Over the last week you may have noticed a couple of ads appearing on the right-hand side of Social Web Thing (or at the bottom of posts if you use a Reader). The reason being is that having grown this blog  from scratch to around 3,000-4,000 unique Page Views per month I’ve decided to begin monetizing the website.

I appreciate that I’ll never earn ‘serious’ money from the ads, instead it looks like I’ll make around £10 a week from people clicking on what Google AdSense promises are ‘relevant, targeted ads’. Clearly this won’t make me a fortune, but over the course of 12 months I might be able to buy a flight to somewhere exotic or an iPad – or to put it another way; who wouldn’t like to be a couple of hundred pounds better off over the year?

So there you have it, depending on your viewpoint I’m either selling out or putting the white space on this blog to good use – and being rewarded for my efforts. I thought it might be difficult or time-consuming to display ads on my blog, however the opposite was true, so I’ve put together this handy guide explaining how you can add Google AdSense to your website in five minutes.

Step 1.
Login into your Google account, click on AdSense and then hit ‘My ads’.

Step 4.
Copy the code.

Step 5.
Login into your website admin page, create a text widget and place the widget where you want the ads to go. Then simply paste in the code and then publish your website. It may take up to a day for the ads to appear.

There are many deeper layers of functionality you can delve into within Google AdSense, however in its most basic form  you literally just need to place a piece of code within your website. My final tip is to integrate Google Analytics with your AdSense account so you can see which pages are performing well and making money.

What Google AdSense tips do you have?

This post is the third of a series looking at online influencers. The first listed great free tools that help identify influential people and the second suggested practical considerations when selecting online influencers. However this post is the next step – 10 steps to undertaking a successful blogger outreach programme.

We all know what bad blogger outreach looks like, such as poorly targeted influencers, lack of personalisation and spelling mistakes – but there are some steps you can follow to ensure that outreach has the best possible chance of being mutually beneficial.

I’ve taken the scenario of inviting bloggers to an event, but this list includes guiding principles that are applicable to any blogger outreach.

Preparation
1. Set expectations
Before you make any contact with bloggers it is important to set expectations with the client, such as how many bloggers you will outreach to, the number you hope will attend the event and what the expected outcome will be. Ideally, you will have existing relationships with the bloggers you will be talking to, but in reality if you have a new client or piece of work this will not always be possible. We tend to say that 10-15 bloggers is a good number to attend an event, but obviously this will vary depending on the project. Another consideration is that it can take an hour to properly research and investigate a potential blogger, so it is a time-consuming, but important process.

I’ve mentioned the client first as they have to be your first priority, but once the parameters have been agreed upon you can set expectations with bloggers. There should be no assumption that bloggers will write about the event, but your approach should seek to ensure that bloggers have such a great experience, they will feel compelled to. In addition, I’ve heard of bloggers being uninvited to an event, after the client reviewed the list of attendees. It is vital that clients review the list before outreach begins and that they understand it’s not acceptable and potentially damaging to uninvite people.

2. What’s in it for the blogger?
Before any outreach begins you have to really consider what’s in it for the blogger. I do not mean to make bloggers sound like mercenaries – far from it. The fact many bloggers are amateurs means they can be more refined in their choices. They don’t have deadlines to hit. Bloggers can just say ‘no’. You have to clearly define your proposition. What is the benefit for the blogger that will illicit the response you are looking for?

News releases are rarely interesting enough, so think how you can provide value to the blogger or their readership. Exclusive content, Q&As, competitions, product trials, vouchers and invitations to events are all more engaging than an announcement about a new product. Blogger outreach is about creating and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships – unfortunately too many agencies just want online coverage and do not put enough emphasise on the blogger benefit.

3. Research the blog
This is probably the most important step in the process. Undertaking due diligence and comprehensive research is vital. Poorly targeted outreach is a waste of time for everyone. The blogger get’s annoyed, the PR doesn’t achieve their aim and the clients money is being poorly spent. So it’s worth spending time researching a smaller number of blogs more thoroughly, rather than going for a larger list of bloggers who are unlikely to be interested. It takes at least one hour to find a new blog, read the posts, appreciate the blogger’s interests and understand the blog’s readership.

