When you have a corporate blog, it is important to realize that it will be saying a lot about you. Whether or not it’s projecting a good image of your company is entirely up to you. Here are some tips to make sure that your blog says all the right things.

1. Pick a design that is professional and integrated to your overall site design.

You don’t want rainbows and lollipops for your theme if you are in a serious business. Likewise, if your business is rather whimsical in nature, a drab theme is a bad idea. Your graphics will speak louder than words, so make sure that your blog’s theme and design match your corporate image as closely as possible.

2. Avoid stiff and unfriendly prose.

One of the main reasons that companies start up a corporate blog is to initiate better discourse with the public and cast an image as being a consumer friendly company. If your blog’s posts are dry and stiff, you won’t be doing that, in fact, you’ll be doing the opposite. Make sure that the blogger you pick has the ability to write with engaging prose that is still professional. This can be tough, but picking the right blogger with the right voice means everything in this business.

3. Allow your readers to comment on your posts.

Having a one sided blog that does not allow reader interaction gives a very bad impression of your company. You’ll want to take that chance and allow your readers to take part in the discussion. If you don’t, you may be seen as unfriendly and too “corporate.” It is better to err on the side of being open to discourse than it is to try to squash it out. Use moderated comments if you are not comfortable with having comments go live as soon as they are written.

4. Have a little fun with your posts.

If your blog is all about your company and your products, it can start to feel like a very long and drawn out sales pitch. To break up this problem, have a few fun posts every week that really engage the reader. Use polls to make it more fun and to get your reader’s feedback. Don’t be afraid to let your hair down a little bit, but always try to stay professional.

5. Don’t turn your blog into a diary of a trainwreck.

If your company is going through a rough patch it can be tempting to turn your blog into a diary and defensive tool. This is not a good idea and will give the impression that you are about to crash and burn. Always keep the tone lively, and talk about your internal matters, but never drag company dirty laundry into the public eye. This simply cannot end well.

A blog management company can help you navigate these waters and create a blog that is engaging, professional and able to meet your goals.

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Originally posted 2008-07-11 05:12:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you are completely new to blogging for small businesses, this is the book to read. While there are quite a few books dedicated to this subject, few are this easy to read, or this informative. We weren’t quite sure what to expect from this book, but we ended up being pleasantly surprised. Before we begin our review, it is important to note that this book is designed for the complete rank blogging amateur. If you are already well versed in the basics of blogging, there are a few things to learn, but it is really intended for those that need start up assistance and a push in the right direction.

Wibbels is well known for his EasyBakeBlog site where he teaches visitors how to easily set up their own blog. Much of this same advice made its way into this book and it is truly designed for thos that have absolutely no experience with HTML or the technical side of setting up a blog. He starts up with a brief history of blogs, and covers some very important terminology.

The reader can learn about trackbacks, an area which often confuses even the most intrepid bloggers. Also covered in this section are how to find blogs to read, how a blog is typically formatted as well as some basic tips on getting started. The ball gets rolling a little faster by Part Two when he shifts gears and starts to take a look at how blogging effects businesses.

We highly recommend reading part two very carefully, since there is a lot of insight here. Everything related to business blogging, making money and using your corporate blog effectively is covered in this section and anyone can learn a lot. We appreciated that the author continued to use his friendly prose in this section, making it a lot less threatening for newcomers.

Part Four is a little more advanced and goes into how to pick your blogging platform, how to handle posting and a lot of the technical issues that first time bloggers face. Our main issue with this section is that the author focused so heavily on TypePad as being the best solution. Given that WordPress has easily overtaken TypePad, readers may want to consider finding their best platform on their own.

TypePad certainly has its benefits, but for beginners, we definitely recommend WordPress first and foremost. Part Five of the book covers some specific TypePad promotional techniques, as well as general techniques that can be used to increase readership, handle RSS feeds and things like podcasting.

Overall, this was an engaging read that is well suited to beginners. We would have liked to have seen a few more platforms discussed and a little less reliance on TypePad. It ends up dating the book and making the content much less evergreen. That said, we still recommend this book to those that need a firm foundation in the basics of blogging, and learning how a corporate blog can benefit your business.

Originally posted 2008-09-26 05:35:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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When looking for a book on corporate blogging, it is always helpful to find one that is written by two of the most respected authorities on the subject. Holz and Demopoulos are internet superstars in their own regard and quite honestly, you couldn’t ask for two better people to get together to write a book. Corporate blogging is on a lot of company minds and this book does a great job of addressing pretty much everything you could ever need to know on the subject.

Shel Holz is the owner of Holz Communication + Technology and can count some of the biggest names in corporate America as his clients. This gives him a unique perspective on corporate blogging and you know you are dealing with a professional that is going to give you the right information. This is probably one of the reasons that this book has done so well and its success is well deserved. Holz is also a podcaster and offers some great tips on how businesses can take advantage of numerous types of technologies on their blogs, an area that many fail to cover.

