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Blogging Best Practices Checklist

BY JASON CORMIER

I know there is already a great deal of information on this, but it keeps coming up in client conversations. Since one of our clients recently requested that we create a checklist, I'm posting a version of it here to share with you all. As always, feel free to add your input too!

Blogging Best Practices Checklist


When Posting
1. Title: Intriguing titles go a long way. Consider using odd numbers as part of your title (example: The 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media)

2. Keywords: As much as possible, use your top keywords in:
i.) The post title
ii.) Hyperlinks pointing to older posts or specific company web pages in the post body
iii.) Tags used to describe the post subject matter

3. Scheduling: Consult your editorial calendar, in addition to top keywords highlighted in your SEO/Analytics report and/or your keyword analysis. No less that one post per week if possible.

4. Images: Including an image with a post is recommended when possible. Use your keywords in the image "alt" attribute when possible

5. Links: Link to other blogs and/or to previous posts of your own (using keywords for links to posts of your own when possible)

6. Post Length and Content: Mix up length of your posts. Don't be afraid to be brief (i.e. 200 words). When possible, offer analysis, new tips and tricks

7. Submitting: If resources are available, run your pending post by a trusted advisor or editor who can do a review, make minor edits and immediately submit on your behalf. If it has to go back to you for your "final approval," it may not be worth having an approval process.

8. Announcing: Sometimes announce on other social networks to notify others about your post (example: Facebook or Twitter). Chris Brogan recommends doing this tactfully by writing a question, then including a link to your post. Also remember not all posts are Twitter worthy - so don't abuse this.

When Commenting
1. On Your Blog: Comment to other's comments in your own blog. This will grow the conversation and ad more value to your posts

2. On Other Blogs: Make your comments thoughtful, beginning often by referencing what stood out to you in the post or in another's comments. Strive to include a valuable take-away for anyone else reading your comments

3. Frequency: No hard rule, but remember conversations are easier to join than start. Commenting on a few of the same blogs often can establish a relationship with the blogger and their audience.

4. Linking: If you are linking to content of your own, be sure it very relevantly addresses the topic at hand. Consider including links to other blogs often. Linking to your own content in a comment is better received when the blogger recognizes you have commented earlier.

TAGS: BLOGGING • BEST PRACTICES • SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES • BLOG COMMENTING • BLOG CHECKLIST • BLOG POSTING

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A Social Media Discussion with Marshall Kirkpatrick

BY JASON CORMIER

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Size: 10.7 MB
Length: 11:34

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Show Notes:

Room 214 Co-founder, Jason Cormier, interviews ReadWriteWeb's lead blogger and social media consultant, Marshall Kirkpatrick.

In this podcast, we discuss:

1. Quick Advice for what's working best in blogging these days (unique analysis, being first to release the news, posting out to others and broader participation in new social networks).

2. What's exciting in terms of new social media tools? Friendfeed's new instant messaging integration, enabling people to be more consistently engaged in online conversations.

3. ReadWriteWeb and their latest project, Jobwire.

4. How the state of the economy is effecting social media. The importance of Community Managers in social media: Do startups need Community Mangers?

5. The need for a Community Manager as it relates to drawing out the highlights of conversations, team building and response.

Note: Talking with Marshall is always a treat because he is so effectively tracking with what matters most in practical applications of social media. We had the pleasure of using him as a consultant last year to review our blog and podcasting application, Post Zinger - and he was able to provide some great insight within minutes of our first conversation.

Be sure to check out his new Jobwire project with ReadWriteWeb, and follow his personal MarshallK blog or via twitter at http://twitter.com/marshallk

TAGS: MARSHALL KIRKPATRICK • READWRITEWEB • JOBWIRE • SOCIAL MEDIA • COMMUNITY MANAGER • FRIENDFEED • BLOGGER • BLOGGING • CAPTURE THE CONVERSATION PODCAST • POSTZINGER • INSTANT MESSAGING

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Why Do You Want To Be Transparant, and How That Will Help Your Business Grow

BY STEPAN MAZUROV

If you are an ecommerce business, word of mouth marketing can help you grow it beyond the boundaries of your niche.  Gary Vayerchuk, a guy in wine business, said something very interesting on Tues, May 6th show CNBC's Big Idea:

• Be who you are, be as transparent as possible.
• Don't play in your own playground, be active in communities that might find what you offer attractive.  
• It is imperative to be involved in the social networks on the Internet and the real world
• We live in a world where every person's word of mouth reaches a lot more people.
  

