Blogging best practices
25 Non-Financial Benefits of Business Blogging
Feb 7th
While the use of blogging as a marketing and communications platform continues to grow for many organizations, you still might be facing this question from your boss — “Why are we doing this?”
The most obvious answer is that you are ultimately trying to influence some behavior or attitude. You want your readers to buy, register, understand, donate, attend, etc. But there are many other tangible benefits of business blogging that might be more difficult to measure … but no less important. Here are 25 non-financial benefits of business blogging:
- Create a database of answers — Blog about customer questions. Use links to those posts to save time and answer future questions.
- Reward employees — Shine a spotlight on brilliant employees by featuring their ideas and accomplishments on your blog.
- Marketing integration — Turn content from your blog into sales and marketing materials.
- SEO — Having an active, relevant blog can have a powerful impact on search engine ranking.
- Point of differentiation — If your competitors don’t blog, is this an opportunity to stand out in your niche?
- Solidify POV — The act of blogging forces you to be clear on your company’s position on issues.
- Re-purpose the content — Your blog content can be cost-effectively re-purposed for newsletters, eBooks and other publications.
- Humanize your brand — There is probably no more powerful and cost-effective way to show the “soft” side of your business than storytelling through a blog.
- Sign of activity — A current blog confirms that your website is updated and relevant.
- PR — Tweets and Facebook status updates probably aren’t going to attract the attention of reporters. Helpful blog posts will.
- Internal communications — Don’t forget about the impact blogs have on your internal audience.
- Customer engagement — Creating a dialogue with your customers can lead to powerful business benefits. Why not have customers contribute posts?
- Solve problems — Some companies like Caterpillar are using blogs to crowd-source technical problem solving.
- New product development ideas — A hot trend is using the blog platform to deliver new product and service ideas.
- Voice of authority — Is your company the industry leader? What better way to demonstrate that than a voice of leadership on your blog?
- Market segmentation — Many companies (especially in high tech) have multiple blogs to reach customers by different interest, demographic or geography.
- Identify advocates — Blog readers may be among your brand’s most powerful fans.
- Constant customer connection — Calling on customers is expensive. But a blog post can be a little “sales call” every week.
- Test ideas — Need to take a position? Why not test it with the blog community first?
- Assemble chapters for a book — Many companies piece together blog posts to create larger publications.
- Research — Throw a question out there and use your blog as a cost-effective and rapid way to get feedback.
- Networking – Blog connections have led to finding interns, suppliers and partners for my business.
- Establish emotional connection — Blogging’s ability to connect through a story is powerful — especially for non-profits.
- Social Proof — Simply having a blog sends a message that your company “gets” social media.
- Crisis management – If you have a blog, you don’t have to rely on the press to get the story straight. Your blog can put the facts out there.
Is this list complete? What other benefits are you realizing from your blog?
7 reasons every job-seeker needs to blog
Jan 21st
Have you ever considered the ways a blog can help you get a job? I meet a lot of young people entering the work force and I always recommend blogging as a way to get ahead … in almost any career. Here’s why:
1) Show what you’re made of. In any interview, you normally have to try to convince people that you know what you know. In a blog, you can SHOW them. Blog about current events in your industry, your view on trends and developments and demonstrate your areas of expertise.
2) Build a professional network. There are lots of examples where people found jobs through connections in a blog community. Just last week I helped connect a young woman into the professional marketing scene in Chicago because I was impressed with her blog. Your blog community can certainly become a professional network.
3) Engaging versus advertising. Let’s face it. No matter how creative you get, a resume is still an advertisement. I struggle reading carefully through a lengthy resume. However, I will read interesting stories on a blog all day long. Compelling content is a way to engage prospective employers in a way that will hold their attention.
4) Point of differentiation. In today’s world, blogging may be an expectation of many entry-level jobs. Demonstrating an ability to create content may just be the difference that gets you the job over a non-blogger.
5) Sharpen your professional skills. If you’re going to blog about a subject, you need to know your stuff. Putting out thoughtful content requires that you stay on top of your game, which will certainly be an advantage to you, especially if the job-hunting process is a long one.
