Hello, I am Jennifer Buscher, a Business Development Manager at Compendium Blogware. To be perfectly honest, in the past I've had some blogging anxiety. Other than my family and friends, does someone really want to know about me, my favorite color, and what I like to do on the weekends? I doubt it. That's why I'm really excited about corporate blogging. With Compendium Blogware, I feel that I'm blogging for a purpose and writing about topics people want to know and are searching for. My blog will specifically explore the benefits of organizational blogging.Hello, I am Jennifer Buscher, a Business Development Manager at Compendium Blogware. To be perfectly honest, in the past I've had some blogging anxiety. Other than my family and friends, does someone really want to know about me, my favorite color, and what I like to do on the weekends? I doubt it. That's why I'm really excited about corporate blogging. With Compendium Blogware, I feel that I'm blogging for a purpose and writing about topics people want to know and are searching for. My blog will specifically explore the benefits of organizational blogging.I just read an article in eMarketer Daily that discusses a study around which platform draws the most repeat visitors. Here are the results:
I don't want to discount this study as it is very helpful. Although, I believe that the entire idea of "loyal visitors" as a measurment of success or the notion that loyal visitors are better than new visitors is silly.
Chris Baggott, our co-founder and CEO, recently held a webinar where he discussed the different generations of social media and blogging in particular. In a nutshell, when blogging just started to become mainstream and the focus was on citizen journalism and attracting loyal readers... this was 1st generation blogging. Then we moved into 2nd generation blogging where people focused on "thought leadership" and again building a following of repeat visitors. However, the problem with this is that there are no metrics or tangible ROI that can be applied to 1st or 2nd generation blogging. 3rd generation blogging is Compendium or using blogs and that human content as a way to attract new visitors in addition to giving your loyal visitors more resources. At the end of the day, your loyal visitors can keep coming back, sign up for your newsletter, join your club, but this doesn't grow your business. Attracting new visitors and providing then with relevant, fresh information that solves there problem will grow your business.
I don't want to discount this study as it is very helpful. Although, I believe that the entire idea of "loyal visitors" as a measurment of success or the notion that loyal visitors are better than new visitors is silly.
Chris Baggott, our co-founder and CEO, recently held a webinar where he discussed the different generations of social media and blogging in particular. In a nutshell, when blogging just started to become mainstream and the focus was on citizen journalism and attracting loyal readers... this was 1st generation blogging. Then we moved into 2nd generation blogging where people focused on "thought leadership" and again building a following of repeat visitors. However, the problem with this is that there are no metrics or tangible ROI that can be applied to 1st or 2nd generation blogging. 3rd generation blogging is Compendium or using blogs and that human content as a way to attract new visitors in addition to giving your loyal visitors more resources. At the end of the day, your loyal visitors can keep coming back, sign up for your newsletter, join your club, but this doesn't grow your business. Attracting new visitors and providing then with relevant, fresh information that solves there problem will grow your business.
I just hopped off of Chris Baggott's webinar on "Third Generation Blogging" and as always learned valuable information. Chris mentioned that businesses need to stop using the word "blog" and start talking about "blogs"(plural). Seems silly but this is a really strong point. He is referring to the fact that with one "blog" a company can only target a handful of keywords on the search engines and therefore will be limited in the amount of targeted traffic it will drive. If inbound demand generation is the goal, which it should be, then this will not be effective. Thus, companies should have "blogs" which will allow them to target lots of keywords and see far greater results.
He used the example of email marketing... If you want to send one email to a few people then Outlook does the trick. BUT, if you want to send 100's and 1000's of emails then you need an email marketing software like Constant Conact or ExactTarget.
Come one everyone, let's move into the new age of blogging. It looks pretty bright over here.
He used the example of email marketing... If you want to send one email to a few people then Outlook does the trick. BUT, if you want to send 100's and 1000's of emails then you need an email marketing software like Constant Conact or ExactTarget.
Come one everyone, let's move into the new age of blogging. It looks pretty bright over here.
For those that don't know about Compendium Blogware, we are more of an organic search engine marketing tool than a traditional blog platform. Thus, I always find myself in SEO conversations. I was speaking to a potential partner the other day who said "we just don't have more than 10 keywords related to our business". They were referring to the fact that they only want to drive targeted traffic and don't want to attract unqualified leads. I say, "Amen to that".
