Usage of Blogging in Businesses

This is your introduction to business blogging; we'll start with a quick refresher on what's happening in the blogosphere and common usage of blogging in businesses. Every single day, there are more than seventy thousand new blogs appearing all over the internet, at least according to Technorati which is a search engine designed specifically for blogs. However, very few of these blogs actually manage to emerge from the pile to gain popularity and high readership numbers. Blogging is an extremely simple process, but there are a few steps involved in turning a simple blog into something that the masses want to read. Despite the fear of blogging failure, many large Fortune 500 companies have begun to blog, including Microsoft, Google and IBM, as well as General Motors and many other large companies that have come to understand the benefits of blogging in the growing and changing world of technology.

Is your company considering joining the Blogosphere? Here are some tips for anyone aspiring to be an accomplished corporate blogger.

The first thing you must do is know yourself and your company. Will your company benefit from blogging, and will your readers benefit from your blog? There are some corporations that simply will not benefit from the world of blogging, so this is an important determination to make. Once you have determined whether or not you are ready for a blog, you must choose who will be the best person to compose this blog. It is necessary to hire a blogger who writes well with a tone that is conversational yet authoritative. The best writer for your blog is not the CEO of your company in most cases, because the most credible source for information about a company is very rarely the controlling officer but rather someone lower in the ranks.

Next, it is important that you know and understand your audience. Your blog will be nothing more than simply a corporate organ for PR if you do not have something passionate to blog about. It is important for you to learn what it is that your customers and readers care about, so that you can participate in the conversation in a credible way. Even if your product is not something worth talking about, you can still blog on relevant topics, such as talking about health and proper parenting if you sell natural organic yogurt, or discussing organization and cleaning tips if you sell dust mops.

Absolutely DO engage your audience in any way possible. The best part about keeping a blog is that blogs are like constant conversations, so you should strive to listen to what everyone has to say and to reply to their comments whenever possible. Blogs are like free focus groups, because they allow customers and readers to speak their minds, providing companies with constant research and feedback.

DO stay current by updating your blog as often as you can. You should also make liberal use of hyperlinks in your blog, because the more websites that you link to, the more websites are likely to link you back.

DO make sure that your rear is covered! It is important for you to create rules for the bloggers within your company, letting bloggers know what is and is not allowed when it comes to the company blog. You should allow your bloggers to be a part of this discussion, so that everyone becomes a part of setting the ground rules to make sure that everyone has a complete understanding of what is okay to blog about and what is not okay to blog about.

DON'T wait to set up a corporate blog until a crisis occurs. Your blog needs time to build credibility and trust. You should begin setting up your business blog as soon as possible, so that you have plenty of time to attract readership. Blogs do not gain popularity over night; it will take some time to cultivate an acceptable readership number.

DON'T let corporate flacks write in your blog. The people who are writing in your business blog are representing your company in a very big way. It is absolutely necessary that you choose writers who will portray your company in a good way through your blog, so choose employees that you know will get the job done in the right way.

Finally, DON'T shut down existing blogs held by employees, as long as they as positive about the company. These bloggers may actually be working as a volunteer sales force without even knowing it, if they are speaking positively about your company.