Charles Cooper at CNet's news.com website has a thought provoking article about commenter rights. He mentions a blog post at Disqus' corporate weblog that proposes a bill of rights for comments. Support for comments in business blogging software is important because it fosters one of the most important blogging benefits -- customer engagement.
I took a look at the list of rights he mentions, and while the question is interesting, I think that the scope of the rights as proposed verges on overkill.
A comment posting feature helps to encourage reader participation. Where I think the commenter rights goes off the deep end is the implicit assumption the comment area is the sole venue by which the conversation must continue. I think it is just one channel, and to make commenting as feature rich as proposed would turn a blog into a bulletin board where only one user is allowed to initiate a thread.
Rather than a complicated system of post, edit, track, and remove operations, backed with policies that determine whether an after-the-fact edit is OK, why can't we just live with a simple social contract? A blogger shall allow comments from anyone. A commenter is free to write what he or she wants. Either party may delete the comment, but once the removal has been done, it's irreversible. That saves the commenter from regret for posts written in the heat of the moment, and at the same time it prevents the airbrushing that Cooper worries about in his post.
In other words, the relationship between blogger and commenter is that of a host and a guest in a house. The host invites guests, and has the right to dismiss them for bad behavior.
The question of comment ownership from a copyright standpoint is a bit tougher. Of all the comments that I have left on blogs, I've never felt a sense of ownership in the sense that I thought a blogger would needto seek permission to republish my content. If a reader is that passionate about retaining the right to determine whether the blogger can republish, he or she should probably write the comment as a full post on his or her own blog and then post a link in the comment section.
The level of discussion that the bill of rights has raised should give pause to companies rolling out a corporate weblog. Let your readers speak freely and don't be too quick to decline comments. Your customers may not always be right, but they are definitely worth listening to.
Posted Thursday, May 29, 2008 by
Ali Sales
A funny thing happened today when I Googled the company name of one of our clients. The results rendered, and nearly every single listing on the first page was a blog.
The problem?
None of these blogs belonged to the company. Yes, one of their business blogs appeared on the second page, and an obscure page of their website was a few results behind.
It made me think about the very most basic search that we all want to win -- our company name.
Have you Googled your organization lately? You might be surprised at what you find. My guess is that if you're like most companies, your corporate website is getting killed by blogs. They could be beating your website out all together, or they are close behind your website and may surpass it in the near future.
The reason as to why blogs are filtering to the top of the search results is pretty simple - Google is looking for fresh, relevant content to deliver to the searcher. The freshness of the content alone shoots many blogs to the top of the search engine results pages.
So what can you do? Good question. Of course it involves starting your own company blogs. And the benefit to business blogging that takes blogging best practices (such as recency of content) into consideration can help you win lots of searches outside of those that involve your company name, which is exactly what you want.
I've included a screen capture of what comes up when I search Compendium Blogware. I'm actually happy that our website wins this search because it wins on very few terms (while our blogs dominate on terms that do not include our company name). But our blogs are just a few results behind (if I were a Photoshop genius, I'd be able to include this).
Either way, we're the ones telling the story on the most basic searches related to Compendium. Who's telling yours?
The problem?
None of these blogs belonged to the company. Yes, one of their business blogs appeared on the second page, and an obscure page of their website was a few results behind.
It made me think about the very most basic search that we all want to win -- our company name.
Have you Googled your organization lately? You might be surprised at what you find. My guess is that if you're like most companies, your corporate website is getting killed by blogs. They could be beating your website out all together, or they are close behind your website and may surpass it in the near future.
The reason as to why blogs are filtering to the top of the search results is pretty simple - Google is looking for fresh, relevant content to deliver to the searcher. The freshness of the content alone shoots many blogs to the top of the search engine results pages.
So what can you do? Good question. Of course it involves starting your own company blogs. And the benefit to business blogging that takes blogging best practices (such as recency of content) into consideration can help you win lots of searches outside of those that involve your company name, which is exactly what you want.
