advergirl

Questions people always ask me: Why don't I get paid for this?

Every now and again, I get talked into a speaking engagement about blogging. Why I do it. How to connect with me. Where the ideas come from. 

And, the inevitable embarrassed question: How much money do I make doing it?

Honestly, I don't. Sure, I understand how to monetize a blog. My friend David is not only a total champ at it - he even gives incredibly clear advice on how to do it.

But, it's not for me. I've even turned off the Google ads on my blog (something about passively pimping Ann Coulter's new book was a little uncomfortable for me).

Why? Three reasons:

• First up: I owe you. I started this blog when my career took me from technology marketing to retail advertising. I was - in a word - lost. There was a lot to learn and few resources to learn it. The books were all theory and all out of date; my boss was busy with other things; my other mentors were out-of-category.
  
  Instead: I had you. This group of like-minded people who have turned into the most amazing network of collaborative idea generators.
  
  I started by collecting. By listening to what you were talking about and highlighting the work that stood out. You helped me "get" this; helped me develop a POV.
  
  Sure, now, I sit comfortably on this soapbox and type away about whatever idea that strikes me. But, I know how I got here.

• Second: I get other benefits. I've got an amazing job. Yeah, it's beating me up right now - with too much work and too much stress. But, that's temporary. Product of the recession.
  
  In the time before Wall Street blew it, this gig gave me the opportunity to work with some of the smartest, most savvy people in the Midwest and to learn things I would have never had access to elsewhere. I got that job because of this blog. The creative director at Ologie happened to read it and thought I would be a good fit. I ended up meeting the COO for coffee and tried not to squeal with delight when he eventually offered me a job. I never thought I'd end up there - easily the most-respected agency in town.
  
  That's one of the benefits - a reputation that precedes me. Or, really, a way for people to get to know me, to connect with me long before we meet in person.
  
  And, having the network to call on if I ever need help - finding an opportunity for me, a job for a friend, a solution to a particuarly sticky conundrum. Heck, even a used laptop when I need one!

• Third: I've already got a job - complete with deadlines and editors. 
  
  Funding means expectations. Deals with devilish details. I'm all-too-happy to just type when I feel like typing. Say what I feel like saying. Wander off when life offline gets to be just too much to balance.
  
  For me, blogging is something I love to do. I don't want it to become just another obligation.

Questions people always ask me: How do I get started blogging?

"I don't know" seems to be an unsatisfying answer to this common Q; so, I chatted with a few friends about what's worked for us and what seems to be working for bloggers infinitely more successful than us.

Here are the seven big ideas:

1. Make a plan: Think of it as strategy-lite. A little guiding framework that sets expectations for you and your readers. 

• Define your audience: Knowing who you're writing for helps determine what you'll write about.
• Choose your specialty: Great blogs have a tight focus (writing about world politics one day and your cat the next tends to limit your readership to your mom and your arch-enemy from summer camp).
• Select a “repeatable” URL: People talk about blogs online and in real life. Make it easy for them to tell someone about you - go to advergirl.com (that will redirect you to the URL mess you see above).

2. Prioritize content. It all comes down to what you write. Design, frequency, platform, syndication - all that stuff is good, but you win or lose audience based on how intriguing your perspective, how hot your finds, how smart your commentary.

• Invest in memorable pieces: Once a month, blow it out of the water. Use images, charts, original pictures, interesting frameworks.
• Share new ideas: Most of the social Web is collecting and trading. Adding new cards to the stack puts you ahead.
• Involve others: Can't think of anything good? Ask an expert. Post interviews, roundtables, content from conferences, guest blogs, etc.

3. Write the way people like to read.

• Have a big voice: Make your style of writing work as hard as the content of your writing
• Use lists and bullets: Blogs are the cud of media. People come to them for easily digestible ideas.
• Integrate multimedia: Because 20-somethings swear podcasting is fun

4. Build networks. Your best blogger friends are also your best syndication network. If you're an advocate of theirs, they'll be an advocate of yours.

• Link, link, link: Share the link love. Reference source material, link to similar content.
• Read and interact: Yeah, Twitter is easier, but you've got to dive into your overflowing RSS reader and see what other people are talking about if you want to be relevant and read.
• Respond to comments and ideas. Bloggers win loyal readers and ambassadors by being part of the conversation they start. (Yes, I know, I am terrible at this)

5. Make it easy.

• Prioritize subscription options: Let people subscribe in any reader, via any medium.
• Tweet the latest: Feeds can pile up. Tweet what you're blogging about for instant clicks. (Just make sure you tweet about more than self promotion, or followers will wander off).
• Work in series: It makes reference easy and gets your community involved in idea generation.

