In my own blogging experience, I’ve found three cornerstones to building a strong and thriving blog that contributes positive value and relevance to the Internet. I’ve written about them in an article at Successful-Blog, Content that Keeps Readers. The three cornerstones are
- Original, quality content that contributes something new and worthwhile to the global conversation.
- Presentation that supports the content and makes accessing that content easier.
- An authentic and informed blogger who is passionate, writes well, and cares about readers..
Without all three of these, in my opinion, what you have is something other than a blog to work with.
Late in February, Matthew Boyle of Fortune Mazazine did an article, Do’s and don’ts of corporate blogging, that took a similar approach to corporate blogging. As part of the article he queried, Technorati founder and CEO, David Sifry about why corporations are being slow to try their hand at blogging. This was the reply that Mr. Boyle reported.
It’s not hard to fathom why. “It’s scary,” says Technorati founder and CEO David Sifry. “The lesson everyone learns in Marketing 101 is, ‘Control the message.’ Blogging puts that on its head, and that’s very frightening.”
It seems Matthew Boyle knows a bit about blogging himself, however, because he goes on to offer advice well worth following. Here are his ideas and mine blended together.
1. Know where your company should be blogging. Cultures that do well are those that have faith in their employees. Choose someone who can write well, with a warm, authentic, voice of authority. Make sure that someone likes people and likes blogging.
2. Know that your blogger is passionate about your company and about knowing your audience. A bond between readers and blogger are the magic formula that makes blogging work. Readers come back to a blog to visit the blogger.The blogger needs to share in the experiences and feeling of his or her readers. The same holds true if you’re using a team blog, everyone needs to be working together and passionately involved with the subject.
3. If those two things are happening, then your blogger will engage your readers. Blogs are interactive. That’s why I read them. I could probably find most of the same information elsewhere, but I can’t find the interaction with the same people. I can’t find the place where folks know my name elsewhere.
4. Keep up and share link love. Folks who read blogs spend 11% more time online reading, and they like to know that you do a little of the same thing. Most of them will be bloggers too. Sharing links with them makes them feel a part of your blog. That’s important, especially if you believe in word-of-mouth marketing.
5. Mr. Boyle says, “Cover your rear.” I think I would say, “Learn from a pro and keep learning.” Set up some rules to start with, but know that if you choose your blogger well chances are you won’t have a big problem. So much depends on your company culture and whether you should be blogging to start with. (See point 1.)
Blogging is a great way to offer your customers a human face that represents your company. Someone that they can ask when they have questions or point to and say, “Hey, I know Liz and say she said that isn’t so. . .” when they hear something that isn’t true.
Your company blog won’t save you from bad business decisions, but it might help you find some customers you never would have found.
Liz Strauss
