Hello and thank you for checking out my blog. My name is Michael Burton, and I am the VP of Client Success at Compendium Blogware. My focus at Compendium is to make sure our clients are happy, successful and seeing a return on their investment.
My professional background has revolved completely around turning clients into raving fans. My path at Compendium will follow that same plan. Over the past 10 years I have been in many services related roles within the technology solutions industry. Prior to Compendium I oversaw support & professional services at ANGEL Learning and also was the Director of Client Services at Baker Hill (now part of Experian).
The purpose of my blog is to help you discover how powerful blogging can be for your business.
On a personal note, I am married (to a lawyer, but I don't hold that against her) and have two dogs and two cats. I graduated from Indiana University, and I am a huge fan of the Hoosiers. I have been obsessed with IU since childhood. This obsession was only amplified when I had the opportunity to call IU athletics on student radio, including the last years of Bob Knight's Indiana career.
We probably all remember that teacher (or teachers) we had growing up who taught classes that seemed to drag on forever. They stood in front of the class, talking in a monotone voice, and they never engaged the class during the hour-long lecture. What was it about those teachers that turned us off so much?
A lot of it probably has to do with the fact we prefer to take part in teaching.
The audience likes getting information in a give and take format. It's not just a one-sided thing.
Enter the world of PowerPoint, Youtube clips and other forms of multimedia! Today, many students claim that they focus on a presentation much better if there is multimedia involved.
This same philosophy can carry over to blog posts. It is great if you have a ton of things you want to say in your blog, but it is important to make it easy on readers. I
ncluding things like pictures, videos, and links can make blogging for search more fun on the writers and more engaging on readers.Compendium's business blogging philosophy makes
blogging easy and effective for any kind of writer. The important thing to keep in mind for any blogger is to have a way to keep your reader reading. A 500 word paragraph can come across as intimidating and time consuming and cause readers to leave your page.
Here at
Compendium we try to provide all the information possible for potential clients to grasp the ideas behind
blog software. We see search marketing as the strongest method to get your business found today.
On our web site, we ask readers three questions:
1. Do you want to drive demand for your organization's product or services?
2. Do you want to start personal relationships with prospective customers?
3. Do you want to acquire more customers?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is time to start looking at blogging as a new form of marketing for your business.
Download the Considering Blogging whitepaper for more information on how blogging fits in your business.
One of my favorite things about blogging is its versatility. Here at
Compendium, we firmly believe that
blogging for business fits directly into the marketing campaign of any organization. Blogs are such a powerful tool because they can be tailored to be about anything you feel like writing about.
Whether you have a huge company providing business world-wide or own a small Mom & Pop store in your small town, there is a place for blogging in your business. Blog posts can focus on anything from your products and services to special promotions and upcoming events.
Any of your employees can find a place in blogging as well.
Hearing from a wide variety of employees, such as marketing, sales, support, etc. can give readers a look at different aspects of what your company does and how it operates. If you would like more information on how Compendium might fit in best with your company,
contact a Compendium blogging expert today!
After watching football all day Sunday, specifically the Colts game, I realized how much momentum plays into a game of football. It can either hurt you or help you, but the important thing to realize is that it
just takes a small jolt of success to get the ball rolling and everything else just starts to fall into place.
Take the Colts game for example; in the first half, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub had about 60 yards, completed very few passes and was sacked multiple times. By the end of the game, he had completed 75% of his passes for over 300 yards and came up 5 feet wide left of winning the game.
This just goes to show that it only takes a small push and some precise adjustments to turn things around and find success. It wasn't until I really started thinking about the ideas of momentum that I realized how much that relates to the world of business blogging software.
No matter what your former marketing strategies looked like,
taking the step to starting a blog for you business will be the perfect jump start to getting your new marketing campaign underway. Once you get into a "blogging groove" and find your niche, creating powerful, effective posts comes naturally and helps to further the success of your blog.
Peyton Manning leads all current NFL quarterbacks in most 4th quarter comebacks, meaning that he is the expert in changing his team's momentum when it really counts. He does this with a great coaching staff leading him along the way... Take a page from his book and
contact Compendium today for some great coaching on how to utilize blogging in your business!
The purpose and success within
Compendium's powerful blogging software breaks down into three simple steps...
Blogging --> SEO Opportunities --> Customer Conversion OpportunitiesObviously, the goal for anyone reaching out to customers online is customer conversion. It is not enough for visitors to spend time looking at your blogs; you want them to
find your website, find your products/services and make the purchase! All of this comes most easily through strong SEO Tools.
