Megan Glover's Blogging With Purpose

Welcome to Blogging With Purpose

Hi - I'm Megan, the Director of Marketing for Compendium Blogware. Thanks for stopping by.

As the marketing director for a BtoB Software- as- a- Service search marketing company, I'm responsible for all demand generation both online and offline.

And, we drink our own kool-aid. Blogs are a vital component to our search marketing strategy. In fact, at Compendium, over 50% of all online traffic comes from our blogs, and it's my job to take that traffic and convert it into new business.

To learn more about how Compendium and other businesses are using blogs to generate traffic and acquire new customers, sign up for a demo today or follow me on Twitter @megancglover.

An Inbound Marketing Stategy that Includes Social and Search

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 by Megan Glover

I just wrapped up an IM conversation with a former colleague and friend about inbound marketing, Facebook and blogging. It went something like this:

Friend: Quick Question. We're setting up a Facebook page for my company is it OK to post content from someone elses blog?

Megan: Why do you ask?

Friend: My boss just read a book about inbound marketing and he's is all over me about posting content to Facebook, twitter and linked in.

Megan: So, what are you trying to accomplish by setting up these pages ? And, do you have a blog and updated website to support your efforts?

Friend: Not yet but I'm getting the Facebook page and Twitter accounts up this week.

Megan: Ok, well, not to complicate things but when I think of inbound marketing, I equate that with getting found in search and acquiring new leads/prospects.

Friend: YES EXACTLY!!!

Megan: Well, then... you are going bout this the absolute wrong way. :)

Social Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn aren't going to generate new demand. They may help further relationships and eventually turn those existing relationships into demand, but they aren't the best new points of acqusition strategies.

And here's why, below is a graph I've shared before. It's a funnel which represents the amount of new traffic/viewers to each of the following areas:

The main take away from the funnel is this, to get in front of brand new prospects - search needs to be your area of focus. There are many, many more people searching opposed to joining your fan club, page or community.

In order to be found in search you need a strategy. At Compendium we firmly believe that business blogging should be at the hub of your social efforts. Blogging by nature not only helps you get found in search but it serves as a great resource for content that can be syndicated to these other social media sites.

All of this in mind, be careful not to put the cart before the horse. Invest the time to map out a complete inbound strategy that not only includes social media but search and most importantly, a strategy that is always driving your end result.

If my performance was measured on blog comments and RSS... I'd be fired.

Friday, January 29, 2010 by Megan Glover

It's true. If my performance as Marketing Director for Compendium Blogware was measured on the number of blog comments and RSS subscriptions, I would have been gone a long time ago.

Joking aside though, lots and lots of business blogging strategies are measured exactly this way. But why?

Here at Compendium we measure our own strategy and our clients' strategy with tangible revenue generating metrics such as:

1. Leads

2. Closed Business

I suppose I'd like to have more folks comment on our blogs. It would certainly be an ego booster. But that thought is quickly put on the back burner when I report that our blogs had a 150% ROI in 2009 and averaged around 100 brand new leads/month.

Metrics and tracking are going to be enormous soical media marketing buzz words for 2010. So, if you haven't started thinking about how to quanitify your own strategy check out this recent post by Compendium CoFounder/CEO Chris Baggott. Great data to start the conversation.

Blogging software built for SEO.

Friday, January 22, 2010 by Megan Glover

Yesterday, Compendium was fortunate to have Stephan Spencer VP of SEO Strategies at Covario host a Q&A with prospects and clients. A lot of great information was shared, so much so we'll probably hold another session in the next couple of weeks (stay tuned), but the absolute thought I walked away with is that Compendium Blogware is the only blogging software truly built for SEO.

Sure, I work here and I may be a little biased, but hear me out.

Stephan mentioned there are three distinct pillars for SEO:

Content
Links
Site Architecture

Blogs, by nature, are great marketing tools which encompass aspects of all pillars. But, Compendium doesn't just encompass these aspects, our software was truly built with these foundations in mind. We provide businesses a solution built to:

Automatically distribute content into keyword specific blogs.
Scale to reach hundreds - thousands of keyword terms.
Remain Consistent. Authors create content and the software does the heavy lifting.
Be 100% Secure
Provide Return On Investment of Search Marketing dollars.

No other blog software on the market provides these SEO features.

All this in mind, if you're a marketer considering blogging for business, I encourage you to view a demo of of software to discover the Compendium difference.

