The Changing Tide of Corporate Blogging
Corporate blogging used to be the unspoken words in the boardroom. There would always be questions such as:
- Who's going to blog?
- How many per day is the norm?
- What do we have to say that's important?
- Should we have it on our corporate website or a separate host?
- What if someone comments in a negative way?
Those questions have long been answered as most companies are using their blog as THE face of the company — from announcing new partnerships and launching new technologies to addressing a crisis issue. It appears that these days, the corporate blog is on the front lines of business communications.
However, there's a growing trend to move through transparency and embrace brutal honesty and truism. This, of course, is due to the fact that social media has put the consumer in the driver's seat and has created a world of high demand in terms of content.
Consumers want their news unfiltered, but straight from the horse's mouth.
So, knowing the anti-BS news stance of consumers, what should corporate bloggers think about when creating content?
Well, here are three easy things to remember:
- Stay away from nervous Nellie and take chances. Yes, you need to be buttoned up at times, but be authentic without sounding like a corporate tool. Test the patience of your readers and push them to engage. Don't be afraid of the give and take. After all, this is what it's all about — feedback and engagement.
- Treat it like a community. Your blog can be a small community of supporters, watchers and, in some cases, haters. Be sure to treat it like a community in terms of always watching for comments, Tweets, Facebook posts and engagement opportunities. The more you interact with your readers, the more you show interest in their visitation to your blog (and the likelihood that they will come back and continue to read your stuff).
- Finally, don't always do what you think is the easy thing to do. Take the hard route. Write topics that are against the grain, that might ruffle some feathers — including those within the organization. This is a great way to spark dialogue and push along ideas as they relate to your business.
What other tips or advice would you add in terms of how corporate blogging has changed over the years?
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