However, I completely disagree that ANY business has less than 100 keyphrases related to their business that would still drive quality leads. Compendium for example, does not target the keyword "blog". Why? Because that person could be looking for a personal blog or travel blog. Not someone I would necessarily want to talk to because our software won't be a good fit. But we do target "corporate blogging software" , "SEO for blogs", and literally hundreds of other variations of business blogging related keywords.
Obviously, these long-tail keywords have a lower search volume, but because our solution gives us and our clients the ability to easily target ALL of those keywords, we are able to drive lots of very targeted, qualified leads. The more, the better in this case.
However, I completely disagree that ANY business has less than 100 keyphrases related to their business that would still drive quality leads. Compendium for example, does not target the keyword "blog". Why? Because that person could be looking for a personal blog or travel blog. Not someone I would necessarily want to talk to because our software won't be a good fit. But we do target "corporate blogging software" , "SEO for blogs", and literally hundreds of other variations of business blogging related keywords.
Obviously, these long-tail keywords have a lower search volume, but because our solution gives us and our clients the ability to easily target ALL of those keywords, we are able to drive lots of very targeted, qualified leads. The more, the better in this case.
In a time when every business is trying to get more out of less, people want to know the time commitment attached to any marketing initiative and especially a corporate blog in order to see results. I'm afraid that in the business blogging realm content = results. Thus, "the more content, the better".
Frustrating answer to some, but true. Now, this doesn't mean that you have to dedicate someone to write blog content. Actually we (Compendium) wouldn't even recommend that approach. Instead multiple individuals write content and depending on how aggressive you want to be on the search engines will depend if each of those individuals writes 1 post/week or 4 posts/week.
Next time , someone asks me how much content do I have to write for the company blog, my answer/question back will be "How slow can you drive a Porsche Carrera on the autobahn?" That's a question you should never ask. Speed is to a Porsche as content is to a blog.
Frustrating answer to some, but true. Now, this doesn't mean that you have to dedicate someone to write blog content. Actually we (Compendium) wouldn't even recommend that approach. Instead multiple individuals write content and depending on how aggressive you want to be on the search engines will depend if each of those individuals writes 1 post/week or 4 posts/week.
Next time , someone asks me how much content do I have to write for the company blog, my answer/question back will be "How slow can you drive a Porsche Carrera on the autobahn?" That's a question you should never ask. Speed is to a Porsche as content is to a blog.
In our "5 Myths about Business Blogging" webinar today, Chris Baggott, touched on fundamental problem with websites. He explained that websites read like a catalogue or magazine. They are great for facts and figures as they are static by nature. This made me wonder with the increasing popularity of dynamic platforms like blogs, twitter, and facebook, will websites one day become extinct?
A blog on the other hand, is a dynamic platform great for telling human stories, which is what people want to hear. Not really a new concept, but an old concept that is re-emerging. People are sick of hearing from institutions and brands and want to hear from other people "like them" per the 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer.
Afterall, if you are a business trying to grow, I'd suggest that blogs and landing pages are more important than a website. If I go to Google, type in a problem, and you show me a relevant story about your service or product that could solve my problem and a way to get more information or buy, then that's all you need.
A blog on the other hand, is a dynamic platform great for telling human stories, which is what people want to hear. Not really a new concept, but an old concept that is re-emerging. People are sick of hearing from institutions and brands and want to hear from other people "like them" per the 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer.
Afterall, if you are a business trying to grow, I'd suggest that blogs and landing pages are more important than a website. If I go to Google, type in a problem, and you show me a relevant story about your service or product that could solve my problem and a way to get more information or buy, then that's all you need.
A question I often hear from potential clients is, "How do we go about assigning bloggers?" or "Who should write our blog content?" My answer is always.... don't assign anyone, let them assign themselves!Our co-founder, Chris Baggott, says that if you feel safe enough to hand someone a business card and represent your business, you should also let those people who know your industry and product write content. Compendium makes this possible by offering a web-based, simple user interface with built in SEO and security just in case a jilted employee or unhappy customer wants to get on the business blog and write less than flattering content. Problem solved.
You can't make someone a blogger, you can only free employees up to write content and see who percolates to the top. In other words, they will assign themselves.
A common argument around business blogging revolves around the purpose of a blog and what constitutes an "effective corporate blog". 
