Category Archives: Blogs
How to Lose a Blogger in One Pitch
by Sam Sudano on May 10, 2012 | no comments
in Blogs, Corporate Blogs, Media Relations, Social Media
A Girl After My Own Heart: Grammar Girl
by Paula Lovell on July 12, 2011 | 3 comments
in Blogs, Writing
I love Grammar Girl. She’s funny and accurate, without being condescending. In an interview on NPR she discussed her new book of 101 words that are commonly misused, wherein she offers handy ways to remember what’s right and what’s wrong.
Her comment about getting tangled up in other people’s misuse of words particularly resonated with me because I’ve been noticing a fairly pervasive misuse of a certain contraction, and it’s driving me crazy.
Even some of the most educated and intelligent people I know have slipped into the lazy misuse of the word, “there’s,” which, of course, means, “there is.” Not, “there are.” There is no shortcut contraction for the words, “there are.” (Correct me if I am wrong, please.) It is correct to say, “There are horses in the barn.” Not so to say, “There’s horses in the barn” or, more commonly misused, “There’s lots of horses in the barn.” Spell check and grammar check don’t even pick up on “there’s lots of,” which I think is incorrect. Or is it?
Can someone rescue me from this self-imposed entanglement of prose?
Start Blogging and Share Your Passions
by Sarah Mansouri on June 21, 2011 | 3 comments
in Blogs, Social Media, Writing
Over the course of the past year, I have had a growing interest in the unique and intriguing ways of the blogosphere. I continue to be amazed by how many people can be connected by sharing just one interest or idea over the internet. While many companies use blogs to inform consumers and clients on business happenings, the simple act of being able to create a personal blog and share ideas with virtually anyone is refreshing and exciting.
One of my passions is cooking, and I can distinctly remember the time when I realized that the blogging world is on my side when it comes to this passion. I was surfing the internet for new recipe ideas, when I happened upon foodgawker.com. The distinctive nature of this cooking site is that it pulls recipes from hundreds of blogs all over the world in order to create a one-of-a-kind cooking experience for its readers. Some of my favorite recipes now come from this site, all made possible because individuals had the interest and ability to create a personal blog about something they love, in this instance, cooking.
Starting a blog is fairly simple, and blogging about something that you are passionate about clearly shows through to readers. The same idea applies to industry blogs and social media sites. If your company is passionate about its product, getting the word out through a blog or any other form of social media can be easy and will keep customers actively interested in your product. There are many blog services available for personal or business purposes; WordPress and Tumblr are two great options that give step by step instructions on how to start a blog while including many features to personalize and create the image you wish to portray to readers.
I hope to start my own cooking blog someday, but for now, it is good to know that on a day when I have the urge to try something new, whether it is cooking or researching a new product, all I have to do is enter the blogosphere, and I am set.
Research Unveils Best Time to Tweet, Blog, Email and Update Facebook
by Ashley Webb on April 12, 2011 | no comments
in Blogs, Email Marketing, Social Media
HubSpot recently hosted a webinar with Dan Zarrella, HubSpot’s Social Media Scientist, on the “The Science of Timing” where he shared findings from his more than two years of research on the best days and times for marketers to Tweet, blog, email and update Facebook.
Here are some of the most useful takeaways I gathered from the presentation:
Twitter and Facebook:
- Re-tweeting is at its highest between 2-5 p.m. EST. Tweet later in the day and later in the week for best results.
- Saturdays and Sundays are amongst the highest days for Twitter click-through rates.
- Don’t be afraid of tweeting too much. Tweet more!
- Weekends are the best time for sharing things on Facebook.
- Facebook pages that post every other day perform better.
- There is little difference between the B2B and B2C consumer when it comes to social media timing communications.
Email:
- Emails sent on the weekend have higher open rates AND higher bounce rates because people have time to pay more attention to email.
- Send more emails. A higher frequency of emails sent doesn’t correlate with a higher rate of unsubscribers.
- Your newest subscribers have a higher click-through rate.
Blogs:
- Men tend to read blogs at night more often than women.
- Blog post views are highest on Mondays.
- Blogs posted on the weekend tend to have more comments.
- Links to blog posts are higher between 6-7 a.m. EST on Mondays and Thursdays.
While there is some very actionable data presented in Zarrella’s research, it’s important to remember that every industry is different, which is why it’s imperative that you know your audience and experiment with different times and days of the week.
