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Haup9
02-20-2012, 11:43 AM
I was looking at the information on our Google Analytics page for our yard card business and found out that we had 9 people that went to our site from our blog last year. I currently have a blog spot blog. Should I change it to a wordpress? Should I have it on my site? I only posted 4 times during 2011!!! Three in January & one in February. I want to post more to it but I have always struggled for ideas of what to post. I don't like to post self promotion stuff all the time either. What types of things do you guys post? How often? Any ideas & suggestions would be great!!!

KristineS
02-20-2012, 12:16 PM
Personally, and this is just me, I tend to take blogs that are on blogger less seriously. If you're a serious blogger, and particularly if you're a corporate blogger, I think you need to have your own platform. As I said, though, that's my opinion and others might disagree.

I personally like Wordpress. Almost all the blogs I've ever written have used that platform and I think it's a good one. It's fairly easy to install (especially if you're like me and have Vangogh do it :p) and I think it's quite easy to learn to use. I also think a corporate blog works best when it is attached to the corporate website.

As for what to post, if you're doing yard care, you could post things about gardening, landscaping, what plants are best for specific conditions, why professional yard care is the best choice, and don't be afraid to promote your business once in a while. You're right every post doesn't have to be self promotional, and shouldn't be, but you can slip some self promotion into an informational post. The best way to find ideas is to look at what your customers are asking you, or look at what services you offer and give some thought to how each of those services could be a post or a series of posts.

How often is a tougher question. I used to be an advocate of several times a week when it came to posting, and I tend to write long. Some people will tell you once a week. Others will say a couple of times. Some will say one long post and a couple of shorter posts a week will do. It's really up to you. If you provide good content on a relatively regular schedule, people will come and read.

Haup9
02-20-2012, 12:49 PM
Thanks for the ideas KristineS but I think you misread the business. It is a Yard Card (big signs in peoples yards) not a Yard Care business. LOL. Easy to mix the two up since most people have not idea what a Yard Card business is.

Ok so how often is up to me......I need to schedule the time I think to make sure that I do it! Like I said, I only posted 4 times all of last year.

Off to look into setting it up on our site.

lucas.bowser
02-20-2012, 01:41 PM
I think yours is a hard topic to blog about, but if it were me I think I would do an idea of the week style post (so ~52 posts a year) where I describe an interesting sign or message someone asked me to put together that week. That way you give people an idea generation source for what types of messages they can have you send, and maybe at the same time subscribe to your blog to see what signs will come up next.

Haup9
02-20-2012, 01:53 PM
Thanks Lucas.bowser!!! That is a great idea! We don't get new messages very often (we have a bunch people can choose from) so I won't be able to do it weekly but I can definitely highlight some of the different things we have done in the past. For instance a lady was adopting two dogs and she wanted a stork display set up for them. We put paw prints and bones on the star for them too. Really different but she loved it!

KristineS
02-20-2012, 05:12 PM
Sorry, don't know where my head was there. If it's a yard card business then there's a post right there, what's a yard card and why would you want one? You could also talk about the different kind of yard cards you can do. You could also do, as Lucas suggested, posts about particular yard cards that inspired a good story or were unique in some way. The stork display for the lady adopting the dogs is a good one. Use the stories to help inspire people to think outside the box about what they could do.

Georgias Gifts
02-21-2012, 10:20 PM
Before I started my blog I was advised by an SEO person to write 25 of them before I posted the first one! Then one every day for a couple of months, then 2 or 3 times a week after that.
Of course I only wrote about 3 and got antsy and started publishing them. I have trouble with deciding what to write and also finding the time.

vangogh
02-22-2012, 12:34 AM
A few thoughts.

Yes have your blog be on the same domain as your site. It'll provide more benefit that way. On two domains it's like having two different sites to promote. On one domain everything done to promote either lifts up the other as well.

WordPress isn't the only option, but it's the one I'd recommend. It'll probably be the easiest to install and work with and there's a very large developer community building themes and plugins for additional functionality.

Don't think of your site and your blog as two separate things. Think of both as one site. Your blog will be one section of your site, not a separate entity. Ideally both will look if not the same, similar enough so no one thinks they've left one site to land on another. Ideally you'd have a theme designed and then have both blog post and regular pages using the same theme. I'm guessing there's no money in the budget at the moment to hire someone to design and develop a custom theme so for now you'll likely want to choose a theme that works with your existing design. If there's some money in the budget you could hire someone to install and set up WordPress for you and incorporate the existing pages into the theme. You'd be running with the design of the theme instead of your existing design. That probably wouldn't cost much and I can point you to someone who I don't think will charge a lot.

As far as topics to cover here are a a few ideas.

