The response to this question is that yes, every business in any sector that has a need to communicate with consumers, industry peers, suppliers and/or the media would benefit from an authoritative and official corporate blog, yet this is immediately followed by an important caveat. Irrelevant of industry, a business should only consider creating a blog that has a well thought-out strategy.
Blog strategy
Craft a mission statement that sets out precisely what the blog is meant to relay and achieve, and outline how this aligns with broader corporate objectives. Some organisations choose to publish this mission statement on their blog, while others keep it for internal eyes only.
Search engine visibility
Any business that would like to be discovered more easily on Google should consider investing in a corporate blog. Executed properly, a corporate blog will generate excellent results on all the search engines, driving targeted traffic to your website. Develop a keyword strategy using one of the multitude of keyword tools available, and remember that links and page views are the currency of the blogosphere.
Twitter vs business blogging
Some argue that Twitter has replaced the need for business blogging with the facility to reach a mass audience where they are already communicating. Yet relying on Twitter also means relying on your audience constantly checking into the network or taking the time to check their friends’ stream histories. We believe that when you want to communicate with a corporate audience and in more than 140 characters, there is no better tool than your own blog.
By all means use Twitter, Facebook and indeed LinkedIn to alert your various audiences to the fact that you have published a new blog, but these alerts should always drive traffic to your own website, where all published content is authoritative and official.
Beyond the press release
In the nascent days of corporate blogs, which were generally penned by (or perhaps written for) the CEO, posts could be fairly bland and unoriginal, serving as thinly-veiled attempts to rework press releases with a human face as provided by the boss’ mugshot.
While press releases still have a purpose and value, in today’s new media landscape blogs offer a fresh way to communicate company news to both consumers and the media. Do take care to avoid simply repurposing press releases as they won’t be read. Blog content should always be original as well as informative, so look to new formats like reviews and interviews while variously using text, video and audio to get your message across.
Readership of blogs among media professionals and journalists is high according to numerous studies, and you can now assume that any reporter who is covering your sector will read your corporate blog while not necessarily following you on other social channels. One 2008 study from PR firm Brodeur and Partners and press release distribution business Marketwire found that over 75% of reporters turn to blogs for story ideas and story angles, while 70% of reporters regularly check a blog list. This is supported by a SNCR study which revealed that 70% of journalists who responded use blogs to assist in their reporting.
In today’s climate, any company that wants to create a more effective dialogue with its target audience needs a business blog. It offers the potential to take ownership of your brand’s image in the public sphere and offers a reactive rather than passive voice.
If the golden rules of posting frequently, writing for your customer and using a human voice while resisting blatant salesmanship are adhered to, there is no reason that any business would not benefit from blogging.
