Doesn’t it seem the fourth quarter is the busiest time of the year? In spite of (or perhaps because of it) the government shutdown, people and organizations have less than three months left to finish up the year’s objectives. Plus, there are a lot of holidays ahead, meaning there are fewer working days.
One way to make the fourth quarter productive is to attend my next How to Write Your Blog workshop on November 12 at a new and very convenient location, Metro Offices in Metro Center. Get more information and registration options at DBMCbloggingworkshop.eventbrite.com . Please forward this to anybody you think would find this training useful.
I am also working on bringing customized blogging workshops to associations and other nonprofit organizations that have not yet started a blog or whose blog is abandoned. If you know of anybody who could benefit, please drop me a line.
Following, read about what’s new in blogging. Here's a hint: it has to do with Google's new search algorithm.
Wishing you a productive fall season that sets the stage for a great 2014.
Best,
Deborah
What’s new in blogging
Blogging continues to be a great way to obtain supporters and generate leads while improving your website’s SEO. However, the SEO piece has become a bit more challenging since Google introduced its new search algorithm, Hummingbird. Hummingbird is a form of semantic search—meaning that it is more tuned into WHY you are searching instead of just focusing on the keywords you use. It also takes into consideration voice and mobile searching (how you are searching). It’s worth it to read eight tips to keep your search ranking from the Content Marketing Institute.
Hummingbird will affect your blogging:
1. The emphasis is moving away from keywords and more toward conversation. This means you should adjust your writing to be more conversational and less focused on including keywords. “How to write for semantic search” on Steamfeed has some great tips. 2. Having a Google + account (and an author profile) will help your search results. On the other hand, there are privacy issues to consider, as Google has recently updated its terms of service to be able to use your comments in search advertising. 3. Having the right plug-in helps (WordPress SEO by Yoast seems to be the winner for WordPress)
The next How to Write Your Blog workshop will take place on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 starting at 9:30 a.m. Register today!
I am also available for on-site and one-on-one specialized training on blog writing. Please contact me if you are interested in obtaining details.
Communications tip: Take this pop quiz
A couple of weeks ago I attended a professional development program on media training where I picked up a valuable lesson. In any media interview, you must be able to answer these three questions:
Who are you?
What do you do?
Why do you do it?
The truth is you should be able to answer these questions for your organization and for yourself, even if you aren’t being interviewed. If you can’t answer those succinctly, you will not get very far trying to get your message out, furthering your organization’s objectives or even getting a job.
For extra credit, you should also be able to answer this bonus question:
Why should anybody care?
Deborah Brody Marketing Communications Services
▪ Communications and social media consulting ▪ Communications and social media audits ▪ Writing and editing of marketing materials ▪ Specialized training and workshops
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