1. Ask people if you can come by and take a few pictures of their party. Email them the pictures and ask if it's ok to post a few to your blog. Then post the pictures alone with a few thoughts and send the link to the people when the post is live. The whole process will strengthen your relationships with your customers and probably get them to send the link to their friends who may then become customers. In time your blog could be set up to let customers submit their own images.

2. There's a creative process that goes into creating the signs and cards. Talk about it. How do you get ideas for signs? Are there new signs you're thinking of creating? Why? Why not?

3. What goes into hosting a great yard party? What kind of food works best? Maybe pretzels? Should you do some work on the yard in advance? How much in advance? What kind of seating is necessary? What kind of games can you play? Where do you rent chairs? Equipment for games? How about reviews of games, lawn furniture, caterers? What kind of music should you play?

4. Is there an etiquette for inviting people? How much time in advance should you tell them? Invitations or a phone call? How many people should you invite? Can you invite this couple without inviting that one?

5. Other than unwanted guests, what kind of pests might show up to spoil a yard party? Bees? Mosquitoes? What should you do to keep these pests away during the party.

6. For parties for younger children what kind or precautions should you take to ensure a safe party. For adult parties is there a difference between parties during the day and those during the night. All of the above can probably be considered in terms of day/night.

Many people think a blog is supposed to talk directly about their business, but that's not how you want to blog. You want to talk around your business. You want to talk about things related to your business. You don't blog to talk about your products or even directly to customers in many cases. You blog to help people answer questions on topics about your business and related subjects. Many of the people who'll read it won't become customers, but the blog posts become pages that pull in search traffic, generate links from other sites, help spread word of mouth. Done right it's the best marketing tool you have.

Think about about some of the ideas above. Someone thinking of having a yard party in your delivery area does some searching for some of the above topics. They land on your site, get their questions answered and while there notice your signs and cards.

Haup9
02-22-2012, 06:12 PM
Vangogh - I actually was able to figure out how to get Word Press installed on my website (Go Daddy makes it real easy) so I have done that. I have taken my original "introduction" post from our Blogger Blog and reposted it on our new blog with a comment about it being a reintroduction. I have also reposted a "Picture Glossary" post that was on Blogger. I thought these two would be good first posts on the new blog as they introduce what we do and then they show pictures for different terms that are used in the lawn greeting industry.

I had never thought of expanding what I blog about to include related things like partys. I don't know alot about throwing parties but I can learn!!

One idea I had for a post was how lawn greetings are "Green".......I just need to figure out how they are "Green" aside from the fact that they are rentals so they are reused over & over. Whereas a greeting card generally gets thrown out.

In the past I posted about things related to the different "critters" we use. For instance there was a fire department that used to have pink flamingos outside one of their stations as the station mascot. Another time I posted about a flamingo halloween costume for a toddler. There was an episode of "King of the Hill" that had a stork baby announcement in it and I mentioned that. I've also talked about getting questioned by the police while out making deliveries (we do them after 9pm generally). I will incorporate your ideas into what I have done in the past. That should give me more things to blog about.

I'm waiting for a bit before I put any links up on my website for the blog. I want there to be something there for people to read before I link to it.

Any other ideas or comments from anyone are welcome!!

Also thanks to all of those that have commented!!! It is nice to get an outside opinion on things.

vangogh
02-22-2012, 11:56 PM
Cool that you were able to install WordPress. They make it pretty easy don't they? The harder part is developing a theme. Configuring WP and incorporating your pages into it is somewhere in between, though not difficult. It's something you could definitely do yourself and I'm happy to answer any questions if you find you have any or need some help.


I had never thought of expanding what I blog about to include related things like partys.

That's often the key. I think people look at their blog too literally as though they have to talk about their products directly and make the blog a sales page. If your business is service based you can talk more directly about what you do and teach people to do the same. With products though, if you talk around them you can create a lot of interesting content that's related to your product. Your blog posts help get people to the site and since they're on a topic related to your product your still able to show your expertise and develop a loyal readership interested in the things that would lead one to buy your product.


I want there to be something there for people to read before I link to it.

Good idea. It helps to have some content before launching. Try to make blogging a habit. Commit yourself to writing a post a week or 2 posts a week or a post every other week. Whatever you think you can reasonably do. And then make sure you get the posts done. I have an application I use to jot down any idea I have. I spend time every week adding notes to the ideas and I flesh out 2 of them into posts I'll publish. If your blog becomes a daily habit, even if you only spend a few minutes a day working on it, you'll find it much easier to publish regularly.

KristineS
02-23-2012, 01:16 PM
That's often the key. I think people look at their blog too literally as though they have to talk about their products directly and make the blog a sales page. If your business is service based you can talk more directly about what you do and teach people to do the same. With products though, if you talk around them you can create a lot of interesting content that's related to your product. Your blog posts help get people to the site and since they're on a topic related to your product your still able to show your expertise and develop a loyal readership interested in the things that would lead one to buy your product.


