Before reading this posting, I suggest you review the last two Social Media Why & How posts that provided a high level overview of business utilization success factors for Social Media. This post begins a series of posts outlining the characteristics of the top Social channels starting with blogs.  Blogs are ranked #1 or #2 in effectiveness for 75% of the vertical markets listed in my ‘why & how #2’ post.

Blog Description (blog is a shortened name for ‘web log’) –
A type of website with pages containing a regular series of commentary authored by an expert on a related group of topics for readers interested in those topics.  This post is within my Digital Marketing blog for example.

Publication Methods –
Authors can blog from within their website using blog engine software. Or authors can blog from within a blog services provider’s website like Yovia (my blog). There are many blog publication providers – Google “blog sites”. Either way, needed blog technology revolves around a content management & organization system using a tool like WordPress, a messaging system, and subscription systems.

Authorship and Target Audience –
Average age of a blog author is 36.  Average age of blog reader is 38. Bloggers come from all walks of life with a myriad of interests.  Blogging is very mainstream – well known and highly utilized.

Message Type –

• Blogs contain regular commentary on subjects within the author’s areas of expertise or areas of interest.
• Commentary should provide valuable and interesting information, not advertising copy.
• Sometimes readers turn to blog authors to obtain professional services, but selling shouldn’t be the blog’s focus.
• Blog postings are typically listed in chronological order (most recent first). 
• Content is usually a mix of the author’s commentary with supporting graphics and links to related videos or reference material.

Readership message preferences –

• Readers prefer a consistent source of compelling, engaging, or entertaining material that stays on topic.
• Posts should be user friendly: concise, easily scanned, and searchable. 
• Readers like to participate via user comments capability.  Most blogs include author moderated user comments. (Click on the title line of any of my blog posts and a comments box will open at the bottom of the post)
• Blogs should include subscription options like RSS feeds and/or easy connection to Social Networking portals.

Time Commitment –
Authors should budget at least 2 hours per day to create commentary and manage messages.

Business Benefits for Authors –

• Blogging can create an “expert status’ for the author.
• Businesses can engage readers, prospects , and customers to answer their questions or respond to comments.
• Learn what others think about your blog subject matter.
• Search Engines reward higher organic ranking to websites with frequent fresh content such as within blogs.
• By providing links, authors can increase traffic to specific, relevant areas within their website.

Miscellaneous Considerations –
Business subject Blogs, much like Twitter posts, can be a monster for the author to maintain. The monster requires regular feedings to sustain it. But a blog requires higher quantity per feeding than Twitter. Readers subscribe to blogs only as long as they are happy with the monster as a regular source of information that readers find valuable. The monster’s content must stay topic focused on how-to information, tips, and advice.

The next post will be about Facebook.

Tags: Blog, Blog Marketing, Blogs, Digital Marketing, Digital Media, Internet Marketing, Socail Media Optimnization, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, social networks

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 at 10:18 am and is filed under Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Optimization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.