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.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-12-03 05:57:54. 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.

Photo Credits: 1

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

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If you plan on writing a blog and using it for any purpose other than your own, then you absolutely need to be willing to find ways to effectively publicize it. Some people will tell you that all you need to do is write in your blog and then the traffic will magically arrive, but this is untrue. If nobody knows about their blog, how will they know how to find you?

1 – The first step in learning how to publicize your corporate blog is perhaps the simplest:

You need to simply be willing to talk about your blog, telling everyone you know about it. You shouldn’t randomly tell people you don’t know, but if you share your blog with your friends, family members, co-workers and colleagues, you will already be building a strong readership that will only grow with time.

2 – Use your e-mail signature to tell even more people about your blog.

Your e-mail signature is a small block of text that is automatically appended to the e-mail messages that you send. You can include information about your blog in your e-mail signature and then everyone who receives an e-mail from you will also receive a blog link. Experiment with different types of text and see what changes your traffic numbers and what doesn’t.

3 – Create links from your website.

If you have a website that you are trying to “push” through your blog, then strive not to let it be hard to find. Link prominently from your website to your blog, and from your blog to your website. You should have a link from your website directly to the main page of your blog, and when you reference your company in your blog, you should link back to your website. It should never be difficult to find one or the other, otherwise your readers will give up and move on.

4 – List your blog in every place that you list or advertise your website.

This means online materials and offline materials as well. Put your blog on your letterheads, your business cards, your advertisements, direct mail marketing efforts and even your fax header page. The more you list your blog in your marketing, advertising and communicating materials, the more exposure your blog will get. It really does not get any simpler than this.

5 – Enter into carnivals, which are an excellent way to publicize your corporate blog.

These are best of lists that feature posts on a certain topic, and they have an excellent viral marketing aspect that makes this method of blogging and marketing through your blog extremely important. If you want one single blog post to work real wonders when it comes to advertising your blog, then it is essential that you seek out blog carnivals that you can participate in.

Photo Credits: Duncan Rawlinson

Originally posted 2009-02-24 05:43:52. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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In this day and age, the hottest media and the hottest method for communicating with customers, employees, business partners and competitors are through corporate blogging. If you create a corporate blog for your business, and you follow some basic strategies for improving communication through this popular online media, you will make waves not only in your company, but in your industry, and the entire market as well. More and more companies and corporations are turning to blogging as a means of communicating within the industry. Do you want to start corporate blogging now, while there is still time to make waves, or do you want to wait until you’re stranded with the old forms of communication, when your competitors are reaching out to your customers via their corporate blog?

Face the facts:

If you want to improve communication in your company, you need to start blogging. Corporate blogging will allow you to create new lines of communication between employees, business partners, customers and company and competitors as well. By creating a corporate blog at this point, you are simply opening your company up to the same lines of communication that other companies, possibly within your industry, are already utilizing to reach out to new customers and target markets.

The level of communication that you can create by corporate blogging is better than every other form of communication available between businesses and their customers. If you do not already have a corporate blog, or if you have a corporate blog but you are not properly utilizing it, then you need to make a change right now. If you do not have time to write in a corporate blog as the owner of a company, you need to find someone who can keep up with your corporate blog for you. There are plenty of corporate communication consultants and professional bloggers out there that are more than capable of writing a corporate blog for you. The best corporate blog is one that is written by the company itself, but if you cannot find a way to maintain your own corporate blog, you need to seek help rather than scrapping the idea all together.

Corporate blogging opens up new lines of communication between everyone that your business could ever come in contact with. If you want to create new ways for your customers to reach out to your company, or for your employees to communicate with you and within the business, then you need to create a corporate blog. Once you understand how a corporate blog works and how it can benefit you, you will better understand the importance behind keeping a blog for your company. Try it out for a couple of weeks, open up new lines of corporate communication, and then make the decision of whether you want to keep it up on your own or hire in a corporate communication consultant that can help you get the job done.

Photo Credit: 1

Originally posted 2008-12-19 05:19:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Running a corporate blog can be quite time consuming, especially if you are new to blogging. Here’s a brief idea of what you can expect in terms of actual work and the time it will take to build a successful blog. The initial stages will be much more time consuming than the maintenance stages, but this should give you a good idea of what you can expect.

Setting up a Blog Site.

This can take a few days or longer, depending on the type of software you will be using and your design customization needs. Most people prefer to hire a designer to handle this, especially if they don’t have their own IT department. There will need to be a few days set aside for bug testing as well, to make sure that everything goes smoothly. Certain features for RSS and social bookmarking will need to be added, but these should not take too long to implement.

Writing Posts.