Stay tuned for more updates on future Q&A's with Stephan Spencer.

Calculating Business Blogging ROI

Monday, January 11, 2010 by Megan Glover

Admitedly - I've been slow to blog in 2010. But, thank goodness others haven't!

Check out this great post by Jason Falls: Using Search to Prove Social Media's Value.

We actually use this strategy @cblogware to calculate the return value of business blogging for our clients. We determine what organic traffic they are winning and then bump it up to a Google AdWords report that gives us a cost per click data. This data represents what businesses would need to pay in order to target the exact same keywords in PPC.

@Jasonfalls does a fantastic job describing the steps to take in order to calucate. But, for more info check out Compendium CoFounder/CEO Chris Baggott's post on the topic.

Take part in a ground breaking blogging survey.

Thursday, December 17, 2009 by Megan Glover

In charge of your business blogging program? Click here to take a Visitor Trending survey sponsored by Compendium. It takes 10 minutes and your feedback is truly valuable.

The survey was compiled by industry experts, Debbie Weil, Jason Falls, Jay Baer and Chris Baggott.

We'll announce results early in 2010. Until then... thanks a ton for your participation.

Search is the #1 Online Destination for the 65+ Crowd

Friday, December 11, 2009 by Megan Glover

I can't wait to share this new article from Search Engine Watch with our sales team. New data from Nielsen Online points out that Internet use among the 65+ demographic is way up and among the fastest growing segments to use the web.

What's most important for marketers to understand is what these folks are actually doing on the Internet. According to the study Google search is the #1 visited destination. Yahoo and Bing also round out the top 10 destinations.

Why am I excited to share this article? Frankly, it dismisses what we hear a lot from prospective clients, I have an older audience and they just don't search, so just forget about them actually reading my business blog. That's SO NOT TRUE.

Call it a blog, call it a webpage, call it online content... call it whatever, but the reality is business blogging is just a means to get your organization found in search. And, if you're providing relevant content which meets the searchers intent, then who cares in what form it's delivered.

So, to all of you marketers out there who've dismissed this generation as passive on the Internet, think again, because this is a growing segment you need to pay attention to.

Forkout.org Uses Social Media to Spread the Word About a Great Cause.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 by Megan Glover

Live in a van, tweet, blog and webcast all in the spirit of raising money for student mentoring programs. That's one way to harness the power of social media.

Starting today, December 9, 2009, Darren Heil (CFI) and Daniel Herndon (redwallLIVE) will live in a van for ten days or until they achieve at least 50% of their goal to raise $25,000 to support the CFI (Community First Initiatve) which pairs adult mentors with derserving students in the Indianapolis School System. You can donate online at www.Forkout.org or just click here to be re-directed.

To keep up with the buzz follow #forkout for the latest tweats and updates. And, good luck Darren and Daniel. Stay warm as the 40 MPH wind and subzero windchill heads our way.

Local Search... on the backburner no longer.

Thursday, November 19, 2009 by Megan Glover

Local Search. Heard of it? If not, it's time to educate yourself.

Here's a simple example of local search. I wrote a blog post a while back about why my gym in Indianapolis should be blogging and how they need to be targeting keyword search terms like: Indianapolis gyms, gyms in Indianapolis, etc. These are all examples of local search phrases because they are contained within a specific region or area.

Not only are local terms easier to win in search but who really uses the print yellow pages anymore. Let's be honest. Is there anyone reading this blog right now who uses the yellow pages exclusively to find local businesses and organizations?

It's no surpise then that demand for local search results on the web are increasing and it's up to local businesses and organizations to add this to their top priority list of new marketing tactics for 2010.

For more information about Local Search take a look at these great resources:

1. eMarketer, November 3, 2009: Local to Take Lead on Online Ad Spend.

2. Whitepaper: Business Blogging, The Key to Local Search

Indy BMA Event: Building a Lead Generation Program

Friday, November 13, 2009 by Megan Glover

Calling all Indianapolis Marketers... the BMA (Business Marketing Association) is hosting a really valuable program next Thursday:

Marketing by the Numbers
Building a Lead Generation Platform that will Drive Results
Thursday, November 19, 2009
8:00 a.m. registration, 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. program
The Pyramids, 3500 DePauw Blvd, Lower Level Conference Room B, Pyramid 3
Register here.

Cost is $10 for members, $20 for first-time guests and $40 for returning non-members.

You will absolutely get 20 dollars with of value out of this program and much, much more. Hope to see you there.

