Start a corporate blog

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

The blogging phenomenon has grown enormously in the last couple of years. But blogging is not only a matter for fashionistas, politicians and soccer fans. Companies have also begun to understand the pros of gathering thoughts, opinions and information in the blog format, easily reached by customers, partners, press and other interested parties. Has your company not yet understood the possibilities of blogging? Here are the arguments for starting a corporate blog.

Who should blog?

Corporate blogs come in different shapes with different sources.  A blog written by the CEO is often very much appreciated, but also board members, marketing managers, information directors and other key players have a lot of information and knowledge to share. The tech department can blog about the development of new products and single employees can write about projects, activities and the corporate culture. Another interesting angle is reached by allowing the new employee, intern or student worker to blog about their new work place. 

Why should you blog?

The benefits of blogging are various. A well written and up-to-date blog can be an important part of your company’s communication, it strengthens the brand and through it you can create relationships with customers, journalists, investors, employees and other target groups. By blogging you also have a chance to not only part take but also lead discussions and position your company as thought-leader and expert in your business field.

The blog is a complement to other forms of communication like the corporate web site, press releases and white papers, but it is a more informal way of presenting information. A press release has to be proof read, approved and sent at the exact the right time, and there is no way to undo and correct it once it has been sent. A blog post can always be edited and added on later.

The content of the corporate websites is often pretty static with the same information posted month after month, with the exception of some press releases and news items. By adding one or a couple of blogs the corporate site is frequently updated on its content. Aside from alluring interested visitors back to your site the blog format is also a great advantage when it comes to search engine optimization. Google likes blogs!

In the end, one of the most important benefits of having a corporate blog is that it facilitates and encourages two-way communication. Get feedback from you customers in the product development phase, listen to your fellow experts in the business and acknowledge what people are saying about your company, all in your own blog comment field.

How to get started and what to think about?

Be clear about who owns the blog and writes the information. To create a blog for marketing the brand of products and at the same time try to appear as an independent third party, or to let the information department ghost-write the ‘CEO blog’ is unethical and will be quite embarrassing at the inevitable disclosure.

A blog is supposed to be used in two-way communication. Don’t remove the comment field and allow negative comments. It is better to handle the critique directly on your own turf, than having people talk about your company where you have no influence over the conversation. However, it is always necessary to moderate the comments and remove offensive content.

Use the tools available in your blog system. Add sound clips, images and videos to enhance your message. Allow the readers to subscribe to the blog by e-mail and RSS and insert links to social bookmarking sites like Delicious.

Not all blog posts have to be long insightful articles with tons of facts. If time is short and inspiration low you can always post interesting links, refer to new reports, inform about trade shows and other activities or comment on current news. The best inspiration for all would-be-bloggers is to first become active blog readers.