Position #1: There is one side of the argument that focuses soley on ROI. Bob Bly thinks "Unless a dollar spent on a marketing test returns two or three dollars in revenues, we consider that a failure - and cut off the promotion." He goes on to say that blogs may be a waste of time as they are an untested marketing media and has yet to see anyone out there show him a significant, positive ROI. (Needless to say, Bob must not be familiar with the Compendium solution)
Position #2: The other side of the argument, stresses that blogs are more for awareness and visibility of a company. In the same article Marc Orchant says "It's all about conversation... blogs help develop a conversation between a company and its customers and have become an important part of the marketing mix."
I offer Position #3, it doesn't have to be "this or that". A good corporate blogging strategy, like Compendium, encompasses all of the above from humanizing your marketing, increasing visabilitly, to tracking a measurable ROI. To learn more about blogging as a measurable search marketing tool, click here.
"Work smarter, not harder"... this simple but brilliant little qoute is really the premise of our easy to use blog software.
As with anything in life, we'd all like to get more out of less. In business and especially in today's economy it's critical to maximize resources. Time is precious!
With Compendium, nearly everything is automatic. You create human blog content, then our blog software takes your content and automatically organizes it across specific keywords that you want to be found on. No manual tagging required!
An ad driven company recently approached Compendium with a problem. In our initial discussions I learned that they currently see approximately 1 million visitors per month to their website, but only 1% comes from the search engines. That's right, 1%! What is this telling us? They are likely doing a great job of creating good dynamic content, have many referring sites, and have established their brand in their niche. More than anything, this is telling us that there is a HUGE opportunity to drive significantly more traffic via search. This is why this particular company reached out to Compendium and we are now helping them hit their 2009 traffic goals.
As with any company that monetizes through advertising, traffic is key. The above chart shows what our average clients analytics look like. If you want to be found on the search engines and drive lots of traffic, business blogging is likely a great, untapped resource to drive that incremental traffic.
As with any company that monetizes through advertising, traffic is key. The above chart shows what our average clients analytics look like. If you want to be found on the search engines and drive lots of traffic, business blogging is likely a great, untapped resource to drive that incremental traffic.
Each day I talk to companies across the board, but I often find myself in great conversations with start up companies. Heck, we're technically a start up company and the truth is that business blogging is a great fit for new companies for a variety of reasons. Here are my top 5 in no particular order:
1. Blogging is affordable! Most start up's have limited cash flow, but still need to get the word out about their products or service. If a start up company tries to compete with the big dogs in traditional media they will always lose. A big company will have deeper pockets for more keywords on PPC, spots on TV, ads ... Organic search and Compendium blogging levels the playing field.
2. Blogging can be really effective and measurable. With a limited budget there is less room for error. Having tangible, quantifiable results becomes more important.
3. No need for an IT team. Blogging should be really easy. You simply have to have the ability to discuss your business, customers, and how your solving problems. Our Saas blog platform allows clients to write content while we do all the heavy lifting.
4. Inbound marketing is the way to go. Start ups usually have a small number of employees doing all the work. Inbound marketing requires less effort because less time is spent on unviable leads.
5. Quick results! As with any new company, the first few years are critical and will likely make or break a business. Our clients typically see results in 30-90 days of program set up. Some even see an ROI in just a few months of using the service.
1. Blogging is affordable! Most start up's have limited cash flow, but still need to get the word out about their products or service. If a start up company tries to compete with the big dogs in traditional media they will always lose. A big company will have deeper pockets for more keywords on PPC, spots on TV, ads ... Organic search and Compendium blogging levels the playing field.
2. Blogging can be really effective and measurable. With a limited budget there is less room for error. Having tangible, quantifiable results becomes more important.
3. No need for an IT team. Blogging should be really easy. You simply have to have the ability to discuss your business, customers, and how your solving problems. Our Saas blog platform allows clients to write content while we do all the heavy lifting.
4. Inbound marketing is the way to go. Start ups usually have a small number of employees doing all the work. Inbound marketing requires less effort because less time is spent on unviable leads.
5. Quick results! As with any new company, the first few years are critical and will likely make or break a business. Our clients typically see results in 30-90 days of program set up. Some even see an ROI in just a few months of using the service.
Seth Godin wrote a blog post the other day on tips to writing e-mails. He says
"Be short. The purpose of an email is not to sell the person on anything other than writing back. If you don't have a personal, interesting way to start a conversation, don't write." I think the same rule applies to blog posts.
