Book Review: The Corporate Blogging Book

Author: Debbie Weil
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
Year Published: 2006
Rating:
Buy From Amazon.com

If you’ve been paying attention to marketing circles during the last year, you’ve probably heard about blogging. The hype is everywhere – blogging is the next greatest marketing tool. It’s like networking, only online and to a global audience. You post whatever is on your mind, comment on other people’s blogs, let others comment on your posts, and suddenly, you’re part of the worldwide conversation going on daily in the blogosphere. So, should your company be blogging?

In mid-2005, somewhere between 40-60% of American’s didn’t know what a blog was, according to eMarketer.com. In fact, author Debbie Weil’s husband commented “Anyone who blogs is a chronic complainer or a contrarian or someone who just wants to hear the sound of his own voice, right?” To that, I’d add the following recent comments I’ve heard, “or a left-wing political nut or a teenager writing about every little detail that happened today on MySpace.”

But what does blogging have to do with business? And specifically, can it help you market your business? In most cases, the answer is yes. These days, people don’t want to be pitched to or sold things they don’t need. They want to do business with people they know and trust. Blogs offer a cheap, efficient way to keep in touch with prospects and clients on a regular basic. Because you write about pretty much anything you feel passionate about, people get to know who you are, what you believe, and how you do business. In short, the more they read your writings, the more they feel they know you. And communicating with you is just a click away – whether they leave comments on your blog, post on their own blog, or send you email.

In The Corporate Blogging Book, Weil explains the blogging phenomena and provides guidance on key questions like how a blog might fit into your overall marketing strategy, what should you write about, and how it can contribute to your bottom line. The book is laid out in 10 chapters and includes an extensive resource section which provides sample blogging policies, legal resources, tips for blog design, recommended reading, the make up of a blog, and a glossary. She also has a companion website with more info, TheCorporateBloggingBook.com.

Off the bat, Weil answers the top 20 questions about corporate blogging, from how a blog differs from a website, to the legal risks of blogging, to how to get over your fears of blogging. She continues with examples of how companies are using blogs to interact with their employees and customers and a handful of basic blogging etiquette tips

• write with a human voice (no corporate-speak allowed)
• post frequently (at least once a week, preferably more often)
• be transparent about who is writing the blog and what the purpose is
• create a conversation with your readers (blogging is not a monologue)
• link to useful resources outside your website, etc

In a separate chapter, Weil addresses the biggest fears people have about blogging, including not enough time, saying something inappropriate, having readers post negative comments on their blog, and even getting fired. While she openly admits that blogging does take time, she explains how corporations can create blogging guidelines to address what topics and behaviors are appropriate on corporate blogs. Specifically, “respect your audience,” “be the first to correct your own mistakes,” and “don’t pick fights.”

What about ROI? It’s true that it may take a while to see the results of your blogging, but there are some things you can measure. First, you can look at the numbers – how many people are subscribed to your RSS feed or newsletter? How many daily readers do you receive? How many people link to your blog? What keywords are people searching for to get to your website? How many comments do you get? Or you can ask prospects how they found out about you.

Blogs do not replace traditional marketing. They complement existing channels, particularly your website. While your website is probably pretty static and unchanging, except for maybe the occasional article, press release, or newsletter, you blog is updated on a regular basis and can be used to bounce ideas off your readers, build community, or get the word out about a product, service, event or idea.

Still, the secret to a successful blog is in the value you add. People don’t want to read page after page of boring text. They want to read stuff that’s useful to them and fits in well with what they’re interested in.

The Corporate Blogging Book is a comprehensive book on the art of corporate blogging. While Naked Conversations takes a big picture approach to blogging and how it has impacted numerous businesses, Weil takes a more hands-on approach that addresses how-to write an interesting corporate blog that people will want to read. It is a pro-blogging book, so Weil’s underlying goal is to sell you on why you should be blogging and overcome some of the objections you might have.

If she is to be believed – and I’d say she’s probably right – everyone should be blogging because that’s the marketing tool of the future. In a few years, everyone will be doing it – particularly as this generation of teens and college students who keep blogs grow up. Plus, I’d add that blogging is addictive and fun. Where else can you connect with thousands of people all over the world who are interested in what you have to say?

This book is for anyone who is thinking about starting a blog, has been blogging a few months, or wants to pitch the idea of corporate blogging to their boss. Veteran bloggers probably already know this stuff, but it never hurts to read a comprehensive back-to-basics book.

Random Posts