| April 20, 2007 | ||
| 9:00 am | to | 4:30 pm |
All-day blog writing workshop for client.
| April 12, 2007 | ||
| 1:00 pm | to | 2:00 pm |
April 12, 2007 teleconference available as a PDF transcript and MP3 audio recording
When the rubber meets the road, the content of your blog is what will determine its success or failure. By content I mean the topics, the writers, the voice, the links, the Comments from readers. The first teleconference in my series on corporate blogging focused on the knotty problem of how to create a content strategy for a corporate or organizational blog.
General Motors blogs about cars. Dell blogs about computers. Starwood blogs about hotels and travel. What should you write about? How interesting, really, are your widgets? Hint: unless you're a big brand, folks normally don't care that much about your widgets per se.
This event will soon be available as an audio / print bundle:
- MP3 audio recording of the teleconference
- Enhanced PDF transcript
- Content Strategy Workbook (a downloadable PDF)
Pre-order now by clicking on the button below. You will be able to download the Content Strategy Workbook immediately. You will receive instructions separately for downloading the MP3 file and the transcript. US $97.
I answered key content questions during this 60-minute audio session
I started with the 5 W's and H of journalism (who, what, why, when, where, how) and explained how to use them in planning a corporate or organizational blog. Then I addressed the following questions:
- Who should write your blog?
- Can you ghostblog for your CEO?
- What about anonymous blogging?
- Can a corporate blog have multi-authors and how do you choose your bloggers?
- How do you choose topic(s)?
- Do you need a blog editor and what should his/her role be?
- If there's a PR or interactive agency involved, what is their role?
- How do you get your readers to leave Comments?
- … and a secret tip for how to publicize your blog to other bloggers and to MSM (mainstream media)?
Click here to download the (free) agenda for the April 12, 2007 teleconference.
How to Create a Content Strategy for Your Corporate Blog
Date: Thursday April 12, 2007 [event completed]
Time: 1:00 PM Eastern
Duration: 60 minutes
(10 AM Pacific; 11 AM Mountain; 12 noon Central; 1:00 PM Eastern; 6:00 PM London)
Cost: Will soon be available as a PDF transcript and MP3 audio file. Pre-order now. US $97.
Included:
- MP3 audio recording (60 minutes) you can download to your computer or iPod
- Enhanced PDF transcript
- 19-page Content Strategy Workbook
NOTE: The Content Strategy Workbook is available now. You will be able to download it immediately after placing your pre-order. You will get download instructions for the transcript and MP3 audio file separately.
Special thanks to my teleconference sponsor, Conference Calls Unlimited.
| June 15, 2007 | to | June 16, 2007 |
For the American College of Radiology.
I just want to thank you for being as terrific as I'd hoped you would be!
- Nancy Cook, Sr. Director, Marketing, Communications & Public Relations, ACR.org
| May 23, 2007 | ||
| 1:00 pm | to | 2:00 pm |
| 1:00 pm | to | 2:00 pm |
90-minute audio conference for Progressive Business Audio.
| April 10, 2007 |
On-site blog consulting for a Fortune 500 client.
The April 12, 2007 teleconference is now available as an MP3 audio recording & enhanced PDF transcript. So you're serious about launching a blog for your organization. You're asking: who should write our blog? Can we ghostblog for our CEO? Can it be multi-author? How do we choose topic(s)? Do we need a blog editor and what should his/her role be?
Special thanks to my teleconference sponsor, Conference Calls Unlimited.
Congrats to Hilary Marsh with the National Association of REALTORS and Eric Hoffman with Park City Mountain Resort. (He's Interactive Marketing Manager. Now there's a dream job if you like to ski.) They were two of the 350-plus respondents to my Quick Survey on Blogging and Social Media Tools. Each gets a signed copy of The Corporate Blogging Book.
Results of the survey were fascinating. Most notably, 60% of respondents said corporate blogging does not need to be tied to the bottom line.
A business acquaintance wrote to ask me for some (free) advice about starting a multi-author blog. I decided to share my advice, thinking you might find it useful. Here are his questions, followed by my answers. He's the PR and public affairs manager for a membership and advocacy association. My best tip: Don’t start with “who.” Start with the “what” of your blog.
Q: What should the differences be between a CEO blog and a multi-author blog? What opportunities are there? Is there anything missing credibility-wise without a CEO or President?
Don’t start with “who.” Start with the “what” of your blog.
What is the premise? What do your readers want to know? What do you (as an organization) want to accomplish?
Then complete this sentence: “The goal of my organization’s blog is to: X.” Now add the following sentence to the strategic plan for your blog: “Our blog will provide Y and Z of value to our readers.”
Make it about them; not about you.
Hint: force yourself to give your blog a name and to write a tag line for it.
If the purpose is to spread the word about the issues you're involved in - and to inform your readers - then there’s no particular reason for the CEO to be the sole blogger. If he/she happens to be highly knowledgeable, have an engaging personality, likes to write, is a good writer, s(he) should be *one* of your multi authors.
In fact, the attributes listed above should be prerequisites for any author whom you choose for your multi-author team.
