Engagement Marketing:

Blogging for

Wellness

National Wellness Conference University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point

July 16, 2013 2:30 pm

Presenter: Tabita Green http://livesimplyenough.com

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The Engagement Marketing Cycle*

1) Provide a WOW! EXPERIENCE. This could be anything from offering a client a cup of tea to giving them the best massage of their life.

2) ENTICE to Stay in Touch. Encourage customers and prospects to stay in touch by signing up for an email list, subscribing to your blog, or following you on social media.

3) ENGAGE People. Share content that inspires people to interact with you. Blogging is a great way to share content and get conversations going.

*Learn a lot more about engagement marketing in the book Engagement Marketing: How Small Business Wins in a Socially Connected World by Gail F. Goodman

Examples of Wellness Blogs

• http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/ • http://findyourbalancehealth.com/ • http://fitnessista.com/ • http://kriscarr.com/ • http://livesimplyenough.com/ (my blog)

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Are You Ready to Blog?

1) Identify the topic: a. Something you’re passionate about. b. You want to be a thought leader. c. Ties in with your business.

2) Do a little competitive analysis: a. What are the other blogs in your space? b. How are you different/unique?

3) Write down 20 blog post ideas: a. Keep a running list. (I like Evernote.) b. Make notes about references (e.g. another blog posts, books, etc.)

Blog Post Ideas

• Recipes with photos (very popular!) • Breathing/Meditation exercises (videos are fun!) • Answering common questions • Book/product reviews • Weekly roundup (list favorite articles, videos, etc) – great way to get

attention of other bloggers • Top 10 lists (or whatever number makes you happy) • Informational posts (e.g. mindful eating, barefoot running, how to eat

healthy while on the road, etc.) • Challenges (e.g. “Mindfulness Month”) • Commentary on new health study

TIP: Read other blogs for inspiration!

People care about the following type of content…

• Solutions to problems • Educational • Entertaining • Commentary on current events/news

Remember to write for your audience. (You want people other than your mother to read your posts!!)

 

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Five Tips for Blog Writing

1) Write short, easy-to-follow sentences and paragraphs. 2) Create headings to allow for easy scanning. 3) Use a spellchecker. 4) Use proper grammar. (I love The Elements of Style.) 5) Proofread your post – at least twice!

Set Up Your Blog

1) Pick a domain name: a. Easy to remember b. Good to include keywords

2) Sign up for webhosting: a. Easy option: WordPress.com b. Flexible option: Hosting services with WordPress integration (e.g.

HostGator, Bluehost, DreamHost) 3) Install WordPress (if going with option b). 4) Pick a WordPress theme for your blog.

NOTE: There are other blogging platforms such as blogger.com and tumblr.com. I just happen to have a loving relationship with WordPress.

Optimize Your Blog (Now it gets fun!) Keyword Research

• Use common words. • Pick keywords that are not too short, but not too obscure. • Use Google AdWords Keyword Tool…

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal Optimize Your Pages

• Use keyword in title, URL, page content, image alt tag. • Write at least 300 words. • Don’t forget about the meta description! (Your “ad” in the Google results.) • I recommend using the Yoast “WordPress SEO” plugin.

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Avoid Duplicate Content • WWW vs. Non-WWW: For example, http://www.livesimplyenough.com

and http://livesimplyenough.com are not the same address. Choose one, and redirect the other using a 301 HTTP redirect.

• Multiple Domain Names: For example, http://livesimplyenough.com and http://livesimplyenough.org are not the same address. Alternate addresses should map to the “canonical” URL using a 301 HTTP redirect or a rel=“canonical” tag

• Mobile-Friendly Pages: Some websites have special pages for mobile devises. These pages are considered duplicate content.

• Printer-Friendly Pages: Some websites have special pages for printing. These pages are considered duplicate content.

• CMS Issues: Content management systems (CMS’s) frequently create archives to organize content. This can create duplicate content. Yoast provides the option of excluding these archives.

Google Webmaster Tools Once you have a website, go to https://www.google.com/webmasters.tools/ and enter your site. Then follow these steps to verify:

1. Download the HTML verification file from Google Webmaster Tools. 2. Upload the file to your site. (The process for this will depend on your

hosting service.) 3. Click the link on Google Webmaster Tools to confirm upload. 4. Click “Verify” on Google Webmaster Tools.

Build Links

• Write “Cornerstone Content” & publicize it. • Add social sharing buttons to your site. • Write guest blog posts with link back to your site. • Get listed on sites like Chamber of Commerce. • Ask partners, vendors, clients for links. • Comment on relevant forums/blogs. • Write press releases (sparingly).

Create a Google account for your business to use with all Google services.

 

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NOTE: Don’t buy/trade links from shady link farms or spam forums and blogs.

Promote Your Blog

• Tell your family and friends! • Add link to blog in your email signature. • Add link to blog in your social media profiles. • Post your new content on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. • Link to other blogs. • Consider online advertising. • Participate in blogs/forums. • Write a guest post for a prominent blog.

My email signature:

Keep Your Audience

• Post at least weekly! (More, if you can.) • Create an editorial calendar. • Write consistently valuable & interesting content. • Encourage visitors to sign up for email updates. • Continue to post new content on social media. • Listen to their feedback and refine your content.

Track Your Blogging Success!

1) Sign up for Google Analytics. 2) Install Google Analytics code. 3) Learn about your blog traffic!

MailChimp is a good, FREE email service.  

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Stay in Touch!

Tabita Green Certified Health Coach, Simply Enough Director of Web Content, Luther College Email: tabita@tabitagreen.com Blogs: livesimplyenough.com/blog & www.tabitagreen.com/blog Facebook: www.facebook.com/simplyenough Twitter: @tabitag Google+: Just search… LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tabitagreen Other web projects: www.decorahholistichealth.com www.changeofthemonth.com Subscribe to my “inner circle” for monthly, exclusive content sent to your email. Go to livesimplyenough.com/blog.

 

Resources • Google+ for Business by Chris Brogan • Engagement Marketing by Gail F. Goodman • Likeable Social Media by Dave Kerpen • The Zen of Social Media Marketing by Shama Kabani • http://www.copyblogger.com/content-social-media/ • http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/14/blogging-for-

beginners-2/ • http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo