storytelling + building online communities

STORYTELLINGSOCIAL MEDIABUILDING COMMUNITIES

ERIN BLASKIE

A 90-SECOND HISTORY

TODAY

THE PROBLEM WE

ARE TRYING TO

SOLVE?

GET EYEBALLS

ON OUR STUFF

EVERYONE WHO BUILDS

SOMETHING TO BE

CONSUMED NEEDS

AN AUDIENCE

WHERE DOES AN

AUDIENCE

COME FROM?

WHY DO THEY

TYPICALLY SHOW

UP SO LATE?

WHY DON’T THEY

STICK AROUND?

THIS PROBLEM IS OFTENVIEWED THROUGH ATECHNICAL FILTER...

TACTICS, STRATEGIES, UI,UX, CTAs, CRAZYEGG DATA…

WHEN IN REALITY...IT IS OFTEN A MUCHMORE HUMAN PROBLEM

WE BUILD SITES, BLOGS +

OUR

BEST IDEAS IN ISOLATION

INFUSING OUR

PROJECTS WITH

OUR OWN

FLAVOUR +

PERSONALITY

BUT WHEN WE LAUNCH IT

INTO THE WORLD…

NO ONE REALLY CARES.

NO ONE SHOWS UP.

NO ONE IS AS EXCITED AS WE

ARE.

SO.

WHATWENT

WRONG?

WE CREATED IN A BUBBLE

WE CREATED IN SECRET

WE CREATED USING A PURELY TECHNICAL LENS

WE FORGOT ABOUT THEEMOTIONAL CONNECTION

OKAY ERIN…

HOW DO WE

FIX IT?

99.9% OF BLOGGERS ARE NOT AWESOME ON DAY 1.

THEIR AWESOMENESS IS THE ACCUMULATION OF THE VALUE THEY CREATE OVER TIME.

- DARREN ROWSE

LEMME LET YOU OFF

THE HOOK A LITTLE…

BUILDING A BLOG, A SITE, A BUSINESS… IT’S NOT A ‘BUILD IT AND

THEY WILL COME’ ENDEAVOUR

STEP #1

TELL STORIES THAT

MATTER

I MADE A DECISION TO WRITE FOR MY READERS, NOT TO TRY TO FIND MORE READERS FOR MY WRITING.

- SETH GODIN

STORIES AREN’T JUST

THE POSTS YOU WRITE.

STORYTELLING IS DONE

THROUGH VISUALS, DATA,

A CAREFULLY CRAFTED

BIO…

STORIES ARE TOLD IN

EVERY PIECE OF COPY,

EVERY IMAGE CHOICE +

EVERY OFFER THAT

EXISTS ON YOUR BLOG

OR WEBSITE

AND THE TRICK TO HAVE

PEOPLE COME BACK FOR

MORE IS TO TELL THE

STORIES THAT MATTER

TO…

THEM.

THE KEY IS, NO MATTER WHAT STORY YOU TELL, MAKE YOUR BUYER THE HERO.

- CHRIS BROGAN

FINALLY, START TELLING

YOUR STORIES WHEN

THINGS AREN’T

PERFECT…

WHEN THERE ARE STILL

MESSES BEING MADE.

LET PEOPLE IN FOR THE

JOURNEY AND THEY’LL

CHEERLEAD YOU ON…

LONG AFTER YOU

LAUNCH.

STEP #2

BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY

BUILDING YOUR COMMUNITY ISN’T ABOUT…

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SOCIAL PLATFORMSSPAMMING 500 FRIEND REQUESTSGAMING THE ALGORITHMS

IT’S ABOUT FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE + FIGURING OUT WHAT THOSE PEOPLE REALLY WANT

FOCUS ONTHE WHY

CHOOSE YOURPLATFORMSCAREFULLY

GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE

NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR BLOG UNLESS YOU ARE ADDING VALUE TO THEIR LIVES IN SOME WAY.

- JONATHAN MILLIGAN

STEP #3

LEVERAGE DIGITAL

MARKETING

CAPTURE EVERYONE!(BUT NOT IN A “LOTION IN THE BUCKET” KIND OF WAY)

IF YOU’RE NOT BUILDING YOUR E-MAIL LIST, YOU’RE AN IDIOT.

- DEREK HALPERN

MAKE SHARING

YOUR CONTENT EASY

SURPRISE +DELIGHT

99% OF WHAT YOU BUILD

ISN’T ABOUT YOU.

SO, TO BE THE KIND OF

BLOG OR SITE THAT

BUILDS + KEEPS AN

AUDIENCE, ASK:

WHAT DOES THE

COMMUNITY NEED?

HOW CAN I CREATE

WHAT MATTERS?

HOW CAN I LET

PEOPLE ALONG

FOR THE RIDE?

FIND ME AT

@ERINBLASKIE

ERINBLASKIE.CO

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