baby Was Left All Alone. What Happened Next Is Unbelievable.
Coppybloggers Tried and True Formula List 1. Who Else Wants [blank]? 2. The Secret of [blank] 3. Here is a Method That is Helping [blank] to [blank] 4. Little Known Ways to [blank] 5. Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All 6. Here s a Quick Way to [solve a problem] 7. Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance] 8. [Do something] like [world-class example] 9. Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of 10. What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]
Powerful Words Powerful Words # Ways to How to Why # Reasons # New ______s # Free ______s
Ask, "what is the single, most important point I want my readers to take away from this article?" How to Choose Which Type of Headline to Use (Hubspot) Decide the best way to communicate that single takeaway. Write 25 headlines for each piece of content, then choose the best. Ask others. Give them your ideas, and see which one they like best. Always ask why. Keep a log of which types of headlines work best for your target personas. Use them shamelessly.
Empathetic Opening Ask a question. Story Opening Question Opening Invoke the mind s eye ( Imagine . . . ) Effective Blog Openings Use an analogy, metaphor, or simile. Cite a shocking statistic. SOURCES: Simple Ways to Open a Blog with a Bang 5 Blog Post Openings That Hook Readers (Based On Science)
Blogger Instant Death (from Copyblogger) grammar/spelling/ punctuation errors promotional writing inaccurate information boring/self-centered writing forgetting who your audience is Lack of revision
The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging (from copyblogger) Selfishness: Give more than you receive. Sloth: Blog irregularly. Impatience: It takes a while to get a following. Lameness: Provide content of value, not content that primarily benefits you. Identicality: Get inspired by other writers, but don t copy them. Irrelevence: Choose topics that will interest your audience. Boorishness: It ain tabout you. The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging
Group Activity: Blog Headline and Intro Choose a client from the Project Assignment Sheet to complete the steps below. Brainstorm ideas for the topic of a blog that will be part of your client s website. Then, brainstorm ideas for blog posts. What info will delight, interest, or problem-solve for your potential customer? Goal: What action do you want your viewer to take as a result of reading your blog? How will you make that action easy to take? How will your blog posts entice viewers to take that action? (Need a call to action) Decide on the blog post topic, and draft 25 possible headlines. Choose one headline and write the first two sentences of the post to share with the class.
