I remember chatting with a friend who wanted to know what I was busy doing, and I responded saying “I was pretty busy on a blog post”. But surprisingly he said to me, “Who reads blogs anymore?” Is it true that nobody read blogs anymore? Or has it lacked importance? Far from it. Blogs have become a primary part of some company’s communication routine. Many find it useful to communicate about new product release, support, or our very common tag “tips & tricks”. Blogs now serve as corporate editiorial pages.

Corporate blogs attract company audience to participate in discussions raised on post related to either the company or just any interesting subject raised by corporate bloggers. In some cases this audience comprises your employees (for internal blogs), customers or site visitors. For many it is a good selling point. You speak and sit back while viewers are open to give comments on your post. Many have found this open criticism medium helpful in readjusting business cases and goals.

Who participates in Corporate Blogs?

Every blog needs an individual I would refer to as the Managing Editor. This individual plays the role of ensuring the blogs keeps running no matter what, he/she plays god behind the scene. Employees should be encouraged to participate as either authors or contributors. Corporate blog that have seen the participation of top management executives have proved very successful. CEO’s and CTO’s who regularly participates in blogging draw the attention of other employees to the corporate blog and encourage them to participate. It’s what I refer to as “leading by example”.

Points to Note

Whatever blog type implemented by your company, either an internal or external blog, it is very important to catch the attention of the readers. As much as possible you should ensure that every post has a purpose to achieve. Striking titles is an attraction. It’s very important to include tags within every post. So never forget tagging, its Web 2.0 best souvenir. Placing post under specific categories helps in filtering each post according to relevant topics. Ensure to preview your post before publishing. It gives you a good picture of what it would look like to others. One last important point, be relaxed and friendly in writing. Don’t forget blogs are social tools, so ensure your blog has a social tone.

-Paulette.