Blissdom Opening Video: Women Rule the Social Web
by Jessica Turner on February 16, 2011 | no comments
in Blogs, Public Relations, Social Media
I had the opportunity to attend the Blissdom blogging conference in Nashville last month.
The conference opened with this inspirational video that is chock-full of facts about the reach of the internet and the influence women wield online.
At Lovell, we have created some fantastic programs over the years geared toward women, who are typically the key decision makers in the home.
Our PR programs today almost always include a social component. We are continuously brainstorming ways to:
- Engage audiences online
- Leverage Facebook communities
- Create relationships with bloggers
- Maximize enewsletter reach
- Execute compelling blogging strategies that work
This fantastic video demonstrates why the social web is so important and why we work hard to maximize its effectiveness for our clients.
How are you using the social web to grow your business?
Struggling with blogger’s block? Seven ways to get inspired.
by Allison Russo on January 21, 2011 | no comments
in Blogs, Corporate Blogs, Social Media, Writing
We’ve all been there…staring at a blank page trying to decide on a blog topic for the day, preferably something that shows you actually do have a uniquely valuable perspective. Here are a few tips and tricks that help me attack my blogger’s block:
Set up Google alerts on topics of interest to you and your readers. This is an effortless way to continuously monitor the web for up-to-the-minute content that matters to you.
Subscribe to likeminded blogs and competitors’ blogs and RSS feeds. This will help you stay on top of the hot topics among your competitors and peers and, hopefully, find a way to offer a fresh point of view.
Poll your social network on what they want to read about in your blog. This is a great way to engage your audience, attract new readers and gain further inspiration.
Review comments from past blog posts. Has a reader asked you to further expand on a topic? This is the perfect opportunity.
Look back at old blog posts for outdated information. You’ll likely find opportunities to update a post from days gone by.
A little self promotion never hurt anybody. Are you speaking at a conference or hosting a webinar in the near future? If so, share the details and let your readers know how to get involved.
Interview an expert. Not that your readers don’t value your opinion; sometimes it’s just nice to get a new viewpoint.
Where do you get inspiration for blog posts?
Brands Successfully Reach Bloggers at BlogHer
by Jessica Turner on August 11, 2010 | 1 comment
in Blogs, Branding, Marketing
Last week, I took a few days off of work to attend BlogHer in New York City. BlogHer is the nation’s largest blogging conference for women. It draws more than 2,500 attendees from across the country, as well as some of the world’s largest brands.
Before, during and after BlogHer, many brands have off-site, private events to cultivate relationships with bloggers. I had the opportunity to attend many of these events and was very impressed by the brands’ presentations and creativity. Here is a list of my top five favorite events and why they worked.
Hallmark’s Christmas in August Party: Hallmark held a Christmas party in a hotel penthouse suite that was totally transformed to look like a home decorated for the holidays. It had a Christmas tree, the mantle was decorated, a Santa, gifts, Hallmark cards and ornaments and more. Prior to the event, Hallmark sent its guests purple Christmas hats to bring and wear to the party. The relaxed, homey atmosphere caused many bloggers to stay at the party for an extended period of time, which was a fantastic opportunity for the brand representatives to interact with the guests.
At the event, Hallmark promised to send a package of the brand’s Christmas line. This was well-received because so much swag is given during BlogHer that much is left for the housekeeping staff. This ensured that everyone received the Hallmark products that the company wants to introduce to the bloggers.
Unilever’s Penthouse Party: Like Hallmark, Unilever transformed a penthouse suite to create an experience for the bloggers. The penthouse it reserved was multiple rooms, and every room created a brand experience for the bloggers. One room was like a dressing room and featured a celebrity stylist doing hair using Suave products. Another room was a relaxation suite where bloggers could decorate sandals, have water flavored like dove deodorant scents and receive reflexology and massages. Yet another room was like a large kitchen and dining room, with areas set up to showcase Ragu, Wishbone and PF Changs.
The party was spectacular because of the attention given to each brand. Attending the event truly was an experience – and experiences are what bloggers love and write about. After checking out each room (and getting a “passport” stamped in each), bloggers received a large swag bag filled with Unilever products.
