After researching the coffee mogul for other projects, I have now found myself frequently browsing their blog during my free time.
Starbucks’ blog is a professional one—although they do not post daily, there is no other way to classify the corporate giant. The blog is unique from any of the other social channels Starbucks runs. There are a few push marketing attempts with their rewards program, but majority of the site focuses on the aspects that make Starbucks, Starbucks!
For instance, the blog is organized into seven categories:
- Places– store tours
- Farm To Cup-farms where their coffee beans are produced
- Recipes- recipes for their famous coffee drinks
- Taste & Drinks-highlights individual drinks
- People- highlights baristas
- Cool Stuff Now-promotional category
- How To- steps in creating certain drinks
The blog’s content makes consumers feel more connected to the company. The behind the scene’s experience the blog produces makes the page appealing and exciting. These attributes coincide with Starbucks’ philosophy of community. That is one thing that is common throughout all their social media channels.
Speaking of social media, other than a subscription, those channels are the easiest pathways to the blog. Starbucks’ Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube have the link to their blog in the bios, and often post content that embeds a link to a blog post.
Everything Starbucks creates turns to gold, however, I would not consider their blog as one of their most successful means of communication. Their latest blog post was two days ago, and for a true successful professional blog, I would expect to see a bit more. Also, some of their categories only have two blog posts, which tells me the company does not put as much energy into their blogging, as their other social media platforms.
As a teacher, I frequently visit teacher blogs to get ideas for my classroom. I have come across 4 The Love of Teaching, and it has quickly become one of my favorites. A 5th grade teacher, Lana, runs this semi-professional blog. She does not post daily, in fact, she even has gone as a long as a month without posting material, but when she does, I truly enjoy the content.
Through the title and content of the blog, it is not hard to realize her purpose is to reach teachers and provide ideas for the classroom. Every picture she posts can be pinned to Pinterest with one simple click of a photo. Different from other blogs I follow, Lena allows people to purchase her products easily off of her blog. She has a category that is linked to her TeacherPayTeachers product page, which allows users to stay on her blog and purchase items. This is also what makes Lena’s page semi-professional and not just recreational.
She has sharing buttons that allow viewers to share her posts, which will increase traffic to her page. All of Lena’s posts are original, which is what frequently grasps my attention. Looking at her archive, her original posts date back to 2011, which reflects her longevity and dedication to her craft. Though she does not have any advertisers, I’d imagine companies like Barnes & Noble, Crayola, or other products used daily in classrooms would be suitable.
I know how time consuming and tiring being a teacher can be, but I would like to see her post more content—just because it’s so good!
New Year’s Resolution—up my fashion game! So naturally, the first thing I did was search the top fashion blogs of 2015, which brought me to Song of Style. I mean, how can you not be drawn to a blog with such a creative name?
This semi-professional style blog does not post daily, but efficiently informs its followers with new trends in fashion and interior design and has a high search engine optimization. Much like the other two blogs I’ve highlights, Song of Style allows easy access to “ Two Songs” which is where Aimee Song sells her clothing and products. To increase traffic between her blog and where she makes her profit, she lists all her social media channels and allows sharing options. In fact, she does not have much information about herself on her blog, but encourages you to follow her social media pages to find out more. Her about me page is a link to a video, which is posted on YouTube.
Song of Style uses a lot more videos than some of the other blogs that I have viewed. She has over a million views and about 50,000 subscribers on YouTube, which creates a large highway to and from her blog. Aimee also has a unique way of creating harmony between all her categories, such as matching style with travel, and interior design with outfits.
She posts a lot of original contents, especially those with her clothing, but she incorporates a lot of outside products, which places her in an excellent position for advertisement opportunities. Aimee even has a link for professional and advertising inquires, where she still stays true to her brand by adding a little of her sense of humor.
Out of all the blogs I’ve researched, Song of Style is definitely in the lead for creativity and originality.
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