Business Blog Software

Big Shout Out to Tampa Bay!

Monday, March 22, 2010 by Sarah Sedberry

I just wanted to give a big high five to my buddy Jeremy Fairly and his team down in Tampa Bay, who is stepping up to the plate this month during Compendium's Client Contest. The contest has put all of clients who are utilizing our corporate blogging software against each other and week by week, the teams that submit the most posts move on.

Starting this week, the top 5 teams will battle it out for first place trophy to be announced early next week. Tampa Bay turned in 46 posts in just last week alone - which is fantastic!! Congratulations Jeremy and team - I know you can crank it out for the final week!

To learn more about Jeremy and things to do in Tampa - check out their corporate blog that highlights everything that's going on in the area.

Blogging for the Young at Heart

Monday, March 22, 2010 by Jason Harvoth

Have you ever met an older person (grandfather, father, random old person, etc.) that wants to tell you how things were or how things should be? Have you every been privy to, "Back when I was your age..."? I really enjoy here these stories, because it truly puts

change into perspective. What if your grandfather or grandmother would blog? They would probably blog about everything, wouldn't they? I mean, everything that comes out of their mouths would be good blog content. Well, most of it. Great, truthful content that is unfiltered and longing for a listener (or reader).

My grandfather (who is 91 yrs old) likes to tell me all sort of stories about each decade of his life, and if you do the math...that's a long conversation (each time we see each other). He's got opinions on politics, and sports, and life, and the grocery store, and other drivers (yes he still drives). Sometimes his stories are sad, but most of the time I walk away a more knowledgeable person for listening to him. Yes, the elderly blogger would probably make waves in the social marketing community, and the reading would be priceless. The honest to God truth about everything they do. No filters, and really no reasons to fabricate stories...although I've heard a tale or two.

I'm not sure that my grandfather actually has QWERTY typing experience, but he does have a cell phone. No data or messaging, but a ringer volume SO loud that an Indy Car engine is no match. Could my grandfather use Compendium's easy to use blogging software? Probably not without dictation software, but it is possible. Perhaps he would consider an internship with Compendium?

Easy to Use Blog Software

Friday, March 19, 2010 by David Burks

I wonder if it is against NCAA rules to blog to recruits?

After months of uncertainty over an embarrassing telephone scandal that rocked the school’s signature basketball program, the NCAA put the Hoosiers on probation for three years.

Compendium has an easy to use Blog Software that is a web based application that helps business acquire new customers via organic search. www.compendium.com What if college coaches could use Compendium to recruit potential players?

We might need to text the NCAA, better yet, I will just blog....

Social Media & The Midwest

Friday, March 19, 2010 by Brittan Bright

Being born, raised, and educated in Indiana, I used to be a little ashamed of my Midwestern life. I, like many of my peers, always thought that I would move somewhere more glamorous "someday". However, the more I travel and see those other "glamorous" (a.k.a fun to VISIT, but stressful/expensive) places, the more I appreciate that

technological advancements have made staying right here a lot more attractive.

Thanks to technology, I am part of a growing Midwestern mindset that views living here as a smart, educated, and economical decision. Despite always living in Indiana, I have had nothing but software and .com jobs as a professional. The cost of living is so reasonable that we not only get to live more high-tech, and connected everyday lives, but we have also been attracting more high-tech jobs. The picture to the right is the view of Monument Circle from my desk at Compendium's headquarters in Downtown Indianapolis (taken from my smartphone and uploaded just moments ago).

Hoosiers haven't stopped at just embracing the benefits of technological advancement, many of us are also working to help innovate, particularly here at Compendium. Compendium's enterprise-level, keyword-driven, social media and business blogging platform has me talking to businesses of all shapes and sizes across the US. I love getting to be consultative, getting to be an expert in an emerging industry, and getting to do it from the Midwest.

Living here gets better everyday and I no longer feel like I have to miss out on anything. I commute downtown from the Town of Fishers, a suburb on the Northeast side of Indianapolis. This week via a targeted email I learned, that Fishers is using Social Media (Twitter & Facebook) and Lady GaGa (making a YouTube video) to get Google's attention. We are vying for a spot in Google's "Fiber for Communities" experiment and we are fighting hard to be seen.

