N1 how to guide: blogging for profit

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Blogging for profit ...NATION1 2010

© NATION1.CO.UK

By 2013 128.2 million people (the equivalent • of 58% of the US population) will consume their news through blogs

In 2009 96.9 million people were blog readers, • representing 48.5% of the internet population

By 2013 37.6 million people will become bloggers•

In 2009 27.9 million people had a blog they up • dated once a week or more

This represents a massive and cost effective way for you to communicate with people and businesses have no choice but to stand up and take note.

(source Omnicom)

An overview of the blogosphere ...

A CASE STUDY IN BLOGGING FOR PROFIT ...

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What factors are facilitating blogging?

Today, national newspapers are seeing more and more people consume their news online with journalists even keeping their own blogs and not even approaching the press to publish their work.

The lines are becoming blurred between the stand alone blog for The Times and the newspapers officialwebsite.

Despite this, blog creation remains a niche activity, reserved for a community of savvy internet users and companies that are considered ‘ahead of the curve’

It’s also no surprise that the largest proportion of bloggers are young people under the age of 35.

However the people consuming blogs are from a far wider age group, with the silver surfer dramatically skewing the average age.

Blogging has come a long way since ‘web1.0’ where it was a one way conversation. Today it’s more about engagement, comments, postings, forums, a two way debate.

“blogs are now mainstream media, and mainstream media is starting to blog”

Most people don’t realise when they are reading a blog, most newspapers now link to writers personal blogs when they are covering a story.

“It’s less frowned upon. For an individual, there’s noshameinusingaffiliatelinkslikeAmazon to boost funds, similarly they can have a PayPal ‘Pay Now’ button. The one area that some still findcontroversialispaidblogging.Forbusinessesyou want to use it to show authority/expertise and convert to sales. One of these is nice, but you should aim for both.”

What is a blog?

Who reads blogs?

How is the landscape changing for monetising blogs?


Questions we need to answer ...

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Ketchum, a leading global PR agency researched the blogosphere and concluded (based on some kind of weird science) that of the 15% of the populationthatexerciseinfluenceonsociety,37%were blog readers (of non journalist/news blogs).

So let’s consider that for a second. By keeping agoodblog,youcaninfluencetheinfluencers and it costs you nothing more than 30 minutes of your time a week.

Here’s another interesting stat: 73% of European blog readers are male.


How will this make me money?

Online activities of US adult internet users, 2006 (% of respondents)

57.6 %

100.0 %

55.5 %

56.9 %

46.2 %

44.8 %

42.7 %

41.3 %

36.2 %

28.0 %

25.9 %

27.7 %

E-Mail

Local search*

Instant messaging (IM)

Online purchasing

Music search and download

Read blogs

Video search and watch

Social networking

Video downloads

Publish own blog

Voice communications (VoIP)

Podcasting

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(13-24) (25-41) (42-60) (61-75) Total

Watching and reading personal content created by others

Searching, downloading and listening to music

Visiting online gaming sites where you can actually play games

Maintaining and sharing photographs

Visiting TV show Web sites

Conducting job searches

Participating in auction sites

Reading/posting on message boards

Seekingfinancial/investmentinformationSocializing

Reading blogs

Watching YouTube or other video streaming sites

Creating personal content

Participating in a discussion board or forum

Watching TV shows online

Maintaining your own personal Web site

Keeping a Web log (blog)

Using a computer video camera

Using computer’s microphone to conduct audio chats orInternet phone calls

71%

78%

66%

53%

48%

31%

30%

51%

20%

62%

55%

62%

58%

34%

34%

36%

35%

20%

15%

56%

57%

51%

52%

52%

52%

49%

43%

42%

41%

42%

41%

41%

33%

28%

27%

25%

19%

15%

40%

36%

39%

38%

43%

43%

37%

29%

42%

25%

27%

24%

19%

24%

19%

14%

7%

14%

10%

36%

17%

38%

43%

34%

17%

32%

22%

41%

18%

16%

11%

16%

19%

9%

7%

1%

8%

6%

51%

50%

49%

46%

46%

39%

38%

38%

38%

37%

36%

36%

34%

28%

24%

22%

18%

16%

13%

Select Weekly Online Activities* of US Internet Users, by Age, February-March 2007 (% of respondents in each group)

Millenials Baby Boomers

MaturesGeneration X

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There are a number of golden rules you must follow:

Addvalue–thereisnopointhavingablog • if there is no value in reading it

Keepitcurrent–updateitasoftenasyoucan,• even with short entries

Keepitreal–don’tlieorpretendtobe• someone or something you’re not

Getoutandabout–postcomments • on other blogs that are relevant to you, linking back to your blog Don’t just dive in. Check out your competition

for a while. See what they are doing, what topics they are covering, how many comments they are getting, the tone of voice they are using. Do it better.Blogging shouldn’t be overmanned.

