Right now, thousands of companies are using corporate blogging as a means of reaching out to new customers. This means that the field is incredibly crowded and getting more so every day. How do you get your blog to stand out from the crowd? It can be complicated at times, but there are several techniques that you can use to make sure that your blog gets noticed and that you beat your competitors.

1. Put a name and a face on your blog.

Don’t make the mistake of anonymous blogging. Many businesses owners make this mistake because they are not willing to put their employees or themselves out in the public eye. The result is a static blog that is boring and unpersonable. You will need to give a name, even if it is just your first name if you want your blog to be successful. A picture is also useful, but if you don’t feel comfortable with that, you’re going to have to use your personality to create that picture in the minds of your readers.

2. Blog about the right topics.

The blogs that get read find a way to mix current events in with their regular company news. The more topics you cover, the better your chances are of being discovered. Read through your competitor’s blogs and see what they are doing. Find out how you can do it better. It’s ok to have a few posts on your blog that may not be directly related to what you do. This helps build up your readership. However, it is important to find some way to relate every post you make to your company or your industry. Otherwise, your readers could get confused.

3. Allow your readers to comment.

It can be pretty scary to open up your blog to comments from your readers. However, this is a risk that pays off by allowing your readers to feel as though they are a part of what you are doing. If you do allow comments, it is alright to moderate them to avoid having a disaster occur, but you should allow some freedom of discussion. Many businesses make the mistake of talking at their readers instead of talking to them. By using comments, you can avoid this common mistake and ensure that your readers will feel that they matter to you.

4. Have fun.

The most common problem that all corporate bloggers face is that their industry may be a bit boring. There is a way to have fun with your posts, stay relevant to your topic and stay professional. If your blog makes you snore, what is it doing to your readers. Change it up every now and again and keep it lighthearted.

In order to avoid many of these pitfalls, it is a good idea to work with someone that is familiar with blog management. You’ll be able to get the benefit of their expertise and they can help you leverage your blog for success.

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Originally posted 2008-07-16 05:05:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Do you want to utilize social media to the best of its capabilities with your corporate blog? Here are ten secrets that the best social media users are utilizing in order to boost the capabilities of their blogs and other websites.

1 – Do your research!

Why? Because every single successful marketing strategy is based on solid research. You cannot go blindly onto a social media site and expect to get immediate success by submitting your content. Find social media sites that work well in conjunction with your niche.

2 – Interact with the community as much as possible.

Do not completely ignore the community as many social media marketers do , but instead get involved because this is what social media is really all about. Take advantage of the social nature of the platform and interact for better success in your corporate blogging and social media endeavors.

3 – Write FOR your audience.

If you want your content to be hot, and even viral, then you need to write for your audience on these social media sites. Interact with the community and get to know its members, learning about their likes and dislikes for example. Learn what gets the most attention and cater to it the best you can.

4 – Shoot for relevancy at all times.

Relevance is the true key to effective social media marketing. Look at Digg, StumbleUpon and other social networking and social media sites for proof of this fact.

5 – Keep your writing short.

Internet users do not tend to enjoy reading long text passages, preferring instead to scan anything that they are interested in. Be accommodating by keeping your content short.

6 – Good design.

When users come to your page, are they greeted with a design that is clean and welcoming in nature? If not, they may leave! To combat this, simply focus on presenting a good design and you will go far.

7 – Stop trying to make sales.

Another rookie mistake that is commonly made in social media marketing is to try ands ell your products. Promoting your brand is a good thing, but if all you are doing is pimping your products then you are never going to get any respect in the social networking world.

8 – Create Outstanding Headlines.

Your story may be excellent, but your headline is what sells. If you want attention when it comes to social media, you need to have an absolutely killer headline otherwise users will not notice what you are posting.

9 – Help Others Out.

If you want to become a top user or a popular user, you have to help others out rather than simply submitting and promoting the content that you write.

10 – Convert the hottest content.

Capitalize on hot content as often as you can. Make the attention that you garner last for as long as you possibly can by creating more posts to follow the hot ones so visits can read not only your popular post, but also your newer content as well.

