Entries Tagged 'planning' ↓
November 6th, 2008 — Buildify, blog design, goals, planning, platform, post design
(ie: should blog design match main site design?)
There are a lot of different considerations that need to be made when you are taking the initial steps to set up your corporate blog. For example, one of the first considerations that you should make is whether design integration is or is not important for your corporate blog. Should your blog design have the same design as your main site, or is there room for some creative license when setting up a site that is meant to be companion to your main site, but not necessarily part of the same website? The truth here is that either option is viable, as long as you are achieving what you intend to when designing the look and feel of your blog in its early stages on your website.
If your website has a distinct design that is classic and simple, then implementing it both on your main site and your blog site will add seamlessness for easy maneuverability, which is something that your readers will appreciate. As long as they can differentiate between the main website and the blog as they move from one to the other, there should be no underlying issues in creating a seamless design that remains the same from page to page. Because so many WordPress blog templates are designed to allow for extra pages, some corporate bloggers build the blog to spec and then add their main site around it, creating an entire blog and website combination from a single blog template. This is not the only option available to you however, so you should not feel locked into it.
On the other hand, as long as you keep a similar theme in place, there is no reason why you cannot create a website design and a blog site design that are unique to one another. If your website has a set of colors and a main graphical theme that is completely unique to your blog, you may be going for something a little too unique. However, design integration when it comes to hooking a blog and a website together does not mean using the exact same template twice - You can create an acceptable level of design integration simply by using the same images, the same basic color scheme or just a similar layout design. These small details will add up to show your readers that they are still on the same website while still making it easy for them to differentiate between your blog and your website, which can sometimes be beneficial to them.
The design details are ultimately up to you as you put your corporate blog together. What you should be aware of is the fact that both of these options have merit, and you can always add and change elements as you go to suit your style and to respond to comments from your readers. Your corporate blog and website do not have to have the same exact design implemented into both, but seamlessness can be nice when showing readers that the two sites have the same common goal.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
September 29th, 2008 — audience, content, engaging ideas, goals, planning
When you first start your corporate blog, it can be pretty exciting. You’re all charged up about the benefits you’re going to be reaping and the sales you’ll be making. After a few weeks of this however, this newness tends to wear off. If you didn’t luck out and gain instant success with your blog, it can feel like it’s just you and the crickets. While no one wants to waste time and resources, it is important to give your corporate blog enough of a chance to make it, and that means sticking with it, even though you may be completely fed up. Here are some tips to keep you going.
1. Set up a posting schedule and stick to it every day.
Once it becomes routine, and you realize that posting really only takes a few minutes, it is easier to keep the habit. Try making your morning coffee time your corporate blog time too, or find ways to combine your posting time with something that you enjoy. If necessary, set up a reward system so that you treat yourself for every post you make. Your blog won’t stand a chance if you abandon it, so you’ve got to keep at it until something happens.
2. Set realistic expectations.
Very few blogs make it overnight, and less than 2% of all blogs are actually runaway hits. It is vital to go into this project knowing that the returns may be smaller than you expect. You will need to give your blog at least six months to develop a steady audience. If after that time you have not seen any measurable results, it will be time to reevaluate your options. Until then however, stick with it.
3. Find new ways to get excited about posting.
Every single post you make on your corporate blog does not need to be a well thought out missive. Try putting up polls instead, or reference an interesting article that you saw. By finding new things to talk about that are related to your industry, you can keep that forward momentum going.
4. Put a face on your audience.
Corporate blogging is all about putting a personal face on your business, but this works both ways. It can be pretty difficult to get excited about posting when you feel like you are talking to a brick wall. To keep your energy up, imagine that you are writing to a friend. Envision this person and write your posts as though you were having a conversation with them.
This has the added benefit of making your posts more reader-friendly and more engaging. Try it and see if you don’t notice a difference in your attitude.
