Hey Mark,

Sound advice and perhaps relevant for both B2B2C. There is probably some merit in providing a variation of these ideas in the form of a Blogger Kit offered to relevant key influencers so they too are enabled to easily share their opinion about your while getting some benefit from the activities as well. Eg. traffic, visibility, new connections, inside track on the next big launch before anyone else.

Smart post Mark.

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Most of your points bring out the need to make ads relevant and contextual, which is important in making ads more effective. Unfortunately, most advertisers still practice disruptive, noise-based ads when a quieter, more relevant ad would likely convert much better.

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Happy Friday, Mark!
I agree with all six of your points, but think that there is another opportunity for the savvy brand – B2B or otherwise.

Much as you’ve done here on {grow}, some corporate blogs can actually evolve into user communities. I’m not talking about your typical FAQ/Help/Support forum-type community (though those have value as well). I’m talking about a more free-form and idea-based community. If the company is servicing a very specific vertical, the competitive nature of their readers would discourage this, but if the company targets a broader audience (like an office supply store targeting small business owners, for instance) the blog can be an excellent place for people to network, exchange ideas, and make possibly profitable connections.

Though I think that all your points are excellent ones, I think the list should include some tips on how to mine the reader engagement for important insights about customer needs, encourage “vibrant” participation in the comments section, and facilitate conversations and connections between readers/community members.

There are hundreds of business blogs to choose from. The reason that {grow} is consistently the first link I click in my reader is as much about the community here as it is about your insights. For me, {grow} was never a 1-dimensional experience, and it’s not even just a 2-dimensional experience. It’s a 3-dimensional experience where I can interact in meaningful ways with you – the publisher – and the other members of your community. If a company can create that kind of real camaraderie within their blog community, it will absolutely lead to the kind of loyalty that far outweighs coupons, special offers, or any other price-based tactics.

So, without brown-nosing, a corporate blog should aim to accomplish what you’ve done with {grow}.

Nicely done, captain.

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@Mark,

Great insight about engagement waning when a blog is lacking a “face.” Your comment hits the proverbial nail on the head for me as I run through the list of blogs I routinely read and realize that each and every one of them is written by a single individual with a strong and unique personality – people who not only informative, but (as you called out in a recent post), ENTERTAINING.

I agree that if a company is unable or unwilling to build a blog on that kind of foundation, blogging may not be the right tactic for them. A blog is a lot of work, you don’t want to see that effort wasted. A more traditional newsletter format might be a better fit for B2B companies that don’t look like good candidates for actual, social interaction on a blog.

As always – plenty to chew on at {grow}. Tks for the Fri AM brain cell jump start.

TGIF!

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If there’s one thing about social media I’ve learned from @jonbuscall, it’s the importance of connecting and actually reaching out to real people through comments, @replies, etc. That’s why I enjoy your blog so much, Mark. You provide more than good, relevant content, you provide context and conversation. That’s the real power of social media and is more effective at selling stuff than overt messages. Can’t wait for your next “heart-attack-evoking” post!

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Mark, I’ll give you a copy of Deluxe Scrabble (it’s on a lazy susan!) if you promote my blog. Wait, was your point that I am not supposed to do that?

In all seriousness, I do like options 4 and 5. Those are valid ways to communicate. Opt In strategy is the way to go and that is a great method.

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If we do the work to build real relationships and stay away from billboard/shouting type advertising, then sales will follow.

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Nice comments……..

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