Hello! Here’s just a little background information before you start reading my blog. I am currently enrolled in the School of Media Arts & Design, as a Corporate Communication major at James Madison University. My blog has been created as a project for my Web Communication class. Here, I am discussing corporate blogs and bloggers. This blog explains the benefits and mistakes of corporate blogging, and examines different companies’ experiences with blogs. Who should be managing the blogging function in an organization? Should employees be encouraged to blog on behalf of the organization? Why are internal blogs used? Should CEOs have blogs? These are all ideas I am investigating through my blog posts. Enjoy!
THE Corporate Blog
Blogging is a way for a company or organization to enhance their image. Companies such as Microsoft and Nike have followed the trend and have set up company blogs. My previous post showed how GM used blogs to advertise automobiles and reach their audience online. Blogs are another form of communication with publics. Blogs create conversation in an open and casual way, which is one reason why the number of blogs increase by 100,000 every day.
The benefits of blogging apply to small companies, as well as, large corporations. Smaller companies can benefit from a blog because it saves money. Setting up a blog is cheaper than other traditional ways of advertising.
Tom Bradley, VP and Executive Director of PR for Cronin & Co., shares the “three Ps” of a thriving corporate blog: passion, persistence, and participation.
Bradley stated that the blogger should feel passionately about the subject. I completely agree that a blogger needs to be passionate. Whether it’s a company or its products, the blogger must enjoy the topic. If they don’t, it will be hard to find new topics for the blog. After reading a few blogs, I have seen how boring the blogs can become if there is no passion or enthusiasm in the posts.
The next quality is persistence. Developing a blog takes a lot of commitment until the right voice is found. If the blogger sticks with it and is consistently creating valuable posts, the blog will be a success.
The third key factor is participation. I think this is an important factor because having a presence online makes your blog credible to readers. Successful bloggers read other’s blogs, comment on them, and build a blogroll. These things drive awareness and traffic to a blog. After a blogroll is built, then the readers can see that the blog has many consistent followers.
After hearing about the benefits to having a corporate blog, I think most companies would agree that a blog would be an asset to their business. It’s easy and inexpensive. Tom Bradley’s tips also gave guidance to future bloggers to help them create a successful blog. (Just be sure to avoid the top five corporate blogging mistakes in one of my previous posts!)
GM: The Leader in PR Innovation
Robert Lutz, Vice Chairman at General Motors, views his FastLane blog as a portal for two-way communication. He wants to hear from consumers, even if they are sharing negative comments. Lutz is the author of his blog, and he writes posts about GM’s products.
Lutz is a respected part of auto groups everywhere. He has a genuine passion for cars, and this is why is so well known. He was one of the first to start a corporate blog, and because of the way he used new media, GM is the leader in PR innovation.
GM is working with hundreds of bloggers so they will post about GM vehicles to targeted consumers. It is getting harder to reach an audience through print advertising, so GM has turned to reach people online. GM invites bloggers to auto shows and on press trips, in hopes of getting them to blog about the company. The bloggers test drive new GM cars and trucks, and are put into an experience they can positively blog about.
Kristen Hammond is an ordinary mother who writes about her sons on her blog Mommy Needs a Cocktail. GM invited Hammond to Memphis, Tennessee so she could test drive one of their cars. GM wanted to give her an experience that she would blog about, in hopes of reaching other mothers just like her.
This example shows how companies can reach out to people using a whole new medium. More and more people are online for the majority of the day. I think it would be wise if other companies followed GM’s example, and used blogs as a way to reach their publics. I think it was smart of GM to contact Kristen Hammond, because the majority of her followers are mothers, and if Hammond favors GM, the other mothers will too.
Top 5 Corporate Blogging Mistakes
Many corporate blogs have trouble gaining followers. Their blogs can sometimes have an unclear focus, or the focus is to advertise products. David Meerman Scott, a successful author and blogger, came up with his top five corporate blogging mistakes. In this post, I will evaluate Scott’s advice and decide if these mistakes are things that really should be avoided.
