Best blogging software - from Compendium Blogware

I'm a Blog Admin! Now What?!

Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Allison Bowen

As an employee for Compendium Blogware, my job every day is to help our clients with our blog software. This often means that I find myself updating calls-to-action, explaining how clients can add users and answering other various questions that our users and admins might have.

But recently, the tables have turned. I have now become a blog admin myself! Now what do I do?!

Both Amber Mohling and I are fellows with the Orr Fellowship program. The Orr Fellowship program provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate students searching for their first salaried, full-time position following graduation. It's been a great opportunity for both of us!

Well wouldn't you know it, we recently were able to set up an Orr Fellowship blog. And I'm the new blog admin! Check it out -- http://blog.orrfellowship.org. I now find myself actually performing some of the duties that we discuss with clients each day. So as a new blog admin, what have I done? Followed Compendium's blogging best practice tips, of course!

Updated our calls-to-action
Added ShareThis to our blog (visit here and send the code to help@compendium.com)
Encouraged my bloggers to blog frequently and consistently
Made sure each blogger has a sticky post set up
Monitored my Google Analytics statistics (admins should get them each Monday by e-mail)

It has definitely been an adventure, but I'm really enjoying being a blog admin. When I saw the number of click-throughs from our blog and our most recent search results, I was thrilled. Compendium really does provide the best blogging software!

Gen Y women. What influences their brand discovery?

Friday, November 13, 2009 by Chris Baggott

Can I buy stock in eMarketer?   Every day they send me this great email with relevant content to my business....and yours.

Like this report for example.   Clearly this blog is about education, and persuasion that we offer best blogging software for Business.   Our firm belief is that that Social Media helps a company serve two masters. One is the search engine, and two is the need to humanize your business.

When you see a chart like this, it really helps make the case that if you just look at the responses related to search, online profile, and the two blog mentions (blog written by someone like me and professional or subject experts), you can clearly see that Corporate blogging is the critical hub of todays marketing strategy.

Blogs drive search traffic better than almost anything else...and it's a lot easier and legitmate to simply write often about how you help customers and solve problems than a lot of other SEO tools you might be tempted with.

I also love the phrase: "someone like me".   Obviously, you have people in your organization who fit the professional/subject expert catagory.    But think about it.   Among your employees and your current customers you also have lots of people who can be classified as "someone like me".

Now either Gen X or Gen Y women represents an extremely large catagory.   If you had to make a persona around everyone who could be slotted into these groups you would struggle.   But tactics like triggered emails to existing customers are amazing ways to solicit relevant blog content and engage the long tail of this diverse yet consistant audience.

Exciting Product Release to Preview your Blog Post within Your Template

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 by Abby Brosmer

This morning, Compendium proudly released the ability to preview your blog post within your live blog template. Prior to today,when creating post as a user the options available were to save as a draft, submit my post to the administrator for moderation or preview the post in new window to ensure video worked properly.

Today, when a user selects preview post, they will now view their content as it would appear live on the web. A nice enhancement to our easy to use blogging software which allows users an extra reassurance that their content will represent the company well on the corporate blog.

As a member of the product support team, we are always working to request enhancements to the product that will enhance each users experience and provide the best blogging software to our clients.

If you have a suggestion, fill our the web form and we will add it to our product log for enhancements. Yes, these enhancements are prioritized by customer request, so every vote matters.

Explaining Compendium to Friends

Friday, October 30, 2009 by Allison Bowen

I have always loved the fall season. Football, changing leaves, chilly fall days... and HALLOWEEN! What's better than that?! Despite the fact that I'm now an adult, I still find it fun to dress up and go out on the town. This year, my friends and I decided that our own little Halloween night was just what we needed. Of course this meant that we had to carve pumpkins.

I am one of the lucky individuals who is still best friends with their high school friends; last night's Halloween party was with girls that I have known since kindergarten. As we all sat around reminiscing about the past, our conversations quickly turned to what we are doing know. One friend is a hairdresser, one works for a local health company, two are in grad school.... and then there is me. How do I explain what my company does?

"Oh that's easy," I always say. "We provide the best blogging software for search engine optimization." That's the point at which I always get blank stares.

Compendium's product is really quite easy when you think about it. By writing blog posts, you are able to increase your company's position within Google's rankings for certain keywords. Does your company sell bicyles in Indianapolis? You would probaby want your company to appear first when someone searches for "Indianapolis Bicycles" within Google. Our product helps you do just that! Of course there is a bit more to it, but overall, Compendium helps your company rise to the top of search results through blogging.