As a sales person at Compendium, I'm passionate about our solution and my job is to help people see value in our blog software. I will take Seth's advice moving forward and restrain myself from going on and on about the benefits of our solution and focus on telling real, relevant stories. The fact is people like human, concise, and personal content whether reading an e-mail or blog.
"Be short. The purpose of an email is not to sell the person on anything other than writing back. If you don't have a personal, interesting way to start a conversation, don't write." I think the same rule applies to blog posts.
As a sales person at Compendium, I'm passionate about our solution and my job is to help people see value in our blog software. I will take Seth's advice moving forward and restrain myself from going on and on about the benefits of our solution and focus on telling real, relevant stories. The fact is people like human, concise, and personal content whether reading an e-mail or blog.
Do you want to know the secret to online search marketing? Answer: Know all the different ways that your potential customers/clients describe what they're looking for online and be found for those keywords!
I recently read an article from Search Engine Watch regarding one of the largest national realty companies, Century 21, who has decided to move a large part of their TV advertising budget for 2009 to online marketing. Bingo, they get it!
In an industry that has historically relied on print and traditional advertising, it only makes sense to start investing more where the buyers are looking. A home of all things, requires research. Whether you're looking for a certain community, neighborhood, floorplan, or agent, online search will be involved in your decision making process.
One of the leading real estate agencies in Indiana, Century 21 Scheetz, is using corporate blogging and the Compendium blog software to increase their online visibility and generate more online leads. As Beverly Thorne, Century 21 senior VP-marketing, told Advertising Age, "the company's research and testing revealed that its online investments in 2008 were substantively more productive and efficient than its offline efforts." Century 21 is leading the way, and other real estate companies would be smart to follow.
Last night I spent about 30 minutes searching the internet
trying to find a local hardwood refinishing company. I plugged in “hardwood refinishing,
Indianapolis” and immediately looked at the top organic results, which is how
the vast majority of us search. I found
an array of companies that offered I looked at their website, checked out raving
customer reviews, and then submitted a request via email for a qoute. This morning I received a call from Carl at
Pro Sand Flooring who was able to quickly give me a quote. I told Carl that I was very impressed with
the quick call and the customer reviews on his website. This got me thinking about how they should leverage those wonderful customer testimonials and blog for SEO. Through corporate blogging, they could take the content they already have and target phrases on Google with topically focused or
what we call “compended blogs”. I could have 30 minutes of my life back if I found Pro Sand Flooring first and read their customer testimonials. Needless to say, I got my hardwood qoute and will most definitely use Pro Sand Flooring, but am also sending Carl some information about starting a corporate blog. 
commercial flooring, custom hardwood
designs, and hardwood installation. Not
what I was looking for! Near the bottom of the first page of Google, I finally
found exactly what I was looking for at Pro Sand Hardwood.
I recently read a blog written by Lisa Hoover on Daniweb.com. She states "In the old days (meaning around 18 months ago) it used to be enough for
a company to simply have a presence on the Web. A homepage with contact
information was sufficient, and you were considered bleeding-edge if
the company president was blogging." All of this is true, however I would take this 10 steps further and suggest that it is no longer good enough to simply have a blog.
I think you have to have a corporate blogging strategy and by that I mean know your goals and the blogging platform that will help you acheive those goals. If your objective is to be a citizen journalist and have a web outlet then Wordpress or Typepad will work very well for you. If your goal is SEO and lead generation then you need a business blog software like Compendium.
I think you have to have a corporate blogging strategy and by that I mean know your goals and the blogging platform that will help you acheive those goals. If your objective is to be a citizen journalist and have a web outlet then Wordpress or Typepad will work very well for you. If your goal is SEO and lead generation then you need a business blog software like Compendium.
As a Business Development Manager here at Compendium, I talk to many marketing folks who are in charge of their companies social media efforts. With all the social media buzz out there, companies are catching on that this will be a key element to their 2009 marketing plan, but don't know where to start. Does the order of integrating and prioritizing social media tools really matter? It absolutely does and I think can determine the overall dollars a business could see from social marketing efforts.
