I have spent my first year of my business career as a Business Development Manager for Compendium Blogware. This experience has allowed me to work with business and help them understand the value of business blogging and blogging for SEO. However, two weeks ago I moved to the "other side" of my software as a service company and I am now the Director of Client Success.
Thus far it has been fantastic. I am now working with the clients I had originally brought on to the Compendium platform and overseeing their success. I have a GREAT team: Sarah Sedberry, Jess Wehner and Kristen Raves. AND a pretty cool partner in crime: Doug Karr
I am very excited for this new opportunity and couldn't be happier to do this within a company I care so very much about.
After graduating from college with a finance degree - I was always quite hesitant to get a 'real job' - because I thought I would be "stuck" sitting at a desk all day long and would not have time to enjoy the things that I liked best. However, working for a software as a service company - especially one with young energetic professionals - allows for a more relaxed atmosphere.
As our clients are calling our Success Management Team to talk about blog as a business and corporate blogging - Willow, my fun loving pup, barks out her tips in the background.
Okay - not all of that is true.... she doesn't actually bark out blogging best practices but she is the new Client Success Team mascot and brings a new level of joy to our workplace.
Corporate blogging is a great way to bring your expertise about a particular industry, product or service to those who are searching. However - don't forget to let your personality shine through.
A tool that was introduced to me by Compendium's Creative Designer - Mikey Mioduski as he was putting together the blog role on our website. I was interested in bringing in some more personality through music - however, not everyone at Compendium is as interested in music as I am. So, he recommended that I use IMEEM. IMEEM allowed me to pick my favorite songs and then provided an embedding code.
I know sometimes I get annoyed when music plays on a site and you have no way to turn it off - but IMEEM operates much the application you see in MySpace and allows you to pause and play the music as you see fit!
And because Compendium is a great software as a service tool, you can also embed music videos too! Oh, blogs and business is so very fun!
Trying to get into a routine is always tough - and I didn't realize how tough incorporating something new was until Monday night. On Monday I adopted a 9 week old black lab. After much consideration (and a borderline identity crisis from the pup) I finally named her Willow Ophelia Woodside-Garrison. A mouthful, huh? More than a mouthful - this little sweet face has stirred up my routine like nothing else. Change of sleeping patterns,how long I can stay out after work, where/when I eat, etc etc etc!! But we are slowing getting into a consistent routine.
Okay okay okay.. I am trying REALLY hard to incorporate my excitement of my new pup into a blog post... so I will get to the point: have to create a routine for blogging. Especially when you are blogging for SEO!
Here are a few quick tips: 1) set a time for blogging - mornings are better for most 2) turn off distractions - IM, email, phones - just concentrate on blogging! 3) incorporate your passions - make the blog post fun and personal! 4) check your feeds/google alerts - get some fodder for those blogs with up to date industry information. 5) set a time limit - if you cant create the blog in 15 minutes.. its probably too long and too verbose. cut it off and stick with something simple!
Yep. That's me. The Dunce of Blogging at Compendium Blogware. Once again reiterating my statement that I am a 'bad-blogger'. But if I think about... I am not really a bad-blogger -- I just have some blogging problems. That is about to change! I have turned over a new leaf - starting with 5 Blogging Don'ts. (a tribute to my dunce cap)
1.) Don’t Go Nameless – The point of a corporate blog is to HUMANIZE the
company. So don’t hide behind a pseudonym or some bland marketing name
like: Company Blogger #1. Get real with your readers and showcase your
personality!
2.) Don’t Forget to Show Some Love to your Readers – Leaving a
comment on a blog takes A LOT of effort (I have still yet to receive a
comment from someone other than my mother) – so if you do get a comment
– show the reader that you value what they said (good or bad) by
responding to them via another comment or an additional blog post.
3.) Don't Get Abducted By Aliens – Once you have started blogging – a big part of blogging success is to post regularly. The last thing you want to do is start to attract readers and then disappear – leaving them to believe you might have been abducted by aliens.
