Keeping Corporate Bloggers Motivated is Worth the Effort!

Corporations worldwide are taking online corporate communications much more seriously than ever before. Companies are starting to rise up to the reality that people are now more connected than ever because of the Internet. Moreover, through the use of online social media such as Facebook, forums, and the blogosphere, people are connected to one another at an unprecedented rate. People are using online social media as a means to not only gather information, but to stay connected, seek out new products, keep up with the times, get advice, and much more.

The Internet has shifted a great deal of how people live on a daily basis and do business altogether. With more people sharing knowledge through forums and blogs, it is clear to see why ignoring online communications or what is being said about a company’s products, services and other goods online would lead companies to miss out on a multifaceted opportunity that could reach the masses, lead to a better brand image or name, garner more business, and lead to additional income.

According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey, 58% of the US population, as of 2007, consults the Internet as their first source of information; the highest statistic of more traditional sources, such as professional advisers or newspapers and magazines. Although many corporations and small businesses have blogs as a form of external communication (about 89% according to GuideWireGroup.com), most companies face a problem with maintaining enthusiasm for blogging, and find encouraging adoption a hindrance; resulting in minimum blog use.

How do companies maintain enthusiasm for blogging and what can they do to motivate blogging? One suggestion from clickZ.com states that guidelines should be formulated and followed as any other policy to maintain blogging. Another suggestion from lifehack.org states that if you're running out of steam for blogging, the best way to get inspired, stay motivated and feel confident in your blogging is to engage in others' blogs read other posts and converse with others who post blogs.

Lorelle.wordpress.com gives us several ways to overcome the blogging slump including setting realistic goals that won't sabotage your efforts; as well as blogging about something that you really enjoy or found interesting.

If companies now are following a relationship-based approach to gaining business, then they should also utilize the blogosphere and other social media as a way to create and maintain relationships as any other traditional form.

Blogs as Online Life Raft

After a recent crisis, Jet Blue Airlines responded to bloggers in their own medium, according to Adweek. They acted in strong contrast to Taco Bell’s rat scandal, and have come out looking better because of it.

When a company joins in the discussion online, it become someone to talk to, instead of talked about. When people feel they can talk to companies on blogs and other online media, they feel closer to the company. It loses the faceless, corporate image and becomes like a friend.

Brands need to be as comfortable using online discussion tools as their customers. These situations can make or break a brand, so a company’s response must be tailored to the desires of consumers.

Bringing a Brand International

The world is fast becoming smaller with global economies rapidly expanding and people from all over the world exchanging in business ties. The web has made this possible and as a corporation, you would be foolish not to partake.

ComScore Network released its World Metric Service, a service that measures visitation metrics and demographic characteristics, and the results were in your favor. Internet audience is up 10 percent worldwide.

The Internet reaches 747 million people worldwide, and of that only 1.3 million resides in the top 15 countries ranked by Internet population. Among the highest is India at 33 percent. The highest average hours spent monthly on the Web are found in Canada (39.6) and Israel (37.4). Properties such as Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo! are the highest rated in the world.

As a corporation you must utilize the technologies that result in these astounding numbers. With interactive media, corporations can reach their global markets and build a stronger identity in the global world. Using methods to increase a company's SEO on such sites as Google, eBay, and Wikipedia will generate mass awareness of its brand and will allow the company a chance to further its reach to new segments.

Opening Up Two-Way Communication

The debate between whether or not to allow users to post comment to a corporate blog was a topic of client discussion this week. In a global organization it is a hard choice. Here are your three options with a little commentary on each:

Disable comment posting functionality: If this functionality is disabled, employee expectations might not be met because the medium will not be a true “blog.” Though this might be viewed as semantics, most employees have had personal interaction with blogs. The “look and feel” is known. Because of this, employee buy-in to the communication medium as a whole could suffer.

Allow comment posting functionality for certain posts: Allowing comment-posting functionality for certain posts is an attractive proposal if an internal resolution cannot be reached. Blog postings that might entice outlandish comment posting by users can undergo a risk assessment analysis and comment functionality can be disabled based on the results. The problem with this approach is the organization could foster an environment that could be viewed as untrustworthy. Potentially, users could ignore the communication medium out of distrust.