6) Expand your reach. Building your personal brand means showing up in all the places a prospective employer might find you. Of course that usually means LinkedIn. But having a link to a blog on your profile, as well displaying a feed of your recent blog posts, gives a potential employer stalking you on LinkedIn more ways to connect with you and learn about your skills.
7) Extend the interview. Here is the last thing you say to your interviewer: “I’ve enjoyed our time together but there is so much more I could tell you about my abilities. I hope you’ll take a look at my blog (the web address is on my resume) so you can see for yourself the way I think about things.” And you know what? They’ll do it. You have just extended your interview by another 15-30 minutes and that may make all the difference!
What do you think? How has blogging helped you in your professional life?
Blogging and the fairness challenge
Jan 16th
A dear friend was recently lamenting that her blog had become nothing but blah, blah, blah. There was no commentary, discussion, or meaningful debate. But ironically, she said that it was not her style to “take a stand” on any issue. She would rather go with the flow.
Obviously if you stay in the safety zone of “likability,” you’re never going to attract much conversation other than a polite “great post!” But think about this … on the social web, the only distinct value you can deliver is your opinion. And if you never offer an honest opinion, you’re not really creating much value. You are probably well-liked but invisible.
My story
When I was in my 20s, I had a revelation that helped me be a better man and a ultimately, a better blogger.
In a performance review, my boss made an interesting observation: it seemed like it was important — maybe too important — for me to be “liked.” At that time, I just assumed everybody had this same goal, but the more I thought about this, I realized that innovation, change, and progress can never occur if you are preoccupied with just being popular. I’m not saying anybody should be rude or disrespectful. I’m saying that there is tremendous value in learning how to take a stand in a kind and nurturing way.
A focus on being liked as being the end goal may get in the way of being respected. It’s easy to be liked. It’s difficult to become respected.
A new outlook
So I began to re-frame my perspective. It’s impossible (and exhausting) to try to be “liked” by everybody. But I do think it is realistic to have a goal of being seen as “fair.” Somebody who is fair can take a stand and attack issues without attacking people. Somebody who is fair can have the courage to take a strong stand and also exhibit humility and admit when they are wrong. Somebody who is fair is at peace because their beliefs are congruent with their words and actions. I think there is tremendous power in that … in life, and as a blogger.
Trading a goal of being “liked” for one of being “fair” will unleash your creativity and embolden your writing style. Having the courage to start a conversation instead of meekly repeating what you think people want to hear is liberating. And I think you might even be surprised when you voice an opinion and others chime in and say “Yes! Finally somebody is saying what needs to be said.”
Trading in “like” for “fair” will make your words MATTER. Isn’t that important to you?
Three steps to add bling to your blog
Dec 18th
If you think your blog could use a little more punch, listen up! Here are three ideas that anybody can use to make your blog posts sing with some editing bling! Let’s get phat.
Go non-linear. In school and in business, we’re conditioned to write in a linear way. We start at the beginning, discuss the middle, and conclude with the end. To grab your readers and improve your blog immediately, start with the end. That’s right. Tell your readers the conclusion FIRST. The blog-reading public is a busy and unforgiving lot. If you don’t grab them in the first sentence you’re going to lose them. So tell them exactly why they are reading your blog post. Deliver the goods.
Edit ruthlessly. And I don’t mean abandoning your best friend Ruth. I mean cut extraneous writing. There is no good writing, only good re-writing. Go back through your post and delete everything that is not essential to moving your point along. I know that can be difficult, especially if you’re proud of what you wrote, but get tough and do it. Your readers will thank you! I would say most of my posts end up being 20 percent shorter than when they started!
Bring some heat. Dig deep and figure out how to deliver an idea to your readers in a fresh and personal way. The heart of originality is bringing YOUR experience and personality to your writing. Don’t settle for ordinary – go the extra step and add some of your own personal flair to the topic. Here are examples of typical headlines you might see on the blogosphere and a personalized version that would demonstrate some creative bling:
Boring:
A strategy to build a Twitter Community
Blingified:
Bringing Down the Twitter Snobs
Boring:
SEO for Bloggers
Blingified:
Boring:
Building Social Media Relationships
Blingified
Social Media and My Big Conversation Fail
See? Isn’t bling more interesting? Now go forth and make your blogs sing!
If you added a fourth editing tip to this post, what would it be?
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