But we aren't the only ones. Another Midwestern town in Kansas, formerly known as Topeka, actually renamed itself Google, grabbing CNN's attention in the process.

Topeka 'renames' itself 'Google, Kansas': CNN

So in addition to the engines Midwesterners build, operate and rely on everyday, we can thank a search engine for improving the quality of our lives and inspiring us to find new ways to be innovators. Watch out Silicon Valley, we've got a souped up vehicle making great time on the Crossroads of America and we're coming for you!

Don't Be Intimidated by Blogging

Friday, March 19, 2010 by Ford McAlexander

I am very impressed with blogs. Before working at Compendium Blogware, I never read any blog on any website at all. Actually, I was kind of intimidated by them. I thought they were only for niche topic gurus who wanted to share other ridiculously smart thoughts with people of shared interests. What I have found is that blogs are not intimidating at all! They are very informative and I feel like I make a personal connection with the blog. Unfortunately, some businesses are being robotic with their marketing campaigns.

Blogging provides a humanized feel to a companies social marketing strategy. It easily can provide results in a very short time period which proves its worthy of an investment. So my suggestion is to view some blogs and get familiar with their format. Check out Compendium's for example. It will only take a little glimpse to realize the effectiveness of business blogging!

Blogging for Visibility

Friday, March 19, 2010 by Ford McAlexander

I cannot believe it is already slightly past the middle of March and I have learned so much during my internship here at Compendium Blogware. The company is growing fast and it seems like I have already been here for awhile because I am no longer one of the super new people here. Everybody has had a hand in teaching me about the corporate blogging solutions and how our software is one of the best ways to build a social media strategy around business blogging.

With that said, I know there is much more for me to learn about. Blogging is one of the simplest ways to build your online search visiblity which can be more valuable than taking a risk with paying to optimize your website. Check out a demonstration today of our software to view the best blogging software available!

Dropbox allows you to send large files.

Friday, March 19, 2010 by Isaac Pellerin

If you need to send large files (or sync files across computers and platforms!), I suggest using Dropbox. It's a great tool that gives you a public folder to assign a url to a document so that you can paste that url in an email for download.

You get 2gb free! Get dropbox now!

Our Compendium bdm's will be able to use this when they need to get large presentations or pieces of collateral to a perspective client looking for corporate blogging software.

Email Marketing and Social Media

Friday, March 19, 2010 by Brian Graham

As you can see by the graph to the right marketers are trying to figure out how to integrate social media and e-mail marketing. E-mail marketers are looking for ways to increase lists and find some way to tie the strategy back to acquisition.

What if you used blogs as the hub of your social media strategy. A blog provides a place to direct visitors from all social portals. Think about being able to solicit content from e-mail subscribers that could help win search.

What might that look like? An affordable blogging software is key to manage the all the moving parts of a social media strategy. Social media and SEO are are colliding and the result is winning search.

Take a long look at your marketing efforts. Do you have a way to marry your social media and SEO?

Client Testimonial on Compendium

Thursday, March 18, 2010 by Sarah Sedberry

Of course every employee believes in their company and the product or service they carry, but it is always nice to get confirmation from clients and outside sources who love your company as much as you do.

Recently we had a client, Ray Rosewell of DaVinci Roofscapes, mention his success with his blogging program in an interview that was featured on Business Blog Writers. In the interview Ray mentions his goals and how Compendium is helping his company achieve them:

"From a business standpoint, what I am looking for is a way to make a blog effective as an information tool, but at the same time, use it as a tool that will allow search engines to find us so they can help people who are looking for information that relates to our products.. By using the Compendium blog platform to do the work on keyword selection we are able to accomplish both goals.”

For more on how Compendium's powerful blogging software can help your business achieve your online marketing goals, contact us to schedule a demo and get free Starbucks!

Valuable Lessons about Social Media

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 by Ford McAlexander

There are many lessons to be learned about social media and I still am learning as I go, but there are some tips you can find online that can help you with your social media strategy. I was reading an article on problogger.net called 30 Valuable Lessons Learned Using Social Media for Small Business which revealed two points that stuck with me.

1) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is important but Search Engine Visiblity (SEV) is MORE important for small businesses.

2) The most consistent return for your small business is by business blogging.

The article is a great one because it shows a man's mistakes in the last few years and what works and doesn't work in his small business. Every business is different and that is a beauty of a blog. It is your unique way to share your business to the world. Check out a demonstration today of how blogging can help your business.

Green is my Favorite Color

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 by Ford McAlexander

If you are a member of the business community, you love
St. Patrick's Day because of the

color green! Green is the color of money which business people do love. And if you are looking out for the future of your business, you should want to ensure that there are ways to provide more sales and lead generation for your company. There are many strategies that can help your company, but are any of them as effective as corporate business blogging?

Compendium offers blogging solutions that helps do at least these three things that can make your company green this year:

1) Humanize your Marketing - People believe more in campaigns that feel like they are being treated as an individual.

2) Lead Generation - Using Compendium's software helps increase people's first time visits to your company's website

3) Tracking of Campaigns - The software also tracks how successful your blogging is with the help of Google Analytics.

There are so many benefits that Compendium's software provides but those three are just some highlights. If you have any questions, view this Whitepaper about Considering Blogging. It will give you the basics of making your social media strategy a green one!

Measuring the Success of your Blogging Efforts

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 by Isaac Pellerin

There's no better way to measure success than having a tool designed to deliver up-to-date success metrics. I must congratulate our Engineering team that released an update to Compendium (a corporate blogging software built for search). The update integrates with Google analytics so that our clients can measure how much traffic is being generated through their blogging program.

Not only does this demonstrate the power of our software but it also builds a foundation where future updates will expand on our analytics capabilities.

Drive Local Traffic for Your Business's Success

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 by Ford McAlexander

If one of your problems is local search, Compendium has a Whitepaper for you to deal directly with this issue of local search. For any company, people are looking more often online than in print media or at least that is what is shown in recent search trends. I can completely understand that your company has been around the area before the internet was even created, but that does not account for the lost business you are having by not being found online.

I can also understand how online marketing strategies can scare a company if they are unfamiliar with social media. However, there are solutions for you that can provide tangible returns on your investment like business blogging. All you have to do is write about what is going on in your day along with some specific keywords that drive traffic to your website. Before you know it, people will be coming through your doors in no time! Check out the Local Search White paper here.

The Value of Blogging

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 by Ford McAlexander

If you are confused about blogging's value to your company, I urge you to check out our ROI Toolkit. It is one of the many resources that Compendium Blogware provides for its clients and for people who are curious about corporate blogging. This toolkit can help your company create the social media strategy that will drive lead generation and increase online visibility.

Since return on investment is one of the key deciding factors of whether a marketing plan gets implemented, Compendium has created this toolkit to show how blogging is one of the most cost effective ways to market your company.

The toolkit includes:

- 2 Case Studies
- 1 White paper
- 1 article about the 10 Ways to Boost the Value of Your Corporate Blog
- A Checklist to Get your Blog Started

It's just a start, but the ROI Toolkit can really help your business blog. Check out a demonstration today if you want more information.

"ROI, ROI, ROI" for Engineering!!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 by Maureen McNamara

Today is an exciting day here at Compendium for me. We meet with the Engineering Team who is responsible for making Compendium's powerful blogging software --- simple blogging software.

The Compendium Engineering Team, led by P.J. Hinton is responsible for the development, testing, deployment, and operation of Compendium Blogware. The group uses SCRUM (not an acronym - think rugby), an agile software development methodology to manage the planning, development and deployment life cycle. Emphasis is place on short development cycles and frequent releases. Progress on commitments are measured on a daily basis to ensure any obstacles are resolved asap.

I am a Business Development Manager. I sell the best blogging software on the planet and I am certainly not a techie --- but I love attending these meetings. The Engineering Team's vernacular includes exciting stuff like "sprint planning," "strategic sprint," "burndown chart," "agile,"disciplined transparency,"and of course the "scrum" and the powerful "scrum master".

Today, we learn how easy to use blogging software becomes even more robust when it comes to my favorite bottom line --- ROI analytics --- so I'll be sharing more in the days to come. Thanks engineering. Okay, okay, RAH, RAH, RAH!!!