Getting Gorgeous by Audrey McClelland and Vera Sweeney: Audrey and Vera are two popular fashion/entertainment bloggers who came together to create an experience for bloggers to interact with multiple brands. They transformed two hotel suites into two rooms filled with beauty, fashion and lifestyle brands. Remington had celebrity stylists doing hair, Hanes shared about its new bras, Tide demonstrated its new wrinkle release product, MiracleBody gave away jeans to every guest and more.
The event was fabulous because of the opportunity to interact with many brands on an intimate level and because the gifts guests received were items that would be used and talked about. Earrings, jeans, curling irons, etc. – not small items that would be tossed. I wore my jeans on day two of the conference – and talked about them to many people. I was also photographed in them and linked them on my blog. This is what brands want.
ShopAtHome.com Shopping Spree: ShopAtAHome.com is an online shopping portal featuring free catalogs, Free Coupons, Printable Grocery Coupons, Local Store Coupons and Cash Back shopping incentives at more than 3,000 leading online retailers. Prior to the conference, they gave bloggers the opportunity to enter a contest to win a shopping spree in the garment district in New York. 38 bloggers were selected and given $150 each to buy clothes at wholesale prices – a perfect tie-in to the types of deals people receive using ShopAtHome.com. In addition to the shopping spree, the ShopAtHome.com representatives gave each attendee a $25 gift certificate to use on their site. This was a smart way to motivate the bloggers to visit ShopAtHome.com after the conference. The experience was organized, fun, different than a party and well-planned.
The Today Show with Today’s Moms: The Today Show invited about 25 bloggers to come experience a morning at Today on the Thursday before the conference began. The bloggers were invited on the plaza and included in a shot, met several of the hosts, got lots of pictures, were taken in studio and filmed during a segment, saw the control room and had time to get to know one another. This event worked because it was not too big and because Today created a memorable experience for the bloggers.
Here are a few additional brands worth mentioning:
Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Project: Liberty Mutual invited a group of about 40 bloggers to experience Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. During the bus ride to Ellis Island, the representatives showed a video about the Responsibility Project and shared its vision. Nothing over-the-top, but very thoughtful, well-planned and memorable.
Ebay Fashion: Ebay Fashion’s booth at the conference included samples of the great clothes and accessories you can find on the site. Their stylists helped guests try on some items and then a photographer did a mini fashion shoot. Very fun.
Tide: Tide invited bloggers to one of several small dinners they hosted at a fabulous New York restaurant. These dinners had less than 20 people at each and allowed Tide’s representatives to really cultivate relationships with the invited bloggers. Very impressive and unusual.
How to Drive Traffic to Your Company Blog
by Allison Russo on August 5, 2010 | 1 comment
in Blogs, Corporate Blogs, Social Media
A recent HubSpot study of 1,531 small and medium sized businesses reports that companies with a blog have 55% more website visitors than their counterparts. Of note, company blogs also drive factors that influence search engine optimization (SEO). For example, of the surveyed businesses, those that blog generate 97% more inbound links from related websites and 434% more indexed pages than businesses that choose not to blog.
With statistics like these, the question is, ‘To blog or not to blog?’ But your answer may depend on the tactics you are ready to employ. Perhaps the operative question is, ‘How do you drive traffic and keep readers coming back once you have created a blog?’ There is no single answer but here are few tactics emerging as best practices:
Blog often and provide great content. This is the key to building an audience. It’s also great for SEO. Content is indexed with each posting and, thus, information about your company moves up in search engine prioritization.
Use numerical or ‘How To’ headlines. These cues tell readers that a posting will be a quick and informative read.
Link to your blog in your email signature. Every email you send will increase the opportunities for visits to your blog.
Link to the blog in your eNewsletter. Refer to past blog postings when the newsletter includes related content.
Send personal emails about postings you think will be of interest to particular people. Your contacts are more likely to read the posting when you personally reach out and highlight the relevance of a particular posting.
Invite well-known personalities to guest blog. Offset your workload by bringing in a ringer. While you are at it, ask the guest blogger to link to their posting on their own blog and social media platforms. This will increase the credibility of your blog and bring your content to the attention of new readers.
Partake in a blogroll exchange. Reach out to likeminded bloggers and suggest that they include your link in their blogroll. According to blog etiquette and best practices you should also return the favor.
Respond to all comments. It is important to let readers know that you appreciate their feedback.
