10 Things I learned in BFB this semester

10 Things I learned in BFB this Winterim

               I was struggling whether to curate a list of technical things I’ve learned about blogging or whether to make a list of miscellaneous bits of information that I’ve picked up from peoples blogs throughout the semester. In the ever present pursuit of balance, I will do some of both. All work and no play would make Chris a very dull boy after all. So without further ado, heeeeeere's the list!

1. Blogging takes time and effort. No one has ever sat down without some thought and time spent and produced a good blog. Pictures, videos, gifs, and meme’s as well as the sidebar, layout, font, and format take almost as long as the content itself.

2. Choosing your angle, knowing your voice, and keeping true to your tone and persona are as important as sense of humor, witty quips, and charming anecdotes are. Understand your skills and your interests and allow your blog to grow from there. Publishing based on your strengths either as a storyteller, curator, teacher, or persuader sets up a natural, organic progression that is usually reflected in the quality of your content and ultimately your following. If you’re not passionate, you’re on the short road to failure in blogging. 

3. Negative Comments will happen.  In our book Born to Blog, Schaefer and Smith say negative comments should be regarded as gifts. If legitimate, you may be able to take action to correct/apologize/make right without having an uncontrolled public flow of negative information. Most of the time they just want to be acknowledged but sometimes they hate you just because they want to… To quote Taylor Swift, “Haters Gone Hate.” 

4. Post with frequency, be regular and be consistent. Like achieving excellence in anything, it takes a regular commitment. Blogs that are monthly or (god forbid) quarterly are doomed because their infrequency allows them to be out of mind. The rare exception being if you have a large following and write only a few “megaposts.” Most successful blogs post are fairly regular, be it daily or once or twice a week. Search engine optimization will begin to happen with regular posting as well as furthering the brand awareness and connection with your customers. Your blog is the best, most direct expression of your brand. 

5. Relate don’t compare. People out there in the blogosphere have bigger followings than you do, have been around longer than you have, have amassed more credentials, and have garnered more awards than you for a reason. It would serve any relative new or novice blogger to remember this and to respect other peoples’ works, perspectives, and seniority. Focus on finding your unique stance and your voice and then relate it to other posts without comparing. Finding a lesson or a similarity in their posts and relating on a parallel plane with a certain amount of deference is a good way to avoid stepping on toes. 

6. If I could have a www.TheOriginalScrapbox.com in some fashion or form in every room of my house, I would live a MUCH more organized existence. (Thanks Denise!) 

7. Being a guy with a wedding coming up in June, www.TheManRegistry.com is my new best friend. I had no idea there was a place that listed all the things about a wedding from a guys perspective that I should know but don’t. (A HUGE thank you is owed to Tessa!)

8. Being a dude that loves a good deal and a general collector/gatherer of things and resources, I strongly believe in reusing, recycling, and upcycling things. I was really excited to learn of both The Loading Dock and Second Chance. I have lived here in Baltimore my whole life, and am no stranger to hunting deals at Goodwill's and Salvation Army’s, so this is a welcome addition to the list of adventures to be. (Thanks Jen!)

9. I learned how far reaching the influence of a prolific artist such as David Bowie could be. To see people who thought they’d never encountered him come around to the realization that at various points in their lives they had crossed paths with him revealed how ubiquitous he really was. (Thanks to All!)

10. I also got a chance to reminisce and reflect warmly on growing up in the 1990’s. I saw some of the things I thought I couldn’t live without, and turns out, I’m doing just fine without my super-Nintendo, my cassette tapes, or my AOL screenname. (Thanks Jamie, TGIF comes on in 2 days!)

     Overall, this winter semester has been a great experience learning about delivering compelling content that is unique and true to your voice and personality. Learning how to sharpen that with good tone and a consistent voice has definitely made me a better blogger. Knowing about search engine optimization, metrics and analytics, as well as plugins and functionality will undoubtedly go a long way for all of us in the future.  I wish all of you well and very happy blogging!

Stay Warm out there my friends!

You Have What It Takes by Allison Miller

My first class toward my  Master of Arts in Contemproary Communication at the Notre Dame of Maryland University titled Digital Marketing Strategies. This course opened a whole new world for me and literally changed my life.

Let me explain.

It’s no secret that technology, the Internet, and social media have taken the world by storm.

Socialnomics 2014 by Erik Qualman

What has been a bit more nebulous is the best way for businesses to take advantage of this phenomena.

Attribution: www.business2community.com

That’s where my esteemed professor David Beaudouin comes in.

Through this class, I learned that developing a focused social media strategy is just as important as developing a marketing strategy and that the two should go hand-in-hand.

Similarly, I learned that there is no end to how to best use varying forms of social media content in enhancing a company’s brand.

This year I have furthered my studies with a course titled Blogging for Business. While I spent several years blogging for personal reasons, I have since learned about blogging as an inexpensive yet powerful marketing tool for small business owners. There are a host of ways small businesses can benefit by creating informative blog posts on a consistent basis that build brand loyalty and customer trust.

Beyond the marketing benefits small businesses can gain from social media marketing, I quickly discovered that designing a social media management (SMM) program as well as effective content is a viable business line for a budding entrepreneur.

That’s where my life changed.

Because of Professor Beaudouin, I was inspired to take that leap into the small business world as a proposal developer and technical / marketing writer, and now see that I can expand my business offering beyond technical writing and proposal development to social media strategy and blogging.

While social media strategy and blogging may not be complex, it is by no means easy.

Professor Beaudouin emphasized that the primary skills required to launch and maintain a successful social media strategy is diligence, attention to detail, and sweat equity.

Tools like an editorial calendar help determine which types of social media posts to craft  (including blogs) as well as track topics and measure analytics.

Attribution: www.capitalizesocial.com

Born to Blog authors Mark W. Schaefer and Stanford A. Smith note that with just a little effort and coaching, we all have what it takes – a willingness to be tenacious, passionate, flexible, consistent, and courageous (See Chapter 1, The Common Traits of Successful Bloggers).

Blogs should be authentic and speak to their target audience by providing substantive information that readers find valuable and just entertaining enough to keep them coming back.

There are a host of blogs that tout the benefits of blogging for small businesses and emphasize that it is definitely worth the time and effort. Here are a few principles I've learned along the way and a few examples of blog posts that echo these sentiments.

Blogging yields greater rewards than you may think.

Many small business owners may question if a concentrated social media strategy is worth the time they could be spending drumming up business. What they may not realize is their social media presence my bring in more business than they realize relative to the amount of effort required. These blog posts offer some reasons why.

The Hidden Benefits of Social Media Marketing: Why Your Strategy May Be Working Better Than You Think by Stephanie Chandler

There are benefits to social media marketing that can be measured.

The small business owner’s mantra is to create the most bang for its buck when bucks often require stretching. These posts provide statistics that measure the benefits. 

5 Benefits of Social Media Business Owners Need to Understand by Peter Roesler

Top 8 Benefits of Social Media Marketing for Small Business (Infographic) by Jomer Gregorio

There are specific tools to measure those benefits.

In a world where money talks, metrics are king. These posts offer free resources as well as products for purchase that measuring social media analytics. 

Social Media ROI: 11 FREE Tools for Measuring Social Media Success by Chuck Price

50 Top Tools for Social Media Monitoring, Analytics, and Management by Pam Dyer

These blog posts as well as my coursework have confirmed for me that we absolutely have what it takes to cultivate and sustain a viable social media strategy for ourselves or our employers. And should you take the entrepreneurial leap, we can also creatively grow our business using such strategies by sharing our perspectives, information and resources while offering our own expertise.