Corporate Blogging for Fun and Profit

Now that the influence of blogs as a medium outlet has been rising, many companies (most notably new online startups) have also started to jump on the bandwagon by publishing their own blogs – to varying degrees of success. While blogs like Google’s have afforded online readers a means to get updated on the firm and its going-ons, other corporate blogs like Dell’s have just floundered in the face of open criticism.

Here are a few ideas I have on how companies should run their blogs.

1) A blog is not just another marketing tool. If you are going to just plaster it with reviews / sneak peeks of your latest doodads, you may as well just do that in your online press release section. Be honest on the blog to keep your credibility up; customers can sniff a phony advertisement disguised as a blog post in the 1.5 seconds it takes for the post to load. Don’t even try.

2) Engage the customers. As a challenge, companies might try picking up their worst complain monthly and post it on their blog. Not only does it force a resolution to the issue el pronto, it gives an idea how a particular situation can be resolved for the other users facing the same problem (think FAQ). Publicize your complains and celebrate their resolutions!

3) Open surveys on product development paths to the users. The phrase “asketh and ye shall receive” comes to mind here. Play with the consumers and prod them for directions they want to see their product going. Sure beats the cost-effectiveness of other forms of surveys. Go a step further to ask them what wacky features they want to see in version 2.0 of your product! You may just end up with the exact product the consumers always wanted but other companies have been too clueless to produce.

4) Don’t just put PR people on the blog. Those professionals should be doing what they do best in the other promotional media. Drag your real life employees (bonus if you can find those already blogging about their work life) into being bloggers for the company. Inject fun into the system by encouraging them to play with the readers and consumers, answer their questions and overall increase interaction via the blog. It would be great if representations from different departments (a blogger each from engineering, sales and customer service) can jump into the fray also. Brownie points for best company blogger too!

5) Make sure everyone has fun. No doubt there are regulations and corporate info to keep secret but put everything else into the right gear to resonate with the readers. It may just pay off well in the long run.

And there you have it, some quick ideas to spruce up the ol’ website of yours. Give it a shot!