On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan, Episode 13: Google Loves Blogs in 2010

February 2, 2010 by Charles Wasilewski · Leave a Comment 

Google Loves Blogs in 2010

On Point with Peter van Aartrijk and Rick Morgan is an audio conversation with insurance industry leaders who champion change and challenge all of us to think.

“Don’t be a binge blogger.”

These are the words of Liz Strauss, a blogger and social media educator, when discussing the importance of consistency over frequency. Other advice for new bloggers includes: using free web analytics to monitor metrics; using FAQs as initial blog posts; and the importance of a really good headline on a blog post.

Here’s another: “You are the chef that provides the content that Google serves up.”

Enjoy other morsels of blogging wisdom at Liz’s April SOBCon in Chicago, follow Liz on Twitter, or tune into this tasty episode.

The podcast was published Monday, February 1, 2010. Run time is 27 minutes 15 seconds.

How to Become a Better Blogger

October 9, 2009 by Rick Morgan · 1 Comment 

Much of the discussion at the recent Aartrijk Brand Camp focused on the value of blogging and becoming a better blogger. Liz Strauss, a social web and blogging pioneer, offered some great tips. For example, she suggested that we separate brainstorming ideas from the actual writing of the blog. Other ideas ranged from creating and following an editorial calendar to finding our voice.

Liz also stressed how important it is to be consistent. That is, it is better to publish one post a week than to do five posts in one week and then wait several weeks until the next post.

Liz also reminded us that what is unique about each of our blogs is us. Being ourselves is what distinguishes us from all the rest of the content on the Web.

Agent bloggers Cindy Donaldson from Founders Group, Nibby Priest from Vaughn Insurance and and Kristin Rielly from Irwin Siegel Agency also shared some valuable pointers they use in writing their blogs. So too did Laura Toops, editor of American Agent and Broker magazine and creator of the Agent for Change blog on the magazine’s Web site. For example, they suggested keeping posts short and to the point and writing about topics that are of general interest and not just about insurance..

If you are interested in starting a blog or becoming a better blogger I would recommend visiting the blogs highlighted above. Watching what others are doing is great way to learn. Another valuable resource I have found helpful is the ProBlogger Blog.

If you have a blog, what ideas and/or tips do you have to share?

– Rick Morgan

Follow Aartrijk on Twitter: @Aartrijk. Follow Brand Camp conversation on Twitter using hashtag #ABC09.

Photo: flickr cambodia4kids.org

Hotel Sax, Liz Strauss Just Right for Brand Camp

May 22, 2009 by Rick Morgan · 1 Comment 

hotel-sax-012

Earlier this week I spent some time at Chicago’s Hotel Sax—site of Aartrijk Brand Camp Sept. 28-30, 2009. If you like those Austin Powers movies, you’ll love this place. Cool, smart feel about the place, a bit of old and new mixed. The décor is almost sinfully fun and funky. Great staff. Wine shop on one side; bowling alley on the other; House of Blues 10 yards away. And what’s not to love about Chicago, people?

Also met with blogger extraordinaire Liz Strauss, one of our guest speakers at Brand Camp. (She has 28,000 followers on Twitter.) I can’t wait for our attendees to hear her ideas and interact with our other speakers and attendees—you are sure to come away with an action plan for your marketing and branding!

- Peter van Aartrijk