Tips for Corporate Blogging Practitioners
In my previous posts, “CEOs Enter the World of Corporate Blogging,” “Why Corporations Should Consider Establishing Employee-Controlled Blogs,” and “The Role of the Employee Within the Corporate Blogging Arena,” I discussed the idea of who within a corporation should have the responsibility for blogging, as well as what each audience is able to contribute to a corporation’s blog that is unique to that particular audience.
However, no matter which audience, or audiences, a corporation chooses to author a company blog, there are specific tips that every corporate blogger should know before publishing their work on the blogosphere. And while the list is vast, Jason Campbell, an author for the Web magazine CMSWire, discusses the “Five Immutable Laws of Corporate Blogging” as introduced by Dan Greenfield, Earthlink’s former Vice President of Corporate Communications.
After reading over the list that Campbell presents in his article, I feel that it is important for any current or soon-to-be corporate blogger to pay close attention to law number three, the fact that all blogs, both corporate or otherwise, must promote interactivity rather than one-way communication. If there is no force driving the reader to the blog, such as new, frequent posts and the opportunity for the reader to provide his or her feedback on that newly presented information, than both the blog and the blog’s author will eventually become obsolete, destroying the intent behind the blog’s creation.
I also feel that law number four is crucial to understand before establishing a corporate blog because it is important to realize that one of the main factors behind establishing a corporate blog is that they allow a company to have a space on the Web to communicate with its stakeholders and give them a voice in all situations, not just during a crisis. This will allow a company’s stakeholders to feel valued for their opinions regarding any company topic or issue, rather than just informed when the company sees a need to get the word out.
Finally, I feel that law number five represents the most important rule to consider when executing a corporate blog. Without staying consistent with the company’s overall messages and mission, the blog, no matter who the author, has no merit because it is lacking authenticity and providing the reader with mixed messages about the company and what it stands for. This confusion influences how stakeholders view the company, and may eventually lead to a decline or loss in the credibility of that company, ultimately affecting the company’s bottom line and financial status.
As someone who is blogging about interactivity I feel very strongly about the third law as well. Blogs are meant to be interactive. If a corporation isn’t going to interact with their audience, there is really no reason to implement a blog into their Web 2.0 strategy. Interactivity also deals with law four because it is very important that a corporation creates a dialogue with their stakeholders. Blogs are a great venue to deal with not just consumers but also stakeholders as well. It’s very important to keep those both in mind and I think the laws really did a great job of covering that.
I’m glad you posted the tip about authenticity (considering that that is what I’m blogging about!). It is so important for companies to stay true to their identity and their values. Supporters of your brand or organization will feel betrayed if you stray from your core identity (imagine Harley Davidson trying to go in another direction for example). Web 2.0 opens up so many opportunities for companies to connect with their publics. They just need to remember that even though this is new technology, they need to be the same organization their followers know and love.
This is a really cool article. I agree with Lauren that blogs should be very interactive. The point is to communicate your message and have readers communicate with you as well. I like how they talk about authenticity in number 5 because it is something that may not be as noticed when reading the blog. Just like you have to remember your values when you act on a day to day basis, a company should remember its values when communicating a message to its publics. I feel like it can be easy to lose sight of that when blogging but it really is a very important aspect of the company’s image.
I think that this is a very beneficial post since i just commented on your post about what not to do with a corporate blog. Your post here says a lot about what to do with a corporate blog. I think that Campbell’s laws are really just goals that anyone thinking about starting up a corporate blog should strive for. The laws that you pointed out, authenticity and interactivity are important but I feel are kind of a given with the whole concept of blogging. I think that law number 4 is probably the hardest thing to achieve in a corporate blog because if a reader does not feel like his responses will be listen or responded to then there is no point in blogging.