By Sean Ashcroft
ONE REASON the uptake of corporate blogging among businesses is so low is that blogging feels like a jungle to newcomers, and one that grows more tangled the further it's explored.
This is the same for all bloggers, corporate or otherwise. As a committed blogger I recall well the sensation of feeling overwhelmed by options at the outset. What type of blog to write? What subject? How to source content? How often to post? What blogging platform to use, and on what hosting solution? What design to choose? How to use SEO? How to market the blog?
Because it’s easy to lose sight of the wood for the trees, an effective way for a company to bring clarity to its attempt at engaging customers and clients through a business blog is to focus on the fundamentals.
Below are two such fundamentals. I’ve also thrown in a brace of corporate blog examples. One shows how a business blog should look when the basic rules are followed, while the other is a cautionary tale.
Corporate blog fundamentals: 1. Converse with your customers
In truth, businesses need answer a single question to determine if corporate blogging is right for them: "Are we happy to enter into a conversation with our customers?"
If the answer is 'Yes', then corporate blogging is made for you, and everything else will end up falling into place.
But if the reply is 'No', then forget it, because a corporate blog is not a corporate blog if you give people no platform for expressing their feelings about your brand and products or services.
Bloggers and blog fans are a mutually helpful global community (the so-called 'blogosphere'). Like Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, it's all about connecting. Without conversation, there is no connection.
Corporate blog fundamentals: 2. Don't self promote
Giving customers scope for comment is vital, but this alone isn't enough; you have to offer engaging content for them to comment upon. Filling a blog with updates about your products or services is like going to a party and bellowing your personal accomplishments through a megaphone.
Blatant self-promoters get hounded out of the blogosphere, with howls of derision helping them on their way.
Admittedly, corporate blogs do require a dash of public relations savvy, but corporate bloggers must understand the difference between subtle promotion and crass sales pitch. It's all about selling without selling. An article on mastering this art will follow later.
Corporate blog fundamentals: 3. Real world examples
In later articles, we'll also be exploring examples of good and bad corporate blogs in-depth, but for the moment I leave you with two blogposts, showing the best and worst of corporate blogging. You can draw your own conclusions about the relative merits of each.
The first corporate blogpost is from the VP of Toshiba Data Systems. The second is written by General Motor's head electric car guy.
About the author
As well as writing Planet Client, Sean Ashcroft is managing director of zyzzyva, a social media journalism agency helping small to medium sized businesses add social media strategies to the marketing mix.
Related posts
Embrace social media as a marketing tool
Corporate blogging: Why your business needs it
Why corporate blogging fears are unfounded
Corporate blogging: the secret of great content
Corporate Blogging Fundamentals
5 Jan 2010
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Planet Client is the only online editorial resource dedicated to giving small to medium sized enterprises a deeper understanding of how to win clients, retain clients and understand clients.