SEO Opportunities are the best way for a searcher to find your blog. Nearly every searcher ends up clicking on the top few listings in a Google or Bing search and having your blog listed at the top will lead to visitors finding your page. And this all comes from consistent, relevant blog postings.
Blogging is the obvious starting point. Without a strong base to begin your online marketing campaign, you'll have no potential to see changes. Blogging gets those key phrases you care about listed high on Google and other search engines so searchers can find you. Compendium's affordable blogging software will help get this system underway!
So you may be asking yourself, "What's the deal with all this talk about social media? It seems like people are talking about it everywhere, but I have no idea what they're talking about..."
That is a common question these days. Social networking has been growing for the past couple of years and recently has boomed into playing a huge role in business and marketing.
At Compendium,
we know the potential of social media and the seemingly endless ways it can be used in helping your business.
In a recent webinar, Compendium Co-Founder
Chris Baggott teamed up with
Kyle Lacy, the CEO of
Brandswag, to discuss why marketers and consumers are becoming obsessed with social media and how it can play a role in your company.
If you would like more information on this topic, as well as ways to combine business blogging software with social media to create ROI, I suggest
checking out the replay of the webinar.
If you still have questions after watching it,
contact a Compendium representative, and they can help you figure out where exactly blogging fits in your business.
With 57 days until Christmas, it may be too early for hanging the lights, putting up the tree or playing that same Christmas CD on repeat between now and Dec. 25th, but it is not too late to think about how your company plans to reach its customers in the upcoming shopping season.
You could always resort to trying to get a flier in the newspaper on Thanksgiving with 200 other businesses fighting for attention... Or you could compete for insanely expensive TV ad space... Or stand outside your business with a sign that says "PLEASE COME IN!"
OR...
You could go a
more cost effective, time efficient, convenient form of marketing and simply look into a
powerful blogging software solution like
Compendium Blogware.
Compendium knows that this could be your biggest money making time of the year IF you are equipped with the right tools to reach your customers. If you are timid about trying something new just before the holiday season gets underway, why not
talk with one of our
Compendium employees who would be happy to walk you through a
demo of the software and let you know how blogging fits perfectly into your business!
Only days away from Halloween and it's a time when people start thinking about all the things that scare them the most. You know, like zombies, vampires, and ghosts, right?... Wrong.
Yes, when we were 8 years old those may be the things that kept us up at night...checking under the bed, hoping they would not enter our dreams, but what about our fears today?
My guess is that most business owners and employees are way more scared about the status of their business than any giant werewolf. Ghosts aren't keeping us up at night; the latest news reports on the economy and the upcoming holiday season are keeping us awake.
Well, just as a stake takes care of a vampire and a silver bullet will silent any werewolf,
Compendium Blogware's business blog software can take care of your business anxieties and fears. Rest assured that when your company signs on with Compendium, you are in good hands and have no reason to fear.
With the holiday season just around the corner,
this is the time to start making changes to the ways you are reaching your customers. Blog software takes the stress out of marketing and allows you to focus what you want to market.
Think for a second about things you read. Magazines? Newspapers? Billboards?
What draws you to these things? What is more intriguing about one as opposed to another? Most of the time it’s appearance.
If something looks like an easy read, you’ll be more inclined to read it. If it looks boring and time consuming, you’re probably not going to spend too much energy trying to read it.
The same problem can appear in a blog post.
It is important to include things like pictures, links, and white space in mind when writing. Pictures and video can help draw a reader to a post. If a video says something better than your own words can, use it! If a picture is relevant and makes the post look interesting, feel free to include it.
Links can also add a lot to your post. If you mention a stat, link to the site. If you are referencing an article, use a link to allow the reader to find it quickly.
Finally, white space can help to break your post up into smaller segments for the readers to comprehend easier.
Making your post multiple, smaller paragraphs will help a reader Length shouldn’t be ignored, it’s important to make your posts manageable. A reader shouldn’t feel overwhelmed reading.
Blogging for search can be a fun and creative outlet for any business looking to market themselves online. These are just a few tips to help your blog software be the most effective it can be!
Chances of becoming a professional basketball player - 1 in 400,000
Chances of becoming an all-pro blogger - 1 in 1
If you want to be one of the 400+ NBA players suiting up every week, you can bet you have to be one of the best of the best to become successful. It takes years of practice, strength conditioning and pure athleticism to have a strong presence in the NBA.
But what about blogging? The odds couldn’t be more different. While you need to be a Kobe Bryant or a Lebron James to have the most “success” in the NBA, you don’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize winning writer to write “successful” blog posts.
