Can You Commit to Blogging For Your Non-Profit?

Carol Palmatier works with mission-based organizations to help them utilize Web 2.0 tools to market their mission. She is known as the "Words Girl" around Graphix For Change. Her current quest is to get a grip on how online marketing analytics can help grow a non-profit's program and reach.

In Part 1 of the first class for Inbound Marketing University, "How to Blog Effectively for Business (GetFound 101)" with Ann Handley and Mack Collier of MarketingProfs.com, we explored the basic components of a blog, and how they work together. Blogs are without a doubt a powerful marketing tool for your non-profit agency. There is so much opportunity for reaching out to your audience and getting good exposure through your blog. So, now we get to the hard question: are you ready for it?

Let's take a close look at exactly what a blog commitment means.

Does Your Agency Have the Resources to Add Blogging to Your Non-Profit Marketing Plan?

Let's look at the two main resource issues to consider before you jump in and commit. First, do you have the time? Can you devote consistent time each week to updating the blog? Secondly, do you have the people? Ideally, you'll want at least two or three people contributing, not only to share the work load, but to bring in fresh perspectives.

The worst thing you can have is a blog that is dead in the water, with old posts and no fresh content. As Mack Collier says, "your blog does not have an expiration date." This is a commitment you'll make from here on out. It's too frustrating for your audience to begin to interact with them, only to have the blog go dark.

Who Should Do the Blogging for Your Non-Profit?

Building a good blog with lots of comments and interaction does take time. It's not magic; you need to build an audience, and encourage response. So consider carefully who you choose to write for your blog. Ann Hadley of MarketingProfs recommends you choose bloggers with the following characteristics:

1. an understanding of blogging and social media

2. true enthusiasm for your agency and its mission

3. passion for connecting with and helping your clients and collaborators

4. good, fluent writing skills

The Executive Director may not be the right choice to be your primary blogger! This might come as a surprise for some agencies. While it's great for your readers to have an opportunity to interact with your ED, he or she may not have the ability to truly commit to consistent blogging.

A great place to look for help is your volunteer base, including your board and your operational volunteers. Your volunteers have a level of commitment and passion for your agency that can make them fantastic evangelists. Just be ready to give them some guidelines about story ideas and style. It's a good idea to have a second set of eyes on any blog post before it goes live; have a staffer assigned to review each post before it goes live.

A blog is a wonderful marketing tool for your non-profit agency. Weigh the pros and cons carefully before you commit. If you decide that blogging is right for you, go forth boldly and connect with your world!

Inbound Marketing University - Blogging 101

Carol Palmatier works with mission-based organizations to help them utilize Web 2.0 tools to market their mission. She is known as the "Words Girl" around Graphix For Change. Her current quest is to get a grip on how online marketing analytics can help grow a non-profit's program and reach.

Last week I wrote about Inbound Marketing University, an online learning adventure that I'll be sharing with you in this blog.

I just completed lesson one, "How to Blog Effectively for Business (GetFound 101)" with Ann Handley and Mack Collier of MarketingProfs.com. The take-away from lesson one is simplicity; breaking the blogging platform down into its most common components.

Why blog?
In 2008, 45% of the US online population read blogs on a monthly basis. In 2013, that number is projected to be 58%, 0r 128 million. In 2008, 13% of the US online population created or maintained a blog; by 2013 38 million US netizens will be blogging.

There will be an online conversation about your agency, company or area of expertise. If you aren't engaged in it, you have no say over how that conversation is framed. With an active blog, you become a thought leader in the discussion.

So, what is a blog?
A blog has two basic characteristics:
1)A tool that allows you to quickly and easily create and publish new content; and

2)allows readers to leave feedback on that content, as well as react to feedback from other readers.

Google loves blogs. Why?
The content is constantly changing and fresh. Search engines want to provide their users with the freshest, most relevant information available. By blogging, your site becomes fresh, exciting, and more attractive to the search engines. You get more traffic.

Basic components of blog
Most blogs have the same basic components: the post, the comments, a sidebar, and a header.

The Post
This is the dominant part of the blog; it sets the tone for what you talk about, how you want to position yourself to your readers. This is where you add your fresh content. This is not about advertising or talking about your agency. It's about giving folks information that will be helpful to them. This allows you to establish your expertise while providing useful information.

The Comments
This is where your readers get a say in the content being created. When your readers interact, it makes your content more powerful, more interesting. When someone does comment, be sure you comment back, in a conversational and personal way. Use first names; be welcoming and friendly. Make that personal connection and you'll open the door for even more comments.

The Sidebar
The sidebar is your opportunity to connect with other people in other ways. For example, you can add your Twitter feed, or offer an RSS feed of your blog. You can run a quick poll, or add a sign-up form for your newsletter. The great thing about the sidebar is this can be fully automated, so it is constantly changing, but completely hands-free for you.

Header
This is a great place to put your branding elements (logo, tagline, etc) as well as links to more information about the agency or company. It sets the overall look and feel of the blog, and ties it in to your existing website.

Layout and Design
There are myriad choices for layout, either through easy-to-use templates or customization. A word here...start simple, start clean. Make it easy to understand at a glance, so the reader's focus isn't distracted trying to "figure it out." You can even use dropdowns for the information in the sidebar, for a really clean look.

That's the basics of "what is a blog?" In the next post we'll talk about some things to consider before you commit to a blog. In the meantime, please add your thoughts about blogs, and if you know of a blog that you really love, post it here so we can talk about it.

Inbound Marketing for Non-Profits - A Learning Adventure

Carol Palmatier works with mission-based organizations to help them utilize Web 2.0 tools to market their mission. She is known as the "Words Girl" around Graphix For Change. Her current quest is to get a grip on how online marketing analytics can help grow a non-profit's program and reach.

I'm pretty excited; I've just signed up for Inbound Marketing University Educational Program, a training program from Hubspot.com. Hubspot has become my new go-to place to improve my skills in online marketing. It's good timing too; I was watching Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, on Larry King last night. I don't usually watch the show, but Tony Robbins was also on and I'm always interested to hear what Tony's got to say.

The topic was jobs, and the economy. Both of these gurus, as well as the third panelist, Magic Johnson, all agreed that the key to not just surviving, but thriving, is to remake yourself. Find that thing you are passionate about, and become the best you can be at that.

My thing is online marketing, and my passion is teaching non-profits and small businesses how to effectively market themselves online. So when I saw this course offering this morning, I signed up. As I work through the class I'll share my insights and ah-ha moments here, and translate what I'm learning into bite-sized, actionable steps.

The first lesson is "How to Blog Effectively for Business." Come back tomorrow for the juicy details. (Take the RSS feed of our blog to make it easy to follow along! Just click on the orange "Post" button under "Subscribe" in the right column.)