I first met Rebecca Bolwitt in November of 2008. We sat on a panel at the GVPTA’s Making a Scene Conference with Simon called Marketing Using Web 2.0.
I guess one of the things that really struck me about her was how business-like she was for someone so young. You certainly don’t get to be the Vancouver’s #1 blogger by accident, but she has also taken that fame, and spun it out into a successful business: she live-blogs events, and is a WordPress expert.
Now, she’s written a book. Blogging is one of the more challenging social mediums. First of all, it’s likely the one that you’re going to spend the most time on, if you are really dedicated to it. Secondly, getting your blog set up correctly (I’m going through this process right now!) can be quite technically challenging, and third, finding your voice as a blogger can take some time.
Creating a blog for your business adds another layer: now you have to think about what message it is that you want your readers to get about your blog, and therefore, your company.
For me, the most compelling argument for getting a blog for your company is to allow them to see behind the corporation, and get to know the real people that run the organization. It is also and amazing tool for educating your clientele.
There are 9 chapters in this book:
- Why are Blogs so Important?
- Leveraging your Blog with Marketing tools
- Creating a Blogging Strategy
- Blogging Responsibly
- Finding Topics to Write About
- Who Will Write the Blog?
- Getting Eyeballs To Your Blog
- Getting Interactive with Multimedia Blogging
- Taking Advantage of Web 3.0 Blogs
If you are just starting out on your blogging journey, I highly recommend this book. It’s accessibly written, contains lots of case studies, examples and screenshots, and the resource URLs are very helpful.
I’ve been blogging for two years, and I found some stuff in here that was really helpful, and which I can’t wait to implement into the redesign of my blog.
Blogging to Drive Business: Create and Maintain Valuable Customer Connections by Eric Butow and Rebecca Bolwitt is available at London Drugs and through Amazon.ca for $25.99.
I have to agree. That movie Julie & Julia simplified the idea, but then that’s Hollywood. There is so much more to blogging than meets the eye. I’ve been attempting to get started. But to be effective, there’s a huge foundation needs to be built before the first post.
I hope my neighborhood London Drug’s has it already. I’m going to pick up this book & dive into it immediately.
Thanks for this info.