A top tip:

ROI of blogging ...


So how can you use your blog to help your bottom line?

Benefits•Identitybenefits•Use existing metrics•Assignvaluetometrics

Risk•Identity uncertainty

•Calculate probability

ROI of blogging

Total impact on business

Costs•Starting up•Recurring costs

• Benefits• Costs• Risk

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Useyourblogtodefinethebenefitsofyourproductor service in more detail and feature examples and user case history.

Qualifybenefitswithstandardmetrics.

Microsoft is seen as the big bad faceless corporation.Therewasaguywithinthefirm that kept a blog who worked on the development of WindowsXP, way back in the early days he calleditChanel9.Hepostedtipsonhowtofixproblems, how to avoid errors, gave heads up on new developments and came across as a generally goodguy.Ashisbloggrewinpopularity,hestartedto share gossip about Microsoft as well as tell some tales about how the giant was getting it wrong. Peoplelovedthishonestinsightintoafirmthathad previously been faceless and emotionless. Microsoft’s initial response was to take down the blog,firetheguyandmakeanexampleofhim.Instead his following was so great that they had to keep him, and he become one of their biggest assets in the PR war to reposition Microsoft.

Today success of this can be measured in unique visitors (over four million per month) and positive sentiment in the blogosphere regarding Microsoft and this blog.

Identify the top three best and worst outcome you can expect from your blogging activity and prepare a plan of action for each outcome.

Get hands on with free monitoring tools.icerocket.com, technorati, Google blog search set these tools up to monitor conversations around brands, products or industry topics.

In a study of 17,000 US e-commerce users, 60% saidthatblogsinfluencedtheirbuyingbehaviour.

AbitclosertohomethanMicrosoft,Nation1set up and maintained a blog for hairstylist and chain of Scottish salons, Charlie Taylor. We wrote it on her behalf and updated it every few days giving top tips on what products to buy and provided an insight into how each worked and what it did. We also did a feature on hair type every week and gave advice to women based on their hair type (rather than product range).Addedtothis,werana‘getthelook’featureafter any major TV event (the Bafta’s etc) where we linkedtoaYoutubefilmofCharlierecreatingthetophairstyles from the red carpet that night. Everything linked back to her online shop and appointment booker.

Perezhilton.comisarguablytheKingofbloggers.HisAlistinsightintoHollywood’sdarkestsecretshas made him a subject of his own creation. The secrettohissuccesswasaddingvalue–hegaveus insight into things we never knew or had seen before.Andhemadesureitwasinstant.Sonoonehad the gossip before he did. He is now ranked as the No.1 Twitter user in the world too.

If we are successful how will we know it?

Metrics

So lets have some examples, I hear you scream:


Set objectives for your blog ...

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Blog readership is on the rise•

Blog users are on the rise•

Men read more blogs that woman•

You need to add value and keep it instant • to succeed

Sincerity and engagement are the key•

Avoidthepitfallofusingyourblogtodrivetraffic• to your site

Nurture your blog•


So what have we learned ...

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Wearelaunchingthefirstever www.thescottishblogawards.com.

Register your blog in one of these six categories for your chance to win: • Sport • Fashion • Business • Politics • Comedy • Personal

The Scottish BlogAwards ...


Awards ceremony is being held on Friday, 1st October Glasgow with guest Judge Perez Hilton.

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Nation1 specialises in helping our customers target niche audiences online. Using all the latest digital stuff wrapped in cutting edge creativity our approach allows clients to trial new ideas at a low cost with a focused end game and measurable objective.

Nation1...

To find out more email [email protected]


N1 how to guide: blogging for profit

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