4.) Don’t try too hard to solicit comments – Again – it take a lot of
effort to comment to a blog. Personally, I’ve got to be pretty engaged
to do so. Instead of asking for a comment, set-up a Call-To-Action on
the blogging template that allows the reader to take a ‘next step’ vs.
leaving a comment. (And don't try too hard to 'content control')
5.) Don’t forget that you are Human – (this is one of my blogging secrets, shhh) Personal stories, pictures, videos, non-marketing vocabulary, and an occasional typo around good information are what a blog is all about. Bogging it down with the same old same old every day gets boring. Share your personal side and let people enjoy what you write. (hint: it could keep them coming back for more)
Today is 15 October, 2008 and blog action day. I was prompted to think of an effective way to contribute to the well being of others, especially the less fortunate. My mind was so engrossed figuring out how I was going to help change the poverty in the world I forgot to think about the small things that everyone can do to alleviate the suffering of another person and contribute to a worldwide cause through Blog Action Day.
This morning, like most mornings, I left myself with the least amount of time possible to get ready for work. 15 minutes. In this time I ripped through closets and baskets of clothes for something to wear (literally). And then it dawned on me - I need to rid my apartment of all the clutter that has been bogging down my life and donate it to those who are less fortunate.
A lot of the time I think ‘poverty’ and automatically associate it with starving children in Africa – but poverty is all around me. And while donating three bags of clothes to a charity down the street may not help children in Africa – it is my responsibility to conscientiously sacrifice something to improve the livelihood of those around me. Change the lives of those within my reach. Clean out my closets and put clothes on the back of children in Indianapolis, IN. To make a difference. To take a stand against Poverty. I am participating. Are you?
I am a self-proclaimed 'bad blogger'. Hypocritical at best. Day-in and day-out I see the benefits of corporate blogging and the successes our powerful blogging software lends to our clients - but for some reason I fall into the stereotypical excuses of bad blogging. My usual excuse - does my content really matter? Well heck yes it does!
Now - no one is out there searching for Kaila Woodside (except for myself - and I found that I am very search engine optimized). However, when I write content about why it is important to start a business blog and give away all of my blogging secrets, my blog post meshes with those of my colleagues to provide the reader an overall compendium (nice use of the word, huh?) of knowledge on that particular subject. This is exactly why blogging platforms such as Wordpress and Blogger are not built for organizations - but built for individuals. If i was just out there blogging away about why its good to start a business blog - who would listen? It would be analogous of just standing on a soap box and banging my fork on the side of a glass begging for someone to listen and hope someone does.
However, I am fortunate enough to blog on Compendium's corporate blogging platform and focus on blogging for SEO. Here my blog post 'compends' together under relevant topics with my other colleagues' content to provide a harmonious compendium of knowledge like Beck banging on the sides of glasses and plates together - making an awesome sound.
A few weeks back Compendium took a weekend to do a little team building - via white water rafting. The trip was amazing and everyone came back with a new energy and feeling of real camaraderie. Wilderness Voyaguers, my rafting company of choice in Ohiopyle is actually one of Compendium's clients. So as opposed to blogging immediately after our trip on our blog - I made a guest post on the WV blog. You can check it out here.
Wilderness Voyaguers has taken to blogging for search and they keep their blog updated with fun happenings in Ohiopyle as well as infromation on the trips they offer. Following blogging best practices with the help of their Client Success Manager, Sarah Sedberry- they will surely be one of our next top corporate bloggers.
Who has the best clients? We do. This past week I have been working with Hilary and Travis @ Fairytale Brownies on a blogging for business strategy. Fairytale Brownies is an Arizona based company that was started in 1992 by Eileen Spitalny and David Kravetz (friends who met in Kindergarten) using a family brownie recipe!
Hilary, the web designer @ Fairytale Brownies needed a strategy to help enhance their web presence and blog for Search Engine Optimization. Being a privately owned and operated company, they needed an affordable blogging software package that would allow them to leverage thoughts from multiple individuals within the company, monitor the message for spelling and grammatical errors and create GREAT content! Also working in a hosted solution allows their strategy to be web based and easily accessible by all.
So congrats to Fairytale Brownies and coming on board with the best blogging software - from Compendium Blogware!
Did I mention that Hilary and Travis sent me BROWNIES?
Sources are saying that Barack Obama's website is pulling in upwards of $525,000 and HOUR! an HOUR!! This is purely from online donations and traffic. The Obama campaign measures the online donations every 15 minutes - and the evening after the South Carolina debate - supporters were on their computers, with credit cards in hand helping Obama push forward in his quest for President.
