BC Curriculum

BZB101 Module 1: Making the Decision to Blog

BZB101 1.1 Why Start Blogging? (3 cr.)
Let’s talk about the process, reason and role the blog will play in your business.

1. Is a blog an effective way to achieve your goals?
2. Speed to money. Don’t set yourself up for failure.
3. What role will the blog be in your business?
4. What kind of blogging suits you best?

BZB101 1.2 Business Blogging Goals (3 cr.)
Strategic management of information technology, project planning and implementation.

1. Increase # of customers?
2. Sell products and services
3. Create an audience?
4. Become the expert
5. Additional revenue source

BZB101 1.3 Revenue Expectations (3 cr.)
Customer and stakeholder value creation and capture. Marketing strategy with emphasis on issues of social and sustainable organizations.

1. Waiting tables is instant
2. Do you already have a clamouring audience?
3. Can your inventory handle a large influx?

BZB101 1.4 How does the blog fit? (3 cr.)
Introduction to global challenges of poverty, environmental degradation, and public health and the role of entrepreneurial management in private and public sector approaches.

1. Within your current website or a new property?
2. What kind of time will you be able to dedicate?
3. Can your CRM handle this new “leads” source?

BZB101 1.5 What kind of blogger are you? (3 cr.)
A series of seminars emphasizing current topics related to the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise. Topics may include: Supply Chain, Leadership Across Cultures, Micro-Finance, Ecological Perspectives for Business, and Marketing

1. Video = Vlogging
2. Audio = Podcasting
3. Prose = Blogging
4. Smart = All of the above

BZB101 Module 2: Getting A Blog Up, Live and Configured

BZB101 2-1: Platform Options (3 cr.)
Strategic management of information technology, project planning and implementation.

1. WordPress
: The big dog
2. YouTube : Already present with a growing audience
3. Wix: Free and easy
4. Blogger; Free and easy with Google integration
5. BrainstormTools: A blog university in a box
6. SoundCloud: A paid Podcasting platform
7. iTunes: Huge audience to piggyback on
8. Custom: Money, Design, precision

BZB101 2-2: Now we’re live (3 cr.)
When we’re talking about taking your site from an idea in your head to something online, follow these steps.

1. Get yourself a Domain Name (Mobile Home)
2. Find a Hosting Company (Real Estate)
3. Learn to use the cPanel (Your control dashboard)
4. Super Easy, but somewhat insecure Fantastico (Load it up)
5. Let start logging in and getting to work

BZB101 2-3: Design to win (3 cr.)
You can you create custom designs
for your site by hiring a designer or learning on your own

1. You can buy or choose from thousands of pre-designed ones at sites like ThemeForest.com, through WordPress or Googling them.
2. One column or Two?
 The structure of your design depends on what you want to accomplish. Ads, products?
3. Pattern Disconnects and Goals: Think about how you’re going to monetize. Make sure the design supports your audience seeing these things.

BZB101 2-4: One time pain (3 cr.)
The administrative stuff you have to do upon set-up. Doesn’t take much time, but you need to do it.

1. What are you going to do about your site’s security?
2. Permalinks need to be set-up. Consider the future.
3. There are many different comment systems. Which serve your needs?
4. Install a Spam
Blocker
5. Plan for Image marketing opportunities. Add smush it.
6. What are Plugins. What do you need?

BZB101 Module 3: Leveraging the Search Engines

BZB101 3-1: Keywords (3 cr.)
What do people search for? Why do we care?

1. Where do they search? And what’s the difference between searches on Google and Amazon?
2. Where do we find these things?
3. How do we know if it is worth our time?

BZB101 3-2: Give ‘em something to talk about (3 cr.)
Most of content is mindset timing: Use tools like Google.com/trends to see when your audience is really thinking about your topics

1. How much is too much? Think about your resources as well as your audience’s engagement when determining your content production schedule.
2. Where do we add new content? There are so many places. What is the strategy?
3. Multimedia content. Use it. Use it. Use it.

BZB101 3-3: The Social Game (3 cr.)
Give them something to talk about. Be interesting but also mindful of the message you’re sending.

1. Show them the way to Like, Pin and Share. If you don’t ask them, they’ll likely not do what you want them to do.
2. Don’t leave them hanging. Give you audience a place to go next. A question. A related blog post.
3. Twitter and Facebook aren’t the only dogs. There are tons of social media sites on the net. Where is your audience hanging out?

BZB101 3-4: Pointing Fingers (3 cr.)

1. The power of page rank. What is page rank and why is it sort of a myth?
2. Anchor text. . . words that are also links serve the search engines as clues to what pages are about.
3. Link Bait is something you do or create that is so awesome others will link to it.
4. Follow and no-follow are terms you need to understand. Use the rel=”nofollow” function when your site is pointing at anything that makes you money. Follow Google’s rules.