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Originally posted 2008-11-18 05:37:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Once you know what niche or industry you will be blogging about, the next step in the process that you need to consider before you actually begin writing is some basic blog design tips. When designing and modeling your blog, you absolutely need to be able to keep your readers in mind. You need to create a design that has enough individuality and pizzazz that it will attract new visitors to your blog, but your design should also be comfortable and warm so that readers will return again and again, and striking this balance is not always simple. Here are five tips that will help you create a design for your corporate blog that is balanced between appealing and comfortable.

1 – Choose your blog theme wisely.

The blog theme that you choose should correspond with whatever industry or niche you have decided to blog about. Don’t go off target when it comes to pictures, symbols and other visual aids if they do not have relevancy or a relationship with the niche you are writing about. Your blog theme may be a subtle part of your blog but it is a vital one all the same, reinforcing the affiliation of your blog with the niche or industry that you are promoting.

2 – Introduce yourself so that your audience can get to know you.

Every blog should feature either an about me page, or an about me section where you can introduce yourself to those who are reading your blog. Tell your readers who you are and why you are blogging about the topic you are in, and even more importantly, what objectives you hope to fulfill by blogging. Your readers will appreciate getting to know you.

3 – Offer your readers methods for contacting you.

Do not keep your contact information obscure or hide it from your readers all together. Your readers should have easy access to you through a phone number or e-mail. This has a very powerful effect on building relationships with your readers and customers so do not underestimate its importance when styling your corporate blog.

4 – Make your best work easy to find.

If you write something that attracts more readers or more commenters than usual, make this post more readily available by categorizing it separately or linking it in a section on your sidebar, such as the “Most popular entries” section so that these posts can be regularly read and accessed by your readers and customers in the future.

5 – Make your blog visually appealing as well as easy on the eyes.

This one ought to be pretty straight forward – Don’t jazz your blog up too much with eye catching details because they can strain the eyes and cause difficulty reading. Good fonts to use include Times New Roman, Georgia and Arial. If you want to get a little fancy without sacrificing readability, consider Calibri. You can’t go wrong with dark fonts on light backgrounds, which are the easiest for readability.

Photo Credit: 1

Originally posted 2009-01-30 05:59:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Although corporate blogging can be a powerful tool, there is a time when it can get pretty dicey. Without proper management, a blog can be a disaster that can end up ruining your corporate image. Let’s take a look at three examples of the good, bad and ugly in the world of corporate blogging.

The Good

A good corporate blog finds the balance between being personable and professional. This is a juggling act, but when it’s done right, the result is a successful blog that builds a solid relationship with the public. The best example of a good corporate blog is Sun Microsystems. They’ve allowed their employees as well as management to post blogs on anything under the sun and the result has been terrific in the blogging community. Readers feel connected with the company and they can now put faces with a big corporation. This company has long been a leader in the corporate blogging world and they are a very good example to emulate.

The Bad

Walmart is a terrific example of corporate blogging gone bad. They set up a blog that was supposed to be written by a couple that was traveling the US in an RV and staying at Walmarts. The only thing that was not mentioned was that Walmart was sponsoring this as a corporate blog – not as a personal endeavor as the creators originally claimed. The blogosphere soon found out and the result was scorn. This did not do Walmart’s image any favors and they quickly retired the blog in question and have not made any new overtures.

A lot can be learned from this debacle. Never try to masquerade a corporate blog as anything but a corporate blog. It will backfire.

The Ugly

Earthlink’s blog is perhaps the most notorious. The company already has customer service issues and a lot of ill will already. When they debuted the blog, they were opening themselves up to a whole new host of problems. First, they didn’t allow comments, then they did, then they didn’t and the cycle continued. The posts ended up addressing constant controversy instead of addressing any key issues for the company. They simply could not surmount these obstacles and the blog was eventually cancelled.

For this lesson – make a decision and stick to it. Otherwise you look wishy washy. If you have trouble with customer service, a blog may not be the best idea. Don’t open your company up to problems right off the bat if you are concerned that the blog will turn into a public bashing forum for your company. This was a bad decision on the part of Earthlink and one that they undoubtedly regretted. Instead of fixing their image, they ended up reinforcing bad publicity.

The best way to ensure that your corporate blog joins the ranks of The Good in blogging is to work with a management company that can help you navigate the treacherous waters of blogging. With their help, you can avoid falling into The Bad or The Ugly categories.