We Want Your Ideas!

Friday, October 30, 2009 by Allison Bowen

Here at Compendium, we know that we provide our clients with the best blogging software available. Not only does our product allow you to easily write a blog post, it will also help you actually blog for search engine optimization. We know that our product is great, but there are always areas in which it could be better. This is where you come in.

We want to hear from you! Have an idea? A suggestion to improve our product? We are always open to ideas from our clients. Our main goal is provide our clients with the most powerful blogging software that will help them get the best results.

If you have a suggestion for something we could improve within our system, please let us know! Send you ideas and enhancement requests to help@compendium.com. We take all the ideas submitted and enter them into a database. Each idea is prioritized by demand, so the more clients that ask for a feature, the more we want to make it happen! Every week, our engineering team takes a look at the enhancement requests submitted and tries their best to upgrade our software accordingly.

Keep an eye out for more new features that you, our clients, have requested coming soon!

Changing User Information

Friday, October 30, 2009 by Allison Bowen

Have you noticed the many new features that are now a part of our Compendium blog software? Our engineering team has been hard at work making our simple blogging software even more user-friendly.

One recent new feature has been the ability for administrators to now add users to their

accounts. But did you know that admins also now have the ability to change a user's name and e-mail?

Did someone in your company recently get married? Did you change the e-mails of everyone in your company? No problem!

It's simple to make these changes! Once you add a user (for instructions, click here) you can make any changes by simply clicking on the user's name or e-mail. A box will appear; type in the appropriate changes and hit update!

That's right, the best blogging software just got better.

Passion.

Thursday, October 29, 2009 by Allison Bowen

While being a Client Success Specialist here at Compendium, I also have the role of being an Orr Fellow. This means that I am a part of the two-year Governor Bob Orr Entreprenurial Fellowship Program and have had many opportunities within Compendium and Indianapolis because of my position. As a part of the Orr Fellowship, I have recently travelled to many colleges throughout the state to recruit for our program.

Last night I went to a networking fair at Butler University and quickly discovered one thing about recruiting - it only works if you have passion for what you are doing! Isn't this the way it is with everything in life? As I stood at our Orr Fellowship table and looked around, it was easy to tell which employees were passionate about their companies. Students instantly gravitated towards those that seemed excited about what they were discussing.

The same goes for blogging. It's all about passion. If you're a client of Compendium's, you know you're using the best blogging software available. So, shouldn't you be passionate about it? How amazing is it that you can tell your story to the entire blogsphere every day? So c'mon! Write some posts! If you're passionate about what you're doing, your company's corporate blog is sure to succeed.

Announcing Compendium Client Training!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 by Allison Bowen

Well folks, it's here! That's right... I'm proud to announce the release of Compendium User and Administrator Live Training Webinars! Your best blogging software just got better! The trainings will be coming to you live from 55 Monument Circle and will take place every Tuesday and Thursday.

On Tuesdays, user training will take place at 2:00pm, followed by administrator training at 2:30pm. The live webinars on Thursdays will take place at 10:00am for users and 10:30am for administrators.

Accessing the live webinars is very easy. You'll simply need to join the "Go-To-Meeting" session by clicking on the following link at the time given above.

User Training

Admin Training

Who should attend these trainings? Anyone! If you are writing a blog for your business through Compendium's blogging software, we would love to have you attend. Please note, you will be asked to tell us your company name, so you must be a client of Compendium's.

If you would like to learn how to operate our system or would simply like to learn some new tips and tricks, please feel free to join in on the fun! I look forward to training you soon!

A Blogging Solution as an SEO Tool

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 by Angela Castelli

Are you currently blogging as a search marketing strategy for your business? Or, do you have maybe 5-6 different blog pages at an attempt to blog as an SEO tool? If so, what type of results are you seeing with this strategy?

The reason I ask is because I speak with many companies each day who are blogging for their businesses as a way to increase their inbound traffic organically online, but they aren't using the best blogging software that's available, so they aren't getting the best results that are available.

Are you using a specific corporate blogging software designed to help drive your blogs high in organic search results? If you aren't working with Compendium, then you are using blogging platforms and tools designed more specifically for first and second generation blogging (citizen journalism, and to create community). In order for you to maximize the results you are wanting to see, you need to be using the best tool designed to help you blog for search engine optimization. If you are looking to do any of the following:

Increase inbound organic traffic
Be found in search for more keywords than you are currently found for
Convert the new traffic into inbound leads
See a return on your blogging investment

Then please request to see a demo to learn more about how we can help you achieve your online marketing goals, and show you how to use the best blogging and SEO tools, to achieve the best results.