Be a little bit controversial. You set your blog apart from the crowd when you express a different point of view on a hot industry topic and also demonstrate that you have unique expertise. As an added bonus, personality tends to attract more readers and more frequent visits to your site.
Leave comments on other industry blogs. Offer intelligent feedback and kudos in the comments section of likeminded blogs and be sure to include a link to your own.
Incorporate a survey or poll. Readers will want to come back to see the results.
Link to blog posts on your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. This will make posts easily accessible to your followers, colleagues and friends, as well as continuously keep your company top-of-mind.
What are your tips for driving traffic to a company blog?
How to Successfully Pitch Bloggers
by Jessica Turner on April 15, 2010 | no comments
in Blogs, Media Relations, Social Media
As a very active mommy-blogger with a somewhat large audience, I receive pitches from PR practitioners every single day.
As a PR practitioner myself, I find myself often evaluating these pitches with that hat on.
I am shocked by how many bad pitches are sent!
Many times the PR person has a great product, but most bloggers probably don’t even read the pitch because it doesn’t appear to be relevant to them.
If you or your company has a product that would be of interest to bloggers, when you send them a pitch, DO NOT:
- Use the same form pitch letter: It is important that your pitch letter be relevant to the blogger and their blog’s content. That doesn’t mean you have to craft a new pitch every time, but at least tweak the intro copy. For instance, I have received many pitches for princess books and toys. I have a 2-year-old boy. If the PR person had spent two minutes on my blog, she would have seen this and know to not send me that pitch.
- Use an image only press release: It will not show up in many people’s emails, is not customized (see above) and is tacky.
- Have no call to action: Oftentimes I will receive a press release for a product that is interesting to me, but the press release is not accompanied by a letter or a request for product review. Always ask yourself, why would the blogger be interested in this product – and answer that question in the email you send.
- Ask the blogger to go to your website for more details: Many bloggers receive dozens of pitches a week and they don’t have time to fish for information about every product that is introduced to them. Do your best to put all compelling information in your initial pitch.
By following this advice, you will surely have more success pitching within the blogosphere.
That’s how I [blog] roll!
by Allison Russo on March 19, 2010 | 4 comments
in Blogs, Social Media
Have you ever wondered about that list of links you see on the side of some of your favorite blogs? You’ve clicked on them and been taken to another web site and probably wondered, ”Why is this blogger directing me elsewhere? Did I do something wrong? Don’t they want me anymore?”
Don’t worry. What you’ve just clicked on is technically known as a ”blogroll,” a list of other sites recommended by the host blogger; but for those of you looking to drive traffic to your own blog, it will soon be known as your best friend. I’m going to let you in on a simple traffic boosting tactic that’s guaranteed to make you the envy of your blogger buddies: the Blogroll Exchange. Simply put, the concept is an exchange of links between two bloggers.
The unspoken rule of “blogging etiquette” is that if you add someone’s blog to your blogroll, they should reciprocate the goodwill. In my experience, this is not always the case. And why should it be? If I write a blog about politics and a fashion blogger adds me to their blogroll, I’m not likely going to counter the gesture. Luckily I’ve provided below a few simple steps to a strategic and proactive Blogroll Exchange that is sure to provide bountiful exposure and publicity for your blog:
1) RESEARCH: Use blog search engines like Technorati or Google Blog Search to help find likeminded blogs to your own and pull their contact info (typically found in an ‘About Me’ or ‘Contact Us’ section). Once you have a healthy list, expand your search to include different verticals that could apply to your blog topic (i.e. if your blog covers healthcare, start searching for verticals within your subject area, like blogs about hospitals or health insurance.) Further your research by exploring the existing blogrolls of the new blogs you have found.
2) OUTREACH: Reach out to the bloggers you have found with a tailored email asking them to partake in a ‘mutually beneficial’ blogroll exchange. Let them know that you feel strongly about their content and that by linking to each other’s blogs you are not only helping each other’s blogs gain exposure, you are also helping to spread that very important likeminded message you share.
3) REPEAT: New blogs are popping up every day. Make sure to keep up with your research and continue to reach out to appropriate bloggers to link to back to your site.
Follow these simple steps and links to your site will be popping up all over the blogosphere. Not only will you be driving traffic to your blog, your traffic will be tailored to the specific audience you were looking for. So go get started and let people know who you ‘roll’ with.