5. Don’t set yourself up to fail.
If you find yourself grumbling about “no one is going to read it anyway,” stop right there. Defeatist talk will only get you defeat. You’ll need to keep a positive approach going and give yourself time to succeed. It will happen, if you apply yourself.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
September 23rd, 2008 — comments, content, customer base, goals, planning
As with any task, developing effective habits can mean the difference between success and failure. Many first time corporate bloggers don’t take the time to develop good blogging habits and as a result, they don’t do as well as they should. Here are some tips to help you get into some good habits that will pay off.
First, you need to set a specific time for blogging every day. It doesn’t take that long to write one post, and you should be able to set aside fifteen to thirty minutes of your day for this. By setting a specific time, you’re also helping your readers to learn when they should be checking your site for new content.
Next, it is vital to take the time each week to come up with a topic list. This can be very beneficial on the days where you don’t feel as creative. You’ll have that topic list to fall back on and it won’t be as difficult to come up with something to blog about. Try to find topics that are engaging and related to current events for the best results.
Now, it’s time to expand this step even further. In addition to your topic list, it is a good idea to keep a file of interesting things that you come across that are related to your blog. Whether it is a news story, another site, or something that is connected with your company, bookmark it or save it to a special file. You’ll have a wealth of topics and information at your disposal. Whenever you find something interesting put it in there and keep building this file up.
If you are facing a tough week where you will not have a lot of free time to devote to your blog, write ahead. Write out your posts for that week over the weekend or during some free time and you’ll be all set. Then, all you will have to do is post them each day, which only takes seconds. This is a great method to ensure that your blog won’t fall by the wayside, no matter how busy you get.
Lastly, it is also important to take the time to interact with your readers. This can be done after work or whenever you have a free minute. By getting into the habit of carrying on conversations through comments on your blog, you will be building up a strong readership that is connected to you.
The most important factor to a successful blog is a corporate blogger that is willing to take the time that it takes to be successful. From spending extra time developing new topics, to posting, to promotion, you have to be willing to give it your best shot. By getting into good habits early on, you will be able to fall back on these when you get busy, or when you may not feel like posting that day. Once it’s part of your routine, you can ensure that your corporate blog will never fall by the wayside.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
September 16th, 2008 — advertisment, goals, marketing, money, networking, planning, platform, promotion, public relations, social bookmarking sites, web traffic
If you are completely new to blogging, you may find that you have a lot of questions and at times, it can be hard to find the answers. We’ve compiled the most common issues facing new corporate bloggers and supplied the answers to these problems below.
1. Is this going to make my company more profitable?
Yes and no. It is important that you go into corporate blogging with the right mindset. Yes, it can be a very powerful means of promotion, but it’s going to take a lot of time and success will not happen overnight. The main reason that most companies get into corporate blogging is not to increase sales directly, but to improve their search engine rankings. Often, the result of a better ranking is more sales, but you should not view your corporate blog as a mythical tool that will rake in millions of dollars in sales.
2. What blogging platform should I use?
This is a tougher question because the answer is a bit nebulous. Everyone is going to have their preference, but overall, the most powerful and customizable platform has to be Wordpress. You’ll have two main options with Wordpress. First, you can set up an account on Wordpress.com, where they will host and install your blog for you, or you can download a free copy at Wordpress.org and install it on your own server.
For those that don’t have a lot of experience, the hosted version works quite well, despite its limitations. For those that need more options with plugins and configuration, installing it at the server level is the best option.
3. How do I promote my blog?
Once again, there is no set answer to this question, but there are several techniques that can be used successfully. First, you’ve got to make your blog easy to find on your own corporate site. Next, you’ll need to start promoting it in two different ways, directly and indirectly.
Direct promotion involves submitting your blog posts to social bookmarking and networking sites. Indirect promotion involves leaving comments on other blogs and leaving a link to your own blog inside. This should be used in moderation and your comments should always be related to the post and not blatant promotional attempts.
4. Is corporate blogging worth the effort?
Absolutely, but only if you are willing to spend extra time promoting your blog. If not, then it is a waste of your time. A good corporate blog will take a few months to catch on and you’ve got to be willing to take the time to really work on creating great posts and promoting them. Success is not going to happen instantly, and it will take work. However, you can see a big difference in your main site’s traffic and in public opinion when you really work on your blog.