Depending on how fast you type and how well you’ve thought out your posts, writing each one may take a few minutes or a few hours. It’s a good idea to get a topic list together ahead of time to make it a lot easier when you have to write. This is very useful if you find that you have occasional writer’s block. You’ll just be able to refer to your topic list for some inspiration.

You will also need to decide how many posts you want to make per day as well as per week. Posting at least once daily can greatly increase your chances of a top search engine ranking and the more you post, the better off you will be. However, you will need to take into account the time for each post when scheduling this.

Managing Comments.

If you are allowing comments, but you need to moderate them, you will need to set aside some additional time for their approval. Again, this can take a few minutes or a few hours, depending on how popular your blog is. If you’re dealing with a lot of spam comments that need to be deleted, this can further stretch out how much time you’re spending.

Promotion.

Lastly, you will need to take some time to promote your blog, either on your site or by submitting stories to social bookmarking sites. This shouldn’t take very long, but it will add a few minutes on each day.

As you can see, a blog can be labor intensive and it can be a full time job. If you don’t have the kind of resources to devote this much time to a blog, it is a good idea to hire a blog management service. They can assist you in allowing you to spend time working on your own business while they manage your blog for you. This is almost essential as your blog becomes more popular and requires more of your time.

Photo Credit: 1

Originally posted 2008-08-06 05:05:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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As more companies get into the world of corporate blogging, the word is spreading that this is a great way to reach out to the public. There are five specific benefits that any company can reap as a result of setting up a corporate blog.

1. Cheap means of marketing.

Let’s face it, you need to save money on marketing whenever you can. If you are looking for a very cheap way of increasing your site’s visits, adding a blog is a great way to do it. It will take time to build your readership, but the more you post, the greater your chances are of doing just that. If you promote your blog the right way, you can guarantee that you will be noticed. In addition, corporate blogging allows for organic marketing that really doesn’t require any additional effort. Search engines will be indexing each post you make and you’ll have that many more opportunities for discovery on these directories.

2. Build a strong brand.

Every company out there needs to have a strong brand that is instantly recognizable. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this without having to spend big bucks on a nationwide marketing campaign is to set up a corporate blog. By integrating this blog into your site, you’re setting up that visual link. As your readers get to know you, that trust relationship will begin to form and that right there is worth its weight in gold.

3. Make your company more customer friendly.

Customers typically see companies as nameless, faceless and very cold. By giving your blog the personal touch, you are reaching out to your customers and showing them that your company is indeed run by humans and that you do care about them. This is a vital link to any successful business and a corporate blog is one of the easiest ways to accomplish this without spending a lot of money.

4. Search Engine Optimization.

We touched briefly on this in the first point, but it bears going into further. If you have a static site that has a few pages, you are not giving search engines enough content to index you appropriately. You can only have so many relevant keywords on each page and you are severely limited. With a blog, especially if you post every day, you’ll have new opportunities to promote your company using a variety of different keywords. In addition, by posting frequently, you are increasing your chances that search engines will rank you higher and they will spider your site more frequently.

5. Incredibly economical.

Each of the points above all had one thing in common – each is a means of marketing, branding and building a customer base that does not require a lot of money. For smaller companies that have a limited marketing budget, this is perhaps the best reason to set up a corporate blog.

If you are interested in taking advantage of these benefits, contact a blog management company that can help you build a powerful blog that gets noticed.

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Originally posted 2008-06-26 05:34:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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One of the latest trends is corporate blogging, but is it right for you company? Not every company under the sun can benefit from having a blog, but there are quite a few benefits that can be reaped in the right circumstances. First, you’ll need to decide what you want to do with your blog and then you’ll be able to figure out whether or not it will be useful for your unique business.

Let’s take a look at some goals that many companies have when it comes to setting up a corporate blog. First and foremost, this can be used for some very powerful PR that is very cost effective. You’ll have something to talk about on a constant basis and an audience that is targeted for your industry. Nearly every kind of business can utilize their blog as a means of driving up their publicity.

Another common goal for a corporate blog is to build brand awareness and a customer base. By having that personal connection with your readers you will be able to create a relationship that will be long lasting and memorable. Many corporate blogs are faithfully read on a regular basis.

You can also use a blog to increase product awareness and eventually sales. Since your audience of readers is so targeted to your industry, it is very easy to promote new product launches through your blog. This is a very useful means of advertising that is cheap and very effective. Few other methods of advertising can produce this kind of result.

Next, you’ll need to decide whether or not you have the time to keep a blog current. There is nothing worse than starting up a blog and building up a readership than to leave them cold with an infrequently updated blog. If you’re going to get into blogging, you’ve got to make that commitment to stick with it, no matter what.