I've included a screen capture of what comes up when I search Compendium Blogware. I'm actually happy that our website wins this search because it wins on very few terms (while our blogs dominate on terms that do not include our company name). But our blogs are just a few results behind (if I were a Photoshop genius, I'd be able to include this).
Either way, we're the ones telling the story on the most basic searches related to Compendium. Who's telling yours?
Posted Sunday, May 11, 2008 by
PJ Hinton
Southwest Airlines -- Opening up the Company
Southwest Airlines and RD2, the marketing organization behind Southwest's corporate blogging initiative, issued a press release this past week regarding some improvements to the airline's blog site, Nuts about Southwest.
Among some of the new features are podcasts, video, polling, and personalization. To me the new features weren't as interesting as some of the statements that Southwest and RD2 made about the benefits that Southwest has derived since the original blogging initiative went live a couple year ago. Quoting from the release:
Another takeaway message is the importance of content. Further on down in the release we read:
Wells Fargo -- Opening up the Archives
Brands with historical significance are rare indeed. Corporations with longevity oftentimes get merged or rebranded to the point that little of the original identity survives.
The railroad industry, which is a hobby of interest for me, is full of examples. A wave of mergers in the late 60s and early 70s brought together the Chicago, Burlington & Qunicy, the Great Northern Railway, Northern Pacific Railway, and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle to create Burlington Northern. In the mid 90s, that company merged with the Atchison, Topkea & Santa Fe to form the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. A couple of years ago, they decided to rebrand, dropping all of the names to the initials -- BNSF.
As a child, I remember seeing references to Wells Fargo stage coaches in westerns. Not until my adult years, as banks expanded to have a national presence, did I realize that Wells Fargo continued to exist as a bank out on the west coast.
Recognizing the significance of its heritage, Wells Fargo created a blog where historians and archivists write about the company's history. Titled Guided by History, the blog profiles prominent figures and discusses how things were at the company in days gone by. Some of the posts are remarkably candid, like a post that discusses the company's role in working with an nineteenth century immigration policy that was prejudiced against the Chinese.
Both Southwest and Wells Fargo provide compelling examples of how companies can find a voice and benefit through blogging. While there are certainly things to avoid in executing a corporate blogging strategy, there is no one right way to blog. In the case of these two companies, they leveraged their uniqueness. It takes creativity, but it's certainly worth the long-term investment.
Southwest Airlines and RD2, the marketing organization behind Southwest's corporate blogging initiative, issued a press release this past week regarding some improvements to the airline's blog site, Nuts about Southwest.
Among some of the new features are podcasts, video, polling, and personalization. To me the new features weren't as interesting as some of the statements that Southwest and RD2 made about the benefits that Southwest has derived since the original blogging initiative went live a couple year ago. Quoting from the release:
The blog has cemented its role as a direct channel of communication with it's customers. Moreover, the communication goes in both directions, providing the company with a richer portrait of customer satisfaction than could ever be accomplished with sterile multiple-choice surveys.Nuts About Southwest was originally launched as a means of giving Customers a look inside the Culture and operations of Southwest Airlines and allowing them to interact and build personal relationships with the airline's Employees. Over the last two years, the blog's function has evolved to also serve as a virtual focus group, assisting the Company through crisis and new product launches.
"From the debate over assigned seating to the timeframe in which we release our flight schedules, the passionate comments and opinions shared on our blog have unquestionably influenced several business decisions," says Rutherford. "But the primary focus of the blog remains our Employees and their personal interaction with our Customers."
Another takeaway message is the importance of content. Further on down in the release we read:
The airline estimates that it has reached more than 500,000 Customers through Nuts About Southwest alone, and they expect that number to exceed one million in 2008.
"It's not all about numbers, though," says Rutherford. "It's about the quality of the content, the conversations, and the engagement between Employees and Customers."The enhanced organic search visibility from blogging is sustainable when you have a place that's worth visiting and using. A blog of press releases won't do this, but letting your employees take the lead will.
Wells Fargo -- Opening up the Archives
Brands with historical significance are rare indeed. Corporations with longevity oftentimes get merged or rebranded to the point that little of the original identity survives.
