Summary: In this 22-minute podcast you’ll hear an interview with blogging expert Mark Evans, principal with ME Consulting, who works with startups and entrepreneurs looking to jump-start their marketing. Mark writes a blog about startup marketing at markevans.ca, as well as a popular startup newsletter. Before launching his own business in 2008, Mark worked for three startups and spent more than 10 years as a technology journalist with the National Post, the Globe and Mail and Bloomberg News. Yes, blogging still matters – maybe even more than ever, in light of Google’s new Hummingbird algorithm, which loves fresh content. Blogging can be an effective way to display thought leadership, curate content, boost your search engine optimization, and much more. Listen to what Mark has to say. Please note these show notes also contain a transcript of the interview with Mark (scroll down). Here are the show notes: 00:01 Welcome and introduction; this podcast came about because of Mark’s tweet about his Slideshare deck on business blogging. 02:54 Interview with Mark Evans begins. 04:00 Why blogging is important even if you’re active on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and other social networks. 05:00 Your blog as a hub; the “rent vs. own” digital landscape. 06:01 Mark’s tips for the reluctant blogger. Exercise your blogging muscle; blog for a purpose; brainstorm blog ideas; look at your FAQ; track your progress, and more. 10:45 The value of multimedia on your blog. 12:55 Why you should not abandon your blog in favour of Google+. 15:15 The many benefits of choosing a self-hosted Wordpress blog. 18:17 There are many benefits to blogging. Although it’s not shiny and new anymore, the blog is really the workhorse of the social media and digital landscape. 19:17 Interview ends. 19:39 Comment from Dan York on Trafcom News Podcast 123 re: content marketing. 20:40 Where to send comments; email Donna AT trafcom DOT com. Or use the Speakpipe feature on the Trafcom News Podcast page. Or comment below. 21:11 Donna’s Hands-on Social Media workshop early-bird pricing is available until December 17 Transcript of interview with Mark Evans Donna Papacosta: It’s interesting. When I talk to people about social media and I mention blogging, sometimes they look at me kind of funny, like “Blogging? Are we still blogging? Is that still important?” And when I saw your slide deck, I was nodding my head in agreement all the way through it, because you really did a great job of pointing to the benefits of blogging for business. So can you talk a little bit about that? Mark Evans: Yeah, happy to be here and happy to talk about blogging. I’ve been blogging since 2004, and it’s not a long time ago, but I think a lot of people forget the fact that it was sort of the sexy social vehicle that got a lot of people really excited, and over the years, blogging has lost its luster in the wake of Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and YouTube and other social media platforms, but the reality is there’s a lot of value to blogging, and there’s a lot of really good reasons to be blogging as businesses and individuals, and I’m always happy to talk about blogging and get people excited about what blogging can do for them. Donna Papacosta: So if someone said to you “Well, what about if I use Twitter and I use Facebook and maybe even G+, why would I blog?” I mean, I know what my answer would be, but what would you say to them Mark? Mark Evans: Well, social media platforms like Google and Twitter and Facebook are really great for engagement and for curating content, but a blog is really your content engine and it’s one of the key things that actually fuels social media. So when a brand or individual can provide their own content, and then use social media as a way to that content, that’s a really powerful one-two punch. And I think one of the things that brands, in particular, have to be aware of is that, you know,