So how has Obama created a website with such a draw that his supporters are not only donating - but sharing their own input and ideas? He created a blog! And lets his supporters create their own blogs on his blogging platform. my.barackobama.com allows you to contribute to a community of topics and issues supporting Obama's campaign. What he has done - is created a very powerful blogging software platform that is generating such tremendous feedback that people are flocking to his site hourly to check on new posts and information. The only blogging problems are (if you can call this a problem) - is because of his overwhelming support, servers are becoming overwhelmed with all the traffic So visitors are not able to access the information as easily.
Here is a great video that was produced by Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. And was Inspired by Barack Obama's 'Yes We Can' speech. http://www.dipdive.com/ I have seen a lot of emotional PR related to the Presidential election - but this truly moved me.
..
if only he could leverage this content in a way that won search on issues he supported .. and fully leveraged the idea for blogging for search..
I love the saying "its a small world" - because I love more than anything when you walk into a crowded room where you think you aren't going to know anybody - and then you wind up talking to people you have met through email or a social media group or heard about through co-workers/friends!
Because I recently moved to Indianapolis - I am eager to meet new people and find new groups to join. The other day I received and invite from Janneane who works at KA+A telling me about Smaller Indiana. This is an online networking group created by Pat Coyle to connect creative people with innovative ideas to build a strong Indiana community.
For me - this site is amazing. It allows you to create your own profile with a basic introduction to who you are and what you do - you can also create a blog (or RSS feed another business blog) that allows you to express your new ideas (which is the main blogging benefits) - and most importantly connects you with upcoming events and new ideas in the area.
Should your company have web visibility on both the Organic Results as well as Paid Sponsoring ads? Most SEO experts will say YES. Many marketers are doing a great job of winning the keywords related to their industry through Pay Per Click Campaigns. These campaigns are easy to manage, can fit exactly into your budget and are fairly measurable. However, to say that 99 out of 100 clicks take place in the organic search results is probably an underestimate (MarketingSherpa Search Engine Guide 2008). So obviously you want to rank well in the organic search - but does that mean that you completely forgo your PPC Campaign? According to recent research, a company that is listed at the top of the organic search result AND the paid ads will triple their click-thru ratio. This is based off of the idea of the "second opinion effect" where searchers see both listing and are encouraged by the fact that a website is listed in both the organic listings and the paid listings.
So imagine that you could create thousands of unique phrases that would rank well organically and on the paid search. A few years ago this was only a dream - however with an organizational blogging solution you are able to focus on organic results for many keywords. And organizational platform also multiple authors to contribute content and then can focus on specific topics or keywords. Aslo, for every way that your blogs can be found, they are roughly four times more valuable than PPC equivalents.
So I have this friend -- and he is (sorry) a newbie when it comes to things like updating his Facebook account, instant messaging people, and he still has yet to send a text message. This past month he discovered YouTube while searching for information on hawk watching. The first video result was a video of HIM!! Obviously this was very shocking and exciting for him and luckily it was not something negative.
As a marketer you are always afraid of bad PR or competitors saying negative things about your business- and sometimes you can't prevent that information from being found - what you can do is be the first results that people find when they are searching.
*TELL YOUR OWN STORY -- The easiest way to do this is to start blogging. Blogging on an organizational blogging platform that allows human interaction as well as a place to talk in your own way about your passions - and is beneficial to your company - is the best way to tell a story. And blogging for search engine optimization will prove to be the most successful marketing tool in your mix!
There are people out there talking about your company - is the best/most relevant/positive information what they are finding? And does it represent your company?
I would recommend doing a search - you might be surprised at what you find.
After a few short months of working with Compendium, I am going to start off my sales career by selling our blogging solution! And it has been a great experiance thus far.
Since we are offering a product that every business needs, its been fun to show marketing managers why they need this product and how easy it is to use.
What I have learned most by selling Compendium's software is that alot of people are looking for a blogging solution as way to step into the social media aspect of marketing- and show thier customers real people are behind thier product.
I am learning a great deal about blogging and how it can help business win thier search - and it is very exciting to education others about how Compendium's Blogging Solution can do just that!
After our new website release, rebranding, and other upgrades - Blake Matheny our FABULOUS head of Technology just released video embedding technology! This is such a fanatastic advantage to our blogging software and a great way build SEO to your blogs.
