Deep dive into blogging with Chris Griffith

Google Bonita Springs, Florida, and one of the first sites to pop up is http://www.lifeinbonitasprings.com/, a blog by Chris Griffith, a realtor with Keller Williams Elite Realty in Bonita Springs. Also known as Twitterzilla where she tweets about daily life in Bonita Springs, Chris is an avid user of all tools social to promote the community she loves first, and sell real estate, second.

While there are currently some 200 million blogs, many still fear blogging and are unsure what it can do for their business.

So – starting with the basics. Still not sure what blogging is? In simple terms - it’s a basic Web site that allows you to publish content and contact information. It’s an inexpensive means of marketing and unlike employees – a blog is working for you 24/7!

Ready to start? Chris recommends new bloggers use one of three free programs:

Wordpress
Typepad
Blogger

For more sophisticated bloggers, Chris recommends Windows Live Writer. A one-stop shop for building and maintaining blogs.

Not a do-it-yourselfer? You can always hire a professional to help you set up your blog, manage your blog and promote it through other social networking sites.

If you’re just getting started, these tools are risk free, easy to use and can get you up and running fast. However, Chris cautions, you need to decide what you’re going to blog about first.

Blogs become your “public” voice so think about your personal brand and how you want to be known. People become involved with you via your blog because they feel they know you and can engage with you. It’s personal – it’s social - and it’s all about building relationships.

Two types of blogging personalities initially emerge:

- Freezers: Not sure what to write about/immediate writer’s block
- Prolific writers: Rewriting War and Peace with every blog

The challenge is to find what’s right for you and use your own voice to share your information/point of view/etc.

Wondering what to Blog about? Focus on your customers and share:

- What we believe our customers need to know
- What they want to know
- What they are searching for
- Show our authority on a specific subject

Get personal! Showcase fun, “behind the scenes” stories and anecdotes. This is social media after all!

Need a few more pointers about blogging?

• Start with writing about what you know!

• Stay current with what’s happening socially, culturally and in business. Key posts off current events.

• Running out of ideas? Think green and recycle information such as emails, reports, forms, videos, pictures.

• To expand your reach stalk the search terms your followers used to find you.

• Sweet talk Google and she’ll come to you – in other words – know the right words to optimize your search in Google!

Yes! I have a Blog – now what?

Promote your Blog! Integrate your Blog with other social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Flickr.

Enhance your content by adding photos and videos. “A picture is worth a 1000 words – a video – a million!" (Credit to OnePersonToo).

And a few final thoughts when blogging:

• Be yourself
• Be polite
• Be cautious about photos your post
• Always remember – blogging is a marathon, not a sprint!

Be Careful What You Post

Ketchum employee's Tweet causes client controversy


MEMPHIS, TN: A Tweet by a Ketchum staffer that was visiting agency client FedEx in its hometown prompted an angry memo that reached executives on both sides and the blogosphere.

A Twitter post made by the screen name “keyinfluencer,” which lists James Andrews, VP, director of interactive at Ketchum, as its owner, made the “true confession” that “I'm in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say ‘I would die if I had to live here!'”

An employee of FedEx then wrote a letter to both FedEx and Ketchum leadership that said the comment was "inappropriate” and they were “confident” that “it is enough to expect a greater level of respect and awareness from someone in your position as a vice president at a major global player in your industry.” The memo was posted on the blog of Peter Shankman.

“This is an unfortunate situation and demonstrates very poor judgment by Mr. Andrews,” wrote FedEx, in a statement e-mailed to PRWeek. “The reaction by our employees proves once again that FedEx takes great pride in our hometown of Memphis.

“This lapse in judgment also demonstrates the need to apply fundamental communications principles in the evolving social-networking environment: Think before you speak; be careful of you what you say and how you say it,” the statement continues.

Ketchum also called the incident a "lapse in judgment," in a statement. "We've apologized to our client... We greatly value this long standing client relationship. It is our privilege to work with them,” the Ketchum statement read.

In later Twitter postings, the “keyinfluencer” said he was “Having a great day with my new friends at #Fedex” and apologized. He also posted an apology to his blog.

FedEx concluded that "Mr. Andrews made a mistake, and he has apologized. We are moving on."