Page 149 - Social Media Marketing

BIogging Your Way to Credibility 133

Add a Style with Design (Presentation) Templates

One of the great things about blogs is that you can easily post content
to the Web without having to learn or deal with complicated HTML
(hypertext markup language), the codes that control the look and
layout of Web pages. Blogging allows you to publish content by
typing into a form and then clicking the "publish" button.

The HTML and CSS (cascading style sheets) codes are stored
in design templates (often called presentation templates) that are in-
cluded with most blogging platforms. The design templates control
the look and layout of your blog. You can choose from one-, two-,
or three-column templates to apply an overall layout to your blog.
These design templates also contain the codes that control fonts,
type sizes, and colors; control the appearance of headings, bulleted
lists, and numbered lists; and ensure that each page on your blog
has a consistent design.

Perhaps the coolest and most convenient aspect of design tem-
plates is that you can select a different template or customize
the template at any time to change the look and layout of ev-
ery single page of your blog, without touching the content. Any
changes you make are automatically applied to every single page of
yourblog!

Build Community

Another feature that makes blogging a perfect fit for sales and mar-
keting is that an intriguing blog will draw a following and help
foster a sense of community. Visitors can come to the blog, read
the daily or weekly posting, and even post their own responses to
individual blog entries, helping to stitch the tapestry that defines
the blog. Some blogs draw hundreds of thousands of visitors every
day, engaging large online communities in dynamic discussions.
This enables you to establish yourself as a credible, trustworthy ex-
pert on your products and services. As every salesperson is well
aware, credibility and trust sell more product.