Well hello there and welcome to a series of blog posts which aim to answer all of those digital questions that I'm asked on a daily basis by businesses.
This is a question I’m asked at practically every meeting and highlights to me how important the activity of blogging has become (or about to) for many businesses.
How much should I blog?
This question goes in the box with ‘how many pages should I have on my website’ and ‘how many people should I talk to online’. The answer is much the same – the more you do, the more chance you have of:
- Increasing readership
- Being seen online (includes search engines)
- Someone contacting you about what you do or offer
At the same time, the extended answer depends on three things :
- You
- Your time, and
- Your business
You
We were not all born ‘J K Rowling’ or ‘Shakespeare’. We each have our strengths and for the majority of us, writing isn’t one of them. So be honest with yourself – would you be keen to write your blog posts, or would you prefer to outsource this activity to a ghost writer. Millions of businesses do it, it’s not wrong, although I will suggest that you involve yourself in some way when working with a ghostwriter (helping to select topics, providing some research or mentioning particualr activities/events to blog about).
If you do enjoy a good write and are eager to give it a whirl -then we say go for it! It’s one of those activities that the more you do, the better you become at it.
Your time
We are all busy bees, going about our daily routines. When we look at starting a blog, we have to make time for this responsibily (I don’t use this word lightly; it’s part of your job, as opposed to a hobby).
We can’t pause time, or slot another piece of time into our days. And days do not lengthen because we need more time. We have to work with the time we have and prioritise, shuffle and make room for new activities. This may involve recording your weekly schedule and looking at ways to be more efficient in your job. It could mean passing on a task to a colleague, or giving up an hour each week of your ‘spare’ time. The choice, as always, is yours.
Your business
If you are a large business then you will have a stream of employees and your marketing/media department will handle your blog posts. This means that daily/weekly posts are a doodle.
If, on the other hand you are a small business owner or one-man band, then churning out this amount of blog posts will be nigh impossible (unless you give up numerous evenings to write). In this case, a bi-monthly or monthly post are likely your preferred options.
Your business industry will also impact on your blog activity. Media bloggers are sure to blog more of them, as are journalists and reporters. This is simply because their readers depend on them to bring up-to-date news. As news is so rapid these days, it stands to reason that the reporting(blogs) must be too.
We hope that this answers the question of ‘how much should I blog’ for all our readers. But if not, then pop a comment in the comment post for us. And if you need us for ghost blogging or strategies, then give us a call on +353 (0)21 4828027 and we’ll help you out.
Welcome to 2012 – the year of digital.
We’re seen a great many progressions in digital marketing in 2011, but 2012 is about to raise the bar – digital budgets are increasing, businesses are continually looking for innovative ways to connect via digital, application providers are pushing their products and social media is still growing and responding to technical developments.
If you haven’t already jumped on the digital bandwagon or need a few hints and tips to progress with it this year, then read my 5 R’s of digital for 2012 and immerse yourself in the world of digital.
1) Read and Request
I won’t lie; following digital trends is a bit like riding the express train, but thankfully you can keep up (just) by selecting your weekly (or daily) reads. My personal favourites are Mashable, Social Media Examiner, Bloggertone, Biz Sugar, Simply Zesty and Clickz.
You can also follow your best sources on Facebook and Twitter or via RSS feeds. Using Google alerts and the blog finder are handy tools. The creme de la creme of posts and articles are shared across networks, so you tend to pick these up without too much searching.
Request apps to boost your online experience – I’ve discovered RDP and Fing this week. RDP allows you to connect to your home computer via your mobile device and Keynote for presentations (Thanks to this Sage blog post by Beatrice Whelan)
2) Remember
The best titbit of advice I can give you for 2012 is to remember what you read and practice it. Never be afraid to test out what you read or ask someone to support you and help you out. This year could be your year to shape up that Facebook business page with a custom designed Welcome page and a few apps to ramp up engagement levels. It could be the year you venture into WordPress (a website platform) and learn the art of updating, adding apps and organising content. You may even read about some specialty sites like Instagram, Delicious, Twitpic and Foursquare.
3) Respect and Respond
As you’ve gone to all that trouble researching sites to connect with and read posts on, it makes sense to stop a little while longer and leave your own comment. Not only does this open up a communication channel, but it also gives you a chance to comment with your own thoughts and deepen your understanding and knowledge-base. Bloggers (for the most part) are happy to indulge you and relish the chance to impart a few additional pearls of wizdom or completely argue the point – either way, it makes for excellent communication and learning.
In the interests of online etiquette, be respectful of the blog author and commenters. You can make an army of friends online and you can lose them in an instant with a bad attitude. Opposing ideas are ok if well-reasoned, fair and delivered minus name-calling and belittling comments.
4) Re-tweet (Share)
Arguably the most awesome feature of a post, is the ability to share it. All’s fair in love and share(ing) as they say and it’s fair to say that should you like something, someone (or many someones) will like it too. Sharing smashed the social world in 2011 and 2012 will surely take it to the next level. So, the mantra is – You like it – you share it! And we know that you like all of of your own posts – amplify your efforts by sharing with interested parties and who knows, you could produce a dedicated following.
5) Re-invent
Innovation and creativity are the buzzwords of 2012 (so says us) and 2012 could be your year to re-invent your business online. It’s time to watch the marketplace and assess your business. Draw yourself up a strategy and stylise your online offerings. Apply some ‘punch’ and ‘vigor’, inspire others and concentrate on your unique selling point. The options are endless and all that limits you in your creative quest, is YOU. Don’t let that happen this year – become a star online.
I hope we’ve enpowered you with a little knowledge and some resources to make your own digital explorations. As always, we are only an application (FB Twitter), email (christina@cgonlinemarketing.com or phone call away (+353 (0)21 4828027).