The railroad industry, which is a hobby of interest for me, is full of examples. A wave of mergers in the late 60s and early 70s brought together the Chicago, Burlington & Qunicy, the Great Northern Railway, Northern Pacific Railway, and the Spokane, Portland & Seattle to create Burlington Northern. In the mid 90s, that company merged with the Atchison, Topkea & Santa Fe to form the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. A couple of years ago, they decided to rebrand, dropping all of the names to the initials -- BNSF.
As a child, I remember seeing references to Wells Fargo stage coaches in westerns. Not until my adult years, as banks expanded to have a national presence, did I realize that Wells Fargo continued to exist as a bank out on the west coast.
Recognizing the significance of its heritage, Wells Fargo created a blog where historians and archivists write about the company's history. Titled Guided by History, the blog profiles prominent figures and discusses how things were at the company in days gone by. Some of the posts are remarkably candid, like a post that discusses the company's role in working with an nineteenth century immigration policy that was prejudiced against the Chinese.
Both Southwest and Wells Fargo provide compelling examples of how companies can find a voice and benefit through blogging. While there are certainly things to avoid in executing a corporate blogging strategy, there is no one right way to blog. In the case of these two companies, they leveraged their uniqueness. It takes creativity, but it's certainly worth the long-term investment.
Posted Tuesday, May 6, 2008 by
Kristen Raves
I recently read an interesting article Bitwise that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of blogs versus pay per click advertising (PPC). This article just reiterated how much more potential there are in blogs than any other form of web marketing. Even the so called disadvantages of organic search outweigh the advantages of PPC. Not only is PPC expensive, but there is a statistic that I had recently seen that states organic searches are clicked on 99 times out of 100. So, all that money you are paying for the 1 out of every 100 people who are on the web is just not worth it. Actually, take a look for yourself:
Advantages
of Organic Search
+ Visitors Are Free –
Visitors that find you through organic search results are totally free, so
there’s a very high ROI on those clicks.
+ More Clicks – More searchers click in the organic search results than
the PPC ads, so a #1 ranking in organic will bring you more targeted traffic
than paying for #1 placement via PPC.
+ More Trust – Most searchers
trust Google, and when they see that Google considers your site the #1
authority for their search term, most will inherently trust you as well, making
it easier to convert those visitors into customers.
+ Less Long Term Financial Investment – The initial investment in an organic search campaign depends greatly on the competitiveness in your industry. It’s important to think of it as a long term investment. You won’t see immediate results, but by investing a little time and money each month, you can gradually build your site up to attract loads of free targeted traffic.
Disadvantages
of Organic Search
- Ranking Takes Time –However,
if you set up a blog under your subdomain you can start seeing noticeable
traffic increases within a few weeks to a few months. It all depends on the
competitiveness of your industry.
- Requires An Initial Investment in Your Website – The initial investment will still cost you much less than PPC.
Disadvantages
of Pay-Per-Click Advertising
- Every Visitor Costs Money –
Some visitors may remember your site and come back again, but overall when you
stop paying, the visitors stop coming.
- A High Converting Website is
Critical – A good PPC campaign can drive lots of targeted traffic to your
site, but if your site doesn’t convince those visitors to convert, it’s all
wasted money. A good web marketing company will help to optimize your
site to convert.
- Competition is Growing – The amount of competition for those top 10 ad spots is growing every day. This can only drive the cost per click up over time.
Even the “disadvantages” of organic
search are minor. The benefits of
blogging for search engine optimization are far better than the advantages of
using PPC. The majority of our clients
come to us because they are tired of wasting their money on PPC. If you want to see results, start blogging!
Posted Wednesday, April 30, 2008 by
Chris Baggott
We talk a lot about humanizing your business through blogging. I've not seen a much better example of that than the story I found in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about cookie-maker Katherine Novotny. The story is simple and powerful. Katherine had a blog and wrote about her business. One day she wrote a blog post about how she was running out of operating capital because of rising costs and on the verge of going out of business. As a human being, she appealed that if she didn't get some extra cash NOW she would have to close.
