Blogging: What's the big deal?

Blog- Web-based journals containing opinions about anything and everything. They provide real-time content searchable by anyone that drives conversations on a micro and/or macro level.

The Four Uses of Blogs for Marketing and PR

1.      To easily monitor what publics are saying about you, the market you sell into, your organization, and its products.

2.      To participate in conversations by commenting on other blogs.

3.      To work with bloggers who write about your industry, company, or products.

4.      To begin to shape conversations by creating and writing your own blog.

What to blog about

1.      Start with a narrow subject and leave room to expand. Be authentic. Interesting and valuable content helps build your blog’s readership.

2.      Relate current events to what is happening with your business.

Blogging basics

1.      Carefully consider blog names.

2.      About page: Photo, bio, affiliations, info about blog.

3.      Encourage people to contact you.

4.      Do not post excessively on your company, products or services.  

5.      People interested in learning more about your company will go the company website.  

      Top blog platforms

1.      Blogger.com

a.       Owned by Google (can use google account).

b.      No cost to start.

c.       Limited control over blog.

2.      Wordpress.org

a.       Total control over blog.

b.      Hire a designer to help design and develop your site, and get it installed on the server.

c.       Must purchase server space and your domain name. $6-$12 per month.

3.      Wordpress.com

a.       Free for 3GB or storage.

b.      Must purchase server space and your domain name. $6-$12 per month.

c.       Limited theme support.

Which to choose

Professional bloggers, most businesses bloggers and bloggers wanting superior customization use Wordpress.org.

Bloggers wanting to start small that are willing to pay for more options in the future start on wordpress.com and can upgrade to wordpress.org. 

Casual/beginning bloggers on a budget use Blogger. If superior customization is not required, Blogger is sufficient. Blogger blogs can be converted to WordPress blogs if necessary. 

Achieving Brand Media Strategy Communication Goals

More often than not, brand media strategies are judged on the campaigns themselves rather than on what they are intended to accomplish. Sure, creative campaigns catch the eyes of industry professionals and may receive the attention of the general public, but doing so is not necessarily its fundamental role.

For car maker Volvo, the goal was to sell cars... and they did. Just 47 hours after taking orders for the 2015 Volvo XC90 crossover, all 1,927 First Edition models were put on reserve. Volvo says most of them were reserved within an hour of the online ordering site going live. At its peak, seven cars per minute were sold.

This was the first time the brand held an online only sale making www.volvocars.com the only place someone could get their hands on the new car. Volvo is taking this victory as a learning tool as it looks to use similar techniques in future campaigns.

Link to article

Who am I?

My name is Alex Constantine and I am a senior studying marketing communications and advertising at the AACSB accredited Western New England University in Springfield, MA. I display exceptional leadership and problem solving skills gained through various experiences including the Sophomore Experience Abroad program. I completed this program in the fall of 2012 at Richmond the American International University in London. Studying abroad also taught me how to adapt to new situations and work with others in a foreign environment.

After returning from London, I joined the Western New England University Entrepreneurship Club and became a marketing officer. In the spring of 2014 I was voted co-president. As co-president I help coordinate events both on and off campus connecting students with local entrepreneurs and alumni. Furthermore, I have boosted the club’s online presence using social media to help recruit new members and promote events.

Starting in October of 2013 and ending in April of 2014, I interned at Market Mentors, LLC; a full service marketing agency in West Springfield, MA. At Market Mentors I wrote press releases, assisted in creating promotional campaigns, and performed high level research.

Looking forward, one of my goals is to have a role in creating a 30-second Super Bowl commercial within the next five years.