Scott saw corporations starting blogs without first following other similar blogs. If a company is new at blogging, it is hard to create one without first reading and commenting on other blogs. This was good advice because after looking at many different blogs, a company can have an idea of what works and what does not. I feel that commenting on blogs first helps to “exercise your blog voice.” A post from Corporate Eye also listed this as a mistake among corporate blogs.
Companies sometimes write ONLY about their products and services. This is a huge mistake! I agree with Scott’s suggestion that instead, organizations should blog about a subject that would interest the target audience.
The mistake that I found the most important to avoid was when companies focus on one-way propaganda. Companies are engaging in one-way communication when they only have links that go to their own site. This lacks credibility. Readers want to see companies become part of the online community. A company can create interest by leaving comments on other blogs and joining in on a conversation.
Scott pointed out that corporate blogs are usually boring. These tend to use all of the default settings and do not look any different from any other company’s blog. I agree that a blog needs personality to stand out. I liked Scott’s suggestion that a creative custom header, designed just for a company is a great way to attract interest.
The last mistake that Scott mentioned is that companies fail to utilize the “About” page. I think it is important for people to get to know who a company is so the reader will be more likely to engage. I think that companies should spend time thinking about what they want they reader to know about the company, and then place that on the “About” page.
I found all five of these mistakes easy for corporations to avoid. Scott gave quick solutions to correct these problems. If these blogging mistakes are eliminated, then a company is bound to see more followers and success.
Whose Your “Chief Blogger”?
In two of my previous posts on corporate blogging, I discussed the CEO blog. There are many opinions about who should manage the blogging function in an organization. Some experts think the CEO should blog, and others think they should not. Whether it’s the CEO, the corporate communications department, or a hired individual or group, it would be wise to designate one of them the “chief blogger.”
The Advertising Age article “Does Your Company Need a Chief Blogger?” shared that companies such as Coca-Cola, Marriott, and Kodak all now have a chief blogger. It is their job to tell the companies’ stories and engage consumers. The chief blogger shares the brand voice. Companies that have a chief blogger are more focused and effective. This makes sense because there is only one person trying to post an idea. One blogger also ensures that all the posts have the same brand voice.
In the video below, Shel Israel expanded on the importance of chief bloggers telling company stories. I think he was on point when he said, “When you’re blogging, you need to be giving something to your reader that compels them.” I think that readers will only continue visiting a blog if they are getting something interesting from it. I also thought he was right on target when he mentioned that people don’t want to hear lists of “corporate pearls.” His blunt thoughts on boring blogs from corporations, PR people, and legal teams warned bloggers to keep their posts focused on stories.
A story is important to keep the reader’s interest. I agreed with Israel when he suggested that companies should tell stories about their struggles and times when they failed. I feel that blogs are successful when they share company interests and tell what the organization is really like, because the audience will feel like they can trust the company.
Communication Solution: the Internal Blog
In my previous post, I discussed tips for developing an internal blog. Now I will explain why an internal blog should be used and the benefits it brings to companies.
A private, internal blog could be a company’s solution to improve communication within their organization.
Internal blogs make it possible for a team to collect and share advice and ideas. Different departments can sometimes find it hard to collaborate, and an internal blog could be the solution. Blogs can also have information available at any time and keep it private, only allowing access with a log-in password. This solution is inexpensive and can be set up very easily.
In the video below, Catherine Cummings, Assistant Vice President at the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank, shared her experience and success with creating an internal blog for her company.
Cummings’ bank needed improved internal communication. An internal blog was created that allowed anonymous bloggers to leave anonymous comments. This decision was made to create “buzz,” because most companies do not allow participants to remain anonymous. The goal of the blog was to have employees check it regularly for news and updates. The blog was loosely regulated and moderated, which I think was a good idea to show how confident the company was in its employees.
Cummings offered advice for other companies who are interested in creating an anonymous blog. She was very adventurous and said to “just do it.” She thought it was better to “beg for forgiveness rather than ask for permission.” Cummings has gained credibility through this internal blog, and the communication team’s credibility has also increased.