Chris Brogan wrote a post addressing this issue and states that "no matter what, the very first piece of social media real estate I'd start with is a blog". Then comes outposts like Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook. It's simple...no matter where you are on these social sites, creating a business blog gives potential customers a place to come and convert no matter where they first found you. In other words, if you want social media to be a true marketing or lead generation tool you have to have an "anchor page" or blog for web visitors to turn into paying customers.
Chris Brogan wrote a post addressing this issue and states that "no matter what, the very first piece of social media real estate I'd start with is a blog". Then comes outposts like Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook. It's simple...no matter where you are on these social sites, creating a business blog gives potential customers a place to come and convert no matter where they first found you. In other words, if you want social media to be a true marketing or lead generation tool you have to have an "anchor page" or blog for web visitors to turn into paying customers.
It seems more and more people are saying, “you know the
economy is down, budgets are tight”. I
realize this is an issue whether you are a small company or a large
enterprise. However, there are plenty of
businesses that succeed and grow in tough times.
I’ve talked to many different companies since I started with Compendium and overall it seems the larger companies that I’ve talked to are stuck in the Stone Age when it comes to internet marketing compared to smaller companies that tend to be much more innovative and smart about their marketing dollars. I realize this is a blanket statement, but I’ve been shocked by some of the immeasurable tactics and tools companies use to drive business. It seems that as budgets get tighter, it’s a knee jerk reaction to want consistency and use old partners, vendors, and systems. I think this is business suicide! Successful companies find ways to win and thrive despite the economy. Now, is the perfect time to try new, trackable lead generation initiatives. Hmmm.... business blogging comes to mind!
I realize that blogging as an online acquisition and lead generation tool may seem like an “unconventional” SEO strategy to many people, but results are transparent. If 80-90% of people use search engines in their buying decisions then it is really important to be found on keywords related to your products and services. There are many inherent qualities about blogs that the search engines like, but our easy to use blog software actually organizes blog content in such a way that makes them more searchable.
I just got off the phone with a prospect who is an Online Marketing Manager for a 
large e-retail company. She recently read a few of our whitepapers and attended our last webinar about making your business blog profitable. I asked what her thoughts were on what she's learned about our blog software. Her response was "I thought I knew what blogging was all about, but I really had no idea." My ears perked up because this is exactly what I struggle with every day... challenging people to rethink blogging. I talk to different companies that know they should be blogging, but don't really know why or understand the quantifiable benefits of a corporate blogging solution. More than anything, a company blog can and should be an effective online acquisition and lead generation tool. Our blog software automatically organizes blog content in such a way that makes it easy for search engines to find you. Whether searching on Google is step #1 of someone's buying decision or step #5, they ARE searching online at some point. A blog can not only compliment your website, but will often outperform your website from a search perspective if done correctly.
large e-retail company. She recently read a few of our whitepapers and attended our last webinar about making your business blog profitable. I asked what her thoughts were on what she's learned about our blog software. Her response was "I thought I knew what blogging was all about, but I really had no idea." My ears perked up because this is exactly what I struggle with every day... challenging people to rethink blogging. I talk to different companies that know they should be blogging, but don't really know why or understand the quantifiable benefits of a corporate blogging solution. More than anything, a company blog can and should be an effective online acquisition and lead generation tool. Our blog software automatically organizes blog content in such a way that makes it easy for search engines to find you. Whether searching on Google is step #1 of someone's buying decision or step #5, they ARE searching online at some point. A blog can not only compliment your website, but will often outperform your website from a search perspective if done correctly.William Flatz with Avenue A/Razorfish said “People
don’t go to Web sites anymore, Web sites come to them”. This is so true. When’s the last time you went directly to a
business’s website? These days, the vast
majority of people rely on Google to serve up the most relevant results and
direct them where they want to go. As a
marketer, you can’t control how people are typing their problem in Google, the
only thing you can do is cast a wider net of search terms that will help people
find you.
Many potential clients initially think of a blog site as a nice resource to add to their website... this great if you are not trying to add to the bottom line (sense the sarcasm). In this case, any blogging software will work. If you want to see quantifiable blogging benefits, you need an advanced business blogging solution. Blogging, done the right way, is a great SEO tool. It allows companies to be found organically on search terms that they can't win with their website. Compendium blogging allows companies to create hundreds or thousands of different avenues for someone to find them through Google or any other search engine. When someone is searching for a service or product your company provides, you want to rank on the first page in the natural search results, raising your hand saying “Hey, I can help you with that!”
