Welcome to the third installment of my Build a Blog series where I teach you how to create a blog specifically for Salesforce Admins.
Now, if you’re just getting started with this series and want to catch up, you can check the links at the end of this post so you can get caught up on defining your audience, centering your content focus, and an overview of the series.
Last month, we started writing a positioning statement. A positioning statement is a description of how a product or service—in this case, your admin blog—fills the need of a particular market or segment. This month, we’ll continue with that statement by first exploring blogging platforms, then looking at video platforms, and finally introducing a hub and spoke model of content distribution.
This whole series is based on building a blog for Salesforce Admins, so in the “For” line in the positioning statement below, we’ll write that. The second line defines who our audience is for the blog. For example, you might write “beginner admins” or “admins learning security.” The third line is how you want that audience to consume the content–it could be text, video, or audio. This month, we’ll tackle the fourth line, which expands on your answer for last month as to where they’ll consume the information.
Blog Positioning Statement | |
For | Salesforce Admins |
Who | |
And consume information | |
Via | |
And want new content every | |
Blogging has come a long way since its inception in the late 1990s. Initially, people used blogs as online journals to share their personal experiences and thoughts. However, over time, blogging evolved into a powerful medium for businesses and individuals to share their ideas, expertise, and opinions with a global audience. With the emergence of several blogging platforms, creating a blog has become easier and more accessible than ever before. There are a plethora of blogging platforms available today, each with its own set of features and benefits. In this post, we’ll compare the top five blogging platforms based on their benefits and limitations.
WordPress is the most popular blogging platform on the web, powering over 40% of all websites. It’s an open-source platform, which means it’s free to use and highly customizable. WordPress has a vast community of developers who create plug-ins, themes, and other add-ons that you can easily integrate into your site. It’s also highly flexible, with a range of templates and design options.
Benefits:
Limitations:
Blogger is a free blogging platform that Google owns. It’s a simple and straightforward platform that’s easy to use, even for beginners. It has a range of templates and design options, and you can also customize your site with HTML and CSS.
Benefits:
Limitations:
Medium is a unique blogging platform that’s focused on quality content and storytelling. It’s a platform that encourages writers to share their stories, ideas, and opinions with a wider audience. Medium has a clean and simple interface, which makes it easy to use and navigate. It’s also free to use.
Benefits:
Limitations:
Squarespace is a website builder that includes a blogging platform. It’s a paid platform that offers a range of templates and design options. Squarespace is ideal for businesses and professionals who want a professional-looking website and blog.
Benefits:
Limitations:
Wix is another website builder that includes a blogging platform. It’s a free platform that offers a range of templates and design options. Wix is ideal for beginners who want an easy-to-use platform.
Benefits:
Limitations:
Each blogging platform has its own set of benefits and limitations. When choosing a platform, it’s important to consider your needs and goals. If you’re a beginner, a platform like Wix or Blogger may be the best option. If you want more control over the look, feel, and overall branding, a platform like Squarespace or WordPress may be a better fit. Ultimately, the best platform is one that meets your needs and allows you to share your ideas and expertise with a wider audience.
Video-sharing platforms have revolutionized the way we consume and share visual content. Whether we’re using them for entertainment, education, or marketing purposes, these platforms have become an essential part of our daily lives. In this blog post, we’ll compare the top three video-sharing platforms—YouTube, Vimeo, and TikTok—and discuss their benefits and limitations.
YouTube is undoubtedly the most popular video-sharing platform, with over 2 billion monthly active users. It has a vast library of videos, which range from educational content to music videos, and even full-length movies.
Benefits of YouTube include:
However, limitations of YouTube include:
Vimeo is a video-sharing platform that has gained popularity among professional filmmakers and artists. It has a more polished and sophisticated look compared to YouTube and is known for its high-quality videos.
Benefits of Vimeo include:
However, limitations of Vimeo include:
TikTok is a video-sharing platform that has taken the world by storm, especially among younger audiences. It allows users to create short, entertaining videos set to music or audio clips.
Benefits of TikTok include:
However, limitations of TikTok include:
YouTube, Vimeo, and TikTok all have their benefits and limitations. Creators should consider their goals and target audience when choosing a video-sharing platform. While YouTube is great for building a large audience and monetizing content, Vimeo is better suited for high-quality, professional videos. TikTok, on the other hand, is great for short, entertaining content.
The hub and spoke model of content distribution refers to a system where there’s a central hub for all content; however, some of that content is also distributed out to other entities, the spokes. The spokes can be other video platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo, social media platforms, or any other mediums that distribute content. The hub and spoke model is often used by companies, brands, and individuals to increase their reach and visibility online. And it’s an effective way to engage with your audience where they are more frequently.
One of the main benefits of the hub and spoke model is that it allows content creators to focus on creating high-quality content while getting the benefits of additional platforms and sometimes built-in communities. By publishing content to spokes, content creators can leverage their existing audiences and reach new ones. This can lead to increased traffic, engagement, and brand recognition.
The hub and spoke model is commonly used in the media industry. For example, a newspaper might have its own website as the hub and distribute articles to other websites, such as social media platforms or other news aggregators, as spokes. This enables the newspaper to expand its audience and reach a wider range of readers.
Similarly, a television network might have a central website as the hub and distribute content to other platforms, such as YouTube or Facebook, as spokes. This strategy can help the network reach younger audiences who might not traditionally watch television, and can also help the network to monetize its content through advertising revenue.
Let’s look at an example of the hub and spoke model commonly used in the world of content creators. We often have our own website or blog as the hub and distribute content to other social media platforms as spokes. This can help the creator to build a loyal following and reach a wider audience. Let’s discuss this blog as an example. We have blog posts that have embedded YouTube videos. By keeping all our content on the blog, we give you one central location to find content. However, we know that many people also spend hours watching YouTube videos, and the platform itself has a built-in commenting feature. So why not also distribute to YouTube?
One of the challenges of the hub and spoke model is that it requires effective management of the distribution channels. You must ensure that the content is distributed to the spoke platforms in a timely and effective manner, and that the spoke platforms are aligned with the hub’s brand look and feel. Additionally, you’ll have more than one location to monitor and track the performance of the content to ensure it’s delivering value to you and your audience.
Another challenge is that the hub and spoke model can be vulnerable to changes in the distribution channels. For example, a video platform may change its policy on embedded media or the way that media plays outside of its core platform. This could lead to a loss of visibility, so it’s important to have a diverse set of spokes to mitigate this risk.
Despite these challenges, the hub and spoke model remains a popular and effective strategy for content distribution. By leveraging existing audiences and distribution channels, content creators can increase their reach and engagement while focusing on what they do best: creating high-quality content.
We covered a lot this month. We’ll revisit the hub and spoke model later in the series when we talk about nurturing growth and promotion.
Doing something new can have many starts and stops. My goal is that by August you’ll have found your passion for sharing.
The Build a Blog series has a goal to inspire you to create your own admin blog by Dreamforce 2023. You can catch up on the series with these posts:
And you can join the previous conversations in the Admin Trailblazers Group:
Also in the Admin Trailblazers Group, I’ve started a discussion about this post.
Let’s talk about your worries, concerns, or things you’d like me to address. We’re in this together.
I want to see what you’re building and help where I can, and I want you to feel like you’re part of a group of new bloggers who are building something special—because you are. You’re building a channel to share your most valuable asset—your voice and your perspective.
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