The Good, the Blog and the Ugly

Blogging grew out of the need for dialogue and the exchange of ideas in a relaxed and informal setting. The GOOD thing about the blog is that it hosts a number of great avenues for businesses in terms of marketing and advertising. The UGLY thing about blogs is that you need to take precautions and use certain strategies if you take a business online with a blog.

The following 8 principles of blogging strategy will help to ensure that your blog never crosses over from good to ugly!

Principle 1: Blog Responsibly

Be careful that employees don’t reveal sensitive company information on your blog. You don’t want one of your employees blogging about an upcoming marketing strategy to one of your competitors. This could spell disaster for your business.

Principle 2: Know thyself and thy blogging

To keep up with the ever changing world of blogging, it is important you notice new trends. Traditionally, blogs were just comments, stories, questions and notations. Nowadays some of the most successful blogs are multimedia works of art with significant audio and video elements. To make your blog stand out, get creative with multimedia!

(General Motors’ blog is a great example: http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/).

Principle 3: Know thy enemy blogger

It is not enough just to know your own technological or literary skill in creating your blog. You should also study other people’s blogs. There are some blogs out there that are doing groundbreaking work and by studying them you will get some great inspiration for what is possible. I recommend you take Cory Miller’s advice and “Study the great blogs and learn what makes them great.”

Principle 4: Blog effectively

Get clear on when a blogging strategy is effective and when it is not the most optimal approach. Thomas Nelson Publishing recommends that employees host company blogs themselves rather than hosting at the company level. This strategy creates separation between the company and individual blogs. However, especially in a smaller workplace, it may be better to allow employees to blog directly on the company site as it projects more of a ‘family feel’. In this instance, employee education as to what is and isn’t appropriate would be a necessity.

Principle 5: Blog with Vision

Take what you’ve already learned about blogging; put it into new perspectives, and attempt to predict directions in your particular niche, from the implementation of new strategies and technologies, to possible blogging avenues as yet unexplored.

Principle 6: Blog with Depth

When you blog, keep a careful eye on the strategy behind what you’re doing and whether your blog is actually achieving what you want to achieve. Look at what is working, what is not working, and what could be working better to achieve your outcome. Blogging for businesses is not an end in itself – always keep your marketing/business strategy in mind and make sure your blog is helping to achieve it. Don’t let blogging be an unexamined process as that is a recipe for failure.

Principle 7: Keep note of blogging details

The more attention you pay to what is happening on your blog, the more effective it will be. It’s just like a pot plant – the more energy and attention you give it, the better it will grow.

Principle 8: Avoid blog overuse

Always remember that blogging is just one strategy that can serve your internet marketing efforts. There are plenty more internet marketing strategies that are just as effective and can also be used in conjunction with a blog strategy.

Understanding the Good, The Blog and the Ugly is about realizing how to get the best out of your company blog and avoiding any negative consequences. When you follow the 8 steps to effective blogging you will be off to a good start.

It is important to lay down rules for your employees in how to represent the company when blogging under the company’s name. If you do not do this you could open yourself to libel and defamation law suits in the blink of an eye.

You can set up a blog with a free blogging service such as www.blogger.com, but I recommend you use your own domain to set up your blog using Wordpress or Moveable Type – that way you have much more control over the process.

http://www.wordpress.org http://www.movabletype.org/

Both of these services provide plenty of supporting documentation. You’ll be stepping into the blogosphere before you know it…

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