Since this is difficult for many companies it is recommended that you find a blog management company that can make it a lot easier to stay on top of everything. These professionals can be of great assistance in keeping your blog updated on a daily basis and they can help with the overall management and promotion of your blog. You can even hire blog managers that can assist you in coming up with new content on a regular basis so that you can stay connected with your customers.

Corporate blogs are very powerful tools, but they need to be managed correctly if they are going to be of any use to your business. With the right help, your blog can easily become well read and it can achieve the goals you’ve set down. On the same token, an improperly managed blog can lead to disaster. It’s best to get that help you need from the start to make sure that your blog stays on target and reaches as many people as possible on a regular basis.

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Originally posted 2008-06-16 05:27:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you are getting ready to launch a corporate blog, there are a few techniques that you can use to make sure that it is a success. By utilizing these methods you can ensure that you will quickly build up a new readership and starting increasing your customer base. Corporate blogs are an excellent means of reaching out to the public, but they need to managed correctly if they are going to get the right results.

1. Allow comments but moderate them.

Having the ability for readers to leave comments on a blog is a very powerful tool. It has many benefits, such as increasing the connection your readers feel with your blog as well as increasing page views. The important thing is never to let these comments go live without first vetting them. A free for all can quickly happen if you allow bad comments to surface on your blog. It is better to manage these comments and avoid flame wars that can result from comments that are vitriolic or bad for your business.

The main issue with moderating comments is that sometimes you should let through comments that may not be the most flattering to your company. However, this should only be done if you are capable of responding and refuting the comment in a calm and rational manner. Never let commenters drag you into a flame war. You’ll end up losing every time.

2. Publish as regularly and as often as possible.

Readers need to know that they can depend on your blog to be published on a regular basis. Most internet users have a schedule where they check their favorite blogs during specific times of the day. If you have several days go by without a new post, it is all too easy to lose those readers. You need to be able to make that commitment to publish daily if possible and to keep a set schedule.

In corporate blogging, predictability is key. Your readers need to know that if they visit your site every day at 4pm, they are going to see a new post if that is the usual time that you add content. Otherwise, it is all too easy to lose their attention and have them go somewhere else.

3. Be personable.

You don’t want to project the image that your company is cold and heartless. Don’t be afraid to get personable with your posts but always keep them professional. Venting is never appropriate on a corporate blog, even if it does feel good at times. You need to be able to create a connection with your readers and sometimes this means showing a personal side to your company. It doesn’t have to be juicy details, but you do need to show that a human being with feelings is writing your blog.

Hiring a blog management company can really make the difference in navigating what you should and should not do with your corporate blog. This is useful for those that have no prior experience in running a blog and can avert disaster.

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Originally posted 2008-07-03 05:47:40. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Sometimes it can be pretty tough to get inspiration for a new corporate blog. You may understand that you need one, but you’re not quite sure where to start. There’s an easy way that you can put together a plan for your own blog and it will only take a few minutes of your time. Anyone can do this and it can make a big difference in how well your blog does.

First, start by making a list of all of your competitors. Find the ones that have blogs and make an effort to go to their sites and read every single post they have made. You’ll be getting some pretty powerful information and you’ll be getting some ideas on what you should be doing and what you should be avoiding. Once you’ve compared all of them, you’ll have the groundwork to start building your own blog.

1. Look at how they write their blog.

Although everyone has to find their own voice, sometimes it helps if you can see what other people are doing. Look to see which blogs are quite personable and which ones are stiff. Chances are the personable ones are the most popular. Learn from these techniques and study to see how your competitors manage to be engaging without crossing the line into unprofessionalism.

2. Find out how they promote their blog.

Are your competitors relying on organic results, or are they actively promoting their blog? Look to see the types of advertising they may be using and which social bookmarking sites that are using to drum up new readers. You can then adapt these methods to your own needs. It may take a little trial and error but you can learn a lot from what they are doing.

3. Find out how they rank in search engines.

Pick one post and see if you can get it to come up by searching for the keywords contained in it. If you can’t then that blogger is not doing a good job with their corporate blog. If you can easily find them, emulate the techniques that they are using to help increase your chances of getting listed in the top 10 for search results.

4. Look at what you could do better.

Take an honest and hard look at your competitors. See which ones are using techniques that work and then come up with a plan that will improve those results. Look at sites that may not be as strong and learn from them – avoid what they are doing since it is not working for them and chances are it won’t work for you either.

A blog management company can help you craft a plan that will ensure your blogging success. Sometimes, it is better to get help from a professional so that you can ensure you’ll be able to meet your goals with a lot less effort and you won’t have to spend as much time.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-07-07 05:31:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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