BZB101 Module 4: Mastering the Art of Content

BZB101 4-1: Mindset Timing (3 cr.)
Creating a content plan based on timing is partially the answer.

1. We don’t want flowery February 15th’s. Losing track of your public’s mindset means you end up with articles about Valentine’s Day on your site long after people are thinking about it?
2. Sometimes timing isn’t seasonal, it’s part of the ladder. Photographers don’t wait for holidays to learn the next step in becoming a professional photographer. Make sure you’re giving them that path on site.
3. Automating the timing. Employ leverage in your business. Automation allows you to reach more people without trading time.

BZB101 4-2: Your message is your filter (3 cr.)

• How does Howard Stern have 50,000 fans?
• How is Billy Graham respected?
• Why your Twitter description matters
• The Value of Tight Titles

BZB101 4-3: Sales Funnel (3 cr.)
Everyone wants to move up the ladder. Photographers want to be better. Help them.

1. They just need their hand held. The problem is you don’t know what the next steps are until someone tells you. Tell them.
2. What are their questions, objections and pathways? Use WikiAnswers, emailed questions and general knowledge to help better understand what your audience is thinking.
3. Give them a path to follow. Pre-sell what is coming. Use links to drive them to the next articles. Use email to follow-up and take them places.

BZB101 4-4: Coming Soon (3 cr.)
YMCA Calendar is not on the counter for your use. It is there to show you what’s coming next month so you get excited about it and don’t quit.

1. The Subway Restaurant door shows what sandwich is coming next month to get you excited about coming back.
2. Use the content calendar, the timing calendar and marketing to get your audience excited about what’s coming.

BZB101 Module 5: Monetizing Your Blog Platform

BZB101 5-1: Products? (3 cr.)
You never make as much money as when you’re selling your own products and services

1. Don’t let the sale be the ultimate goal though. A big ticket product is still just an entry point into your business.
2. Blogs sell services, too.

BZB101 5-2: Clickable Things (3 cr.)
Many things are clickable on a site, some create revenue. Here are some types of clickable links that create income. Some of them create income upon the click itself. Some require you to have purchased something after you click the link. And the bottom one doesn’t require any of that.

1. Ad Networks
2. Private Ads
3. Affiliate Links
4. Impression Ads

BZB101 5-3: Membership (3 cr.)
Memberships have been around since the beginning of time. Rock bands have fan clubs, consumer reports has an information based membership, your local coffee shop has a frequent buyers club. People love to be part of a club.

1. Fan Clubs. Can you create an atmosphere where your fans can chat amongst themselves? Is your niche specific enough that they will pay for it?
2. Membership creates cheerleaders who refer others and grow your business.
3. Fixed Term: 6 months at $29.95/month
4. Drip Fed. . . one module per week vs all the information at once.
5. Forum Based. . . ability to talk to the knowledge master directly
6. Email Delivery . . . each week something new.

BZB101 5-4: Sponsorship (3 cr.)

1. Sponsored Posts. . . companies will pay you between $1 and $500 for a post on your blog about a specific subject.
2. Sponsored Events . . . .you’ve seen these your entire life. Budweiser commercials during the Superbowl. Pepsi logos on 5K t-shirts
3. 
Sponsored Clothes . . . Shannon Cherry has a clothing company that sponsors what she wears to events. Different companies have different needs. . Not everyone needs a banner ad in your sidebar.
4. JV Partnerships . . . Who can you partner with to produce a product or service?

BZB101 Module 6: Tracking Your Activities Online

BZB101 6-1: Webmaster (3 cr.)
Google Webmaster Tools is a great tool to help move our sites forward. You can track a variety of things inside its doors:

1. Website health tracking
2. Keyword ranking tracking
3. Click through rates
4. Rich Snippets compliance

BZB101 6-2: Analytics!!! (3 cr.)

1. Why did my traffic drop?
2. How many people visit?
3. Who is buying my products?
4. Am I getting local traffic?
5. How do I improve this page?
6. Why are they leaving my site?

BZB101 6-3: Community Engagement (3 cr.)

1. Blog comments, likes, tweets, shares
2. Google Alerts
3. Pinterest Statistics
4. Email Questions
5. Facebook Statistics

BZB101 6-4: Trackable Actions (3 cr.)

1. URL’s
2. Phone numbers
3. Guest blog posts
4. Link Shorteners
5. Amazon Book Sales

Business Blogging Curriculum

Whether you’re looking to blog for yourself or your company, this video curriculum covers everything from how to get your site set-up and going, to where it fits in your business, to SEO, mechanics, resources, strategy and overall blogging for business understanding.

This is a guide for people looking to start a serious blogging business, not necessarily for those that have their blog up and going, looking for the next steps. If you’re at the beginning stages, this program is for you.