Indiana's Top 50 Blogs - I made the cut!

Thursday, November 12, 2009 by Megan Glover

I received some great news this morning... the results are in, and I'm among the Top 50 Blogs in Indiana. Thanks to all who voted!

While I'm humbled so many of my family, friends and colleagues turned out to support me, there are truly some awesome bloggers that did not fall within the Top 50. I encourage you to take a moment to look at the entire list - it's a great representation of the innovative talent we have in Indiana.

Just click on the badge below to view the entire list.

Proof that brick and mortar purchases begin online.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009 by Megan Glover

Our refrigerator went kaputs last week. After debating whether to fix or toss we decided to purchase a new one.

So, into a cooler all of our food went and our appliance shopping began. But, before we even stepped foot into an appliance store, I searched. I knew I wanted, a stainless steel refrigerator no larger than 20.6 cu ft,and 33 inches wide. (Small spaces in a house built in 1938!) I also wanted a good deal.

My search returned some great qualified results and I was really pleased to see a Compendium client, HHGregg, among the contenders. HH Gregg is a home appliance store that uses our blogging software to target keyword in organic search.

After an hour or so of "window" shopping online we'd identified a handful of refrigerators we wanted to see in person. We jumped in the car, went to the store, and within 45 minutes we had our brand new refrigerator paid for and scheduled for delivery the next morning.

While it was painful to incur an unexpected cost of a new refrigerator, my buying experience (thanks to search) was absolutely not. I'm just one "real-life" example as to how consumers are using search engines to find solutions to their problems. As a marketer... please make sure you follow HHGregg's lead, and be the solution I find.

Happy Birthday Internet!

Thursday, October 29, 2009 by Megan Glover

Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you... without you I would have no joooob, Happy Birthday to you!

October 29th, 1969 marks the first day that information was transferred over network signals that would later resemble the world wide web. You can read more about the story here.

Now, I'm sure there are many contrary stories as to when the Internet was born, but one thing is undeniable... the Internet is a digital playground for marketers these days. If you're like me, always playing catch up!

As marketers, it's important that we understand what people (your prospects) are actually doing on the Internet so that you are able to focus on tactics that will actually reach them.

This graph by the Pew Internet and American Life Project gives us some great perspective:

My apologies it's so hard to read but essentially it tells us that Internet users are predominately doing two things:

1. Checking Email

2. Searching

And this is where business blogging comes in to play. Blogs have evolved into fantastic tools for search and getting businesses found on the Internet. Marketers are using blogs to target keywords they know they're prospects are searching for.

As we reflect on the 40th birthday of the Internet, might also be a good idea to reflect on the marketing tactics you're using to get in front of people using it.

Technorati's State of the Blogosphere

Friday, October 23, 2009 by Megan Glover

Last week I was lucky enough to represent Compendium at BlogWorld. Not only did we come home with a lot of wonderful prospective clients but we were able to attend some fabulous keynote sessions including the State of the Blogosphere by Technorati President Richard Jalichandra.

You can access the slides here.

Some of the most interesting findings for business bloggers:

Professional Bloggers (business is included in this category) are the fast growing segment of bloggers, keeping the "Blogosphere" healthy and stronger than ever.
Professional bloggers are focused on making money and attracting new customers.
Unique visitors and page views are used to measure success.
Content is usually topical driven (opposed to personal)

And, finally (and perhaps what I really found valuable), professional bloggers are using additional tools to help drive traffic and get found in search.
Compendium Blogware is just that. Compendium is a third generation blogging software that helps businesses get found in organic search for keywords you know your prospects are searching for. While I don't want this to turn into a complete sales pitch... I think the Technorati study has really opened the door for me to do so.

As professionals and businesses continue to enter the world of blogging for the purpose of making money and generating new business, it's even more important they align themselves with tools to help them get there. For more information about Compendium contact us at info@compendium.com. or find us on Twitter @cblogware.

Human Beings Expect Dialogue Offline... and Online.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 by Megan Glover

Let's role play for a minute here. Imagine I'm engaged in a phone conversation with a prospect who's not so happy about a marketing email that was sent with a misspelled first name.

Prospect: Hi Megan, thanks for your call, but I'm really put off by the last email I received from Compendium. My name is butchered, yet you still expect me to view a demo of your software?

