Blogging for Leads

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.

3rd Generation Blogging Webinar

Thursday, September 17, 2009 by Angela Castelli

I just finished listening to Chris Baggott's webinar titled, "What Does Third Generation Blogging Mean to You?". During the webinar, Chris touched on a lot of helpful information regarding Compendium's blogging software, but he also mentioned what the different generations of blogging are. Which generation of blogging is most advantageous to you and your organization?

1st Generation - Blogging for journalism/community
2nd Generation - Blogging for brand awareness
3rd Generation - Blogging to target market, and use as an inbound marketing tool

One of the great things Chris always says is, "anything worth writing, is worth being found in search". Even if you are blogging for journalism and brand awareness, don't you want that message to be heard by your target market to bring you inbound business? If so, you need to be blogging with Compendium in the third generation of blogging.

The End of Summer, and Back to School

Thursday, August 27, 2009 by Angela Castelli

If you've noticed the sun is coming up later in the morning, traffic has recently gotten worse, and those big yellow buses are back out on the streets, it's because summer has sadly come to an end and the kiddos are back to school. Well, not just the kiddos, but the college students as well.

My brother is just starting college this fall, in fact, my parents just moved him to college yesterday! After talking to my mom about the experience, and hearing the sad story about her baby leaving the nest, I asked her if they went and bought his books for him, and spent a small fortune on five to six textbooks that he will probably lose before the semester is over!

To my surprise, this question actually brought some joy into my mom's voice! She said my brother went online, and searched for his books, and bought ALL of his college books for $96! Obviously, one of the first things I heard was he searched for his books. A light-bulb went on in my head, and my first thought was - how many bookstores out there are blogging for search engine optimization? Are the major online bookstores blogging, and what about the smaller bookstores who need to sell books too?

With so much competition out there, in every industry, a great way to compete with your competitors online is through search marketing. Compendium's business blogging platform is specifically designed to increase inbound traffic organically online, and it's extremely easy to use and implement. It would have to be easy to get me to blog! In addition to blogging for search, you are blogging about your product or service, and offering a human side to your marketing strategies. If you are looking for a way to not only sell your products online, but to also be found more often in search, business blogging with Compendium is a great solution!

How do I select the best keywords to optimize my blog or site?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 by Angela Castelli

As a company I'm sure one of your marketing goals is to optimize your web site, or your blog, to help you increase your online search results and/or rankings. Online marketing has become the fastest form of marketing, and as everyone knows, the prime real estate on a search engine search page is at the top of the first page!

However, are you struggling to determine what are the best keywords in which you should target to achieve your desired traffic? With our business blogging software, a part of our service is to offer keyword research - but we may need your help as well! When trying to determine the best keywords to optimize your blogs, we suggest the following:

Talk to your customers - ask them what they would call your product or service. If you know you offer dance, gymnastics, and spirit apparel - your customers might call this dance-wear, leotards, and cheerleading uniforms, and that's how they would search for it online.
Look to your competition - what keywords are they showing up for, that you wish you could win in that space?
Use our keyword tools - we have several proven online methods to measure what your customers are searching for online. These tools can provide monthly search volume, synonyms for keywords you may want to target, and it can even comb through your web site to examine your current content to determine the keywords in which you should focus.
Look to your analytics - this may seem like Mr. Obvious, but what keywords do you consistently get great traffic and conversions from? Again, this seems like a no-brainer, but keywords about your product or service may get more traffic than branded keywords, or specific keywords that mention your company name.

The biggest thing to keep in mind when determining your keywords is not what YOU think they should be, but what are the words your customers are using, or are going to use, to find you?

Marketing Your Company Online - With a Blog

Friday, August 21, 2009 by Angela Castelli

Ever

yone knows that creating your web site and painting a very vivid picture of your business is one of the first steps and important parts of running your business. However, you might find that you spent a lot of money on your web site, but your traffic and conversions are nill. Unfortunately, we no longer live in a world of "if you build it, and they will come"! In today's online environment, in order to get the traffic to your site that you desire, you will need to consider online marketing and search marketing strategies to fulfill your online goals.

One such strategy is implementing a business blogging platform. Blogging to increase your inbound traffic organically online is so efficient and effective when working with Compendium Blogware. As the only blogging software built specifically for businesses, our clients are learning how to increase their visibility online and convert their blog visitors into new business - all with an easy-to-use, powerful blogging software. Click to see a demo to learn more about how to create a business blog that will bring you business.

Blogging Helps Increase Inbound Traffic Organically Online

Thursday, July 30, 2009 by Angela Castelli

Each day I speak to a number of interested companies who struggle with their online goals of trying to get more traffic to their web site. They have optimized their web site to the fullest, but still aren't seeing the results that they'd like to see. If you are a marketer, and you are responsible for the online marketing strategies for your company, Compendium is the most effective and affordable blog marketing solution for your business.

We leverage content that your company writes, and our automated process does the rest for you! I'd love to show you and your company exactly how our search marketing tools use the blog as the means to an end to help you win in search, for a number of keywords in which you currently stuggle to win. To learn more about our business blogging software, visit our web site and click to view a demo!

A New Way to Generate Leads

Tuesday, June 9, 2009 by Angela Castelli

How do you prospect for your company? Where do your leads come from? Do you network and cold call and buy mass mailing lists in hopes that there are a few qualified leads amongst all of your efforts? This is what I hear from hundreds of companies that I speak to on a daily basis, and they are looking for a new way to generate leads.

What if I told you I could help you to be standing in front of an audience who wants to speak to you? That is exactly what the power of Compendium can do for you and your business. Compendium is a search marketing tool that is going to help you to be found organically in search when someone is searching for you, based on keywords that are relevant to your business. When creating a corporate blog, or starting a business blog, one of your goals should be to generate leads and acquire more customers. If lead generation is a top priority for you and your business, and you'd like to learn how to generate leads online, Compendium Blogware is the only business blogging software available that's easy to use and produces results.

So let's start blogging for leads together. You are a potential lead for Compendium, and you found my blog, didn't you?

How can I get my employees to blog?

Thursday, May 21, 2009 by Angela Castelli

If this is a question that has crossed your mind when considering to start a business blog, you are not alone. After talking to hundreds of companies about corporate blogs, and how Compendium Blogware can help them to increase their visibility on the Internet, this is a question that arises pretty frequently. The answer is, you cannot make your employees blog, however, you can do what our wonderful marketing team has done, and offer incentives for those who choose to help boost your company's SEO by blogging. Below are just a few ideas that have given me reason to blog recently.

Offer breakfast the next morning in the office for those who blog (think donuts and coffee).
Walk around the office with a basket of candy and offer the candy only to those who will post a blog today (clearly food is the way to my heart!).
Set aside time in the day for your employees to blog. Our team went outside with laptops today in the 80 degree weather to work on blogging.
Offer a $50 gift card to the most creative blog of the day!
And finally, in a company meeting, make those who did not blog for that month wear a dunce cap during the meeting. After this happens the first time, your employees will never want to skip a month without blogging!