Hearing about the journey of Trish Skram, UW-Whitewater Alum, social media specialist, and public relations manager, was very intriguing as she spoke about something that is taking over the way people are branding themselves and their companies and that is ... blogging!
Skram is currently a PR manager at Mercy Health Systems in Janesville, Wis. She has been with the company for about 6 years and it stemmed from an internship she had with them when she was only a junior in college. She is also the owner of "PR Gal" and a professional blogger for the Janesville Gazette and a freelance writer for the Wisconsin Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society, which is a nonprofit organization.
Throughout her PowerPoint presentation she gave awesome tips on why people should blog, how blogs boost a brand, and common fears that individuals may have about entering the blogging universe. She related to all these situations and gave us personal experiences she has had, as well as how she overcame her fears to blogging. Twitter and blogging also go hand-in-hand because you can tweet about your blog and blog about your Twitter. They work with each other to expand information to different social media sites and of course get your brand out there.
The portion of the presentation that inspired me most was her blogging tips: 8 ways to build a brand with a blog. And they are ...
1) What do you want to get out of your blog? Defining your purpose for blogging and introducing yourself with get you the specific results you want.
2) Know your competency. Research what you're talking about and know your stuff.
3) Listen and learn about your audience. How do people relate to your blog and who are they?
4) Add a personal touch. Implement your opinions, show people who you are.
5) Be positive. People will know if you are in a negative mood and decided to blog that day. People don't want to associate with a Debbie Downer.
6) Encourage engagement. Ask questions, tell stories, build trust, and have a comments section.
7) Research keywords. Use Google to see what people are trying to look up; then use those phrases within your blog so people will visit more frequently because it will be in the searches.
8) Be consistent. Pick a day when you're going to blog to people know what to expect from you. Stick with main topics.
For more information about Trish Skram and her fabulous blogging lifestyle, follow her on Twitter @TrishSkram or click any of the links above!
I think her presentation was really interesting, especially that we are blogging about her blogging story. I do agree that blogs are becoming bigger and bigger in the professional world. As you mention I also liked her twitter and blog connection and how you can use them to advertise your other social media sites.
ReplyDeleteI thought her eight rules covered all the bases of having a great blog! I especially liked that she said to keep it positive and connect with your audience. The point of a blog is to connect with people and help others, so I liked that she made it obvious that blogs aren't a forum to vent and complain.
ReplyDeleteJess
I love how you said that Twitter and blogging can go hand-in-hand! I have never thought of that before and I think it's a great idea to get your name and your brand out there. Skram's blogging tips inspired me the most as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jennifer. Twitter and blogging are obviously super useful when it comes to Public Relations and I think it's something that people don't think about going hand-in-hand. At first I was not big on either of the tactics, but now I have become to like them and Trish's presentation just reassured me of why blogging is so important.
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