It’s tough to imagine the internet today without blogging. Through the use of blogging, businesses and brands of all sizes are now focusing on content creation to not only reach new audiences but to also inform them about their business model and let them know how their services can provide value as well. This is something we are seeing across the board in all industries. As more businesses realize blogging is a crucial part of not only the marketing process but also how to relate with your audience and turn them into long-term customers, the business of blogging, content marketing, and social outreach is growing at a massive rate.
This is exactly what we are going to be focusing on in this latest installment of Meet the Bloggers, where we talked with Brooke Sellas, who decided to launch a blog of her own simply to start informing her audience and customers about how her service can provide value to them. This is something we can all get better at and hopefully learn some actionable tips through her interview below
1.) Please tell us about yourself and how you got into blogging?
When I first started my company, B Squared Media, over five years ago I knew I needed to blog just based on the frequently asked questions (FAQs) I would get.
We provide “done-for-you” social media management services so we always get questions like, “should I keep my social media efforts in hour or outsource to someone else?” Or, “how much time do I need to dedicate to social media every day?”.
Since then, I’ve continued to answer FAQs as well as try to give insights on our processes or how we work since so many of the FAQS are covered by other blogs. Putting our own spin on things allows us to tell our story … a story no one else can tell. And in the noisy world of content, that seems extremely important.
2.) What is the focus of your blog and why did you choose that niche?
We stick to a few main topics based on the services we provide: social media marketing, online advertising, and content marketing. We also use broader topics like marketing and business. Recently we started blogging about what it was like to have a remote team because it’s a growing trend and people seem to really like that topic — and since our entire team is made up of remote workers, we have a lot of insight as to what that world looks like.
3.) How are you currently monetizing your blog traffic?
We use advertising to help with content distribution. We recently started working with an Advertising Manager who is extremely conversion driven, so he’s working on an entirely new plan for us. With the previous person, we didn’t see many conversions (just a lot of eyeballs). I think the new direction is critical for blogs (and businesses) today; you have to lay the foundational work and set up your blog and landing pages to convert. PERIOD. Even though it’s a lot of change and work, I truly think it will pay off. I don’t care about eyeballs, I want results!
4.) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started blogging?
More about SEO! We didn’t start using Yoast SEO (we now use the premium version) until a few years ago, and man has it changed our outlook on blogging. It’s not that we’ve stopped writing for people, but we have put a big effort on readability and SEO. We almost refuse to publish a post unless Yoast gives us a score of “green” (good) on both of those variables. It’s also great for redirects, which we’re focusing a lot on in 2018. We have older content that used to perform really well but has slipped over time. By adding more information and updating these posts, we can reuse older evergreen content that we know will perform well and spend less energy coming up with entirely new content.
5.) What are three blogs that you visit almost daily?
I read Michael Brenner’s Marketing Insider Group daily.
I also read Mark Schaefer’s {grow} blog daily (full disclosure: I write for Mark, too).
I also love Spin Sucks, Orbit Media, Sprout Social Insights (their Sprout Index reports are the BOMB!!), and HubStaff’s blog for remote worker challenges.
6.) Can you give us three recommended tools/services that you use with your blogging?
Well, I already proclaimed my love of Yoast SEO!
I also love Social Warfare for social sharing buttons (we use the PRO version) and custom tweets or shareable quotes (plus they make setting up Twitter Cards a breeze).
Lastly, I’d have to go with Revive Old Post for continuing to effortlessly share evergreen content. It’s like the “set it and forget it” commerical; it makes sharing older (but still relevant) posts super easy.
7.) What advice would you have for someone who is just starting with their first blog?
Consistency is key. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen new bloggers start out going hard and then fall off the face of the earth. And then *try* to get going again. It’s painful. The numbers always dip so far down and it’s discouraging to get going again. My best advice is not to lose momentum. Choose your frequency (mine is once per week) and then DO THAT. Stick to that goal and do not waiver. I think in our five years of blogging I’ve only missed a couple of posts. I’m really proud of that!
8.) What’s the best advice or tip you’ve discovered about blogging since getting started?
Mark helped me with this when I started writing for {grow} a couple of years ago. He said: “Get to the point”. I was so worried about storytelling and making the post unique that I often got long winded in the first few paragraphs. You can’t do that with storytelling every time. (Or at least I can’t) So I try to tell the reader what they’re going to get from my post from the get go. You have so little time to capture the attention of your reader. Be wise with your words!
9.) If you only had $100 to start a new blog, how would you use it?
That’s tough! I think if I only had $100 I would go with Yoast SEO. Again, I’m not encouraging people to write for bots or Google crawlers, but I do think focusing on keywords, readability, and a linking strategy are hugely important to getting found. After that, it’s up to you to be useful enough (or funny or whatever) to get your content shared. Just because you build it, they will NOT come. (Second best advice)
10.) How can readers of the blog get in touch with you?
- B Squared Media
- Blog
- Twitter (personal)
- Instagram (personal)
Thanks again Brooke for taking the time to share her advice and story with the Blogging Tips community. If you would like to learn about other bloggers and how they are finding success online, be sure to read through our blogger interview series.
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