This blogging workshop was carefully designed to create confidence in the students so they could use their personal voice and express their blogging skills. The structure of the blogging workshop guided all attendees into the professional blogging mindset and helped them craft their own posts in real time.

Nothing is more rewarding than seeing our students thriving into their own blogging journey. Today Charikleia Sachpazidou is sharing her point of view about our blogging workshop in Athens. We are really glad that she took the next step and we can’t wait to see more of her work published on blogs.

Blogging Workshop in Athens

Opinion by Charikleia Sachpazidou

Blogging or content creation is a fundamental element in versatile marketing campaigns. According to Areti Vassou, founder of Ideadeco Digital Marketing Agency and Blogging Trainer, during the last month, more than 4.4 million blog posts were published online! Now do the math. This means that each minute there are about 102 new blog posts available online.

But is blogging everyone’s thing?

About two months ago, I came across an intensive online seminar on web development, organized by Social Hackers Academy. Part of this course was a 2,5-hour workshop dedicated to blogging. Till then, my writing experience was very little, so I got pretty excited about this opportunity. In fact, I am this kind of nerdy kid that always wants to learn something new. This article summarizes how this workshop changed my way of seeing blogging. Contents:

• Blogging, microblogging, and…other tales from the blogosphere.
• Do your homework first. Always.
• Quantity over quality? Not quite sure.
• Appearance is essential. Let the images unfold their power.
• Check your content again and again…and once again.
• Consume, Reuse, Recycle (or how to reuse your published content)
• Consistency is the key to success.
• Release your creativity.

Blogging, microblogging, and… other tales from the lively blogosphere

Consider blogging an advanced, evolving organism. Since its first launch back in the 1990s blogging has dramatically changed. Back then it was more about sharing, than worrying too much for data and SEO. From personal blogs that provided a glimpse into the author’s life to modern microblogging and social media, blogging is here to stay and that’s for sure. Yet, don’t expect it to be the same in the next few years. In fact, you should always be open to any new updates and perspectives and willing to learn more.

Do your homework first, always

Blogging is not rocket science, but before you get your feet wet, make sure you’ve done your homework right. Finding information about a subject requires a significant amount of energy spent on research. Choose reliable sources. A well-rounded perspective on a topic is essential before you start the ball rolling.

Quantity over quality? Not quite sure

Despite what people say, when it comes to blogging size does matter. A typical blog post should -at least- contain 500 words, whilst 1500 is optimal. This is crucial to search engine ranking. However, a well-structured, high-quality content is bound to work as well. Blogging has its own best practices and you have to abide by its rules.

Keep your blog post-minimal and integrate catchy titles to help your readers skim the text easily. Provide them with added value by trying to be as relevant as possible. Refine your content carefully and select the appropriate keywords. Make sure they appeal both to your audience and the search machines. Simplicity is an important ingredient; if anything, there is no need for sophisticated words, but genuine clean lines that deliver the message to your following.

Appearance is essential

Let the images unfold their power. They say “a picture is worth a thousand words” and there is no doubt about it. The use of images enhances the ties with your readers. Top-notch visuals, such as photographs, infographics, and videos are an easy way to portray your words while keeping your reader excited.

Use attractive pictures that captivate your audience’s attention. Combine them with enticing captions that showcase your talented writing and artistic taste. But don’t forget; when it comes to visual content, balance is the key. You don’t want to overwhelm your audience with too many photos. The right ratio of images to text depends on the type of content you wish to deliver.

Check your content again and again… and once more

So, you’ve put lots of effort into creating your blog post and you are ready to click the “Publish” button. Still, before you do that, I dare you; check your content once again. You’ll be surprised by how many small details have escaped your attention. Scan your text for grammar mistakes and improve your SEO and vocabulary. Make sure your work shines.

Consume, Reuse, Recycle (or how to reuse your published content)

Content comes in many types, such as blog posts, guides, webinars, videos, and many more. In this regard, a good practice would be to repurpose a data-proven appealing content by converting its format to fit your audience’s needs. This encourages your audience to engage with you in diverse and unique ways. Deliver your bestselling ideas in new contexts and give alternative rendering to your texts. For example, try converting a blog post into a quiz, an e-book, or a podcast.

Consistency is the key to success

If you are serious about content creation, then look no further than your Google Calendar. Do you have a list of your upcoming blog posts? Do you have a clear image of your monthly blogging workload? Do you commit daily to a certain plan of action?

Creating a strategy about the frequency and the content you want to deliver, not only keeps you on track, but it’s also a great tool to enhance your audience engagement. Your readers will rest assured that they will access their favorite content on time and create a special bond with you. Apart from that, some social media penalize users with inconsistent online behavior, meaning that the less you
post the more likely it is to lose even your most supporting aficionados.

Release your creativity

I’ve joined the blogging community having very little experience in content creation, but here I am, writing this blog post for you. One thing I will definitely keep in mind from this workshop is that there is still plenty of room if you want to take up blogging as a full-time job.

It just takes a little bit of courage to unfold the career prospects in this super exciting, evolving industry. Still, before you embark on your blogging journey, make sure you develop your own tone of voice to deliver authentic content and distinguish yourself in the field.

Two days after completing this workshop I created my own personal account on Medium, as Areti encouraged us to do, and started planning on my first blog post topic. No one knows how this attempt will end, but either successful or not, but I am willing to take the most out of it.

See you on the next one!

About Charikleia Sachpazidou

Charikleia is an Economist specialized in Business Administration with a major interest in International Marketing & Sales, currently working on improving inbound and digital marketing skills. Mostly intrigued by consumer behavior, as well as market research and data.

Her main professional competencies involve Product Management, International Marketing & Sales, E-commerce, Digital/Social Media Marketing, Data Analysis, Cost Accounting. Also, she is fascinated with digital photography, multimedia editing and traveling.

Find more about her professional journey on her LinkedIn account.

Blogging Workshop at SHA

Areti Vassou: Our two intensive Blogging Workshops at Social Hackers Academy have been successfully completed. The Workshops were part of the program “Women Going Digital” which was implemented with the support and funding of the Latsis Foundation. The program was designed by the Diotima Center, with long experience in women’s empowerment, and Social Hacker Academy, specializing in technological education.
 

During the Blogging Workshops the students learned how to:

• Create new content for their blog
• Apply keyword research
• Implement SEO best practices
• Adopt the best Content Marketing Strategies
• Brand Positioning for their blog
• Add different types of elements into their blog posts
• Get familiar with the blogging community & networking guidelines
• Explore potential blogging business opportunities

The main training goal was to enrich women’s digital soft & hard skills. According to research data, women are under-represented in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), facing difficulties both in their inclusion in the digital labor market and in their daily lives.

Blogging can support our efforts to create the life we want.

Once you decide to engage professionally then it pays off. When we are ready to let go of what is familiar in order to create a new chapter for us then we tend to open up in the wildness of the unknown. Offer your caring attention generously and you will be surprised how joy, happiness, and creativity will find ways to return back to you.

I am grateful for having the opportunity to teach new bloggers how to blog. They helped me to become a better listener and to reconnect with the joy of doing something new. Also, they helped me to improve the quality of the Blogging Workshop. Thank you so much! – Areti Vassou, Founder of Ideadeco.co

*Cover photo & Pinterest visual credits: Charikleia Sachpazidou