Should Companies Blog?
The Baltimore Washington Corridor
Chamber of Commerce Your Business Blogger has a rule against Free Consulting.
Except for my friends.
And readers.
One of my favorite non-profits, the Baltimore/Washington Corridor Chamber of Commerce falls into both categories.
So. One of the Chamber committees asked for a 5 minute overview of blogs on Monday, April 3rd. Blogs for business.
The Big Question:
Should Companies Blog? In particular should the member companies of the BWCCC blog?
Answer: Yes.
In the near future, it will be the odd enterprise that does not.
Purpose of blogging.
Build a relationship with readers, customers, communities. Marketing that is Measurable.
Blog Management
Start with the Ethics as a framework. Honesty being the best policy and all.
Offer Solutions
And company size doesn’t matter. Technology is a “Force Multiplier” as our Pentagon pals would say. Making business easier to Find A Friend.
Glenn Reynolds, at InstaPundit and author of An Army of Davids writes that blogs are,
…the triumph of personal technology over mass technology.
Who should not blog?
Those unfamiliar with spell-checking. Attention to detail counts today, unlike, say, last year.
Poor writing ability. The writer must communicate thru the screen.
Poor time management skills. Writing and posting must be done frequently and predictably.
The CEO. In larger enterprises — hire a ghost who knows your voice. And can draft a draft for approval.
The Downside
For example: Blogging consequences abound for Your Business Blogger. Both Unanticipated and Unintended. The former: Found a church. The latter: Threatened with a lawsuit.
(And one never knows what strikes the fancy of the blogosphere. Your Business Blogger blogs and bloviates on: Business Sense, Military Precision, Timeless Truth. But my most popular article was borrowed from, and credited to W. Bruce Cameron: free eMail subscription for this site.
Thank you (foot)notes:
My local Chamber has been a source of introductions and for blogging materiel:
The First Lesson To Look Like A Leader.
Blogging terms defined.
Your Business Blogger has been a ghost writer for a number of confidential clients. Including former Presidential candidates.
Blogging, for companies, is not an end in itself. But it can be. Visit ProBlogger to learn how to make $100K from blogging.
Be sure to visit and bookmark The Virtual Handshake. See Scott Allen’s take on Corporate Blogs. Scott and his team have been a-blogging since March ’03.
The Chamber is very fortunate to have found you to assit them with their blog; your writing style and information is clear, concise and loaded with impact; they will do well with you.
Thomas W. Bury
Hammer Marketing, Inc.
http://www.hammermkt.com
Carnival of Entrepreneurship at Just for Small Business
This week’s Carnival of Entrepreneurship is being hosted at Denise O’Berry’s Just for Small Business.
Each week, a new host takes on the hosting duties and picks their 7 best posts thats been submitted to them.
At Just for Small Busin…