Blogging to Increase College Enrollment

Monday, October 5, 2009 by Angela Castelli

I just finished reading a fascinating article today in the New York Times titled,"M.I.T. Taking Student Blogs to the Nth Degree". The article mentions how more and more universities are starting to leverage a blogging solution to help them appeal to more prospective students who are in high school. While the article mentions some universities are hesitant to use this strategy, it also mentions that this search marketing tactic is producing results. By allowing students to blog about their current experiences, it really humanizes the story of the college life for those who are considering the university or college. It gives the high school student the ability to read these real stories, and take action by applying to these colleges after finding the blog. As higher education continues to jump onto this blogging bandwagon, Compendium is working with more and more colleges as the best blogging software available.

Only my mom cares about MY blog

Thursday, September 17, 2009 by Jim Hyslop

My mom is probably my number one fan. She LOVES to stay up to date with my life and how things are going for me but I am going to guess she is probably one of a handful of people in this world who really care about me, Jim Hyslop, and what I have to say.

So why should I use my blog for search marketing if only a few people in this world actually care about what I have to say? The simple answer here is I shouldn't use a personal blog if the PURPOSE of my blog is to drive business through search acquisition.

People search for answers to their problems on-line with topically focused search terms. If I am a company that can solve those problems it is my job to show up with answers to those questions based on the way my potential customers are searching. If you are reading this post today I have a feeling you probably don't know me but you found me because you searched a term like "business blog software" or "best blogging software" or something of this nature. If this is the case, then good for you. We should talk soon because I can help you. And good for me as well, because as an on-line marketer for my company I have done my job. We both win.

And Mom, if you are reading this, I will probably be calling you tonight because I think we are going to need a babysitter this weekend. Tell Dad I said "Hey". Love you guys!

Welcome to Compendium! A Walk Through Your Post Set-Up Process.

Monday, September 14, 2009 by Allison Bowen

There is nothing quite as exciting as that first time you get an e-mail saying that you are now officially a Compendium blogger. Okay, maybe there are a few things more exciting, but not many! Who doesn't want to blog with the best blogging software available? Once you log in to the Compendium system with your new username and a temporary password you may think you're all set to start writing. But what's that? Information to fill out?

Don't worry, just like many software programs, Compendium needs to know a little bit about you before you can start creating those magnificent posts. To begin, you will need to create a new password. We don't want you to have to remember that temporary password forever!

After completing that step, you'll then be asked to create a blog title and blog description. Many people will quickly title their blog "Allison's blog" or something of the sort. However, did you know that your blog title is also included in your post URL? When someone views your post specifically it will also appear in the header. Just like the rest of your posts, search engines pick up keywords used within your title as well. So think wisely before naming your blog! For example, my blog title is "Basic Blogging for Business." The next box asks you to develop a blog description. Just a few short sentences regarding what your posts will generally be about is perfect!

And looky there, you're all ready to begin writing your first post! That wasn't so hard, was it?

Happy Blogging!

You can't live without search.

Friday, September 4, 2009 by mikey mioduski

There is simply no denying it. You can't live without search. You love it. You use it. You bath in it. Even when you're not thinking about it, you're probably doing it. You like big fat searches. You do it at work. You do it at home. You do it on your way from work to home on your phone. You like to type in questions like, "How do I rank in google?" or "what is the best month for blueberry picking?" because you know someone has already searched this exact same phrase, which means your search will bring you the exact answers you're looking for. You love big fat fatty searches. Sometimes you even clarify your searches with a date or a geography, "best blog software for business 2009," or "implant dentist northern colorado" because you know it will give you the most relevant information possible.

You can't live without search. Trust me. I tried it. I almost died. In fact, I think a little piece of me did die that week. I wasted time that I will never get back. Not cool.

When we have questions, we want them answered immediately. It's a fix, it's instant gratification, we demand it, and maybe that's sad, but that's the era we live in. If you are a business trying to stay with the times, you will be better to realize that your future customers and prospects are no different than you. They have problems that they need answered. Like you, and like me, they can't live without search. Put yourself in your customers shoes and you will see the importance of search marketing. So as the saying goes, "If you don't like change you're going to like irrelevance even less." I don't know who said that, but if you search that exact phrase, you'll find out.