Lets look at some examples of these at work.

Continue Reading...

TAGS: WORD OF MOUTH • BLOGGING • CONVERSATION TRACKING • TWITTER • TRANSPARENT • SOCIAL MEDIA • GETSATISFACTION

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Real-World Friends and Family More Influential Than A-List Bloggers?

BY JAMES CLARK

Uh, yeah! I'm not shocked at all by the recent report from Pollara that garnered data stating:

"Of more than 1,100 adults polled in December, nearly 80% said they were very or somewhat more likely to consider buying products recommended by real-world friends and family, while only 23% reported being very or somewhat likely to consider a product pushed by "well-known bloggers."

Marc Macalua, had a great post referencing this study and how prevalent WOMM initiatives laser focus on A-List bloggers, forum veterans and senior Diggers to spread the message.

It's a strategy that if done right and the content is compelling, the story had a differentiation edge, there's good emotional content and it's simple to understand - you've got something that can go viral.  So that equates to about 1% of all the stories out there that WOMM agencies are trying to work with.

Litmus Test

The true litmus test for an organization is to see if it's employees believe in the product, service or program enough to tell their "real-world" friends - many of which by the way they are connected to, and communicate with via social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace.

This of course would require that your employees are maintaining social media profiles, but even more importantly, would require that your employees are proud enough of the company, their role in the company and its achievements to tell their friends and family.

Swallow Your Pride And Do The Following:

1. Ask your employees if they would be willing to discuss your company's product with their friends and family on their social networking sites.
2. Find out how many of them actually do it.
3. If people are not willing to do it, ask them why.

The answers might just be the solution to the problems that are plaguing your organization.

A few posts back, I did a video post on Social Media Starting Points, where I recommend that individuals start participating in social media via LinkedIn. The reason as I stated in that post:

"Because on LinkedIn you can quickly connect with individuals you have had personal relationships with through previous employers, universities, groups, etc. It's human nature to be more comfortable around the people we already know."

With the adoption of aggregation services like FriendFeed where in one place we can now see blog posts, family photos, articles they liked, restaurants they loved and music they are listening to - it's becoming easier for us to maintain communications and stay up to date with what  our "real-world" friends are doing out there in the wild and wacky world.

More  of a Reason to Encourage Social Media

So this report that states real world friends and family are more influential to purchasing decisions only strengthens the case for companies to actively support and encourage it's employees to participate in social media programs.

TAGS: SOCIAL MEDIA • WOM • JAMES CLARK • BLOGGING

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Blogging and Book Authoring for Expert Positioning

BY JAMES CLARK

It's said if you want to be an expert go write a book. Even if the book is self published, as long as you walk in and hand someone a physical book - you're a perceived authority on the topic.

Playing off my public relations days, getting visibility and driving book sales is a huge, huge effort. There are publicists and PR agencies focused on planning, strategy, distribution deals, executing book tours, media tours, radio tours, author events, etc. The cost can be astronomical if you really want to hit it big.

Blogging and Amazon Changes the Landscape

Blogging has created a new entry point for expert positioning, and Amazon has created the simple and fast book distribution platform. The two combined provide a powerful, inexpensive and authentic approach to expert leadership.

Case and Point: Direct Response Radio

Our Room 214 client Brett Astor of Strategic Media has been blogging for close to two years now at Direct Response Radio Advertising Blog. After many posts and immersion into the direct response radio world, Brett realized that he had created enough content and more importantly knew the hot button issues people faced with radio advertising.

Using his unique perspective from his personal experience Brett was able to put forth a book that is now the definitive guide on radio advertising.

That book is now available on Amazon - for you or anyone in the world to buy.

Was it easy? Heck no. It took a commitment on Brett's end to keep the blog fresh, to look for ways to connect and integrate radio advertising in the overall marketing mix.

But he did it, and now he can just throw those business cards into the circular file.

TAGS: BLOGGING • BOOK PUBLISHING • BRETT ASTOR • DIRECT RESPONSE RADIO

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