Allow comment posting functionality for all posts: MindComet recommends the final option because it is the best to meet employee desires and provide a true two-way communication medium. Users will not be allowed to post anonymous comments because of system restrictions that most large organizations have. Because of this, any dissenting opinions will provide more value because employees will know that their name will be known and viewable. This option will also provide the opportunity blog authors to respond to comments and have an ongoing dialogue with employees.

Relationships vs. SEO

Next-generation marketing ... an evolution of advertising to say the least. It continues to get more innovative and personal with every new channel introduced to the market. Podcasts, Wikis, and blogs lay the foundation for developing stronger relationships with the consumer market, but is a strong relationship all we want as marketers?

Building solid relationships with consumers is indeed critical to the success of the brand because it leads to trust, support, profitability, and hopefully referrals, but is that all? Forrester Research's, Charlene Li, thinks that strong relationships are more important than search engine optimization (SEO) and quite frankly, I disagree.

How does a marketer develop the relationship to begin with?

Marketers need to begin by establishing a corporate identity and build brand recognition. In the world of Web 2.0, what better way to establish an ongoing relationship than by optimizing the company website so consumers can find it?

Research shows that consumers will not browse past the first page of results when performing an online search. As a marketer, you should do everything possible to achieve first page ranking for your company.

Whether you utilize paid placement or optimize the site for organic search, you must have a comprehensive SEO strategy to ensure your ability to create a strong and lasting relationship with the customer.

Web 2.0 Is about Building Relationships

Corporate blogs, should they be deemed controversial?

Researching current CEO blogs, it finally hit me why some CEOs are reluctant to incorporate blogging into their corporate communications strategy. To date, much has been attributed to the fact that most CEOs are not in touch with the technology which leads to discomfort. However, if a CEO takes the next step to understanding the technology, what they find in a simple Google search most likely will turn them off to the medium because edgy, haphazard posts. These litter the blogosphere while providing commentary that is outlandish to a CEO reader. This approach might work for some CEOs and companies, but for the CEO managing a global organization, it will not-- particularly for employee communications.

Blogging is here to stay and CEOs not only need to understand the ramifications of the medium, but make an attempt to utilize it for employee communications. Using this technique will broaded their internal communication and aid in developing a stronger corporate brand. Here are some tips for "conservative" CEO blogging initiatives for intranets:

1) Keep the blog a professional, positive medium.
2) Use this as an attempt to engage employees in what your company is up to. Remember your audience. What does this mean for a supervisor all the way down to a factory worker?
3) Consider if you need to delete the "comment" functionally. The wrong comment can send your message in the wrong direction. Again, this depends on the company.
4) Include specific happenings from conferences, meetings, or presentations when applicable.
5) Highlight financial good news.
6) Use as a directional commentary on the company. Where has your company been and where is it going?
7) Use as a place to highlight new products/services. Fit into the scope of suggestion 6.
8) Comment on industry and legal news. Fit into the scope of suggestion 6.
9) Highlight key accomplishments of employees or your product/service.

The Changing Landscape of Interactive Media

I have to admit, at first I didn't get it, what was so important about blogging? Why were corporations taking part in something that only seemed important to Gen Y? Quite simply, because they aren't the only group frequenting these blogs. ME liz Strauss said it right when she stated "blogs are the new black in corporate communications." A large portion of online consumers are using this new type of communication.

This is a simple, new method for communicating with coworkers, vendors, buyers, and management and is quickly replacing the traditional websites and corporate intranets. Corporate blogging is an interactive method for increasing your corporation's identity and culture. Blogging promotes business communications but also encourages corporate team building. It is the corporation's responsiblity to maintain these blogs and keep the public informed on their products, procedures, and policies. Blogs are relatively easy to write, post, and allow numerous relationships to form between people all over the world.

Web sites and the intranet will not disappear, but they will have to change dramatically to gain the intense exposure blogs currently hold in the market, both inside and out of the office. Internally, blogs are essential in corporate communication. With the use of blogs, teams are built and maintained and a stronger sense of corporate involvement forms. This is a great resource for corporations because of the increased rate of business communications within the organization and the stronger pride in being apart of the organization.

Blogs: The New Black in Corporate Communications