Corporate blogging is not for everyone. If you’re interested in getting started, it is best to remember that it will take a lot of time and effort. For those willing to make that sacrifice, success is just around the corner.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
September 15th, 2008 — audience, content, engaging ideas, goals, planning, reputation
If you’ve been considering starting a corporate blog, but you’re not quite sure that your company is ready yet, there is still a way that you can get your feet wet and start taking advantage of what a blog can do for promotion. Instead of closely defining a corporate blog as something that is used to talk about only your company or to relay company news, you can get involved in a niche topic that may actually be more popular.
A niche blog is usually a defined topic blog that covers something that interests you or can be related to what your company does. For example, let’s say that you run a company that specializes in search engine optimization. You could start a niche blog that would cover tips and tricks or new techniques that are available in this industry. By focusing on a single topic, you may be able to experience more success than you could with a regular company blog.
Here’s a great tip to get you started. Write down everything that your company does or sells, and get your inspiration for your niche blog from there. Find a way to tie in something that the public will find interesting or helpful and choose that to be the main focus of your niche blog. Using another example, let’s say that you have a sporting goods online store.
A great corporate niche blog for this type of company would be one that focuses on fitness tips. You can incorporate what you sell in a subtle way and provide a service to the public. That is the heart of a niche blog and the key to its success. By giving readers something they can really use or benefit from, you are ensuring that you will be able to quickly rise to the top ranks of corporate bloggers.
There are many different ways that a niche blog can be put to good use for your company. One of the most powerful is that you will be developing a reputation for yourself as an expert. Many first time bloggers make the mistake of trying to remain anonymous, or they don’t work on self promotion. We’re not saying that your corporate blog should be the “me show” but you will still need to find a way to inject a little bit of your own personality into your blog.
A niche blog offers a great way to do that, especially if you are covering tips that can be used or helpful information. Look at your blog as a way to develop yourself as an expert in what you do, and let company promotion occur as a side effect. Chances are, your blog will be more interesting and you’ll be getting solid traffic to your corporate site as a result. When you look at a corporate blog as a way of reaching out to the public and providing a service, it will give you the solid foundation you need for success.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
September 11th, 2008 — audience, content, engaging ideas, networking, planning, social bookmarking sites
One of the biggest problems facing corporate bloggers is finding an audience. If you’re using your blog as a way to promote your company’s products, it is vital to quickly build up a strong readership. This is not an easy task, and even though paid promotion can be helpful, there are some better methods that can be used to get real results. Blog networks may be the answer to your problems.
If you’re not familiar with how blog networks work, it is similar in a way to the webrings of yore, but with some key improvements. A blog network will usually cover a set variety of topics within a certain industry. For example, there are blog networks for golfing, books, news, and many other topics. Readers that visit the blog network are given an opportunity to discover blogs that cover information they are already interested in.
A blog network will usually have a main page that will list all of the newly posted blogs that are members of the network. In addition, they may even promote select blogs that are doing well and feature them heavily on their main page. B5 Media is a great example of a massive blogging network that has had tremendous success. They now feature blogs in practically every industry and niche under the sun and continue to add more on a weekly basis.
Now that you understand what a blog network does, how can you begin to take advantage of that? First, you will need to identify your specific topic niche. This can be something that your company does, sells, or something that is pertinent in any way to your company. For example, let’s say that you run a site that sells golf clubs. You should look for a golfing blog network.
After you have found the blog network that is right for you, it’s time to get serious about posting. You may need to modify the approach of your blog for the network to make sure that you will be successful. Bloggers that incessantly promote their stores, or fail to craft interesting posts usually don’t do well. Instead of focusing solely on your company in your blog, you may need to start writing posts that provide information readers can really use.
To illustrate this, let’s return to our example of a golf club store. The corporate blogger for this store could begin writing posts that deal with golf swing tips. A subtle promotion link could be added to the store within the post, but the main focus of the blog post would be on an actual tip. This type of post usually does very well on a blog network and you can see remarkable results.