Just Do it

Monday, March 15, 2010 by David Burks

Blog for Business- Just Do It

Social marketing is the evolved state of word-of-mouth marketing, using new, Internet-based social media. Social media includes a plethora of social sites people can use to spread the word about their business or Website. Social marketing offers the advantage of being inexpensive, but at the same time, it provides a highly targeted audience. In the correct and experienced hands, social marketing can multiply the profits of any business by increasing the number of customers.

Social marketing is best done through various social media channels such as blogs, social networking websites, picture and video sharing sites, and targeting social bookmarking sites.

Compendium specializes in blogging software, providing a hub for all social media efforts. To learn more about Compendium Blogware and our software, visit www.compendium.com.

Tracking Results

Monday, March 15, 2010 by Ford McAlexander

One of the aspects that makes blogging a winning online marketing strategy is that there are easy ways to track your return on investment. You can use tools like Google Analytics to track things like the percentage of 1st time visitors to your site. You can also track how many people click on links that lead to future orders. Those are just the basics of how you can track an investment in blogging.

One company that tracked their blogging efforts was one of our clients, Fairtytale Brownies. Within the first six months of blogging with Compendium's affordable blogging software, the company had 110 orders for their premium brownies. That was just a small percentage of the 10,000 plus visits the website received. Since Fairytale tracked their blogs, they can create more refined blog posts that can segment more customers and gain more business! For some fun reading, check out their case study here. Again, there are many more benefits of business blogging, but having the ability to track your ROI is very important!

Get your Questions Answered!

Monday, March 15, 2010 by Ford McAlexander

I received a project today to update records in our database of
people who attended a

webcast that our CEO and Co-Founder, Chris Baggott, spoke at recently. He covered many things about the importance of business blogging and strategies to help your business, like which platforms to use and how to optimize your companies performance in search.

One of things I had to update was what questions people asked and there was a common trend. People realized that blogging was the solution, but they did not know what type of software to use. The answer is easy, Compendium Blogware! Our affordable corporate blogging software can help businesses large and small. It also only takes roughly 10 business days to complete the Getting Started process so you can begin to maximize your web presence. If you would like to get some questions answered, view a demo today!

Blogging Best Practices - Call-to-Action Checklist

Monday, March 15, 2010 by Sarah Sedberry

With all the hype around social media, twitter this, and Facebook that, the end goal sometimes gets lost. The motivation behind all of this social strategy for a business is to gain more leads, build a brand, generate more sales and revenue.

So how is the best way to accomplish that on your company's business blog? When individuals are searching the web they know exactly what they want and what they are looking for. It is no accident when a visitor arrives at your site, as something they were searching for brought them there. Utilizing the right words will drive those visitors to take action.

With Compendium, you can direct that traffic to take the next step via Calls to Action (CTA's for short). Here is a quick check list to make sure your CTA is following best practices:

Does your CTA have a purpose?
Does your CTA have a benefit for the visitor?
Are you directing your traffic via a command?
Is there an obvious place for a reader to click?
Do you have a unique landing page available for this CTA?
Have you put the proper tracking measurements in place?

For prime examples, look to the right of this post to see Compendium's sidebar and our calls to action. We try to use images that draw your attention, and make it obvious that its a button. You'll also see that our landing pages are specific to our CTA's and are very simple. That's because we don't want to distract a visitor to do anything else than focus on that landing page (fill out a form, download a whitepaper, view a demo, etc).

Think about the end goal for your blogging program and set up your CTA's accordingly. Remember to capture the visitors that come to your site, and direct them to the next appropriate step.

SEO is a matter of opinion

Thursday, March 11, 2010 by Julie Murphy

Who do you listen to when it comes to leveraging SEO tools? In today's world everyone is speaking about blogging for search. Blog for business with the most effective easy to use blog software that allows you to concentrate on a content management system built to populate landing pages that in turn create keyword rich pages.

Leverage the very words that searchers are using to find you, get found and get results. Everyone wins! You are served a top result and the searcher finds what they are looking for.

Blogs are fantastic SEO tools, just make certain you are using the best blogging solution!