Ted Demopoulos is an analyst that works with the top Fortune 500 companies across the world, and again, he is in a unique position to provide real world advice that really works. He began blogging very early on and has some unique insight on how to make blogging work for your company.

The book covers all of the basics, such as legal issues that you need to be aware of before you write a single word, how each business can benefit from having a blog, as well as how to get more out of your blog with monitoring. The prose is very no-nonsense and the book is very easy to read. It’s information is so good that it can be used as a resource book whenever you may have a question on how to do something or how to handle a situation. We especially liked the section on the future of corporate blogging, since it contained real information that can help businesses stay cutting edge and even become early adopters of some of the new techniques outlined in the book.

Overall, we found this to be a very engaging read that got to the heart of the matter quite quickly. Business owners don’t have a lot of free time on their hands and as such, they need a resource that will get to the point and supply the information they really need. This book wins on all points and should be purchased by anyone that needs more information on corporate blogging. The tips contained herein will help you avoid a lot of issues and get you started on the right track. We found it to be an engaging read that was well worth the money. If you are thinking about starting your own company blog, this is the book to get.

Originally posted 2008-08-22 05:20:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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For some, the premise of corporate blogging is a bit strange. It’s hard to know when a corporate blog may be right for you and it’s also difficult to know just what you’re supposed to do with one. Here’s an easy guide to help you get your blog started the right way.

Purpose

First, the main purpose of a corporate blog can be divided into three part: Attracting New Customers, Improving Search Engine Rankings and Building a Stronger Brand. All three play into one another and you shouldn’t have one without the other. With the right kind of blog, you can accomplish all three things without difficulty. This does mean however that you will need to work on a few things when you are getting started.

In order to improve your SEO, your blog’s posts should contain keywords that are relevant to your business. This means making a list of what you would like to have your site listed under with search engines and then making sure that you mention these keywords throughout your posts. This should start producing results within about two weeks to two months, depending on how often you update your blog.

Building a stronger brand is accomplished by creating a relationship with your readers that is both endearing and professional. You’ll need to walk that fine line between having engaging prose and getting too friendly. It takes a little while, but most get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Attracting new customers means that you will need to market your new blog. Advertise it on your site, promote it with social bookmarking sites and you may even consider running a PPC campaign to promote it. This will take a little time to work, but you should be able to start attracting more new customers as soon as your blog posts are indexed.

Keeping up The Good Work

In order to reinforce all of the above, you need to make sure that you are publishing your blog on a regular basis. If you can’t put up a new post every day, you should try for at least once a week. The more often you publish, the greater your chances are of getting a good ranking with search engines. Your site will be indexed more often and your readers will have more to keep them occupied.

Running a corporate blog usually entails quite a bit of time, so you may want to consider hiring a blog management service. They can assist you with promotion, more frequent posting and handling the day to day needs of a corporate blog. This frees up your staff to focus on their own tasks instead of getting caught up with the blog. In some cases, a blog can take a few minutes to manage, or a few hours. Either way, it is helpful to have someone else there to help you through the entire process to ensure that your blog is a successful as it can be and that you achieve your goals.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-07-09 05:45:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you are completely new to corporate blogging, it can be difficult to know how to format your blog so that it is reader friendly. Here are some tips to help you create a blog that is easy and fun to read.

1. Avoid run on sentences.

Practice the art of effective communication by keeping your sentences short and to the point. Don’t be afraid of the period. By keeping your prose pithy and direct you will run much less risk of boring your readers. In addition, shorter sentences are easier to follow than those that just keep running on, missing the point and wandering off of the issue until you are not really sure what the whole point of the sentence was in the first place and you’ve lost your reader’s attention – like this.

2. Break up your paragraphs.

This is an important concept that many companies follow in web design and content, but miss when it comes to blogs. The fact is that shorter paragraphs are easy to follow. The reader will not get intimidated. A good rule of thumb to follow is that each paragraph should be about two to three sentences long and never more than four.

You can also use this formatting technique to get your point across. The written word can be pretty static and sometimes, a statement will come across as more forceful when it stands alone on a page. When you need to make a point don’t bury it in a paragraph.

Give it its own space.

3. Don’t be afraid of pictures.

There are numerous sites out there that offer royalty free images that can be included in a blog. You can also include your own pictures. This really makes a difference and will make your blog much more interesting. It is a very good idea to include pictures of your corporate events as well.

This can make a story about a company event come to life since you’ll have the pictures to show what happened. In addition, this shows that your company is full of people that you are about enough to showcase. Pictures really are important and although you shouldn’t go overboard and have ten or more in a post, at least one per post is a very good idea.

4. Bullets and bold.

Bulleted lists are easy to read and will engage your reader. Again, if you’re trying to make a point, having a visually interesting post will assist you in this. Bold text is also very useful when you need to make an emphatic statement. Moderation is key, but this can help you get your point across more effectively.

If you’re stuck on how to format your blog, you may want to work with a blog management company that can assist you in planning and execution. These services are very useful when it comes to creating blogs that get noticed and meet corporate goals of traffic and increased customer confidence.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-06-19 05:09:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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