Corporate Blogging: Do's And Don'ts
Author: Danny Wirken

The blogging phenomenon has started to make companies view the
potential benefits of corporate blogging. They all agree that
blogs achieve a mass media effect through the high level of
networking in the blogosphere wherein news disseminates very
rapidly. The blogosphere (online community of blogs and their
writings) has heralded a new communication tool that can
influence public opinion of a company. However, companies are
slow to react to the growing credibility of corporate blogs as
communication channels.

A recent list of Fortune 500 company blogs shows that only 5%
of the United States' corporations have joined the blogging
arena. Companies are treading this still unfamiliar territory
with caution and skepticism. Company executives, public
relations people and legal experts are just starting to figure
out how they can utilize the potential of business blogs
without subjecting themselves especially their companies to
possible complications. Indeed, some companies are hesitant to
plunge into the "scary" world of blogging for fear of
encountering legal and business risks inherent in blogging such
as libel, slander, lawsuits and disclosure of confidential and
proprietary information.

Despite the fear, some industry leaders like Microsoft, IBM,
Sun Microsystems and General Motors, to name a few, have dived
headlong into corporate blogging. These companies recognize
that a blog is an immensely effective yet low cost way to boost
corporate communications and marketing objectives and at the
same time connect with customers and prospects.

Basically, a blog (short for weblog) is published with easy to
use software that enables a blogger (blog author) to create and
update blog pages from which he can express his thoughts on a
particular subject. Written article on a blog is called a
"post" and can be linked to other blogs, websites, news
features, photo images and audio files. Links added to the text
of blog posts allow blog content to be indexed and accessed by
popular search engines such as Technorati and then disseminated
in the web.

A corporate blog makes it easy for readers, be they customers
or prospects, to find the latest and most accurate information
about its new products and services. It can help achieve
customer familiarity with the company products or services.
Through the corporate blog, a company can converse directly
with customers and prospects. Two-way communication creates
trust and builds customer relationships. A corporate blog is
the perfect choice for interacting with existing and potential
clients. Corporate blogging serves as a channel for a company
and its customers to meet on common ground and to know each
other more. A corporate blog allows a company to closely track
where and under what condition its products or services are
being discussed online. Through the corporate blog, a company
can keep an ear to the ground to hear what is being said about
the company and speaking up when the situation calls for it. A
more personal or understated benefit of a corporate blog is
that it gives a human face to a perceived faceless and detached
business entity. A corporate blog conjures images of people who
are passionate about their products or services and are eager
to engage customers and prospects.

It is a risky world out there and the blogosphere is no
exception. For companies who are contemplating on setting out
into the world of corporate blogging, it is in your best
interests to have knowledge of some basic dos and don'ts of
corporate blogging.

First on the agenda is do determine whether your company needs
a corporate blog. A blog might be inappropriate for your
company. Not all corporate cultures can tolerate the open,
direct communication inherent to make a corporate blog
successful. There are instances where blogs could not be
reconciled with business practices and regulations. Clearly,
there are risks to consider. Risks lie mainly in the content
and the character or tone of comments which admittedly can only
be censored to a limited degree.

If a corporate blog can fit your company culture, selecting the
individual or employee who will write your blog is doubtless to
say the most important decision. An ideal corporate blogger is
one who is an expert in his field. He should also write with
passion and sincerity. The object of your blog is to engage
your customers and prospects in conversation and the most
effective way to start a conversation is to be sincere and
honest in your blog while writing about topics that are
important to your company. He should have good writing skills.
More importantly, he should be one who is respected by his
peers and reacts calmly to outbursts. Blogging is an intense
medium. The individuals who will blog for your company should
be the ones who can keep their cool despite critical comments.
Most likely, the ideal individual is not your CEO. Corporate
speak won't thrive in the blogosphere.

In corporate blogging, goals/missions are of prime importance.
For a blog to yield value, it has to be created with specific
goals in mind. Some of these goals may be to increase company
credibility, enhance customer service and interaction, and give
customers a peek of the behind-the-scenes "feel" of the
corporate culture, showcase new products or services and more.
The important thing is to be clear about your goals. You have
to be sure about what you are trying to get done and stick to
them. As with any corporate undertaking, you also need to
periodically evaluate how well you are meeting these goals. If
blogging is proving to be futile, then make changes. If it
still does not work, then discontinue blogging.

Do take time to know your customers or prospects. Find out what
your audience care about, what they are interested in. You have
to identify what their needs are and what service you can
perform for them. To get their attention, work out a way to
participate in a conversation credibly. To be credible, come up
with worthwhile content – ideas, insights, news and information.
Content need not be long but should be interesting. Corporate
blogs should not veer away from its chosen categories or
topics. This is not to say you cannot be personal in your blog
posts because you should, but the audience you are trying to
connect with do not want to read through your blog if it is
injected with a litany of personal rumblings.

Do engage your audience in lively and substantial
conversations. Take into account what they say and reply to
their comments. Respond in a professional and businesslike
manner whether the comment is positive or negative. Allowing
comments from your audience will definitely mean some
complaints and criticisms. Don't take them personally. Respond
honestly and your company credibility will rise. Allowing
audience to make comments is a distinct characteristic of
blogs. Openness is important for successful blogging. That
said, use a feedback filter or comment moderation to monitor
and control comments and delete comment spam (useless
comments).

For a blog to accomplish its mission, do update regularly. Post
frequently and consistently, daily or weekly, at least. Do be
generous with your links. Linking is one reason why blogging
has become a popular online communication medium. The best
corporate blogs, more often than not, have lots of links in
each blog post.

Do draw up a set of corporate blogging policies. Set limits on
what information can be made public. Make clear what is allowed
and what is not. Legal issues crop up in blogging. It is better
to have some safety nets. In drafting blogging policies, it is
advisable to do some research on it and publish proposed
policies to get some feedback.

As for what not to do, do not close down existing employee
blogs. More often than not, an employee is already writing a
blog. It might be full of grievances about the recent spate of
oil increases or it could be snapshots of a relaxing vacation
in the Maldives. Maybe this employee is singing praises of the
company's new product. Why not engage this employee blogger in
a dialogue about what your corporate blog aims to achieve.
Don't wait for a crisis to break out before creating a
corporate blog. It takes time to see potential results of
blogging. Don't keep your corporate bloggers anonymous or
hidden behind some make-believe characters. The audience will
know and it will have detrimental effects.

Lastly, a blog is not a miracle cure. It will not
single-handedly turn your distressed company around. Corporate
blogging should be incorporated with other marketing and
communication tools to achieve desired results.


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