Aug07

All of that Worry and Then . . .

View Comments

Ah finally, an organization gets up the courage to start blog. Maybe they’ve even had one that has gone horribly wrong before. This time they’re careful. They do it right.

  1. They decide on their blogging goal — to inform; to be a thought leader; to change the face of the company and so on — before they start.
  2. They choose a blogger who has a head and a heart that are connected to each other and in good working order.
  3. The blogger chosen has a passion for writing, for the industry, and for the organization with all of its warts.
  4. The organization trusts the blogger to represent its best interests — that means that the organization steps back and lets the blogger work.
  5. The blogger manages the blog the way any top-notch manager would lead any project with care for the customers.
  6. The blog is launched with 10 posts already written, so that readers who show up have more to read if they like the first one.
  7. Appropriate promotional tools and links have made the blog something customers know about

And then. . .

After all of that worry about negative comments, people come. People read. The stat counter shows they do, but no one comments at all. Not even one person. OR maybe it’s only a few shallow comments to say welcome.

All of that fear, for naught. The problem is actually the opposite of what the organization had worried about.

This probably happens more often than companies are prepared for and why not? People often don’t know what to say when they first meet someone. Sales reps know to leave room for customers to talk. Bloggers learn how to do the same thing.

Business blogging, like all business, is relationships. This is just one more way it’s the same as what organizations are already doing.

Liz Strauss

 

  • http://www.cblohm.com CB

    Another excellent analogy – sales reps know when to leave room for customers to talk. Well done.

  • http://www.cblohm.com CB

    Another excellent analogy – sales reps know when to leave room for customers to talk. Well done.

  • http://www.lettingmebe.blogspot.com Liz Strauss

    Hi CB,
    Just trying to show that everyone already knows how to do this. :)

  • http://www.lettingmebe.blogspot.com Liz Strauss

    Hi CB,
    Just trying to show that everyone already knows how to do this. :)

  • http://beginningblogger.wordpress.com Roberto Sanchez

    “Business blogging…is relationships”

    A great quote if I ever saw one. Let’s just hope it’s a mutually benefitial relationship and not a one-sided one.

    Business blogs tend to be more like a “Memoboard for the outsiders.” It’s more of advertisements rather than establishing relationships with the customer base.

    Sorry to be so pessimistic about this. I just have not seen a good corporate blog yet.

  • http://beginningblogger.wordpress.com Roberto Sanchez

    “Business blogging…is relationships”

    A great quote if I ever saw one. Let’s just hope it’s a mutually benefitial relationship and not a one-sided one.

    Business blogs tend to be more like a “Memoboard for the outsiders.” It’s more of advertisements rather than establishing relationships with the customer base.

    Sorry to be so pessimistic about this. I just have not seen a good corporate blog yet.

  • http://www.lettingmebe.blogspot.com Liz Strauss

    Hi Roberto,
    I feel a need to ask you to reconsider.
    On Successful Blog we’re having a discussion about why folks don’t comment. One reason given is that they feel they’ve taken away what they need to. Some folks are readers who will never comment. That doesn’t necessarily reflect on the blogger’s effectiveness.

    I’m interested in how you’re defining corporate blog. I think Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems has a great blog.

  • http://www.lettingmebe.blogspot.com Liz Strauss

    Hi Roberto,
    I feel a need to ask you to reconsider.
    On Successful Blog we’re having a discussion about why folks don’t comment. One reason given is that they feel they’ve taken away what they need to. Some folks are readers who will never comment. That doesn’t necessarily reflect on the blogger’s effectiveness.

    I’m interested in how you’re defining corporate blog. I think Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems has a great blog.

blog comments powered by Disqus