Success in business blogging is for anyone who can talk about the things they know best: their business. As long as you use relevant keywords in describing your business and products, your blog will find success. Don't let the blogosphere intimidate you.
When you're posting relevant content frequently, you will find success in blog software.
Looking for more tips on blogging? Check out some of our other
company blogs and see what other Compendium
bloggers have to say about the world of business blogging.
In order for your company to have a successful search marketing campaign, blog content is key. Generating enough content for a successful blog can be tough, but it is essential. All employees of your company should be able to come to
gether to create content.
In other words, your
blogging strategy is dependent on generators.
I remember being younger and thinking that generators were such cool inventions. It’s like creating power out of nothing! With some fuel, some powerful gears and other little mechanisms, electricity is created anywhere you want! Besides adding a little fuel ever so often, it doesn’t constantly cost you, just provides you with the power you need.
It’s the same with blogging.
I know it sounds like a stretch, but hear me out … It takes all of your bloggers (the fuel and gears of your generator) working together to generate the most power for your company.
The more they produce (number of posts), the better the result. The more efficient they are (relevancy of the post), the more powerful the blog becomes. If you’re looking for maintenance on your content generation, contact a
Compendium representative today to see how to most
successfully blog for business.
This question seems to be a favorite in the process of figuring out a person . It's commonly used in many situations from a company looking to hire on a new member to your girlfriend's dad trying to figure out your intentions with his precious daughter.
It is a very strong question, though. It makes a person think about what they value and where they hope to see his or her future go. Obviously, no one really knows what the future is going to hold, but setting goals is a good place to start.
It's important to decide two things:
1. Where you hope to end up...
2. How you plan to get there...
Compendium's upcoming webinar,
"The Future of Business Blogging" will challenge listeners with those thoughts. Every business owner is constantly thinking about the future of the company and what paths to take in order to meet the set goals.
In this webinar, Compendium Co-Founder,
Chris Baggott, will dig deep into the impact blogging has on the marketing world today and how your company could benefit. It's not too late to sign up! The webinar will be this Thursday, Oct. 22 from 2-3pm.
And the best part?
It's absolutely FREE! Sign up quick while spots are still available!
There are two very important elements included in a "successful" business blog:
Relevancy & frequency. If you want searchers to find your blogs, you will need to create plenty of content and make sure it is all relevant.
There is one problem we seem to hear about from our clients: It's tough to stay motivated to blog. There are plenty of approaches you can take to solve this problem.
1.
Set goals! Give your employees a goal to reach every week. Start with a couple posts a week and then move up as they get accustomed to writing.
2.
Remind your employees that blogging is work! It is the quickest and easiest way to improve your marketing strategy. Take a 1/2 hour out of your day to work on a post. It will benefit the company in the long run!
3.
Give employees incentives! Here at
Compendium, we have had contests for gift cards, tennis tickets, and many other items that get employees to post! Give a prize to the person who can write the most blogs in a day or a week. Challenge a couple departments against each other, maybe Marketing vs. Sales in a Blog-Off! Winner gets a free lunch! The possibilities are endless...
Need more help coming up with ideas? Contact a Compendium Client Success Manager today and we can help get you on the right track...
As you look out your window, you see the sad truth: Summer has quickly left us after being kicked out by a bitter-cold fall... In no time, we went from fun in the sun to fun in the... raking leaves. We went from picking out the perfect bathing suits to deciding which big, frumpy jacket to wear just to walk to the mailbox...
As the temperature and the leaves start to change, maybe it's time to take these as signs to start looking at ways to change your marketing campaigns in your business. Just as the seasons are always changing, so are the ways people are looking for products.
Customer approaches are changing and you need to make sure your business is there to meet them. They are heading online to find what they need.
They're using search engines like Google and Bing to find the answers to their problems, and the best way for them to find you is through business blog software. With an easy to use blog software solution, you can make it easy for customers to discover you in the search engines.
Take advantage in this season of change to see where changes can be made in your marketing strategy.
Compendium is the perfect place to start.
Writing a blog post does not have to long, drawn out process.
You can write a very powerful, successful post in less than five minutes if you wanted. The good thing about blogs is that people aren't necessarily going to them for the most in depth detail you can provide. Businesses should use blogs as a bounce pad to the company website
If potential customers land on your company website researching products and services that you provide after finding the links through your blogs, the blog is successful.
You can provide information in your blog that customers would be searching for, like upcoming events and promotions, but the best blogging practices include writing about relevant information.
Writing about the things that customers are searching for is the best form of search marketing. Think of the power that comes from showing up at the top of a Google search for your products and services...