If you’re ready to get serious about promoting your blog, seek out a blog network that caters to your niche and sign up. Chances are, you’ll be able to increase your readership very quickly and your site will see the benefits right away.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
September 8th, 2008 — blog design, keywords, planning, post design, promotion, search engine
One of the things that many corporate blog owners do not consider is a name for their blog. Many make the mistake of simply using the format of “Company Name’s Blog.” This is great to a point, but you’ll be missing out on some great ways to promote your blog. In addition, having a catchy name means that you’ll be much more likely to have your readers remember your blog and you’ll have better luck at building up a strong readership. Here are some tips to remember when you’re getting ready to start your next corporate blog.
1. Get creative.
A boring name may tell your readers that your blog is boring as well. That is not an impression that you want to create. Instead of sticking with the standard format, find a way to get creative. For example, if your main site sells books, instead of using Bookstore’s Blog, you could use “Bookworm’s Corner” or something else that is somehow related to your industry. That way, you’ll be letting your readers know that you are not a stagnant and boring company and they’ll be more likely to build an internal relationship with the blog.
2. Use keywords.
One of the easiest ways to pick a title for your blog is to find the most popular keywords for your sector and incorporate them into the name. This may take a little time, but it will be a big help when it comes to having search engines index your blog. Anytime you have an opportunity to use keywords, you should be utilizing it. That way, when a user does a search for that keyword, your blog will pop up in the results. It really makes a big difference in your ranking, especially if you publish on a frequent basis.
The key to getting this to work the right way is to configure your blog software to use your blog title on every post you make. For example: Blog Title: Post Title. This will increase your chances of getting a much higher ranking on any search engine and you’ll also be able to use this as a promotional tool. By getting your name out there in search results, you’ll be increasing the chances of building a strong brand with a recognizable name.
Don’t be afraid to change the name of your blog if it is not working for you. If you don’t have a lot of readers yet, it really won’t make that much of a difference. However, it does help to use the name of your blog in your URL. You may want to consider purchasing a brand new domain name for your blog so that you can maximize all of the benefits mentioned above.
Naming your blog should be a well thought out process. This is the name that readers will recognize, possibly even before your company name. Make sure that it correctly reflects your business and what you hope to achieve with your corporate blog.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
September 5th, 2008 — Buildify, book review, goals, planning
If you are on the fence about starting your own corporate blog, this is a great book to read to help you make your decision. The subtitle is “The Truth About Business Blogs” and that pretty much says it all. For those that don’t have time to go through stories that meander and they just want to get to the heart of the matter, this is the perfect book. It’s hard hitting, logical and presents a clear case as to why you should and why you shouldn’t have a corporate blog
The author did a great job of defining what a corporate blog can and cannot do. This is a great way to learn more about how high you should set your expectations for your blog. If you have pie in the sky ideals, they may be shot to pieces, but at least you won’t waste your time approaching your blog from the wrong angle. The book covers pretty much everything you could ever want to know about business blogging, from the tools you’ll need, to what you can really expect your blog to accomplish for your company.
Although the author uses a healthy dose of skepticism, he also provides some tips that you can really use. For example, he covers the fact that topical blogs are usually much more effective and popular than blogs that simply discuss company business. For those that are still unsure of what blogging is or why you should be doing it, the advice is very clear cut and easy to understand. You can go from a complete blog newbie to a pro just by reading this book.
The book covers what you will want to avoid with your blog as well, especially when it comes to presenting a professional appearance. There are plenty of tips contained within the pages of the book to get you started out on the right path. Although the title would indicate that the author is anti-business blogging, the opposite is actually true. He just seems to want to bring a dose of realism into the world of corporate blogging and help site owners achieve their goals the right way.
You can follow along as a blog is started from scratch, learning all the way about what you should and should not do. This was a great way to present the information that business owners really need to know and this section alone was worth the cost of the book.
Overall, we highly recommend this book to anyone that has considered starting their own corporate blog. You’ll be able to learn quite a bit about the entire process as well as learning some specific mistakes that you should not make with your own blog. We appreciated the way the author presented the information and found it to be a very quick read that was well targeted to the main audience for this book. If you don’t have a lot of time, this is the perfect book to read before you get started on your corporate blog.