Tips: Developing an Internal Blog
Some corporations do not like to hear the word “blog.” A common misunderstanding is that internal blogs take a lot of time to set up and are complicated to develop. Andrea Albl, Director of Web Services at Modern Machine Shop, shared her tips on how to develop an internal blog.
I thought her first tip, to “develop a blog plan,” was very important. It is hard to create an effective blog if you are unsure of its purpose. I think it is important that companies make a plan before they start blogging. They should decide what direction they want the blog to go before they make the first post. If the blog is for a business or organization, it is important to decide who the primary writer should be. This way, the blog will have the same tone throughout and will be easy to follow.
Tip number four, “relax and write,” is imperative to follow for an effective blog. I agreed with Albl’s advice that it is important for a blog to flow like a conversation. I like to read blogs that do not sound like news releases. When it is casual and relaxed, the blog will attract readers because it will be enjoyable to read. This writing style also invites conversation and dialogue. No one wants to read a blog laid out like a corporate meeting.
I was very happy that one of Albl’s tips was to “keep it real.” I think this was the best advice that she gave. Through researching how to create an effective blog, I discovered that almost every source gave the tip to be honest when blogging. Erin Byrne gave this advice in her article from PRWeek. Being honest gains the audience’s trust, attracts followers, and creates transparency.
If Albl’s six tips are followed, an internal blog will be a quick and easy way to communicate with a group. (Don’t forget about the many free software options!)
Encourage the Employee Blog
Employees are an important part of a company’s social marketing strategy, and CEOs are starting to notice. Companies want their employees to blog to take the roles of “ambassadors” for their company. These companies want employees to blog on sites like Twitter to show transparency and confidence in the organization.
SocialCorp, written by Joel Postman, explained how Zappos encouraged its employees to blog. Zappos, an online shoe retailer, encouraged its employees to use Twitter. Zappos showed off its employees’ initiatives by combining all of the employees’ “tweets” onto a page on their corporate website. These “tweets” were available for all publics to see. The company used friendly competition among employees, making it employees’ goal to gain the most followers.
Zappos demonstrated how serious the company was about transparency by giving employees the freedom to use Twitter. Zappos trusted its employees to represent the company. I think this was brave on their part, and it showed how confident the company was in the good judgement of its employees. In the blogs, employees posted about their work lives and recommended company products. They also addressed customer support issues through their posts.
Sun Microsystems is another company that has encouraged employee blogs for the past few years. They allowed any employee with an interest in blogging to start their own, and the blogs were linked publicly. In 2007, Sun Microsystems had 4,000 of its 35,000 employees actively blogging. This was a HUGE accomplishment! Through posting, employees helped the company become transparent to its publics.
Hewlett Packard used blogs as a way for employees to share thoughts, get ideas, and feel like part of the company. As the Cannes Film Festival’s official sponsor, HP’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region used the event to get its employees blogging. The company gave employees the chance to blog about the film festival. This event not only promoted HP, but it increased visibility of HP products and services, and made the experience “real” by including HP employees. In this example, employees helped gain awareness of the company.
Encouraging employee blogs sounds like a good way to improve a company’s social marketing strategy. I think that it is important for a company to be transparent. I think it’s great when employees can help be a company’s quick and easy solution!
Coca-Cola’s “Blog Blast”
More and more companies are encouraging employees to blog on behalf of the organization. Here’s an example of The Coca-Cola Company incorporating employee blogging to make changes to its corporate culture and work environment:
In 2005, The Coca-Cola Company realized they were falling behind their competitors. Their market share was decreasing, sales were declining, and competition was increasing in the beverage industry. They needed to do something about its declining success and wanted to reinvent the company. In order to do this, Coca-Cola created a plan.
Coca-Cola needed to make big changes to its corporate culture and work environment in order to achieve its goal of long term growth. To start off these changes, Coca-Cola designed a global campaign to transform into an innovative company. All employees were invited to participate in a blog. The employees were asked to participate in order for Coca-Cola to be able to better define their values, how employees get things done, and ways to create a better business.
