The Event Planner's Guide Book

What to Expect When Setting Up a Blog

Why a blog?

A blog allows you to connect with like-minded people and should be the hub of your social media marketing plan.   See Why it makes sense to include social media in your marketing plan.

The Event Planner’s Guide Book

So here it is.  Our foray in the world of blogging!  As the Chief Marketing Officer for the Event Planners Association I have no problem telling you how to market any product or service at any time.  I know how to do it.  I even know what should be included in a blog and how to make it work for you - what I am not well versed in is the technical expertise needed to make it all work! 

So here I am, a technical neophyte setting up a blog on my own!  Why don’t I just hire some young technical genius to do it for me?  Because I know that the majority of our members and friends are small business owners who have very little cash to invest in having their blogs and social media platforms professionally designed.  In fact, most have only dipped their toe into the social media pond.   I want to show you that if I can do it – you can do it too! 

What I have done so far

I actually have been following bloggers and researching blogging platforms for a few months now.  In the end, I chose the platform that seemed to be the most user- friendly for someone at my level of technical inability.  Everyone says blogs are easy to set up, but I’m sorry, I didn’t find it to be “easy”.  Let me rephrase that one…the blog itself is very easy to set up - it’s all the little add-ons which make the blog a productive piece of your marketing plan that take time, patience and expertise.  I learned things I never really wanted to know (lol) such as how RSS works and how to map a domain!

What I still need to do

My goal was to get into the blogosphere this week.  And so, with some trepidation, I am doing just that.  The blog isn’t perfect.  I still have to actually map the domain (make the URL part of our website and not part of the blog platform’s - for SEO purposes), build a custom banner (which means pulling out my limited Photoshop skills… I might just call on a friend for this), add the share buttons, and figure out how to put our website URL on the front page of the blog, among other things!  Ahhh the details…

What to expect from this blog

Expect to see a progression of changes to this blog and all of our social media.  Expect to see inspiring and informative content designed to help you build your company.  I will keep you posted as to our progress and show you how you can create a following by doing what I do.  We can do it together!

Please comment below:

Let me know what challenges you have encountered building your business and I will be sure to include solutions in upcoming posts.  And, if you have any tips for me on getting this blog in place…please share!

Why it makes sense to include social media in your marketing strategy.

Just as it is nearly impossible to build a business without a website, many now believe that if you do not have a presence in social media, you will be overlooked.

This statement is one of those hit you in the face kind of realizations. If you are like many, you may feel this social media phenomenon amounts to just “one more thing to do.” Or, you may be one who has embraced the opportunity and now you just need to fine tune your objectives. No matter which of the two describes you, the bottom line is that the way business is done in most sectors is changing rapidly and business owners must adapt.

Low cost – high potential media.

Social marketing on platforms such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace, is really relationship marketing.  It differs from traditional push oriented marketing in which the marketer pushes information via emails, flyers, consumer showcases and various other forms of advertising to the potential customer.  Social marketing allows a two-way conversation through which you develop relationships with your “followers.” This push/pull format builds trust and credibility which in turn builds your business.  As a bonus, you can get feedback and learn from your potential customers!

Here's how it works.

You build relationships as you create content that is valuable to your target market. This content positions you as an expert in your field. As an expert you earn trust. The relationship you develop creates trust, which over time translates to sales. In essence, we do business with people we like, respect and who respect us.

Valuable Content = Expert Status
Expert = Trust
Trust = Sales

Today, the face of a company is its employees.  Get to know your potential customers and let them get to know you and your employees by implementing a social media strategy.  Understand what you expect to gain from each piece you integrate into your plan.  Remember, you can’t hit a target you haven’t identified! 

You can get started in two simple steps…

Step One:  Start a Blog

Blogs give you an excellent opportunity to show who you are and what you know.  Be sure to use your own business URL (www.mybusiness.com/blog) as this will contribute to your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - your ability to be found on the Internet. An online presence means visibility, which means opportunity!  Typically, the goal of a blog is to position yourself as an expert in your field and generate traffic to your website. But remember to use your website, not  your blog, to sell your services.

Now, take that knowledge and experience you have and develop content that will be considered valuable and interesting to your potential clients. Perhaps ideas for creating “green” weddings and events or hors d’oeuvre recipes for a cocktail party would find an audience.  How many visitors might a post on the biggest wedding faux pas bring to your site?

It’s important to understand what interests your audience.  This is where you can shine.  Show them how professional, knowledgeable, creative and special you are.  Show them why they should choose you to plan their event or refer you to a friend.  As you start to develop content you may actually surprise yourself by how much you know!

I caution you not to give too much away, but give enough to create a loyal following of potential clients.  And, when you write…write to an audience of one.  Connect directly to your reader. If you need to brush up your copywriting skills I recommend a visit to http://www.copyblogger.com.  

Step Two: Link to your Blog on Social Media

Once you are creating excellent content you now have the ability to share it via other social media platforms.  Research the social media options available to you. Then choose one or two that will give you access to your target market.  You can maximize your time by utilizing programs like Hootsuite or ping.fm to promote your blog on multiple social media sites at the same time.

As you develop and execute your social media plans you will reap the untold benefits of getting to know your clients and potential clients on a more personal level.  Not only will this help you refine what your customers want and let you keep a pulse on the market as a whole, but it will give you the opportunity to connect on an entirely new level.  While the success and viability of a business is determined by the bottom line, the relationship we create with our sphere of influence affects that inner part of us; the part that is in business for the love of the industry, process, result, or just to create a better world.