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Originally posted 2008-08-08 05:16:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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As corporate blogging maintains a stronger foothold on in many industries, companies are seeking ways to take their efforts to the next level. If you’re interested in growing  your blog’s audience and you want to engage your readers, you may want to consider trying a technique known as live blogging.

This is best illustrated by the activity that surrounds an upcoming launch and the subsequent blitz of a new Apple product. Weeks, if not months, before Apple releases something new, bloggers go to work talking about it, building up buzz and creating a frenzy. Then, as the day of the release gets closer, they kick it up a notch and get prepared. On launch day, many bloggers will be present in the audience and they will be blogging live about what is happening, in real time.

These blogs are always interesting to read, because they have that real time element and the excitement is palpable. You may not be Apple, but there are ways that you can use live corporate blogging to enhance your company, engage your readers and build up momentum to promote your new products.

The first step is to plan out an actual campaign for your live blogging efforts. Take the time to read through other live blogging events and their aftermath. You can learn a lot by taking the time to learn about any mistakes that were made, and how you can utilize the same exact tips in your business. You’ll also need to plan a big event, one that will interest your visitors and is large enough to generate buzz.

For example, a launch that covers a new type of dental floss may not be very exciting. However, a launch about a new type of dental floss that can dramatically reduce tooth decay without brushing would be. You’ve got to find that interesting angle, and then work to figure out how you’re going to push it.

A live blogging event will require some extra equipment. At the very least, you’ll need a laptop or a Blackberry. You’ll have to be connected to the internet and be able to post to your blog from your location. Once you have this in place, you can set up either a regular schedule to keep your readers updated, or you can do it as it happens.

Live blogging is exciting and these techniques can be used for virtually any corporate blog. The key is finding that angle, building up that buzz and following through. If you can do that, you’ll be able to hold a successful live blogging event. It’s a good idea to chronicle your efforts as you go through this process. This will help you plan out future launches and live corporate blogging events that will build on the success of your first one.

Try implementing these techniques the next time you have a new product or service coming out. Chances are, your readers will get swept away and you’ll notice a dramatic increase in site visitors and buyers.

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Originally posted 2008-12-03 05:57:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Few people realize how powerful a blog can be when it comes to projecting an image to the public. Words have a power all their own and the wrong ones may sink your company’s reputation. Before you even start your own corporate blog it is very important to first come up with the image you would like the public to have of your company. Then, figure out how you want to get that image to come across. Here are some hints to help get you started.

1. Honesty is always the best policy.

While full disclosure of a company meltdown may not be the best idea, it is always important to be honest in your blogs. Never try to stretch the facts, pad your accomplishments or make your company look like something it is not. The blogosphere as it is called is an incredibly small little micro-universe and news, both good and bad, travels fast. It only takes one small slip up to tank your company’s image.

2. Be engaging and never dull.

Most people think of companies as being grey, lifeless and without any character. You can dramatically change that perception by having a blog that is engaging, fun to read and exciting. However, you have to walk that fine line between getting people interested in your company and becoming unprofessional. If necessary, try to take a few courses in creative and persuasive writing. It will definitely pay off.

3. Avoid the sales pitch.

There is a way to move products on your blog without having it sound like an informercial. Today’s blog readers don’t want to read a commercial – they want news and they want it now. Instead of blatant sales pitches, find a way to integrate your products with what you are talking about, or what is in the news right now. This way, you’re actually providing your readers with help instead of hawking your latest product in their face.

4. Be friendly and cultivate blogging relationships.

The whole point of blogging is that it is very social in nature. The whole point of corporate blogging is to bring that element into your business to help increase your customer base and build a stronger brand. By inviting popular guest bloggers in your niche, or just developing some great friendships with other bloggers, you can build a strong network between each other, and everyone wins.

It is also important to remember to be very friendly, but professional, when dealing with your readers. Never get dragged into a flame war on your blog or stoop to picking fights with readers that leave comments on your blog. In the end, you’re going to be the one that looks bad, and that is not the image you want to project for your company.

