Guide to Writing a Successful Corporate Blog - 5 Steps

To blog...or not to blog.

It’s a question on the lips of many savvy marketing executives these days. And it isn’t for everyone. If you’re up in the air about it, a little exercise might help (see the link in Action Step 1 below).

But if you’ve made up your mind you’re ready for a blog, let’s talk about how to do it right. But first, remember that a blog is a very powerful way to use your company’s "true voice," and it takes the kind of care and nurturing you’d give any living thing.

You’ve heard of "natural" search, right? It’s the best way to prepare your site for good rankings in the search engines. And the strongest tool you can use for that is a company/corporate blog.
Why? Blogs provide a constant supply of fresh, relevant content-the number one element that makes search engines love your website. And if you use a couple of well-chosen keywords in your posts that relate well to what you do/sell/want to prove, your traffic should get even better. Here are 5 action steps to make your blog more powerful at attracting loyal, profitable customers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Getting started - get the domain name!

First, you have to set up your blog as one of the following: 1) a subdomain (blog.yoursite.com), 2) a page in your own website (www.yoursite.com/blog/) OR you can use a completely separate domain name if you're doing this for credibility and are not concerned about it helping your main site's search rankings. If you use a separate domain name, you can start out the hosting completely free by signing up with Blogger.com (owned by Google). Register your new domain name; it's as easy as 1-2-3--just follow directions. If you are creating the blog as a subdomain or a separate page, you're probably better off using another free but more complicated option. WordPress has to be hosted on your server or theirs. But no matter which service you use, be sure to use "tags"--a great way to help your blog entries be more visible on the Internet. If you have a tech-savvy person who can help, go with WordPress.

I recommend: Can't decide if you should do it? Read this article "Blog for Business: How to decide if it's right for your company"
Free blogging software: Blogger | Wordpress

Be keyword savvy

Pick good keywords, but not from among the really popular terms (like "blog")--the competition for those is stratospheric You know those Google search pages that come up and tell you you've found the first out of 17 zillion results for your term? On a random day, for example, this is the Google search results number for the word "blog" - 2,730,000,000 (yes, the kind of number with so many zeroes you don't even bother to decipher it--and that huge number should give you a clue about how right you are to be thinking about this blogging thing).

Pick some other words and phrases that are on target but not searched for by practically every human being on the planet who has a computer. How, you ask? Do you know about Overture? It's a powerful online software you can use to test key words and phrases. Pick a phrase that's related to your main focus and gets a moderate number of searches, and then focus.

I recommend: these guys know how to do it (they sell you words) - but you don't have to buy anything to use this great online software: http://inventory.overture.com
keyword tracking software: Wordtracker

Focus

Write about your topic(s), interweaving personal observations on news and events in your industry. Sprinkle your postings liberally with the word(s) or phrase(s) you've selected and tested with WordTracker or another keyphrase software. I know. Easier said than done. But that's why SEO (search engine optimization) companies beg their clients to hire writers to do their corporate blogs. Having Joe or Harriet in Human Resources write the blog may not get you the results you're hoping for.

I recommend: FREE tips and techniques for writing an effective corporate business blog - visit my blog on this topic: BlogforBusiness.com

Check out this expert's ebook: Top 7 Tips to Write an Effective Business Blog 

Make it real

Now comes the hard part. To build the most value into your blog, you have to actually write in the thing-regularly, consistently, and passionately. Yes, you read right-with passion. That means you have to really care about your subject. When you care, you'll automatically tend to deliver content that will have value for others who care, too-your prospects, partners, vendors, and customers.

One reason this may be hard for you or most of your employees is that you all have your regular jobs to do. It's not easy to consistently find passion for another whole endeavor when you're already investing your soul in meeting demands and looking ahead to do your job better. If you have someone on your staff who's a really good writer and who can spare some time, discuss this responsibility with him or her. Let her know that you support this project and that her supervisor will allow her the time needed to do a good job.

I recommend: Finding "voice" in your writing--tips from a Richmond University  project that cites some of the most widely known experts on this topic

The classic text by William Zinser, On Writing Well (from your library or buy it at Amazon.com)

Questions about putting passion into your posts? Visit  my site and call or email me.

Promote!

Use all your marketing know-how to cross-promote the blog with your other outreach methods-mention it on your website, in your direct mail, and in your newsletter, set up your RSS feed links, and regularly email your contacts with notes about what's going on in your blog.

Use the brand-new "share this site" service alled AddThis (see below) to help others spread the word. Use Google Adwords, Google Adsense, and other gateways to larger networks.

Read tips from some of the big guys: Blogger, About.com, Wikipedia on affiliate marketing, Clickz/Jupiter Research, and you can find many more.

You can't, as they say, "build it and they will come." But if you already have a strong in-house list that you market to, you've got a ready-made reader base that cares about your topic and is accustomed to paying attention to you. That is the best possible place to be when you start a blog. Then the viral marketing power of the web will go to work for you.

I recommend: Google Adwords | Google Adsense | Blogger | About.com | Wikipedia on affiliate marketing | Clickz/Jupiter Research
and the nifty new AddThis service (puts a link on each of your posts that lets people tell the world they like what you wrote)

Find and get to know bloggers that cover similar or related topics. Look them up on http://www.blogwise.com, www.blogsearch.google.com, www.blogpulse.com, www.globeofblogs.com. Spend some time finding out who else is writing in your field. Introduce yourself first by leaving comments on their blogs. Build a relationship. Find out who's writing articles in your field and see if they have a blog.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• You're not advertising your products in your blog posts, so don't talk like a salesperson.
• Forget "corporate speak" - that dull, dry passionless way of talking that strips all vestiges of feeling from your words.
• BE YOURSELF, or at least let the person you assign write naturally.
• If you touch on a sensitive subject or something you might not want a competitor to see, by all means have your PR person go over the post before you publish. But don't strangle the life out of your blog by being overly protective.
• Check the blogosphere periodically for mentions of you, your company or your products. If anything negative is ever said, respond immediately, honestly and forthrightly, in comments and in your own blog. Don't try to hide the fact that it was said--nothing escapes detection in the blogosphere.