Initial outreach
4. Personalise your outreach
One of the best quotes I’ve heard recently is ‘the best press release is no press release’ from Daniel Burstein. When speaking to bloggers if you don’t know them already, you should avoiding pitching anything. Instead you should focus on introducing yourself and your client and then gauging if the blogger would be interested in hearing about future events or receiving exclusive content, product trials, interviews etc. The importance of personalising your pitch to bloggers or journalists cannot be underestimated. Some bloggers even tell you how to pitch them, which if you have spent time researching will become apparent.

I would also say that journalists have deadlines to hit and to a certain extent, expect to receive pitches from PRs – this is not the case with bloggers. Subsequently your approach should be different to how you pitch journalists. Bloggers want a personalised pitch, that is press release free and clearly offers a benefit. I would also add that many bloggers already know each other and may share bad practice. It does not take much to see past the one-size-fits-all approach.

5. Get the tone right
Tone is often overlooked, but it’s fundamental to how you approach bloggers and will have a huge impact on your success rate. Bloggers respond best to outreach that is both human and professional, not a rehashed press release. You have to remember that bloggers typically write for themselves as opposed to an organisation, so outreach should clearly state what the benefit will be to the blogger or their audience, rather than just reiterating the new features of a product – for some this is a new way of thinking. The hard-sell is unlikely to work and I speak from experience that a human approach is preferred, rather than a pasted press release.

Check out this deck entitled ‘Your Social Media Event Kit Bag’ from the guys at Content & Motion or this blog post by C&Ms Ben Martin.

6. Honesty at all times
Openness, honesty and transparency has to underpin everything you do. The business case for doing so is huge, but also in the context of a world, where private electronic conversations can quickly and easily come out in the public and leave a permanent record – you have to be 100% open with people at all times. Whilst, it is unlikely Julian Assange will turn his attention to blogger outreach any time soon, the web is full of examples of disgruntled bloggers who have published posts dedicated to what they consider to be dishonest approaches.

If bloggers are allowed to test and keep products you should ask them to state this on their blog. If you do not make everything clear from the outset or even worse, try and change the conditions, you may well find the email being republished online for everyone to see – and rightly so. Check out the WOMMA Honesty ROI for more information on what this means for you.

Follow up outreach
7. Consider the blogger’s time
This is more of a practical consideration, but you must remember that bloggers are often amateur and their blog is not their main source of income. Subsequently, this will have an impact on two things, how quickly bloggers can reply to your outreach and when the event can take place. If bloggers have a full-time job, pitching to them can take longer than it would a journalist and you may be unable to speak to them on the telephone. You’ll also find that evenings, rather than daytime or weekends are normally the best time to get bloggers attending an event.

8. Pay expenses
Again this more practical advice, but in order to get the largest number of attendees you should offer to pay expenses for all bloggers. As mentioned previously, few bloggers make a career from their writing, so you should fully compensate them for attending. It’s important to stress that you should pay for travel and not coverage. Paying for coverage is arguably advertising and most certainly unethical. The recent OFT ruling means that both you and your client could land in trouble if the blogger does not reveal payments that have been made.

9. Tell them about the event #hashtag
We all know that #hashtags help link common interests within the Twitter community, so  there’s not too much to expand on with this tip – except  that letting bloggers know the event #hashtag early on is a good way to generate online conversation and hopefully anticipation about an event. In addition, it also enables attendees to see who else it going and they can begin discussing their shared experience which will also be archived.

Afterwards
10. Say ‘thanks’
Thanking bloggers for their attendance is a great way to show your appreciation – and it is the easiest step to implement, but one that is often overlooked. PR is about building mutually beneficial relationships, not simply hosting an event, hoping the blogger produces some ‘coverage’ and then forgetting about them. Blogger events should be looked at as the first step of a relationship that will continue to grow and saying ‘thank you’ is a courtesy that will enable this relationship to continue.

