Has your blog become just a glorified press release page?Are you starting to wonder why you bought into the idea of using this new technology?

It’s a serious transition to go from broadcasting a brand to community engagement. The biggest challenge is conceptual. Let’s not dishonor “old school” marketing. It’s what brought us to this point in history. Advertising / Marketing is typically one of the most cutting edge industries. It leverages the newest technologies and tests everything in order to find the greatest success. So let’s look at one of the biggest challenges everyone faces with experimental corporate blogs and then move into five possible overarching strategies for your company’s blog.

Problem: The Wrong Person is Running Your Blog

If your blog is dull, dry, and boring, it’s probably being handled by the wrong person. Occasionally it’s just a matter of helping the right person stimulate their creative energies and building a doable strategy. But most of the time, I’d venture to say, a boring blog is run by someone who thinks they need to blog because everyone else is doing it, but they lack the passion and energy to really leverage the technology to promote your business. Blogs are just code, sitting out there waiting to be used. They’re tools. And they are great or dull based on the person using them.

As Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media points out:

The person with the most passion and excitement for your company is the one who should be steering the [blog] ship. Even if they’re not the best writer on staff or if that person is the guy who cleans the office at night. If that’s who’s the most excited about what you do, give him the microphone. I want to hear what he’s finding in the trash, I want the back story, I want the goods and I want something that I can relate to. I have a feeling I’d have a much easier time relating to that guy, someone who spends their days in the trenches… And if the guy who cleans your office is that excited about working there, that’s probably a company I want to check out. I want to see what has him so hot and bothered about you that he smiles while moving your empty bottles into the recyclables. Excitement is like giggles. It’s infectious.

Blogging is Creative!!!

This is marketing. This is branding. This is conversation. This is community building. Most companies don’t put wrap their logos around press releases and hand them out at the mall. There’s got to be something more exciting going on in your company! A corporate blog isn’t successful just because the company is. Let’s toss out those ideas that a blog is this simple little thing we do on the side with overworked employees. Let’s not play that mind game with ourselves that convinces us we’ll somehow magically get something for nothing.

Why bother with a blog if it requires so much change?

It’s simple. Successful blogs (and other social media efforts) ENGAGE people. That’s something a broadcast-only campaign can’t do. It can’t answer questions or make a recommendation. It can’t solve someone’s problem. It can’t connect with people. And THERE’S your problem. More than ever, you need to connect to your users, clients, customers, and partners. It’s that connection that builds the bonds of loyalty you’ll rely on when the market gets shaky or your competitor makes a landmark move.

What was our purpose for blogging again?

What keeps a person from jumping ship every time a competitor launches a new product or service or brand campaign? Quality of product and service, of course. But nothing replaces feeling connected. We feel a special kinship to the brands and companies that engage us in conversation. Who show us the wizard behind the curtain.

5 Ways Your Blog Can Add Value to Your Brand:

These are going to be brief, so you can glimpse at some big picture options and contact us if need be about putting it all together.

1. Deep Information Resource

Many companies are holding onto reams of rich resource material that could be shared with their customers, partners, investors, and prospects. It’s usually more important to be the source of valuable information and the public thought leader than to withhold said info to keep your competition from using it. In the today’s social Web, givers are held in reverant esteem and their reputation for excellence is furthered through their stance on sharing

2. Problem Solver

Are there common misconceptions or problems when building, buying, selling, trading, or engaging with your products and services? Telephone customer service is so 1990s (but keep them around just in case). Depending on the number of questions you already receive and that may be floating around out there in the ether, Q&A could turn out to be the neverending resource for daily blog material. Additional benefits of answering questions in detail via blog post is the permanence and searchability of those answers. Your company will be a valuable resource for years to come!

3. Hip and Cool

Not every industry can pull off hip and cool. Though sometimes it’s just a matter of perspective. If your company only builds a specific industrial product, it may not be sexy by itself. But if that part goes into building a home, hotel, office building, race track, ampitheater, or city park, a whole new realm of opportunity opens before you. Sometimes showing what your product does is more engaging than discussing what it is. A vast array of images, video, and partnerships with other contributing companies could turn your ho-hum website into something spectacular.

4. The Human Side

Not every company can stomach it, but there are many success stories from brands who blog more on the personal side. Whether it’s a daily peek inside the inner workings of the company or it’s catching everyone up on recent family / holiday events, there is something solid about a company who feels comfortable showing that they’re just real people doing extraordinary things in business.

5. The Community Hub

With comments enabled, of course, your corporate blog can be the hub for investors, researchers, fans, and more. With the right strategy and content, your blog can be the place where people come to engage in conversation. Blogs that consistently establish thought leadership in their industry are most likely to become a community hub.

Help Me Help You!

It IS possible to be a winner. Your blog can be memorable. It can drive new business. It can strengthen brand loyalty. But you have to be willing to ACT. You know this in business because you’re out there making it happen. But it’s still true for blogging. Just because it’s not your money maker now doesn’t mean it couldn’t play a major role in the future. If you have any questions about your blog strategy, we’d love to help. Drop us a comment below or fill out our contact form and we’ll get in touch.