How my post on 'snow and ice' gains traction with two different audiences

I use Wordpress to produce Chimney Safety Institute of America's popular "Wisdom from the Hearth" external corporate blog site. It receives tremendous traction, with outstanding returns from Google Search. One thing I always desire -- with any piece of content -- is extended shelf life.

That occurred in this post, "Snow and Ice" regarding a huge snowstorm in Buffalo. I'm talking huge, even beyond the 1 or 2 foot storms that plague the northeast in wintertime.

We've all seen on the news and on social media about the incredible snowfall totals produced in different parts of the United States this winter.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America reminds homeowners in the impacted areas that chimneys and vents for solid fuel and gas appliances must be cleared of snow and ice to enable proper venting and to prevent any carbon monoxide accumulation. Both are very real dangers. Don't assume that the hot air from a fire will cause sufficient melting. 

That post got 101 views in November 2014 (when it published originally) and 30 more views in December 2014, and that's about typical for a topical piece. But it picked up 983 views in 2015 (664 in February alone) because of record snow that fell in Massachusetts. I could see on the search engines what was occurring. I even screengrabbed the post, on Twitter, view it here:

Using stock photos for blog or e-mail? Can it!

I returned to active "content" publishing with this post after I was invited to be a LinkedIn publisher. After you've been in newspapers for two decades, it can take a while to find your niche again regarding long-form writing.

Even more important than what you say is, why you are saying it. I now conclude my posts with this tagline:

Former journalist Tom Spalding applies lessons learned from 20 years in the newsroom to today's communications world. You can reach him on Twitter @spaldobusiness.

The blog entry opens, "The smartest people I know in social sharing use the dumbest crutch when it comes to blog posts and e-mail newsletters. Stock photo usage is running rampant thanks to images now available for as little as $1 per download. Canned, generic imagery featuring smiling actors or Photoshopped items obviously serves a need for time-pressed creatives, but in my opinion is killing the very content it was designed to enhance."

You can read the entire article on my LinkedIn/Pulse page!

Multimedia used as part of work, nonprofit promotions

Some videos I have been involved with, either on-camera, behind the camera, produced and edited, or both!

2014

"Friends of Indiana Disaster Search Dogs," introduced live on WISH-TV Channel 8 at Indy Humane Society Mutt Strut, 2014.

"The sound of masonry flue tile in a chimney fire," CSIA Chimney Safety Institute of America, 2014. Shot/edited/produced by Tom Spalding.

"Be on the Top of Your Game," 2014, a promotional video of footage I compiled from archive footage or myself, all interviews done by me, the video package put together by me."

Appearance in several videos associated with the surprise tornado that struck near our CSIA facility. WRTV-TV Channel 6. The recap spot, the phone interview with RTV6 anchor Todd Connor, the interview on the 11 p.m. news. 

2013

"Self-playing guitar," ITT Technical Institute, 2013. Shot by students in Colorado; students were instructed how to do filming and submitted footage to Tom Spalding, who edited and produced this piece from Indianapolis

"Employer Video testimonials" from companies that hired ITT Tech graduates, 2013. Video clips were edited by Tom Spalding, using footage supplied by ITT Tech campuses from coast to coast. We used these to not only air on YouTube, but to identify employers to use in nationally broadcast television commercials

2012

"Rolls-Royce at Indy Air Show," 2012 … Shot/edited/produced by Tom Spalding

2011
Rolls-Royce hosts Navy flights [segment I promoted that aired on WTHR-TV Channel 13]

[segment that aired on FOX-TV Channel 59]

2009

"Parking Meter Hogs," 2009, project at Indianapolis Star … Shot/edited/produced by Tom Spalding

Storifys … (multimedia, a round-up/aggregation of content, with words and pictures).

Profiling April 2014 chimney fires for CSIA public awareness efforts.

Promoting the National Chimney Sweep Guild's 2014 convention in March 2014.
Recapping the "Social Media Influencers at Brickyard 400" in July 2014.

Tom & the tornado

In all my years as a reporter covering weather-related breaking news, I've never actually witnessed a tornado. I did this day! I used Storify to chronicle the experience.

https://storify.com/CSIA/a-tornado-just-north-of-the-csia-tech-center

Outreach to America's chimney sweeps

In my time as communications and marketing director of the Chimney Safety Institute of America, the marketing department (in concert with our education director and executive director) really looked forward to strengthening the quality and quantity of communications with the people who have invested time and energy into obtaining the various credentials that our educational institute offers to sweeps.

In winter 2014, we started beefing up our monthly 4-page insert in the edition of Sweeping magazine, a publication put out by the National Chimney Sweep Guild.



Some editions to view: 
May 2014: Highlight - New CSIA President Mark A. Stoner establishes ambitious goal to raise CCS totals.
June 2014: Highlight -CSIA board OKs new memorandum of understanding with NADCA on C-DET certification.
July 2014: Highlight -A new class on the chimney fire whitepaper, plus health and safety.
August 2014: Highlight - Our gas hearth appliance training class.

In June 2014, we started a new monthly e-mail to our C-DET and CCS credential holders, using an old name I found for print e-newsletters: CSIAccess. This was followed up by a July 2014 email. Open rates for these were 39.8 percent, three times the industry average.

I believe nothing is new, but what is old can be new again. 

Welcome to my blog home

*My LinkedIn profile

*My Storify collection *My favorite assignments as a reporter.

*The topics I talk about on my Vizify bio.

*My Klout profile