6. Tell people about it. Yeah, your mom will tell a few people about your blog, but mostly it's up to you. Go ahead, don't be embarrassed. Blogging isn't just for geeks anymore.

• Create anticipation: Let people know what's coming.
  
• Get podiums, bylines: Get your marketing department to pimp you.
• Add your blog address to your email signature

7. Understand the tools: Sometimes success is in the software.

• Pick a powerful engine: Servers like Typepad and Blogger are so chock full of interlinked content and reference that they're basically like steroids for search engine optimization.
• Use titles for search terms: Google loves the title field on blogs. Use it wisely.
• Track readership: Free reporting tools like Google Analytics and Feedburner make it easy to see which posts people loved.

Questions people always ask me: Facebook page or Facebook group

What's the best way to represent your business or organization on Facebook?

There are a lot of choices – groups, pages, causes, fans, friends. And, none of the which and the why seems terribly clear.

To make it simple: There is one main choice. And, then a few other important options.

First pick: Page or group or both

Page
Who can create it: An official representative of the real public figure, artist, brand or organization that the page is for

Why page?

• First up, pages are indexed on Google. A nice little add to your integrated social SEO strategy
• Allows you to connect with an unlimited number of fans (personal profiles & groups support up to 5000 friends)
• You can send messages to all your fans
• You can use rich media and leverage Facebook apps (super customizable)

Why not page?

• Little of the new content or activity you post is actually fed to your profile new feeds (the most visible? New fans. New photos or video uploaded by fans)
• Messages to fans don’t go into their inbox; rather, they’re delivered as an “update,” which fewer people see.
• Unlike being an administrator of some non-FB communities (like blogs or wikis),there’s no automated way to moderate activity. You have to manually check for new links, videos, etc.

Group:
Who can create it: Anyone (on any topic)

Why groups?

• Most importantly, you can message all members and the notice shows up right in their inbox for maximum attention
• All activities are picked up in the feed – posts, discussion, photos, etc., which provides a lot more visibility
• Tend to be more informal, which can, in itself, feel more social
• Lots of control over who to involve. There are three different types of groups: Open (anyone can join); Closed (the group owner/admins have to approve all members); Secret (only the members and invitees know the group even exists).

Why not groups:

• There’s a 5000 fan limit for messaging. More people can choose to be fans of your group, but you won’t be able to directly contact them
• You can’t add apps directly to a group
• Customization is limited
• Unlike being an administrator of some non-FB communities (like blogs or wikis),there’s no automated way to moderate activity. You have to manually check for new links, videos, etc.
• Word is, these groups are also very tricky to delete 

Then add:

• Fan: both these pages allow administrators to turn on a fan function. Allowing fans lets your organization rack up contacts (just like a personal profile allows you to add friends)
• Cause: Want to raise money, enable supporters to raise money, win volunteers, etc? Facebook’s new action-based app is Causes. It’s a good add for a group or page strategy. But, because it requires users to add an application, it’s definitely not a standalone.

Quick update in response to an offline discussion:

Q: What's the difference between a profile and a page?
A: Short answer: a profile is for people; a page is for non-people (or super people, i.e. celebs). Profiles are the basic building blocks of FB. They represent its millions of members. In a longer answer, I'd also tell you that pages allow a lot more customization and flexibility ... but, I think this whole person vs. nonperson thing gives you the talking point most people need.

Questions people always ask me: The series

If you live in the particular neighborhood I live in, you have to know how to get to one place from anywhere. Schmidt's Restaurant and Sausage Haus. It's a campy tourist trap at the end of a romantic little block in the center of a neighborhood of impossible-to-navigate brick streets, cobbled alleys and one-way deadends.

Importantly, it's the one place that everyone who doesn't live here wants to get to. Walk around this neighborhood for an afternoon and it's virtually guaranteed that someone will pull up slowly behind you and call out - excuse me, do you know how to get to Schmidts. Happily, I live here and - although I'd never actually go myself - I absolutely do know how to get there.

If you live enough of your life online, people start to think you're a native here, too. Able to speak the language and give direction across the whole motley landscape of the place.

So, here it is. A series of answers to the questions I'm always asked. A few Internet sausage links just for you.