Vangogh is absolutely right about this, your blog shouldn't be a constant sales pitch. I think the idea about yard signs being green is something that would make a great post. You could also talk about how yard signs can be good advertising for a function or charity event. Compare and contrast yard signs with other sorts of advertising. Write about great experiences your customers had when they put up a yard sign to commemorate something.

I write two blogs for our business, which is embroidery and sublimation supplies. One blog deals with embroidery and one deals with sublimation. Some posts deal with the actual nuts and bolts of the process, but others talk more about sales or advertising or marketing or what makes our company unique and what we provide that others can't. Make sure you put some of those sorts of posts in your blog too. You can let people know why they should work with you instead of someone else without being pushy about it and perhaps even being informative.

vangogh
02-23-2012, 05:51 PM
your blog shouldn't be a constant sales pitch.

Unfortunately I think that's how many people think it should be and why so many people think their product or service doesn't lend itself to a blog. It's never taken me more than 5 or 10 minutes to come up with several different angles for a blog for any site. I won't say running a blog is easy. It does take a lot of work and skill to make it successful, but done right I think it's the best marketing tool any site can have and I've yet to come across a site where I couldn't think of ways the blog could work.

Haup9
02-23-2012, 08:21 PM
Thanks again for the ideas & encouragement guys! I really appreciate it!

I have gotten the blog to look mostly like our website but there are a few things that I haven't figured out. They are not a big deal, just annoying to me.

I use Evernote to jot things down when I think of it and I created a notebook called "Blog Ideas" so that is where they will go. Right now I plan on 1 post a week, if I think I can do a 2nd post during a given week I will do it. We are doing so many things it is crazy but I have to make time to do this.

Our only real competitor closed up shop almost 2 years ago. So I can't really compare myself to them. I can however compare myself to florists, greeting cards & singing telegrams. As far as a nuts & bolts kind of thing, I was thinking of doing a "Life in the day of" post. Where I describe all the things that my wife does from getting the phone call to actually setting up the display in someones yard. None of these are things I have touched on in the past.

vangogh
02-24-2012, 11:50 AM
Taking notes and jotting things down when they come to mine is a good start. One post a week is fine too. Know that it's going to take you some time to find a blogging rhythm and a writing voice. The best thing you can do is try something. Try your "Life in the day of" posts and see how they go. Look to improve each from the last in some way no matter how small. Experiment with new ideas, new styles of writing, etc. Realize you aren't going to be [insert favorite writer here] on day one and don't feel the pressure to think you have to be. Be you and do your best and continue to improve.

It's a good idea to subscribe to other blogs too. Ideally find some that blog about similar topics, but even if you can't find many, just subscribe to whatever blog interests you. You'll pick up on things they do and it'll generate ideas for you. One blog I would recommend is ProBlogger (http://www.problogger.net/blog/). Great advice about blogging, especially for new bloggers. Follow the links on ProBlogger to discover other blogs.

Haup9
02-26-2012, 09:07 AM
I got a comment yesterday on one of my blog posts. Which I find a little odd as I haven't released the link to it anywhere yet.

Thanks for the link to ProBlogger VG! It looks like a good place to start learning more. My problem with reading blogs is I have to be interested in the content or I will skim it at best and just stop reading part way through at worst. I think I need to force myself to finish reading as there may be good information I am skipping over. Something I need to work on.

Friday I started on my Life in the day of a Flocker (someone that owns a lawn greeting business) post. I was finishing it up yesterday and I realized that a story I was telling in it was getting long winded so I broke that out and made it a second post. So now I have two posts scheduled to go out. Monday & Wednesday. So far I am finding this attempt at blogging to be less of a challenge than it was in the past. Hopefully that continues and I can be consistent with it.

I have 3 posts up with 2 more scheduled to release this week. At what point should I put the link on my website, post about it on my facebook page and tweet about it?

vangogh
02-27-2012, 10:26 AM
It's possible the comment is spam. Some spammers search for common code in software to find you.


My problem with reading blogs is I have to be interested in the content or I will skim it at best and just stop reading part way through at worst.

I think most people do the same. Sometimes I'll come across a post that isn't written well enough to keep my interest, but it's one I think has important information and I will force myself through it. Other times I'll just skim and get more information from another post on the same subject.


At what point should I put the link on my website

Up to you really. Once you feel confident you can post enough to meet your own schedule you'll probably be fine.

