Everyone is writing a blog these days, and not just individuals who seek to update the world on what they ate for lunch or what they think about Britney Spears hosting the Video Music Awards. Corporations are the biggest entity to jump on the blogging bandwagon in 2007 and 2008 (everyday, more and more appear and have become an integral part of a company’s marketing message).
If you haven’t thought much about a corporate blog for your business, or have one, but aren’t sure exactly what to do next, I’ve gathered a few “next action” steps for you to consider.
1. What is the blog supposed to do? Drive traffic to your company’s blog? Show potential customers who you are? Become a resource for clients so that they trust you to get them the best information out there? If you do it right, according to Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, who wrote the 2006 blogging book, Naked Conversations, your blog should do all of the above and more.
2. What’s the blog’s theme? Gossip about movie stars? Book reviews? What you ate for lunch? (If you need a list of blogs that do report what they eat for lunch every day, I’ve got them.) Or perhaps something more specific to your business, say new audio equipment reviews, how to troubleshoot a leaky faucet, the best time to thatch your lawn.
3. Do you want to run ads? For who? How many ads? This can become a second business all by itself. You can have Google place ads on your blog, or you can sell ad space yourself. For most companies, selling ad space to competitors just won’t cut it, so perhaps you want to sell to partners, other businesses in your field who complement your services and products. This is a big step, so tread lightly.
4. How do you handle comments? What do you do if someone attacks? Are the comments moderated? Do you have someone responding to all the comments as soon as they are posted? Are you willing to continue a conversation in comments or do you move it to private email? Are you able to respond in a good customer service manner to someone who is not happy with you and decides to start commenting on a continual basis?
5. Do you have something to say? What are you going to say? Above all, be interesting. Be passionate. Say it like you talk, be the person people want to listen to multiple times a week. Be real. Don’t hide behind human resources or marketing. Be a three-dimensional personality so that your clients and customers can really see and hear you. A conversation requires two parties and you’ve got to be willing to get out there so that your clients can reach you.
A blog is quite the accomplishment, truly a helpful forum for a business seeking to expand their presence in the online world. Go for it!