I’m confident this list of steps will act as a good starting point to anyone undertaking a blogger outreach program. Nonetheless, I recognise this list is far from definitive, so I would be interested to hear what tips you would recommend.

I received more great news this week – Social Web Thing has been shortlisted for ‘the best blogger PR award’ at the Communicative Relations Awards from PR Professionals – the light hearted awards affectionately known as the CRAPPs.

Once again, SWT is up against some tough industry competition in the form of Wadds PR Blog and Comms Corner. Both are favourites of mine and it is great to be compared to such great blogs. In addition, it is fantastic to be considered in the same vein as Tom Fordyce, Sally Whittle and Martin J Robbins et al, who are all experts in their respected fields with large followings.

There are also a host of other awards up for grabs including ‘The journalist that makes you feel warm and furry on the inside’ and Least twattish Twitterer – the must follow journo’.

Whilst, the CRAPPs aim to celebrate the ‘special relationship’ between PRs and the UK media, I must add that I’m delighted to have been shortlisted for the inaugural award.

The winner will be announced on 15 December 2010 and readers can vote for ‘the best blogger PR award’ here.

It’s always fantastic to gain recognition for something which started as a hobby, but developed into a passion. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed…

I received some wonderful news this week – Social Web Thing has been shortlisted for a social media award at the some comms awards organised by Don’t Panic.

The nomination is for Best Industry Blog and SWT is up against some great competition in Wadds PR Blog and We Are Social. Both blogs are personal favourites of mine and have been part of my blogroll and reader for a while now, so it’s a real privilege to be thought of in the same vein as these two industry big hitters.

I must add that I’m delighted to have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award for the inaugural ceremony at one of the UK’s top event management companies.

The winner will be announced at the some comms awards ceremony which takes place at the Hilton Hotel, Deansgate, Manchester on 9 December 2010.

It’s always fantastic to gain recognition for something which started as a hobby, but developed into a passion. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed…

As someone who helps clients manage their Facebook Fan Page and is constantly telling them how important it is to set their content free and make it ‘social’, I thought it was time for me to take some of my own advice – so I have created a Fan Page for Social Web Thing. For those who are unfamiliar with the intricacies of a Fan Page over a Group, the main benefits of a Fan Page are:

1. Fan Pages allow news and latest posts to be received via updates which appear in fans news feeds.
Importantly, feeds are social and can be interacted with in the form of ‘Like’, ‘Share’ and ‘Comment’. So people who have ‘Liked’ your page are also telling their friends – which is crucial for building fans and views from peer-to-peer recommendations. From a user point of view, this is a preferable method to receive communication, rather than via a ‘Message All’, which should be used sparingly.

2. Fan Pages are public, whereas Groups require a login. This means search engines can easily index Fan Pages.
This is significant and will have a positive impact on the SEO of Fan Pages, leading to more views and interactions to your Page. From a client and Page administrator perspective, this is very important in helping to grow your Page into a success.

3. Facebook Fan Page can secure a vanity URL.
This is a benefit for both user and administrator and it’s great to see Facebook making Pages more viewable, memorable and social – which in turn will lead to greater and more meaningful interactions. You can apply for a Facebook vanity URL here.

4. As someone who is obsessed by data and always looking for patterns, numbers and behaviour from which to draw insights, Fan Pages offer administrators some useful statistics.
Whilst, these are helpful, it should be noted that Facebook Insights are far from perfect and there often seems to be inconsistencies within the data. It would be brilliant for us data crunchers if Facebook manages to iron out these problems and provide something similar to the WordPress or Google Analytics offering.

5. Lastly, Fan Pages include links which are publicly displayed, so as someone who is utilising a Page to promote a blog, Social Web Thing’ s SEO benefits from Facebook.com linking to it.
This is mostly a secondary benefit, however, anything which increases search for both user and administrator should be investigated.

