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Why Even (Especially!) Executives Need to Blog

02.02.10

If you don't already have a blog, you're missing out on a prime opportunity to meet your customers and clients.

That's right: blogging is not about introducing yourself or your company, but rather about introducing yourself to your customers.

If you've been under the assumption that blogging is simply an online extension of your current marketing efforts, you're not alone. Many companies regard blogging as yet another means by which they can blast the Internet with their press releases, customer testimonials and product launches.

Blogging, however, isn't about conventional marketing but rather about engagement. The most successful bloggers - both corporate and individuals - offer their readers not only useful information but also community. Active reader engagement and feedback define a successful blog, and although these are often what scares marketing departments because of the latter's perceived lack of control over the conversation, they're crucial to your blog's success. Why? Because these conversations about your company will happen regardless of whether or not you participate in it. Wouldn't you want to make sure that you and your team are aware of what people are saying about your company and can respond quickly when customers raise questions or have issues with your product or service?

So what can you do to ensure that your blog attracts your customers and keeps them coming back?

For starters, write the blog yourself, or at least make it sound like you did. Your marketing department's expertise lies in crafting a cohesive public campaign about your products and services. Your audience doesn't want a campaign - they want a conversation. You are probably the most visible "human face" of your company. With a blog you can show them your voice and personality, too. Even if you don't have the time or inclination to do it yourself, make sure that the content reflects who you are as a person and as the CEO of your company. Read everything that goes out under your name. Think Warren Buffett and his Berkshire Hathaway annual reports, famous for its mix of business, philosophy, humor, and financial analysis. Does he really write them all himself? He probably does, but it doesn't really matter because they're such a brilliant reflection of the man himself that no one doubts that the ideas and personality behind them are his and no one else's.

Know your audience. Are you writing to your business customers, general consumers, hobbyists, financial analysts, or the news media? The best blogs target a specific demographic, but a generalized blog that engages with a diverse group can work as well. Just always keep them in mind as you write your posts so that your content is relevant to all, or at least most of them.

Keep it short. Content is king, but brevity is still the soul.

Make it perfect. A surprising number of well-educated and otherwise brilliant CEOs have less-than-perfect grammar. Even if you were an English major, ask someone to proofread it for you before publication to make sure you didn't miss any obvious spelling, grammatical or syntactical mistakes. It happens a lot more often than you think and can create a poor impression of your entire company.

Keep it real. Respond to the feedback and comments your posts receive. The more often your blog is visited, and the more often you reply to comments, the faster it will rise up the ranks in search engines. Encourage your devotees to comment and solicit their suggestions, but also reach out to those people who have been negative about you and/or your company, whether on your blog or elsewhere. It demonstrates to your audience that you really do care about the community around which your company is built.

posted by Shama Kabani on 02.02.10 • comments (2) • Core24