The net result of this honesty and the fact that she was nice (and had a good product) was an outpouring of word of mouth among her readers...with the story being emailed all over...one customer even went so far as to print flyers and pass them out. Obviously, the happy ending is that business has never been better, the cash crisis is over and many more organizations understand the blogging benefits of acting like a human being.
That's a blogging best practice. With affordable blogging software like Compendium Blogware all companies will find that Blogs will change your business....just ask Katherine.
The net result of this honesty and the fact that she was nice (and had a good product) was an outpouring of word of mouth among her readers...with the story being emailed all over...one customer even went so far as to print flyers and pass them out. Obviously, the happy ending is that business has never been better, the cash crisis is over and many more organizations understand the blogging benefits of acting like a human being.
That's a blogging best practice. With affordable blogging software like Compendium Blogware all companies will find that Blogs will change your business....just ask Katherine.
Posted Saturday, April 19, 2008 by
Kristen Raves
Using keywords in blogs is one of the most important factors in winning rankings in Google. Blogging for search engine optimization requires determining and using keywords in blogs that will benefit your organization most. Not only is it important to use them in the blogs themselves, it is also important to use them in the blog titles.
A recent article by Daren Rowse says that:
"One of the things I’m constantly amazed at is how many web publishers miss one of the easiest ways to maximize their positioning in Search Engines by simply including the keywords that they’d like to be found for in their post titles.
At Compendium, we go a step beyond this. We advise you to use they keywords not only in the blog titles, but in your post titles as well. The more that search engines, such as Google, index these words and see that you are using them in multiple places, the more of a chance that you will rank on the first page. Remember these rules the next time you post a blog, it can make a difference when blogging for SEO.
A recent article by Daren Rowse says that:
"One of the things I’m constantly amazed at is how many web publishers miss one of the easiest ways to maximize their positioning in Search Engines by simply including the keywords that they’d like to be found for in their post titles.
I spend a lot of time looking at online articles written on blogs, newspapers and websites and some days it seems that every second or third one has a title that is either cryptic, clever or cute at the expense of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
To put it bluntly - when it comes to blog SEO I believe that your page and post titles are incredibly important. Google in particularly seems to value the words in your title incredibly highly."At Compendium, we go a step beyond this. We advise you to use they keywords not only in the blog titles, but in your post titles as well. The more that search engines, such as Google, index these words and see that you are using them in multiple places, the more of a chance that you will rank on the first page. Remember these rules the next time you post a blog, it can make a difference when blogging for SEO.
Posted Thursday, April 10, 2008 by
jennifer buscher
Have you ever called a "customer service" line only to spend the first five minutes pressing numbers and not getting anywhere? When you finally do get transferred you might spend another five minutes listening to terrible elevator music and just before you throw you phone against the wall you may, if you're lucky, hear a real, live human voice on the other end of the line. Oh the frustration!
I'm suggesting that this scenario is not very different from a searcher going on google and spending way too much time before finding what they are looking for. One of the main reasons for this is due to the fact that you typically have to navigate through a website before you find anything related to your search. Another reason could be that websites lack a personal, one on one element. Corporate blogging is the solution. When someone searches and they come across a blog titled exactly what they searched for they will not only be happy they've found an exact match, but they will also like that they came across content that is only relevant to their search. Another bonus is that the content is written by a real person, which adds a conversational tone. These are just a few of many blogging benefits.
I'm suggesting that this scenario is not very different from a searcher going on google and spending way too much time before finding what they are looking for. One of the main reasons for this is due to the fact that you typically have to navigate through a website before you find anything related to your search. Another reason could be that websites lack a personal, one on one element. Corporate blogging is the solution. When someone searches and they come across a blog titled exactly what they searched for they will not only be happy they've found an exact match, but they will also like that they came across content that is only relevant to their search. Another bonus is that the content is written by a real person, which adds a conversational tone. These are just a few of many blogging benefits.