These are just a few hints to get you started on the path to presenting the right image of your company. Sometimes it helps to have a professional walk you through these initial phases and we highly recommend hiring a blog management service to do just that.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-08-14 05:00:10. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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While there are plenty of resources available that tell you what to do when it comes to corporate blogging, there are very few that will let you what not to do. Mistakes are rampant in corporate blogging, especially when you first get started. Not all are dire, but some may have a lasting effect and could harm the future of your blog. It pays to know what you should do and it pays even more to know what to avoid. Here are the most common mistakes made by corporate blog owners.

1. Abusing social bookmarking sites.

Anyone who has ever had their site banned from digg or any of the other major sites knows how frustrating it can be. When you are first getting started with this form of promotion, it is all to easy to get carried away and submit every single post you have. This is frowned upon and will likely buy you the reputation as a spammer, or someone that should be ignored.

There is no doubt that social bookmarking is powerful, but that power should not be abused. Submit your posts sparingly, and avoid black hat techniques for promotion. Study which of the posts make it to the front page of these sites and then see which of your own would fit that general form. If necessary, write posts that will appeal to the users of these sites, but always remember the integrity of your site.

2. Failing to post pictures in your blog.

This is an easy one and it is also the one that trips up many blog owners. Have you ever seen a pictureless blog? It’s flat, it’s boring and there is nothing on the page to draw the eye. Pictures, when used properly, enhance your blog. A lack of pictures makes it dull.

Try to stick to one picture per post, or even every other post. If necessary, post more than one but remember that not everyone has a high speed connection. Optimize those images, use them sparingly and remember that a picture is worth a thousand words.

3. Ignoring your audience.

This is deadly to any blog. If you are not paying attention to what your reader’s want to know, then you may as well quit blogging right now. While you can’t please all of your readers all of the time, you can find ways to make them feel included, and to write what they want to know about.

One of the best ways to determine what your audience wants to know is by using an analytic program that will give you more insight into your site’s traffic. Pay attention to the keywords that are used to find your site, pay attention to what searches are performed and measure traffic to see how effective your posts are.

While there are certainly more mistakes that can be made, these are the most common. Try to avoid making them on your own corporate blog and you’ll be able to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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Originally posted 2008-10-24 05:35:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Since corporate blogs are so popular, there are quite a few myths that go along with them. Before you even start your own blog, it is important to be able to separate fact from fiction so that you go into this process with the right expectations. You can really learn a lot from these myths, and you’ll know what you should not be doing on your blog.

1. Build it and they will automatically come.

This is completely untrue. You need to work to build your readership and it may take months. Unless you are already very popular and get a lot of daily traffic, you’re going to have to work hard to build up that audience. It is very easy to get discouraged with this process, but if you can stick with it, you’ll be greatly increasing your chances for a very popular blog.

2. Comments are a bad idea.

No one really wants to give their customers an open mic, especially if the company already has a history of customer service issues and a bad reputation. However, comments, when moderated, can lead to an open and frank discussion that is very useful for your business. In addition, it gives the impression that you really do want to hear from your readers. Commetning on blogs is a very big part of many blog reader’s lives and they will want this opportunity.

If you do have a problem with disgruntled customers, then comments may not be a good idea, especially if you let them go live without first moderating them. Try to weigh the pros and cons and then once you have made your decision stick with it. It is better to have never allowed comments, than to have allowed them and revoked them down the road. This will be perceived badly and will give the public the impression that you are trying to hide something.

The best answer is to set all comments to moderation, which means that you will get to read them and approve them before they go live. There may be a few grumblings about this, but overall, it is much safer than allowing comments to go live immediately after they are written.

3. It’s ok to have fun and be strange on your blog.

You still are representing your company, so you’ll need to find that balance between being engaging and being stupid. You don’t want your company to get dragged through the mud because of one ill thought out post. Make sure that you never post anything that could result in someone thinking less of you or your company. It’s fine to have fun with your blog, but never forget that it needs to be professional.

Blogging is tough, and many companies prefer to hire someone to help them through the entire process. A blog management company can assist you in determining the future path for your blog as well as with marketing and daily maintenance. They make it easy to have a successful corporate blog.

