| When companies consider starting their own blog or | | | | and care about what other people have to say. |
| even joining the conversations on other people's blogs | | | | 4. Public Relations |
| these good intentions still often bring with them dozens | | | | If you want to build up a relation with people, don't limit |
| of questions. 'Should we blog?' 'What should we blog | | | | yourself to connections with mainstream media. The |
| about?' 'What about the legal aspects?' 'What if we | | | | tools to establish a direct connection to your audience |
| receive negative feedback?' 'Where do we start?' | | | | are already in place, so use them. While it's wrong to |
| In this article you will find the top 5 reasons to start | | | | consider blogs to be nothing more than just another |
| blogging. | | | | vehicle to support your corporate communication, it |
| 1. Blogs are social media hubs | | | | can be a viable tool in establishing a direct |
| A blog is a perfect place to start when you want to | | | | conversation about e.g. the launch of your latest |
| explore the social media world. It's a social hub that | | | | product, a look inside your company's culture, an |
| can be used as a starting point for more social | | | | announcement of a great new hire, etc. A blog is also |
| conversations. You can connect it with virtually | | | | a great hub for crisis communication, social networking, |
| everything that exists in the social networking space. | | | | and it gives your company an open image. PR is not a |
| 2. Market intelligence | | | | monologue anymore and blogs are social media too. |
| Most likely, bloggers are talking about you. They're | | | | 5. Get a face, get real and authentic |
| talking about your business, your products, your | | | | Reaching out to bloggers in a transparent, open way |
| customer service, and your competitors. You might | | | | can be a very cost-effective way of communication |
| want to start listening to what they have to say, and | | | | that fits right into your marketing strategy and has a |
| learn from it to see how others regard your business | | | | huge impact on your brand. It's way to get personal, |
| and your products. The feedback can also teach you | | | | show the people behind your HQ, get real and be |
| a lot about your positioning towards your competitors. | | | | authentic? The possibilities are endless: you can even |
| By starting your own blog you can talk back and | | | | advertise on blogs to reach exactly the mass and/or |
| gather feedback to. | | | | niche audience you want, you can invite bloggers to |
| 3. Join the conversation | | | | your corporate events, you can have them help |
| Observing and tracking blogs to assemble feedback is | | | | spread your message, you can ask them to test out |
| one thing, but there is much more you could do. You | | | | your new product and write an honest review to gain |
| can interact with bloggers and their readers by actively | | | | feedback, you can ask them for ideas, and so on. You |
| joining the conversation: not only by reading blogs, but | | | | can even track the value of a blog. |
| also by commenting, providing more details or | | | | Online communities have proven to be highly influential |
| corrections where needed, or starting your own | | | | in the past, and social media are becoming more and |
| blog(s). It gives you a chance to show that there's real | | | | more embedded into people's lives every day. |
| people behind the corporate wall, that actually listen | | | | |