What are you doing to get your company found in search? Stay relevant, and get found with a business blog from Compendium.

When it comes to business blogging: "Green means Go"

Thursday, August 13, 2009 by Stephanie West

When it comes to submitting a blog, keep it simple and remember: "Green means go."

For those that may have never blogged before, stick with me so I can explain...

I've never blogged until this internship at Compendium for two reasons:

I didn't think I had anything interesting to say.
I thought blogging required mastering complex software designed for tech savvy people. But...

I was wrong.

Compendium's blog software is designed with first-time bloggers in mind - and they keep it simple. The strength of the content in your blog is detected by a color coded bar that turns green with relevant content. Hence the phrase, "green means go." When the bar is green, your blog will seek positive search engine optimization results. In contrast, if the bar is still red, you should rethink the content that your blog contains because it will have negative search engine optimization results.

For those competitive people out there - you'll find a nice little challenge in the phrase: "green means go." It's like a small competition I have with myself and that little bar. The better content that you generate, the greener the bar will turn.

There you go, it's only my second week at Compendium and I've already found a "game" in my job!

Compendium offers the best blog software out there. They also keep it as short, sweet and to the point as: "green means go." If you want to learn more about this "blogging game" that I play, sign up here for the free ROI Toolkit: A Search Marketer's Quick Guide to Business Blogging and learn more about what Compendium Blogware has to offer!

Best Blogging Software for Your Business

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 by Sarah Sedberry

As blogs are becoming an increasingly popular way for both personal and business use in marketing and branding, it is important to figure out what is the best blogging software for you and your end goals.

Consider the following points:

When it comes to a choosing a platform for your business and online marketing strategy, end goals are certainly different and there are more things to consider. Typically the end goal is ROI and more leads. Compendium offers a business blog software that is easy to use, and does all the heavy lifting for you. The most important thing that a company has to do is write content, from there our platform takes your content and maximizes its SEO.

What will you be talking about - are you looking to hone writing skills, have daily reflections, or talk about the Buffet concert last night. For those out there looking to participate in citizen journalism, there are several platforms available to suit your needs. It will come down to what is most important to you as an individual. However, if your content will be regarding your company, there is then a purpose to your writing and requires a different strategy. Compendium's Client Success Team is there to work with our clients to ensure that a successful strategy is maintained.

There is no doubt that there are several blogging platforms available, but one key component of Compendium that does not get enough credit is our Support team. We have dedicated individuals who are available within 8 business hours to answer and troubleshoot issues that may arise. What is the likely hood of getting a call from a real individual from other software companies? This is an advantage of working with a team of individuals who are fully invested in your blogging program.

Once you have considered the pros and cons of the various blogging software platforms available, and deciding what your blog strategy goals are, the answer to what blogging platform suits you best will become clear. I obviously am a bit biased, but based on the success of our current clients - it's not hard to become a Compendium fan yourself!

Check out some of our most recent client case studies, or if you want more information on Compendium, schedule a demo today.

How will potential customers find your blog?

Thursday, July 16, 2009 by Allison Bowen

Before coming to Compendium Blogware, I didn't know much about terms such as SEO, keywords, bounce rates, etc. Although I was a "Butler Blogger" for Butler University, I knew I was a novice when it came to the subject of blogging. Therefore, it should be no surprise that I figured the only way someone could come across my blog was through the Butler Admissions website. That may be one of the reasons why I was so surprised this morning...

As any good e-mail obsessed person would do, I rolled over this morning in bed and checked my iPhone for that little number by the envelope (indicating I have mail). Sure enough, there was a little four.

Now first let me back up a second... When I first took the job offer from Compendium, I quickly signed up for Google alerts on the company, its execs and a few related subjects. Every day I glance though these alerts and typically find the same basic things.

But this morning, as I was glancing through, I suddenly recognized something very familiar. My blog post from yesterday! There it was, right on the top of the list! After checking these alerts for months, I finally feel like I've "made it" at Compendium -- I was a Google alert!

This experience just goes to show the importance of having a corporate blog and Compendium certainly provides the best blogging software. I simply wrote a blog through our software and did nothing else and it still managed to show up in a Google alert.

What if your blog shows up on an alert of a potential customer? It might!! Why not start blogging today and find out?!

A Blog about a Cow

Friday, July 10, 2009 by Allison Bowen

After going to college in Indianapolis for four years, I thought I'd seen almost everything there was to see. But today, I think I'm even closer to really and truly seeing all there is see in the Circle City.