Whilst, this post focuses on the benefits of a Fan Page, in order to let people know about your blog, website or other digital embassies, it is best to create an ecosystem of social media platforms around whatever you are trying to promote. By this I mean, Social Web Thing is the focal point, supported by a Facebook Fan Page and my Tweets, the reader can also share this content via the same platforms, posts can be bookmarked on Delicious and sent by email to reader’s friends. In addition, Social Web Thing readers can sign up to receive posts via email, as well as add the blog to their RSS Reader.

This is the Social Web Thing ecosystem and most bloggers are unaware that they create a network around their blog to disseminate latest posts. Do think about how you promote your blog and website and how you can go about strengthening this ecosystem.

In order to create successful long-term relationships with readers, fans and customers, it is important to make content that is sharable, as well as making it easy for people to consume it in their favoured way. Do get in touch if you’d like more information on creating or managing a Facebook Fan Page or social media ecosystem. You can ‘Like’ the Social Web Thing Fan Page here.

These blogging tips have been put together as a favour to a friend. They are by no means a definitive list, but more a combination of practical and ethical considerations for someone looking to start a blog.

I would also like to thank the people who Tweeted and emailed me hints, tips and words of advice, it is much appreciated.

1. Word Press
There are many blogging platforms out there, but Word Press is free, easy to use and is pretty much the industry standard. It has in-depth stats, good SEO and allows you to do lots of creative things with layouts etc. There are also plenty of tutorials available to explain the dashboard, widgets and various functions etc.

2. Create a blogroll
Add lots of other blogs that are a similar subject matter to your own blog or those that interest you. Once you have blogged for a month or so, contact them to say you have added them to your blogroll. Once you are established, other blogs are more likely to link back. This is good for SEO, but also lets your readers get an idea of the blogs you read.

3. Promote your blog
It is no good having a blog if nobody reads it! Create a Facebook group, Tweet it, put it on your Linked In page, email footer etc. Using the stats from Word Press you can see where web traffic comes from. It is also worth using something like Stat Counter to check traffic too (copy and paste some HTML text into the blog). If you comment on industry issues, argue or agree with people, let them know via Twitter or other social networking sites, this will encourage people to comment and you can form a relationship with them.

4. How much and often
Best practice seems to be around 500 words and weekly. Content needs to be current, perhaps read an industry publication or other specialist magazines to be up to date with industry issues.

5. Ground rules
Include some blog rules e.g. state it is your own opinion, how people can contact you, brief biography etc. This is good for disclosure, but also allows people to contact you and gain a greater understanding of the blog author.

6. Disclosure
People are increasingly offered money to blog, which many find unethical. If you comment about a client or product etc, be sure to disclose. If you get found out praising a client and you have not disclosed your relationship you will lose trust, authenticity and credibility. It is basically astroturfing. By all means praise good work with clients, but always be open, honest and transparent. It’s the ‘new ethics’. Also, it is best not to write blogs on behalf of clients. It is more interesting if an employee writes them. Google ‘ghost blog’ for more on this issue.

7. Content
We often hear that ‘content is king’, to me this means a good dose of personal opinion, mixed in with other people’s quotes and links – this all makes for a good argument. The ease of entry to blogging means that anyone with an internet connection can start a blog. However, this opening up inevitably means that the overall quality decreases, so the quality of the blog is important e.g. spelling, punctuation, grammar, but also how easy on the eye is it to read, namely text size, font, colour, layout etc.

8. Do some research
Have a look and see what blogs you like and what features and widgets work. From here you can make a list of features you like and then include these in your blog.

9. Style
Make sure your personality shines through and avoid corporate jargon which tends to be dry and uninspiring. Add something to the debate – don’t just sit on the fence.

10. Reply
If people leave comments on your blog be sure to reply. It is a privilege that people read and feel moved enough to leave a comment on your blog, so best practice is to reply. The best blogs are those that create a dialogue between the author and audience. Likewise read other people’s blogs, leave comments for them – hopefully this should help promote your blog too.

I would be interested to hear any other considerations that you think new bloggers should take into account.

You can download a printer friendly version of these tips from Scribd by clicking here.