Posted Monday, April 7, 2008 by
Kristen Raves
I recently read an interesting article about one of the hottest new business books in circulation: The Cluetrain Manifesto. This extremely insightful novel has taken a look at how times have changed and what business are doing to stay ahead of the rest of the pack.
When it comes to the Internet there are no certain rules. One fact that has been observed is that we are immune to advertising. The truth is we want the facts and we want them now. Think about this; the last time you were watching TV and a commercial came on, what did you do? Turn the channel? That would be the majority's answer. The media has been throwing so many ads at us for so long that we just block it out.
The good news, blogging is a great platform to reach your customers. It does not turn them away with unnecessary advertisements, but rather gives them the facts about what you and/or your company does. The benefits of blogging out weigh that of a traditionally website for this reason. A majority of websites inundate us with these ads and "click to win" links. Blogging gives you the benefit of sharing your personal voice with your consumer while giving them useful knowledge.
If you are thinking about a new way to market, there are an abundance of benefits to blogging that you cannot find with other forms of media. For example, they can subscribe to your blog to stay up to date on what it is that they do. The reader does not have to search through a pile of ads to find useful information, it is right in front of them. Blogs are less expensive than traditional print or TV advertising. The next time you are thinking of purchasing more print media, think again. Blogging is the best way to market your business.
When it comes to the Internet there are no certain rules. One fact that has been observed is that we are immune to advertising. The truth is we want the facts and we want them now. Think about this; the last time you were watching TV and a commercial came on, what did you do? Turn the channel? That would be the majority's answer. The media has been throwing so many ads at us for so long that we just block it out.
The good news, blogging is a great platform to reach your customers. It does not turn them away with unnecessary advertisements, but rather gives them the facts about what you and/or your company does. The benefits of blogging out weigh that of a traditionally website for this reason. A majority of websites inundate us with these ads and "click to win" links. Blogging gives you the benefit of sharing your personal voice with your consumer while giving them useful knowledge.
If you are thinking about a new way to market, there are an abundance of benefits to blogging that you cannot find with other forms of media. For example, they can subscribe to your blog to stay up to date on what it is that they do. The reader does not have to search through a pile of ads to find useful information, it is right in front of them. Blogs are less expensive than traditional print or TV advertising. The next time you are thinking of purchasing more print media, think again. Blogging is the best way to market your business.
Posted Thursday, April 3, 2008 by
Ali Sales
More and more, I'm finding that a lot of marketers consider blogging and SEO to be completely separate activities. That's because the benefits of blogging haven't been clearly spelled out to organizations...until now.
To take it a step further, blogging isn't only an SEO tool, it's also an acquisition tool (as long as you give people a place where they can take action. Take our blogs, for example. See those call-to-actions over in the right side? That's no coincidence).
How is this all possible? To put it in the simplest terms, search engines (like Google) and people (blog visitors) essentially want the same things. People and search engines want fresh, relevant, reliable, engaging content.
People want to find that kind of content, and search engines want to serve that kind of content. Business blogs work from an acquisition and conversion standpoint because they deliver those things to both parties.
You may be unsure exactly what that means, so I encourage you to sign up for a free blogging consultation that Compendium is running right now. These are general consultations focused on blogging in general, not so much on Compendium. Any company that is interested in SEO and blogging will definitely find it worth their while.
To take it a step further, blogging isn't only an SEO tool, it's also an acquisition tool (as long as you give people a place where they can take action. Take our blogs, for example. See those call-to-actions over in the right side? That's no coincidence).
How is this all possible? To put it in the simplest terms, search engines (like Google) and people (blog visitors) essentially want the same things. People and search engines want fresh, relevant, reliable, engaging content.
People want to find that kind of content, and search engines want to serve that kind of content. Business blogs work from an acquisition and conversion standpoint because they deliver those things to both parties.
You may be unsure exactly what that means, so I encourage you to sign up for a free blogging consultation that Compendium is running right now. These are general consultations focused on blogging in general, not so much on Compendium. Any company that is interested in SEO and blogging will definitely find it worth their while.
