“Should I start my own blog?” It’s a question millions of people have asked themselves (and one that millions more probably should have asked before jumping in). Using a blog as a medium of expression requires a certain level of commitment, among other things. For every great personal blog, there are literally thousands that never got past “first post!”
Usually, though, having a boring blog doesn’t cause you to lose friends or money. When companies try their hand at it, the story is very different. Now that more and more corporate blogs are springing up, companies should take a good look at whether they can approach blogging seriously enough that they can avoid disappointing their customers. They can succeed if they stay away from old habits, talk to their audience, and give readers something worth coming back for.
Whether or not you believe bloggers are journalists, the core concept of one-to-many communication is one that those the field of journalism have thoroughly thought through. (The many-to-many part is a little more tricky, but we’ll save that for another time.) It is important, then, to see where blogs and periodicals overlap, and learn what we can. I find three important parallels between successful blogs and print media: they value subscribers, they keep a schedule that readers can anticipate, and they always have something to say.
Subscribers to a blog’s RSS feed are the most valuable segment of a blog’s audience. Anybody who offers periodical materials of any kind should understand intuitively that a subscription is a loose contract between a content producer and an audience: a promise of future content in exchange for a promise of future readership. It’s the same proposition offered by print periodicals over the past few centuries. And nearly every editor-in-chief will tell you that subscribers are the whole ballgame: the ability to attract and retain them by giving them consistent value for their time and money means advertisers pay you, and that means you live to fight another day.
The stakes are lower for most corporate bloggers, but the risk and reward are still premised on attracting and satisfying a targeted readership. If you’re thinking that maybe this is still an interesting proposition, here are some questions you should ask yourself:
Do you have a point?
It’s amazing how many people start writing without ever thinking about what they have to say. We can talk in marketing speak about Unique Value Propositions and so on, but really, if you don’t have a point—and get to it, regularly—a corporate blog is not for you. If, on the other hand, you do have something original, insightful, or authoritative, you will slowly but surely gather an audience. (Note that you don’t get to determine whether you meet any of those criteria; your readers do.) Even edgy, curious, or creative writers can attract good readers and good business, provided those traits adequately reflect the organization’s overall image.
Will people care?
Think seriously about how to engage your target audience. For example: I’m fascinated by intellectual property law. Perhaps it’s best not to ask why. But I love finding someone who can quickly explain complex things to me in a new way. Those rare people are gold.
When I’m reading my RSS feeds in the morning, I’m not looking for J. Random Lawyer, Esq. to write part 44 of a 70-part series on probate. I want a brief, smart, and maybe even entertaining exploration of a topic: self-contained, fun-size knowledge that I can refer back to. The ability to express information people need to know in a way that helps them understand is the greatest asset you could have in the blogosphere.
Can you keep it going?
A blog is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Whether you intend to provide reference-quality material on a well-known technology or keep up with the industry politics of the day, you need to pace yourself to avoid burning out, repeating yourself too often, overwhelming readers, or succumbing to writer’s block.
Whether your sweet spot is daily, weekly or monthly, you should try to get into a rhythm with your subscribers. Blogs left to stagnate lose their audiences rapidly. Even with RSS, a month without new content on a page that once had daily updates will cause people to lose interest and look elsewhere. You can’t violate that subscriber contract without paying a penalty.
Are you communicating, or advertising?
A blog is a more conversational medium than most marketers are accustomed to. At all times, you should remember you’re not just writing press releases. You’re having a conversation. We all know that guy at the party who goes on and on about himself, without having anything else to contribute. Would you rather talk to him, or to someone else who is actively listening and engaging in dialogue with people?
Now, that’s not to say that blogging tools can’t be used successfully for direct marketing. DealMac and Woot are just two examples of sites that update regularly and use RSS to put products in front of users. If you sell commodity goods, and a lot of people price them daily, there’s little reason not to look at that approach. Providing compelling content is what’s important. How you achieve that is up to you.
Randy Baseler’s blog (he is “vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes”) is the best corporate blog I’ve seen, although I haven’t seen many. He manages to add a personal touch to his huge corporation; it’s sincere without being preachy, smug, or self-serving. I think very few companies have the right people, culture, market position, and resources to write something similar without it sounding like one long crass commercial.
Fortune magazine’s David Kirkpatrick did in Dec. ‘05 about corporations (really, advertisers) wanting a piece of the blog pie - but it was about getting corporate experts to comment on blog posts about products (bleah!). I told him that the whole idea is extremely distasteful, and that commenters with ulterior motives get a huge beat-down. Don’t we get enough marketing B.S. from spam already? I don’t need another communication channel soured by advertising.
Oh, and if I ever finish reading “The Cluetrain Manifesto” I might be able to offer more specific advice to corporate bloggabees!
Great Post. There is definetely more science and thought needed when starting up a corporate blog. Because blogs started out as personal journals, corporate blogs have a tough job to face with keeping things from sounding like advertisements and getting down to business per say in a more informal manner. Communication is essential to any successful enterprise and corporate blogs are another tool businesses can implement to stay ahead of the competition. I think it’s great to see the corporate world catching on.
Great stuff - I esp. like the communicating vs. advertising tension. I’m starting a website soon for a politician who is very keen on having a blog. It’s to be issues based, and in a lot of ways I think suits politik down to the ground. It’s also a great way of making politicians - and democracy - more accessible. As long as she keeps it up to date! A stale politician’s blog would be worst of all!
“A blog is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
Talk about your concise, smart summaries; there’s a doozy right there.
I like the physicality of this simile. It would be a good line to use with clients as part of the scoping process for a site, since even someone with only a vague concept of what blogs are can understand the implication immediately.
In a side note, have you considered adding comment subscriptions via RSS or e-mail? I like being able to get notice of follow-up comments on posts like these.