The important part played by blogging By Jamie - Explore With Ed @Explorewithed
Introduction... ● Started blogging in 2014, launched ‘Explore With Ed’ in December A platform to share my passion for food, travel and photography ● ● A part of the Wales Blog Network, Trips 100 and Lonely Planet Pathfinders In my first year I was featured by Royal Caribbean and Visit Wales, invited on ● a press trip to Rome and achieved 120,000 views on YouTube Launched ‘Nutty Pear Creative’ in April 2016 with Hannah (‘Miss Nicklin’) ●
The blogging industry in 2017... ● There’s around 6.7million people blogging today globally (source Tech.co) ● A blog on a company website can lift its chances of ranking higher on search engines by 434% (Tech Client) ● Lists and why posts are the most consistently shared (Buffer App) ● Almost a quarter of time spent online is reading social media and blog content (Mashable) ● Quality content and good design effect a blog’s credibility most (Social Marketing Writing) ● Travel blogging events and festivals like Traverse and TBEX are more popular than ever
Where to begin... ● Sign up to your chosen blogging platform and select a template ● Use a style that reflects you and your content; font, colour scheme, writing tone… ● Decide on a blog name that’s memorable and easy to spell ● Create a logo or use the same image across all platforms ● Purchase your domain name (if necessary) ● Create social media pages for your blog under the same name ● Write several blog posts before you go live
Finding inspiration... ● See what works well on top blogs in your niche ● Tell a story in a new style or perspective “A five years old’s take on...”, “A Bird's-Eye View of...” ● Lists “Top Ten…”, “The Five Best…”; an easy way to share information in digestible chunks ● Share your expertise, ‘how-to’/tutorials are valuable ● Be aware of popular topics & events
Giving readers maximum value… ● Consistently post quality content for your niche or chosen topic ● Offer something to build loyalty, “subscribe to my mailing list for my free e-book on...” ● End your blog with a question or thought to encourage conversation and comments ● Create evergreen content that’ll have relevancy for years to come ● Link to previous blog posts where possible ● Interview influential people in your industry ● Collaborate with businesses that your audience will like
Social media and engagement... ● Create social media accounts for the blog and promote your content ● Follow accounts that are relevant to you and interact with them ● Subscribe to similar blogs and comment on their posts ● Share useful and interesting content from other sources and bloggers ● Use relevant hashtags regularly and research popular topics ● Schedule social media posts in your free time using a bank of content
Increase your blog’s visibility... ● Use relevant keywords and phrases (look for popular searches on Google Trends) ● Research into Google Analytics where you can monitor your progress ● Tag all images with a description ● Only link to relevant and trustworthy websites ● Add a description for your blog and blog posts ● Guest blog or feature on popular websites ● Make sure it’s mobile friendly
The ingredients of a top blogger... ● Inspiring blog posts with a unique style ● Posts regularly and consistently ● A professional logo and presentable website ● Eye catching photography and video ● Understands and engages with their audience ● Active on social media
Thank you Jamie - Explore With Ed @Explorewithed
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