Haup9
02-27-2012, 05:20 PM
Vangogh - It seemed like spam but I still approved it. The comment itself was nice enough, it said "Thanks for the share." so I figured it couldn't hurt to let it go through.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to skim. LOL

Ok, then I guess I will wait a little bit to make sure I am going to be able to stick to once a week like I plan to.

vangogh
02-28-2012, 12:04 PM
That's definitely spam. I get the same comment all the time and we get posts here all the time saying the same thing. The commenter is leaving a generic compliment in the hopes you'll approve the comment. Then they get the link from the comment back to whatever they're trying to promote. it appears harmless, but over time comments like that build up and you get a string of "Thanks for share" "Keep up the good work" and similar that say nothing and only water down the quality of the post.

Haup9
02-29-2012, 08:11 AM
Thanks Vangogh. I removed the comment.

vangogh
03-01-2012, 12:08 AM
Glad to help. It can be tough spotting some spam. The comment you received appears perfectly legit, but I've seen it enough to know it's someone looking for a link. If you haven't already done so install a spam blocking plugin. Akismet comes with WordPress by default, but you'll need an API key for it to work. You can get the key for free by registering an account with WordPress.com. Other spam plugins are Spam Karma II and Bad Behavior. Any of them will help detect some of the auto spam.

Haup9
03-01-2012, 10:28 PM
API key?? I have no idea what the heck that even is. LOL. I will look into the other two spam blockers you mentioned.

What about "pings" - in 2 seperate posts I linked to previous posts of mine. I got a ping each time. Should I leave these up or not? I've deleted them both but I just looked and I can restore them if it would be better to leave them up.

vangogh
03-02-2012, 05:07 PM
It's a fancy way of saying a long string of numbers and letters. :) You would simply copy and paste the string from one place to another to get the Akismet plugin working. It sounds more complicated than it is.

The pings from one of your posts to another can be deleted. They aren't particularly helpful. I think there's a plugin that prevents your blog from pinging itself. I think it's called no self pings or something like that.

queenvictoria
04-26-2012, 06:06 PM
Personally, and this is just me, I tend to take blogs that are on blogger less seriously. If you're a serious blogger, and particularly if you're a corporate blogger, I think you need to have your own platform. As I said, though, that's my opinion and others might disagree.

I personally like Wordpress. Almost all the blogs I've ever written have used that platform and I think it's a good one. It's fairly easy to install (especially if you're like me and have Vangogh do it :p) and I think it's quite easy to learn to use. I also think a corporate blog works best when it is attached to the corporate website.

As for what to post, if you're doing yard care, you could post things about gardening, landscaping, what plants are best for specific conditions, why professional yard care is the best choice, and don't be afraid to promote your business once in a while. You're right every post doesn't have to be self promotional, and shouldn't be, but you can slip some self promotion into an informational post. The best way to find ideas is to look at what your customers are asking you, or look at what services you offer and give some thought to how each of those services could be a post or a series of posts.

How often is a tougher question. I used to be an advocate of several times a week when it came to posting, and I tend to write long. Some people will tell you once a week. Others will say a couple of times. Some will say one long post and a couple of shorter posts a week will do. It's really up to you. If you provide good content on a relatively regular schedule, people will come and read.

Great advice, especially the part about moving out of blogger and onto Wordpress and in the same domain. The program is pretty much incredible. Easy to install, easy to use, looks beautiful, etc. As far as content, I completely understand not wanting to be self promotional. Basically with a blog you don't want to necessarily toot your own business' horn, but rather establish you and your organization as professionals in the field. This usually means posting interesting article on the topic either by analyzing popular trends, articles, or offering your own isight. If your information is insightful and useful, people will begin to visit your site.

As far as posting goes, it is in fact entirely up to you. The answer will mostly revolve around how heavily you will rely on your blog to generate traffic for your site. If it is an integral part of your plan to generate traffic I would say at least post once a week. You don't need to post religiously, but at least post enough to let readers know that you are still maintaining the blog. Blogs that go too long without posts tend to lead people to believe that the author has lost interest and that there likely won't be new material to read. This will simply cause them to stop visiting it.

Again vangough has some good insight. The blog is not so much about talking about your site, readers will probably already know about your products, but they may want to learn more about the industry. Ideally you would want your blog to be part of a community of people interested in what you do and offer readers powerful insight.

vangogh
04-27-2012, 02:19 AM
The blog is not so much about talking about your site, readers will probably already know about your products, but they may want to learn more about the industry. Ideally you would want your blog to be part of a community of people interested in what you do and offer readers powerful insight.

I think people miss this so much. I've noticed a lot of people stay away from blogging because they feel like they don't have more to say about their products than they already do on sales pages. It's really about talking around your products instead of directly about them. Whatever products you sell there's an industry around it and that industry also has information people want to know or be entertained by. It's the information and entertainment you want to blog about. You can mix in some occasional talk about your products or your company, but in general your blog should be about the information and entertainment that surrounds your industry.