If you have never embedded a video to a blog here is the how to:
1.) Upload your video to YouTube or another video source. (I will use YouTube for example)
2.) When you upload your video to YouTube make sure that you TAG YOUR BLOG
3.) After your video is live on YouTube copy the "embedding code"
4.) Paste the embedding code directly into the text editor.
5.) DONT FORGET CONTENT -- the content is the most important part of the blog. Using the keywords to make sure your video blog post is compended to the applicable compended blogs as well has increasing your SEO.
Here is an example of how well these videos view on our software: (this is me raft guiding through Dimple Rapid on the Lower Youghiogheny in Pennsylvania)
Today in the office Marty presented a webinar to our current clients and others interested in compendium's software. This was my first experience attending a webinar and I didn’t know exactly what to expect. Is he just going to run through a slide show? Is this an interactive experience? What can people gain from attending such an event? Fortunately I learned the answers to all my questions today.
So a webinar is basically a live information feed which is presented to the audience via their computer and phone. While sitting at their own desk the participant simply logs on to the site where the webinar is taking place and is automatically seeing the presenter’s computer. Along with this they can also join into a conference call where they are able to hear the presenter’s presentation and easily respond to questions, ask for further information, or give their own feedback.
While the webinar is taking place is there also an area where participants can “chat” (this was where I took part in the session). Participants who had trouble logging in, needed to ask questions, or give their opinion could simply type it up in this area. It was my job to attend to these request.
It was fun to be a part of something on the front end of our business and I learned a lot. Webinars are such a fantastic tool to bring together your clients to a place which is convenient to them (sitting at their own desk while listening on their own phone).
So I'm a small town country girl - moving from Pennsylvania into the city to work for this blogging software company! And what a better way to welcome me to Indianapolis than with the NFL kickoff concert? I am not a huge Colts fan, but I am sure that I will be converted by
the end of the season (althogh I will still be a Pittsburgh Steelers
Fan at heart). The concert featured Kelly Clarkson, Hinder, and Faith Hill! And after scoring some great VIP passes and fighting my way to the front row - I ended up getting some great shots.
The concert was very rewarding after a week and a half of finding myself in a very new place. Corporate Blogging itself is fairly new to me but I have caught on very quickly. Compendium Software offers such a great atmosphere and is selling easy to use blogging software -- which ultimately creates a fun working environment. And keep a watch here on my blog because within a short while I will be able to create some best practices for the blogging community - or maybe even get Kelly Clarkson to start up her own company blog!
Hosted by Richard Cunningham, VP Marketing of Right On Interactive and Chris Baggott Co-founder, CEO of Compendium Blogware. Thursday, December 3rd 2009. Sign up here »
After graduating from college with a finance degree - I was always quite hesitant to get a 'real job' - because I thought I would be "stuck" sitting at a desk all day long and would not have time to enjoy the things that I liked best. However, working for a software as a service company - especially one with young energetic professionals - allows for a more relaxed atmosphere. 
After much consideration (and a borderline identity crisis from the pup) I finally named her Willow Ophelia Woodside-Garrison. A mouthful, huh? More than a mouthful - this little sweet face has stirred up my routine like nothing else. Change of sleeping patterns,how long I can stay out after work, where/when I eat, etc etc etc!! But we are slowing getting into a consistent routine.
Yep. That's me. The Dunce of Blogging at Compendium Blogware. Once again reiterating my statement that I am a 'bad-blogger'. But if I think about... I am not really a bad-blogger -- I just have some blogging problems. That is about to change! I have turned over a new leaf - starting with 5 Blogging Don'ts. (a tribute to my dunce cap)
A few weeks back Compendium took a weekend to do a little team building - via white water rafting. The trip was amazing and everyone came back with a new energy and feeling of real camaraderie. 
Who has the best clients? We do. This past week I have been working with Hilary and Travis @ 
So I'm a small town country girl - moving from Pennsylvania into the city to work for this blogging software company! And what a better way to welcome me to Indianapolis than with the NFL kickoff concert? I am not a huge Colts fan, but I am sure that I will be converted by
the end of the season (althogh I will still be a Pittsburgh Steelers
Fan at heart). The concert featured Kelly Clarkson, Hinder, and Faith Hill! And after scoring some great VIP passes and fighting my way to the front row - I ended up getting some great shots.
