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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One of the main problems facing corporate bloggers is that is all too easy to crash and burn. One controversial post is all that it takes to ruin your company’s image. There are many reasons that corporate blogs fail, but there are also solutions out there to ensure that this doesn’t happen. Let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons that corporate blogs don’t make it and what can be done to make sure that your company succeeds.

1. Failure to keep a blog updated on a regular basis.

Many companies start a blog with the best of intentions but just don’t have the resources to keep it going. A failure to follow through with a blog can doom it from the beginning. You’ve got to be able to devote enough resources and time to keep your blog running and keep it updated as frequently as possible. You’ll lose readers if you don’t keep giving them something new to read.

2. Picking the wrong person for the job.

Picking a blogger is not an easy task. Executives rarely have time to blog and if they outsource the job to the wrong person in the company it can be disastrous. It is vital to pick someone that is well spoken, cool under pressure and very responsible. Otherwise, the result can be a nightmare, especially if the blog has a comments section that gets out of control.

3. Projecting the wrong image.

One of the most notorious corporate blogging failures was Walmart’s attempt to produce a blog that seemed to be non commercial on the surface, but was really a thinly veiled attempt to promote their store. The result was scorn in the blogging community and the blog quickly died. You want to make sure that your blog walks that fine line between commercialization and content readers can use. With the wrong approach, you can harm your company’s image.

Another aspect of this issue is that when you have an open forum, you need to know what to do with it. Blog posts that are unprofessional give reader’s the impression that your company is not professional either. On the other hand, stiff posts fail to produce the human touch.

Each one of these issues can be easily solved by hiring a company to manage your blog for you. This is very important for companies that do not have a lot of resources to devote to a regular blog, but they want to reap the benefits that a blog can bring. By hiring a professional, you can ensure that your posts will be well thought out and properly managed. In addition, you won’t have to worry about taking your employees off of their other projects to manage the blog.

Blog management services are worth their weight in gold. You’ll not only save money over the long term since you won’t be diverting resources, but you will be able to project the right image for your company that will get results.

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Originally posted 2008-08-04 05:49:52. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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