Corporate Blogs: Business Blogs on Steroids
Corporate blogs are business blogs, but for larger organizations. Business blog marketing when applied to larger companies becomes more complex because of the size of the organization. The end results are still the same. They help put a human face on the company allowing for direct communication and discussion. The corporate blog helps these companies reach their organizational goals.
Corporate blogs can be either internal or external blogs.
Internal blogs are used as a communication tool within the organization. They are usually placed on the company Intranet where only employees can view. These can be used in lieu of meetings and e-mail discussions. They are very effective when schedules or employee locations make meetings impractical. Ideas can be categorized by topic, person and date making archiving ideas and conversations easy.
Frequent uses: Build and strengthen organizational culture, communicate company knowledge and provide teams with an effective collaboration tool.
External blogs are the new public relations tool being used to engage the customer community. These are publicly viewable sites that act as a window into the company itself. They make product announcements, explain policies, rally support, react to criticism and communicate to the outside world. There is also a special type of external blog, the CEO blog where the CEO communicates directly to the outside world.
Frequent uses: To strengthen the brand, to build and strengthen relationships and to market or sell products and services.
Companies that develop a good corporate blogging strategy are able to capture the goodwill of their community. Companies that connect with their audience and provide real value develop a loyal following. Companies that engage with their customers are able to harness the power of new ideas and feedback. Rewards include sales gains and a positive brand image. Corporate blogs really are the new PR.