Multi-author corporate or organization blogs are increasingly common. Makes sense, as everyone is busy and less of a burden on one person.
You will need a blog editor,
For examples of multi-author corporate blogs, take a look at Verizon's Poliblog (see drop down for the list of authors) and Wells Fargo's blogs. Also Google's official corporate blog.
More Fortune 500 blogs (for ideas on execution of “issue” or “advocacy” blogs).
Q: I think I remember you writing that blogging is not over-hyped. Do you still believe that?
Blogging is not over-hyped. Blogs are the key to social media. They’re the platform on which text and photos and video and podcasts live. Search engines find user-generated content because it’s posted on blogs. Of course, RSS (built into virtually every blogging platform) is what makes this work.
Q: For people who think blogging is over-hyped, as there may be in the group I’m going to introduce to blogging, how do I persuade them it holds great utility?
I assume you're talking about the managers and executives you’re trying to get on board with a blog for your organization. Here's my advice:
1. Set up a test blog (TypePad is always a good option.) Make it look pretty.
2. Put some sample content on it. Write three or four entries about the topics (Categories) you intend to cover.
3. Include links to useful resources (articles, other sites or blogs).
4. Add photos.
5. Insert a video (do a search on YouTube; you’re bound to find something relevant to your organization).
6. Add some “demo” Comments from readers.
Then show your execs what it looks like, how it works and how it will add to your Web presence. And how it will serve to get the word out to your readers and the media.
Introduce your execs to the ROI of blogging
If you want to get into the nitty gritty of the ROI of corporate blogging with your execs, read this. (Points to Forrester study on ROI of Blogging.)
Q: How has blogging changed for corporations or associations in the last five years?
It’s becoming better understood as a PR, marketing and communications strategy. And more accepted. More and more companies, large and small, are blogging. See the April 2007 State of the Live Web report from Technorati (formerly called State of the Blogosphere) for the latest stats on the continued growth of the blogosphere:
Q: How do you think it will evolve over the next five?
Growth in size of blogosphere (all blogs) will continue, but more slowly.
Growth in size of “corporate blogosphere” will become more noticeable. Currently, there are no numbers I know of that measure the corporate or business blogosphere per se – i.e. the total number of companies and/or employees with official business-related blogs.
Q: Where do we stand today in terms of the maturation process of corporate blogging?
See above. Blogs are just next-generation Web sites. They will become an expected part of the basic navigation of any corporate site.
Q: Aside from members and members of the media, what other audiences do you see for an organizational blog like ours? What should the main goal be?
You decide what the goal should be. I should think “prospects” would be a key audience – i.e. folks who’ve never thought about joining your association but who stumble on your blog through a keyword search on Google.
Q: I see this as an opportunity to build thought leadership credentials in traffic safety and motorist advocacy arenas. If we’re required to post about our business lines, such as insurance and travel, which is part of our groups’ job in the traditional PR sense, does that compromise our credentials on the advocacy front?
Depends on how you handle these topics. If you’re informational and not salesy I don’t see a problem.
In fact, readers won’t mind a link back to information on your main site about your insurance products – if it’s presented as an aside and in a longer entry about the pros and cons of this particular type of insurance.
Q: What pitfalls do you see for a blog of the type I envision?
See above. Your blog won't get traction (and may be criticized for being marketing spin) if the writing is salesy and not useful. It's gotta be informal and authentic.
Q: Do you think it’s unusual that a company such as ours, which has nearly 4 million members, that participates in extensive media outreach, and in government affairs, does not blog? Is this becoming less the norm?
No, not unusual. Blogs are still catching on as a corporate communications and marketing tool.
Q: Has your opinion about in-house or out-house Content Management Systems changed since you’ve published your book?
No. Keep it simple. If a hosted solution on a service like TypePad works for you (and your readers), then use it.
Q: How important is it to link from your organizational homepage to the blog?
Vital. If you’ve got a corporate or organizational blog, make it easy to find – particularly in a crisis.
Q: Do you think it would lend credibility to an advocacy blog to blogroll opposing viewpoint blogs?
Interesting idea. I’d recommend picking and choosing carefully and identifying the blogs as such.
Q: What is your favorite blog? Why?
My favorite corporate blog is Sun Microsystems’ Jonathan Schwartz. He’s such a good writer. And Sun gets it. They’re translating his blog into 10 languages. (See the drop-down at the top of his blog.)
Q: Have I missed anything?
Probably. But that’s enough for today. Hope that gives you a start.
- DW
| April 21, 2007 | ||
| 3:15 pm | to | 4:15 pm |
Saturday afternoon panel on Using Blogs & Technology to Market Your Writing. Should be fun. More info
LOCATION: Grand Hyatt Hotel - 42nd and Grand Central Station
| April 18, 2007 | ||
| 10:00 am |
Will be speaking both days at The Conference Board's 2007 Corporate Communication and Technology Conference.
DATE: Wednesday and Thursday April 18 - 19, 2007
LOCATION: Intercontinental The Barclay, New York City
TOPIC: Making effective use of Blogging, RSS, Wikis, Podcasting, and Webcasting
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