On my first Friday at Compendium Blogware, I walked outside for lunch and this is what I saw:

Yes indeed folks, that is what you think it is. There was a cow on the Circle in downtown Indianapolis! As it turned out, there was a dairy festival benefiting the charity of Colts player Marlin Jackson. Kids were smiling and huge helpings of ice cream, with all the toppings, were being handed out all over the place.

After walking back into work I quickly began telling everyone what I saw. What was their first response? "Blog about it!" Well, okay.... I guess I could do that.

At first I was stuck. How in the world can I incorporate a cow on the Circle into a blog post? As I asked my co-workers this very question, it suddenly all clicked for me. On a daily basis we tell our clients that it's not what you blog about it, it's that you blog. We stress the fact that blog posts are extremely easy to write; simply talk about an experience you've had or something that happened with a customer. Anything can be turned into a blog post!

Here at Compendium, we do everything we can to assist our clients in getting excellent search engine optimization results, therefore making them more money. We provide the best blogging software and are constantly giving them tips for blogging best practices. So there you have it. I just managed to turn seeing a cow on the Circle into a post about how easy it is to blog, which is something our company explains every day. It's amazing how simple it is to blog, isn't it??

Class 5 blogging

Thursday, July 9, 2009 by Abby Greenbaum

So I grew up in Ohiopyle, PA and always worked for White Water Adventurers which is one of the local rafting companies. I just realized that blogging is as powerful as one of those class 5 rapids. Dont you worry or be intimidated by this because this is where compendium will be acting as your "guide". No need to go rafting or blogging alone. Compendium has the best blog software for you because they want you to not only do well but they will be great for your online marketing, and it is so easy to set up a blog. This simple blogging software is alot easier than rafting a class 5 river. I know you will make it through easily as long as you stay focused and are determined to meet your blogging goals, just use our advise and blog twice a week, use relevant keywords and your blogs and business will take off.

It's this easy...

Monday, July 6, 2009 by Allison Bowen

Imagine this scenario:

That seems simple, doesn't it? What if all it took for someone to find your company was a simple Google search? And what if that didn't cost a lot of money to accomplish? Well, the great news is, it can happen.

Compendium Blogware provides the best blogging software for search engine optimization results. Just like this comic, an individual performing a specific search can easily find your company as it rises to the top of the organic search results. Compendium's software compends blogs you and your employees have written; therefore, when Google searches, it notices that you have used certain keywords quite often. Frequency of keywords is just one of the many things that Google looks for when determing results.

Blogging for business doesn't need to be complicated. It's really just this easy!

Take the Easy Route: Blog for Business

Thursday, July 2, 2009 by Allison Bowen

It's amazing how much the marketplace has changed in just a few short years. Take for example, a September 19, 2005, Wall Street Journal article describing the crazy adventures of two men attempting to get their new product to market.

"The pair had finally scored a coveted 8 a.m. appointment with a Wal-Mart buyer -- giving them a chance to get their ergonomic pen, the PenAgain, in from of the world's largest retailer. But with only 10 minutes so spare, that chance was slipping away as the entreprenuers sat, panicked, still a mile and a half away."

I wonder what that pair would do now if I told them it's not nearly that hard to get a new product to market. They can simply blog for business! That's right, a blog can help you in many ways.

Say for instance, PenAgain knew that much of their target market spends many hours a day online. If someone were to search for an inventive writing product, he or she may Google "creative writing pen". What if the first organic search result that appeared was for a PenAgain blog? Clearly many sales would develop from those that click through to the blog and saw all that the company had to offer.

This is where Compendium Blogware comes in. Compendium provides the best blogging software that will get companies search engine optimization results. It's not just about blogging in order to relate to your customers anymore. While that is certainly still a great reason to blog, there is more that can be accomplished. Using basic blog software from Compendium, any company can increase their SEO and thus drive more potential clients to their website.

Had PenAgain been launching their product today, I would have suggested they done so online first rather than take it directly to Wal-Mart with no evidenece that the product would sell. Why go through all the trouble when there is an easy route to success? As a start-up company, PenAgain would not be able to afford pricey PPC. Instead, it could choose an affordable blogging software and be well on its way.

Blogging for business is simple. It doesn't involve a lot of money or a scramble to Wal-Mart's headquarters. Instead, it involves a committment to writing blogs and a call to Compendium today. Why not save yourself some trouble and give it a try?