January 2nd, 2009 — content, post design, publicity
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 Old Post Promoter
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December 30th, 2008 — advertisment, customer trust, goals, public relations, reputation
In today’s current business world, the media is more savvy than ever and so are consumers. This has led many companies to adopt a full disclosure policy on their corporate blogs. Is this policy right for you? Let’s look at a few of the upsides and downsides of full disclosure.
Upsides
1. Public perceives your company as honest.
Everyone loves it when a company owns up to mistakes, takes the high road and is brutally honest about their business deals. It is always refreshing to see a company that is willing to take that risk to be more open with the public and share what is really going on inside.
2. All press is good press.
Blogs that deal with full disclosure typically get lots of traffic and they are able to quickly generate a lot of buzz. This is really only useful if there is a way to turn what they are talking about into a positive light, but overall, when it comes to getting attention, full disclosure usually gets the job done.
Downsides
1. Is brutal honesty always the best policy?
If your company just took a major financial hit, does the public really need to know about it? One of the main problems with adopting a full disclosure stance is that it can really hurt you when things get tough. It’s one thing to say that the company is going through a rough patch, it’s quite another to get into details. This hurts your bottom line, and if you have investors, they may not appreciate your honesty with the public, especially if it affects your stock prices.
2. Bad reputations take only a few seconds to make.
It can take years to build up an image of corporate responsibility, but trashing your company’s image can only take a few seconds. Full disclosure often means talking about things that put your company into a decidedly unflattering light. If you feel your company can rise above that, terrific, but some companies never recover after a blogging disaster.
Weighing All the Options
Now that we’ve gone over the good and bad side of full disclosure, it’s time to get really serious and think about how it could affect your company. Do you have investors? If you do, this is probably not the best policy for your corporate blog. The risks far outweigh any benefits.
Is your company fairly new and so far scandal proof? In this case, then a full disclosure policy can help build a solid reputation around your company and present it in a good light. You may change your mind however the instant the first bad piece of news hits the press.
Lastly, what do you want people to think of when your company name comes up? If you don’t want the latest blogging fiasco to be at the tip of everyone’s tongue, a little mystique is probably a good thing. Blogging is a balance, and it’s up to you to decide how much information you want to reveal.
Photo Credits: 1
Originally posted 2008-08-18 05:09:40. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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December 30th, 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
Originally posted 2008-08-21 05:26:58. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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December 25th, 2008 — content, engaging ideas, goals, planning, social bookmarking sites
When you first start your corporate blog, it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement. After a few on target posts, you may find yourself wandering and it can be difficult to find that balance of posting interesting content and keeping with your original plan. Here are some tips to help you stay focused on your corporate blogging adventure.
1. Set out a roadmap, complete with sidestreets.
You can stay 100% on topic all of the time or your blog would be pretty boring. When you’re figuring out the basics of what you will be talking about on your blog, find relevant secondary topics that still tie into what you do but are a little bit more fun. You can then allow yourself to go down these sidestreets, and you won’t have to worry that you’ll be going off track. In essence, you’re staying on topic, even if it doesn’t feel like it, since you’ve already worked out what will be acceptable to discuss on your blog.
2. Allow yourself one fun post a week.
You can’t be serious all the time and your readers won’t appreciate overly somber posts. Try to allow yourself one to kick back and have fun. This is a good time to post a top ten list or something that is engaging, fun and shows your company in a good light. By giving yourself one free day a week where you can express yourself in a different way, you’re cutting back on the risk that you’ll want to do this all the time.
In addition, your readers will learn to really appreciate this fun day and you may even find that your traffic spike on these days. As you post fun topics like this, you’ll also have a better chance of getting your site on Digg, or other social bookmarking sites. The readers that frequent these sites are notorious for their love of top ten lists and you can explode your traffic if you happen to get one of your posts included. By getting a little funny, you can really increase your chances of having this happen.
3. Utilize polls and other features to keep your reader’s engaged.
If you’re posting the same thing day after day, it is all too easy to lose your focus. Try adding fun elements, such as a polls, that encourage reader participation. You can actually learn a lot about your customers and your readers by trying this. Try to do this at least once a week as well.
These are just a few ideas of how to stay focused on your corporate blog. A blog management company will be able to help you with your needs and can make it easier to produce a blog that is not only fun and engaging but gets your message across the way you need it to be portrayed. They are very useful, especially if you are completely new to blogging in general.
Photo Credits: 1
Originally posted 2008-08-05 05:01:44. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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December 15th, 2008 — Buildify, blog design, hosting, planning, security
If you are planning on starting your own corporate blog or executive blog, or if you already have a corporate blog that you are writing in, then one of your greatest concerns should be corporate blog security issues. There are a variety of different corporate blogging security issues that you need to watch out for, and protecting yourself against them will make sure that your blog is protected. Considering the fact that your corporate blog is a part of your company, implementing some basic steps for corporate blog security is absolutely vital. You do not want someone breaking into your blog and posting fraudulent entries or deleting your blog all together. Here are some things that you want to consider:
- One of the biggest concerns that you need to put thought into is your hosting.
If you are hosting your corporate or executive blog in the same place that you are hosting your other business data, you are putting a large amount of data at risk. By hosting your corporate blog entries outside of your normal business machines by working with a third party hosting service you can actually dissipate a large amount of this concern, better protecting your data in the process. By separating your blog entries and blog administration from your normal small business machines, you can better protect all of your data.
- Another security concern that you need to put some consideration into is what happens if you make a goof on your corporate blog.
Imagine having the wrong information posted for all of your customers, clients and readers to see. If you make a goof on your corporate blog, it can be really embarrassing not only for you as the blogger but also for your entire company and the reputation that you have worked so hard to build. Keep this in mind when it comes to posting in your blog, and also keeping it safe from people who want to harm your valuable reputation.
- Here is something else that is worthwhile to consider:
The SEC just recently allowed SUN to make all of their future corporate announcements via blog posts rather than through press releases. What does this tell you about the importance not only of corporate or executive blogging in general, but also in relation to who is actually reading blogs online and how seriously they take the content of these blog entries? If blogging is becoming the new way to spread news about a company, then keeping your blog safe and secure is absolutely vital to the health of your company’s reputation.
Regardless of whether you are just now thinking about writing in a blog, or if you already have an established corporate blog that you are using to build your company’s reputation, it is absolutely vital that you consider the elements involved in the security and safety of your blog. There is no telling what will happen if someone finds their way into your server, wreaking havoc on your blog and your company’s reputation in the process.
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December 10th, 2008 — audience, comments, content, public relations
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 Old Post Promoter
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