the business blog live - neil infield

The Business Blog - Live

Neil Infield – Manager Business & IP [email protected] - @ninfield (twitter) - ninfield.wordpress.com

Neil Infield - British Library Business & IP Centre - School for Creative Startups - Jan 2012 2

What is the British Library for?

We exist for anyone who wants to do research – for academic, personal or commercial purposes

i.e. You!

Neil Infield - British Library Business & IP Centre - School for Creative Startups - Jan 2012

To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be a pathological optimist and believe you can change things.

But you've got to know what you need to do, and how to do it. The Centre can help you find out, and that can have such a powerful

effect.

Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop

Inspiration


The first place to come for entrepreneurs, innovators and business researchers

Get inspiration



Get inspiration Protect your ideas



Get inspiration Protect your ideas Develop your business


What we have done

Welcomed over 200,000 people through the doors…

…of whom over 25,000 have received direct advice, guidance and training

Delivered over 3,000 workshops and 1:1 advice sessions and established high profile ‘Inspiring Entrepreneurs’

Exceeded our LDA targets for delivering business advice and employment support

Since opening in March 2006, we have…


What we have done

Increased our outreach programme to encompass prisons, Jobcentre Plus offices, outplacement agencies

Developed a successful partner programme

Attracted over £8.2 million of in-kind benefits

Successfully reached out to diverse audiences 37% BAME - 50% women - 4% disabled

Since opening in March 2006, we have…


Using Social Media in the Business & IP Centre

British Library Entrepreneur and SME Network has over 1,800 members see our Facebook page

Our BIPCTV YouTube channel showcases our Inspiring Entrepreneurs events and our success stories. 700 members and 280,000 views. Watch us at BIPCTV

3,800 followers, including a number of influential business experts and successful entrepreneurs. Follow us on Twitter

Over 5,000 members and growing all the time. Join us on LinkedIn

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=2373820409

http://www.youtube.com/user/BIPCTV

http://twitter.com/BIPC

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=995887

BLBlogs


Why do I blog?

By accident…

Because it works 25% of traffic to the Business & IP Centre website – e.g

Flat White – BIC pen 200,000 hits in 4 years Comments and feedback


Why do I blog?

Because I enjoy it

It is easy… and free

It is my memory of events and ideas

I believe it helps the reputation of the Centre… and hopefully mine too

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My daily view – time to post an update…

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Early days

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Success Stories


Why you should blog

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Why you should blog

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To build trust – ‘real’ people vs anonymous business

To build an audience – you can start before you business goes live

Increase SEO without the risk – Google loves blogs-hates cheaters

Why you should blog


Drive traffic to your website – see above

Be seen as an expert in your field – requires insightful, quality content

Reach a wider market – word of mouth referrals

Why you should blog

http://www.sxc.hu/profile/Kurhan


Innovations – Springwise.com

Spotting and filling niches – The Icreamists, Wild Kopi Luwak Coffee via Civets stomach.

The power of the brand – Apple Inc vs Apple Corp

My favourite blog topics


With passion… and patience

For your audience

Mainly about things related to your business

Headings must be ‘Ronsealed’

How you should blog


Regularly – minimum 1x a week

Content must be engaging / surprising / controversial / intriguing

Length must be ‘just right’ – somewhere between Stephen Fry’s blessays and Euan Semple’s The Obvious.

How you should blog

http://www.sxc.hu/profile/dspruitt


Leveraging your other social media channels – Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, +Google

Using your web domain if possible

Promote using contacts and ‘Blogroll’

Measure using built in tools or Google Analytics

How you should blog


Handling comments and spam to moderate or tolerate comment trolls

How you should blog


How you should blog


How you should blog – content farms


Where to go for help

the business blog live - neil infield

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