Here at Compendium, we want to make sure that the commitment level of blog marketing doesn't scare you away. Blogging is a successful way to increase your marketing campaign.
And blogging is quick: This post clocked in at 5 minutes and 42 seconds...
It's easy, just contact
Compendium today and we'll tell you how blogging fits your company.
It doesn't take much, but there are a few important tools that any organization needs to possess before they can expect to experience strong SEO:
Simple Software: If you're looking for SEO, the place to start is the software. Compendium's easy to use software is the perfect tool needed to start the process of skyrocketing your organization up the Google rankings. It is powerful, affordable, and easy to use.
Bloggers: Your employees are the best bloggers you can have. Why? Because they are the experts on your products and services. Making blogging a priority in their day is important. You can do this by offering incentives and blogging contests.
Goals: Set goals for your bloggers... 2 to 3 posts a week on average is a good start, but remember- the more posts, the more effective the software.
Blogging for search is different than most blogs- You're blogging to get found! With the tools listed above, you should be on the right track to maximize SEO. If you are looking for more insights on how to maximize the use of Compendium's blog software, feel free to
contact a Compendium team member today.
It's not uncommon for us to hear people claim that blogging just doesn't "fit" their company. They may feel that their product is too specific or too broad, the competition is to fierce or their target audience is to varied... but, ultimately, our only response is:
Blogging is the PERFECT marketing strategy for your company.
The best part about blogs is their versatility. They are so adaptable and can include information to target any potential customer. Blogs can include information about your latest products , the changes to them and the reasons your potential customers should pick your product over the competition.
Or your blog could include information about what your company is up to these days... Do you have promotions coming up? Are you attending conferences? What is your industry looking like these days? What is your work atmosphere like? Be open with those searching for you!
There's no need to hide.
People who claim that blogging software doesn't "fit" in their company are missing the big point:
Blogging fits every company. Every company needs customers. Every customer needs to be able to find the products they need. The easiest way to connect your company to your customers is through
Compendium's blog software!
Yes, I am back to this topic of
leveraging a blogging solution for sports marketing efforts. Last month I asked if
blog marketing could sell basketball tickets. I just could not let this topic go. It's probably because we are getting so close to my favorite time of year: kick off to college basketball and also because I am a season ticket holder for
Butler University basketball. 
To re-cap, this is a team that will be ranked as high as #8 in the preseason polls, plays in the heart of the 12th largest city in America, sits in the middle of Hoosier Hysteria (note - part of the great movie Hoosiers was filmed at Hinkle Fieldhouse) and up to
12 of their games will be televised on an ESPN network; however, they consistently struggle selling out their 10,000 seat fieldhouse.
How is this possible? My friends tell me I am obsessed with this question. They are probably right. It does not seem to add up, and I feel confident I have a partial solution:
Compendium.
You see Butler is a content driven machine. I am amazed at the social media footprint they have established. They even have
Hink and
Blue II with their own sites. But are they driving the right traffic and landing leads? I don't think so. At least not enough.
All of this
great content being generated could be better utilized to drive traffic on keywords like Indianapolis Basketball, Indianapolis Events, Indianapolis Sporting Events, Indiana Basketball, etc.
Butler does not even show up on the first three pages for Indianapolis Basketball yet two lesser known basketball schools appear on page one. While I understand the focus of higher education, it would be beneficial to the entire school and community to consistently sell out Hinkle.
Let's go Dawgs. Time to take advantage of search marketing and make your way to the Final Four.
Re-purposing is awesome for writing a quick post. I recently compiled a high level list of blogging best practices related to writing a great post. Here were my thoughts:
Tips and tricks to writing a great blog post:
1. Use your
keywords in the post title and in the first sentence of your post
2. Make sure you are covering
timely and
relevant topics in your post
3. Keep to a
single, central theme that utilizes a few keywords that are relevant to the content
4. Use
white space; people scan, they don't read. Write short paragraphs and bold important words Make sure you leave space around your images
5. Dress it up:
pictures, data, and video all work great to differentiate your content
6.
Numbered and ordered lists stand out and are simple to digest, use them often
7. Utilizing keywords effectively in your
image descriptions will drive search results
8. Talk about
new products and services
9. Keep your post
engaging and creative; start with a great title
10. While we are not writing novels, keep your posts grammatically correct;
blogs are casual, but they still need to be professional11. Keep your posts to a
couple of paragraphs in length
Where to get additional content ideas:•
50 content ideas•
200 blog post ideas for your company blogAdditional location for best practice information:•
Compendium help pageFive minutes later...I have another post ready to go.
