As many of you know, I do blog consulting on the side and one of the biggest problems I see with most blogs is the lack of system integration between the blog and other social media outlets. It is almost as if the blogger thought about each individual part, instead of how they affect each other as a whole. Your Twitter account, Facebook account, email newsletter and blog are all apart of a system that you, as the blogger, use to convert casual viewers into longtime readers and customers. Without this integration and planning, you create branding confusion amongst the different mediums and your conversion rates suffer. So let’s take a look deeper into how you need to treat your blogging like a system.
Video Blogging Lesson: Treating Your Blog Like A System
Discussed In This Video – Logopond.com | Aweber
Ok…so the idea here is that you want your blog and your related sites/social media to be a sum that is greater than it’s parts. With branding and design consistent across mediums, you are able to build trust in your content and brand through integration. Think of it this way…what do you think when you switch from someone’s blog to their Twitter account and finally to their Facebook account and everything matches? It helps you remember who they are and what they are about right? Well…that is the idea.
So…how do we treat our blogs like a system?
While the video goes more in-depth on the subject, here are the cliff notes.
Your Blog: On Page Optimizing
Your blog is typically your first line of attack with your readers. It is what creates that first impression and gets a new reader to start absorbing your content. On your blog you need to have some items that all look seamless within the design and compliment your goals.
- Unique Logo in the header.
- Social Media Icons that match your color scheme and design.
- Newsletter Opt-Ins below content and in sidebar that carry the same color scheme and design. (Preferably through Aweber)
- Personal photo on about page that is professional looking even if it is humorous.
From your on page blog system optimization, you are laying the foundation for your other social media and newsletter elements.
Your Social Media and Newsletter: Off Page Optimization
We carry this same theory to your off page sites using your blog as the foundation.
Facebook Fan Page
- Professional picture – Matches the picture on your about page.
- Matching Logo – Same as the one in the header of your blog.
- RSS Feed – Deliver your content to your Facebook fans.
Twitter Account
- Professional Looking Personal Avatar – Matches your Facebook fan page and blog about page.
- Logo – Located in the background of your profile page.
Newsletter
- Same voice and style in content as blog content.
- Same color scheme and logo if html formatted.
There Are No Assumptions in Blogging!
The biggest excuse that I hear bloggers say as they choose to ignore this crucial part of the process is…
I don’t have to worry about that…they’ll know.
Well…guess what? They don’t. It is up to you as the blogger to operate under the assumption that there are no assumptions. You have to make your blog and your brand stand out from the competition by making everything easy to recognize and as simple as possible. Any confusion will only hurt you in the long run. It is not always about what you like or what you think looks good. It is about what converts the best while keeping within your personal voice and originality.
Next time you are jumping around blogs being a consumer of content, take a look at how the successful blogs attack this theory. Chances are…if they are seeing a lot of success…they are holding true to their branding and voice across all of their outlets.
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