You've decided your company will start a blog. You've developed a strategy, picked and configured a platform, set a few general goals and put someone in charge. You are off to a great start.
Now what?
It's time to ask another very key question in the blog process: how will we get the most out of our blog?
Whether the goal is building customer relationships, providing technical support or generating new business, it is essential not to underestimate the time and effort a successful blog requires. It is an easy mistake to make. The "hard" costs of blogging, like hardware, software and IT support, are negligible; believing the time investment will follow the same path seems natural. But two blogging necessities -- writing and marketing -- require intense, daily attention employees seldom are ready for. Yet, with proper planning, training and, in some cases, outside help, your staff can do the job with relative ease.
Writing. Effective blogs add posts at least once a day, and often several times a day. This can quickly become tedious, distracting and time-consuming. Moreover, when a blog becomes popular, the staff may find itself inundated with comments demanding quick and careful response. The following actions go a long way toward overcoming such challenges:
Assemble a writing team. Multiple contributors spread out the workload and strengthen the blog with different writing styles, expertise and points of view. Appoint an editor. By issuing an editorial calendar, an editor speeds up the writing process. Without a calendar, writers are forced to chew up time just picking a topic. Another key editorial function is editing posts. Besides cleaning up grammar and sharpening content, an editor reviews posts from a strategic and legal perspective; important concerns for a business blog and ones which employees or outside writers may not be equipped to evaluate. Implement a comment strategy. Determine whether anyone can leave comments, or only registered users. Decide whether comments will be reviewed before or after publication. Set standards for how quickly and in what way you will respond. Give the editor discretion to decide whether comments will be allowed on particular posts, and if or when commenting on a particular post should be cut off.
Marketing. Without an audience, your well-written posts will go unread -- and unacted upon. Conversely, a large audience or the right niche audience virtually guarantees your blogging goals will be achieved. Thus, it is imperative to devote time to social networking and on-line marketing techniques. If you pay attention to these details, your marketing efforts will succeed:
Social networking means taking an active role in the blogging community by visiting other blogs, leaving comments and building relationships with influential bloggers. This translates into referrals, links, and most important, new business opportunities. Understand networking takes time, patience and ongoing attention. On-line techniques include registering your blog with search directories; developing a "blogroll," or listing of blogs displayed on your own blog; search engine optimization; promoting RSS subscriptions; and managing paid-advertising campaigns.
Some tasks can be handled effectively by outside sources. A growing number of search-engine-marketing firms have learned how to market blogs. Copywriters and some advertising agencies are well-equipped to share the writing workload and perform the managing-editor function. Start with realistic expectations, a complete plan and a clear division of labor. Your blog will quickly blend into the normal flow of business, giving you the time you need to make your blog a success.
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