Many employees had never blogged before and this could have been a problem. But, before the blog started, tutorials were used to demonstrate how to post and view comments. Employees were encouraged to post group comments, this way, individuals who did not want to submit their own ideas were not left out of the blog.
The “Blog Blast” event was created to last for seven days. After the event ended, Coca-Cola had a total count of how much participation the event had received. There were 2,409 employee posts from more than forty-five countries and 136,862 employee page views over the seven-day period.
The “Blog Blast” was a huge success. The company entered into the Web 2.0 age and achieved its goals. I think that this example should be followed by other companies who want to get employees’ help in the restructuring of a company. After all, employees are the foundation of a company.
CEO: Not Fitting the Mold
Sure, there are a few CEOs that are really passionate about blogging and have the ability to create an effective blog. But the majority of CEOs do not fit into the mold of a successful blogger. Here’s why:
Seth Godin, a best selling author of business and marketing books, said that blogs work when they are based on six things: candor, urgency, timeliness, pithiness, controversy, and utility. Do these sound like traits of a typical CEO? Not really.
In a blog, a CEO would have to have the trust of the reader. I think this sounds like something that would be hard for a CEO to do. After all, many consumers view CEOs as always having an underlying motive. The six traits above are hard to find in a CEO. Consumers think that corporate blogs are designed only to advertise products or services; therefore, corporate blogs are seen to be the Communications department’s sneaky plan. The readers will not follow the blog if this is the case.
CEOs are busy and their primary concern is their investors, and they do not have time to blog. Shel Israel, social media specialist and author of “Naked Conversations,” said that, “a CEO is concerned with growth and profits, and therefore, should not be spending time trying to create an effective blog.” I agree with Israel that a CEO blog will most likely be a failure. CEOs do not speak the language of everyday people. They use large words and jargon that all readers would not understand. I know that I have read blogs before that I do not understand, and I haven’t gone back to read those blogs since.
Here’s an idea. If the CEO doesn’t fit the mold, why not have the product manager post a blog instead? Product managers are knowledgeable and passionate. They also are concerned with customer happiness, and speak the language of everyday people. That sounds like the makings of an effective blog.
The Reasons a CEO Should Blog
You may find yourself asking, “Is CEO blogging a good thing?” I asked myself the same question and decided to find an answer. It seems like there are many different opinions about blogging CEOs. The research paper “Management 2.0: A Primer on Blogging for Executives” by David C. Wyld, and Mario Sundar (Chief blogger at LinkedIn) gave me some insight to why CEO blogging can be a good thing.
Corporate blogging is supposed to allow employees, customers, and the media to gain awareness into what’s going on in the organization. What better way is there for the reader to stay up to date with company information than from the CEO’s blog? When CEOs blog, they can be viewed as “real people” and leaders which can give their company more credibility. Readers will also trust the company a little more if the CEO is willing to take the time to blog and engage in dialogue. They can also be ahead of their competitors that do not have a CEO blogging.
A good CEO blog is authentic. Blogging is effective when the CEO is honest. If the executive did not create the blog alone, then the other bloggers should be acknowledged somewhere. The readers can tell if a blog is created by a team, or a single person. If the blog is honest and authentic, then the readers will return.
Mario Sundar gave examples of times when a CEO should blog. He recommended that CEOs should post on their company’s corporate blog so they can respond to questions, in return, giving them an active voice in the company. This is a good idea because readers always want to feel like the CEO is taking the time to engage in conversation with them. He also said that CEOs should blog when they are being criticized instead of disappearing from the media. CEOs need to be accessible. I also agree with this idea because nothing is worse than a CEO not confronting an issue. Sundar used the example of Jeff Immelt, CEO of GE, when he was attacked when GE missed its first quarter earnings. Immelt took interviews and used communication to get passed the issue. Communication is key.
It seems to me that CEO blogging can be a good thing when done correctly. I know that not every CEO can have an effective blog, but blogging can be a great communications tool if used properly.