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Originally posted 2008-07-01 05:35:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Blogs are mushrooming at the speed of light in this day and age. For this reason, creating a blogging effort for your company can be extremely profitable and rewarding for your company. There is no real start up fees or set up fees that are needed, and starting a blog is quick and easy in most cases with so many free templates and ideas out there. The real key to creating a corporate blog and advancing your corporate blog effort is marketing your blog well, increasing your reader base consistently and effectively so that marketing your products, services and company will allow you to reach out to a large number of people all at once. Here are 8 key ways to create and advance a corporate blogging effort.

1 – The first step is simply to get started.

If you have no place to start, choose a free blog hosting service and begin there. Free blogging services are not the most ideal destinations for corporate blogs, but they do provide a sturdy foundation from which to build your corporate blog if you are just getting started.

2 – Choose a topic of focus that you are interested in, that you know about, and that you can write passionately on.

The topic that you choose is going to influence the keywords that you focus on, which will influence how search engines and searchers will find you on the internet.

3 – Update your blog every single day in order to make sure that search engine spiders and crawlers are constantly on the look out for your blog and its newest information.

Blogs that are updated daily are much more appealing to most readers, as they show that you are serious about the endeavor. If you do not update often enough, your blog will simply fall off the radar.

4 – In order to make a profit from your blog, you need to be able to generate a strong and powerful reader base as early as possible.

If you do not have enough people reading your blog, most advertisers will not want to work with you. Market your blog through every possible method to gain link popularity and a higher page rank for an increase in readership and advertising opportunities.

5 – Make sure that you are making an effort to keep track of site traffic.

This way you can determine your popularity online rather than giving up on your marketing effort. Analyze your traffic and you will better understand your strong points and your weak points.

6 – Do all that you can to gain an insight over what keywords are being searched for, and how people are or are not finding your blog.

Utilize your keywords right and you will have people coming back for more.

7 – Make your online presence even stronger by managing a network of sites or blogs on the same subject, but with different content.

8 – With each blog that you create, use a topic that will allow you to connect to your audience.

Keep your content short, easy to read and interesting and you will have an easier time interacting with your audience.

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Originally posted 2009-01-07 05:35:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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It is obvious that the concept of executive blogging is becoming more popular, as businesses small and large are suddenly turning to blogging as a way to convey news and information to their customers and clients. Still, many companies are wondering if executive blogging is a worthwhile endeavor for them to invest themselves into, especially because it can take some time and effort to get the blogging process started. If you are wondering if executive blogging is a good idea or a bad idea, keep reading, and you may get a much better feel for what makes corporate blogging so advantageous to so many companies. In fact, most people would be hard pressed to name a reason against executive blogging, considering how many benefits are associated with it.

In our new and changing marketplaces, it is becoming absolutely crucial for companies to build relationships with customers that are long and lasting. In order for a relationship to bloom, it needs to incorporate healthy communication and trust between both parties. There are many different ways that a company or a brand can communicate with its customers such as advertising through the television, through print, through radio, billboards, websites, newsletters, banner advertising and so much more. Unfortunately, most of these methods of advertising and marketing are impersonal, and they focus on making a sale rather than really reaching out to the readers and the viewers in order to create a strong and lasting relationship.

Most customers do not really mind getting information and news about a company, but they do not generally enjoy having their privacy invaded through marketing gimmicks on a constant basis. Reaching out to customers in other ways is generally more advantageous because it allows you to build powerful relationships with your customers past, present and future. Customers can go through your blog on their own time and at their own level of convenience. They can subscribe to your blog’s RSS feed, can leave comments and feedback, and can interact with you through your blog in a variety of different ways. In other words, by blogging, you can create lasting relationships that facilitate good communication between your company and your customers.

A business blog or corporate blog can service as a nicely non intrusive way for you to build and facilitate healthy two way communication with your customers over a long period of time. This is really easy to achieve, and involves creating plenty of resourceful and useful content keeping customers and other readers coming back for more. Some of the information that you can provide in your blog may include statistics, trends, tips, tools, guides, expert views, interviews and how-to advice relating to your company, industry or products.

With a corporate blog, you can build a large and consistently growing community of loyal readers that you can specifically target whenever you introduce new products or services, without having to pitch marketing campaigns to them. In other words, to answer the question of whether executive blogging is good or bad, the answer is a resounding “Good”!

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Originally posted 2008-12-16 05:13:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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