Related Articles
August 26th, 2008 — content, employees, engaging ideas, goals, news, planning
One of the best ways to raise morale is through an internal newspaper that keeps employees appraised on what is going on with the company. They foster a sense of belonging, especially if you cover employee birthdays, events and special happenings within the office. However, if your resources are a bit strapped, you may not have the time to put together a special publication. Print costs are not cheap, and it can be quite time intensive to publish a newspaper each month.
In order to get the benefits that a company newspaper can bring, without the downsides, you can begin to use your corporate blog to fill this position. By including your employees in your blog’s news, they will feel more a part of the company and they will want to share the posts with their friends. Everyone likes feeling like a star, and a blog is a great way to share news, promote friendly competition among employees and keep everyone updated.
Before you jump in and start making your corporate blog into an internal newspaper, there are a few things that you should remember:
1. Ask before using last names.
A lot of people prefer not to have their full names splashed all over the internet. You may not realize it, but if other sites are including your RSS feed, your posts are appearing all over the internet. Always ask permission to use an employee’s last name, or err on the side of caution and use first names only, or their first name and last initial. They will know who you are talking about, but your readers won’t. In today’s environment of identity theft and cyber stalking, last names should be avoided.
2. Always remain professional.
Sure, it’s a fun company newspaper, but the general public will have access to it. Unless you are going to password protect the posts for your internal news, you will need to keep that veneer of professionalism up at all times. It’s one thing to be lighthearted and fun, it’s quite another to veer towards being unprofessional. If something has the potential to be spun in a way that is negative towards your company, don’t publish it.
3. Be wary of posting photographs.
A lot of companies like to use photographs on their blogs to let the public know that there are real people working for the company. This is terrific, but you should always remember point one above. Never use last names to identify people in a photo. The public doesn’t really need full disclosure, they’ll be able to see the real people – they don’t need their names. Again, with the threats to people’s safety, it is best to err on the side of caution.
These are just a few things to remember before adding this option to your corporate blog. Remember, if you don’t want the public to know something about your company – don’t write it! Always keep the fact that news can be twisted in front of you while you are writing your blog.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
August 21st, 2008 — advertisment, blog design, money, planning, revenue
Many companies don’t consider the fact that they could actually make money from their blogs. The popularity of online advertising has made it easy to include ads from all over the world, and Google Ads in particular make it very easy to target your readers with advertisements that they will be interested in. While it can be very fruitful to include ads on your corporate blog, there are a few considerations you should be aware of before you take that step.
1. Always make sure that you can filter the ads.
The main problem with banner networks is that some of the ads are highly inappropriate for certain audiences. You may not want your company associated with the latest ads for male enhancement – and this happens a lot. It is vital to choose an ad service that will allow you to filter out the type of advertising that you do not want. Be advised however that these filters do not always work. You may need to add actual sites to a list to make sure that their ads do not appear on your site. It is best to monitor the ads that appear on your site as much as possible to avoid getting stuck with reader complaints and a bad public image.
2. Beware your competitors.
The popularity of online advertising means that it is highly likely that your competitors are using it. You don’t want to promote their sites, but if you are using PPC ads that are keyword based, the chances of this happening are very high. Make sure that you collect the URL’s for all of your competitors and then choose a PPC service that will allow you to block ads from that domain. You don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot by promoting another company. This is a frequent problem that affects companies in many different sectors.
3. Do the ads enhance your site or take away from the content?
The whole point of having a corporate blog is to get people to read it. Are the ads going to make them leave your site? While extra revenue is nice, is it worth the risk that your readers are going to click on the ads and as such, leave your blog? This is a consideration that should be weighed heavily before moving forward. Secondly, it is important to make sure that your ads do not diminish your content or make it look badly. Work on ad placement that integrates well with your blog design, and is not terribly prominent.
Having ads on your corporate blog is a bit of a double edged sword. When used properly they can create extra revenue. However, you should always weigh the premise of a two cent click versus a potential sale. If your ads are harming your business, there is just no point in having them. If you do go with advertising, make sure that it is professional and that you do not rely too heavily on it.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Articles
