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Andi Reis

Renee Groskreutz: Intro to Blogging – Why It Matters

Next up is Renee Groskreutz, Creative Barista for Ralph’s Design & Deli, as well as Co-Owner of FunCitySocialMedia. Renee is author of 15 Twitter Tips for Authors & Other Grownups and The 90-Day Social Media Plan for Business. She loves blogging and is clearly excited about what blogging can do for business. She will share info with anyone who asks. Email her for her powerpoint presentation: Renee at RalphsDesign dot com.

Why should you care about blogs?

ONE FACTOID: 77% of Internet users read blogs!

The most important thing with blogging is to PLAN. Think about your content before you thinking about the fun stuff or design. Have a plan for your content.

Categories allow you to sort posts into topics. This makes it easy for people to search your blog. TIP: Limit number of categories to between 4 and 10 on an average blog. Tags vs Categories – the exercise is to help thinking of your blogs in segments. You get better SEO when you have organized categories. Category Description will help you focus.

Renee Groskreutz Intro to Blogging
Renee Groskreutz keeps the blog-loving crowd taking notes. Photo courtesy of Tonie Boaman.

Title Tips:

1) Make your titles catchy yet informative
2) Keyword research
3) Study magazine headlines
4) Think in Series

Use the Google Keyword Tool!

 

 

A Question From the Audience

Q: What platform do you recommend?

A: WordPress, hands down. We use Thesis 2.0 and Genesis.

Blog Post Recommendations

– 400-600 words
– Bullet points
– Short paragraphs
– Use white space instead of a “wall” of text
– Series

EXCITING TIP from Renee! Extend the life of your blog by going back every three weeks to refresh it: replace the photo, add more photos, add more text, add or replace the video, include a slideshare slide. It cuts down on work and Google keeps seeing your blog as fresh and new.

IMAGES

Don’t forget to rename your images to your blog post title!
Always good to use unique images that you take or create yourself, but always make sure you’ve purchased rights.
Don’t assume your clients have given you cleared photos, and have a waiver in your paperwork that clears you of responsibility.

SOCIAL MEDIA

-Have a strategy
-All things point back to a specific post
-Don’t post to all platforms at once
-Re-post
-Use forums & other blogs

BLOG LINKS/RESOURCES

FunCitySocialMedia Blog
Gravatar.com to set up your WordPress avatar
Google Keyword Tool

Email Renee at RalphsDesign dot com to request the Powerpoint presentation from today’s workshop!

You can reach me, Your Friendly Neighborhood Live Blogger Andi Reis, at @FunCityAwesome or @RalphsDesign on Twitter, or email Andi at RalphsDesign dot com

Look for Ralph’s on Facebook – would love to have you over for virtual coffee (or the real kind too – 817-454-3931).

 

Andi Reis

Andi Reis has spent the last 13 illustrious years working in the marketing and advertising fields as part of client solutions, editing, copywriting, creative compliance, brand activation, content strategy, and social media marketing for corporations, writers and artists. Obsessively working the world to help bring people to the mecca of social media as part of successful digital marketing, she creates for clients the platform of understanding which basically says: Social media is more about the social than the media. In her spare time, she is Content Barista at Ralph’s Design & Deli and Chief of Awesome at Fun City Social Media.

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