Megan: Oh no, I'm so sorry, prospect. That's really, really embarassing. I'm looking at your record and it does appear as though your name is mispelled. I'm correcting it in our system as I talk to you... but I also understand this doesn't "undo" what happened. Please accept my apology and if you give me a chance to continue this conversation, I assure you it won't happen again in the future.

Prospect: You're right... it doesn't undo the initial error but I appreciate the prompt follow up and the sincerety. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

As humans, when we're engaged in face-to-face or phone conversation, we can use tone and expression to convey sincerity (or not, I suppose). Consumers expect the same sincere dialogue on social media networks and business blogs.

As an organization, when you chose to engage in social networks or business blogs you must understand and commit to the human dialogue (good and bad) that needs to happen with your audience.

Here's a great example of how one of our clients, Carhartt, is staying a head of the chatter by facilitating online dialogue. They actually have multiple blogs set up specifically for people to submit questions and stories. To make it easy, they use Compendim's Web-to-Post feature to automatically turn the comments generated in a form into a blog post.

As your organization "goes social", make sure you take some time to think about who's at the receiving end... human beings. If you talk to and engage with them as such, you're social strategy will be much, much more sincere.

Compendium's giving away a Nano A Day

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 by Megan Glover

I'm so excited to announce the launch of our new promo: Nano A Day.

This week only, view a demo of Compendium's blogging software and be entered into a nightly raffle for a brand NEW iPod Nano.

Nano winners will be announced via Facebook and Twitter (@cblogware) daily and via email at the conclusion of the promo.

There's nothing to lose. If you haven't see how Compendium's platform can help your organization be found in search, generate leads and acquire new business... then now is the perfect excuse to take action.

Online Retailers Gear Up for Busy Shopping Season.

Thursday, October 8, 2009 by Megan Glover

According to a recent WebPro's article 85.3% of consumers plan to shop online this year for the perfect holiday gifts (and price tags to match).

So... eCommerce marketers, the majority of consumers say they will be visiting the Internet to find the products you sell, what are you doing to ensure you are the store they find when they search?

At Compendium Blogware, we have a lot of eCommerce stores blogging. We have brownie stores, shoe stores, tire stores, and appliance stores. We have scrub stores, cheer stores, vitamin stores... and you get the gist.

For as much variety as we have in the eCommerce clients using our software, one thing remains consistent. Each of these companies chose business blogging with Compendium, to help their organization get found in search so that they are the site consumers choose when turning online to shop.

To give you a better example... we have a client, they sell cheerleading uniforms and gymnastic leotards. They target specific keywords like "all star cheer uniforms" and "design cheerleading uniforms"through our blogging software. Within the first two months of blogging they were able to generate $10,000 worth of business just but showing up for the keywords interested consumers were searching.

As we gear up for the anticipated rush of holiday shoppers, make sure you don't over look the importance of search and keyword selection.

A good reason to include blogging in your search marketing budget.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009 by Megan Glover

Great report out yesterday by the IAB: Internet Ad Revenues at 10.9 Billion for First Half of '09: Show Slight Fall Off Year-on-Year in Tough Economy

The report shows that while Internet Ad spend has fallen slightly compared to this time last year, Search spend has actually increased; overwhelmingly, making search the most popular interactive advertising format for those surveyed.

What does all of this data mean for marketers? Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of IAB sums it up well:

In recent years the digital revolution has driven a transformation of how consumers experience advertising and media. As the economy improves, we’re confident that brands will devote an even greater share of their budgets to reaching consumers as they make interactive media a larger part of their lives.

As consumers make search and other interactive media part of their lives it's crucial that marketers find a way to be found in search and business blogs are great tools to help you get there.

Sweet Rewards for a Successful Retail Blogging Strategy

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 by Megan Glover

Fairytale Brownies, a long time client of Compendium Blogware, has just been nominated for Best Dessert of our Valley by Arizona Foothills Magazine. If you've not had the pleasure of tasting a Fairytale Brownie... you're truly missing out. And, if you have had the opportunity - please vote for our friends for best dessert!

We recently featured Fairytale Brownies in a marketing campaign called "In Their Own Words". We love sharing their blogging strategy's success because there is such a real - and all too common- story to tell... catalog and eCommerce business looking to increase visibility in organic search to sell more product and increase catalog subscriptions.

The results speak for themselves but within the first 6 months of blogging they were able to drive 10,000 organic visits to their blog and 110 orders!

To learn more about how you can elevate your eCommerce business online, just like Fairytale Brownies, sign up for a demo today!