Posted Tuesday, March 4, 2008 by
Chris Baggott
I was really flattered to be called yesterday by the Wall Street Journal for an interview on Corporate Blogging and Blogging Best Practices for Employees.
All in all, I'm happy with the the story but thought that it went a little too far by focusing mostly on the idea of Blogging for Search. There is no question that I feel that one of the great and tangible blogging benefits is SEO, however, we also recognize that SEO is a result of great content. Blogging success comes from great and targeted content, and lot 's of it.
At the end of the day what we are suggesting is that by allowing your employees to participate and use your blog publishing software you not only get some great content, you also should increase the likelihood that you will rank well around the terms they are blogging about.
But hey, one of our employees actually said this better in his blog post last week.
What makes this post so great is not only the fact that it is well articulated, but that it was written by one of our software developers. Yeah a code jockey.
When was the last time you invited your developers to participate in a marketing communication?????
All in all, I'm happy with the the story but thought that it went a little too far by focusing mostly on the idea of Blogging for Search. There is no question that I feel that one of the great and tangible blogging benefits is SEO, however, we also recognize that SEO is a result of great content. Blogging success comes from great and targeted content, and lot 's of it.
At the end of the day what we are suggesting is that by allowing your employees to participate and use your blog publishing software you not only get some great content, you also should increase the likelihood that you will rank well around the terms they are blogging about.
But hey, one of our employees actually said this better in his blog post last week.
What makes this post so great is not only the fact that it is well articulated, but that it was written by one of our software developers. Yeah a code jockey.
When was the last time you invited your developers to participate in a marketing communication?????
Posted Thursday, February 21, 2008 by
PJ Hinton
A couple days ago, Business Week published an update to a story it ran back in May 2005 about the impact of social media on business. The update is presented as an annotated edition of the original article. Changes are indicated by highlighted text, and the update information can be summoned by clicking on the information icon (that little circle with a lowercase "i" in it). It's definitely interesting to see how things have changed and how predictions have panned out.
One of the more interesting updates touches on a point that is raised by businesses considering blogging. They ask about the risks of letting their employees blog about company matters. Here is what the update said:
One of the more interesting updates touches on a point that is raised by businesses considering blogging. They ask about the risks of letting their employees blog about company matters. Here is what the update said:
Tim Bray, Sun's director of Web technologies, thinks we overstated the risks of company bloggers. He says that 4,000 bloggers at Sun, about 10% of the workforce, have had virtually no problems. And except for a few high-profile cases, like Mark Jen at Google, very few companies have had publicized problems with in-house bloggers. "I think there's a news story in the absence of carnage," he says. Jon Garfunkel responds on Blogspotting that a few punishments and firings could frighten in-house bloggers from "testing the limits"—and lead some of them to produce blog PR.Compendium's software helps to manage this ever-so-small risk by providing administrative approval for both posts and comments. You get blogging benefits without losing the control.
Posted Friday, February 15, 2008 by
Kristen Raves
It is my job here at Compendium Blogware to make sure that people get
up and blogging through our implementation process. I see a variety of
cleints everyday. From 20 years old to 70 years old, new business
owners, to old pros. I get to work with them all and everyone can do
it! No matter what your age or background you can do it to. So why
should you do it? There are so many benefits to blogging...
Blogging is the new way to market. With marketing comes new trends.
And the new way to market is through blogs. I read an article by Seth
Godin called "How Do You Avoid the Meatball Sundae" which
introduced some of the challenges that regular marketing faces. These
are the issues that companies are facing by using "older" marketing
techniques such as email, relying solely on a website, radio...well you
get the idea. These are some of the challenges Seth Godin wrote about
in his article, and how we are tackling those for our clients at
Compendium:
Blogging is the new way to market. With marketing comes new trends.
And the new way to market is through blogs. I read an article by Seth
Godin called "How Do You Avoid the Meatball Sundae" which
introduced some of the challenges that regular marketing faces. These
are the issues that companies are facing by using "older" marketing
techniques such as email, relying solely on a website, radio...well you
get the idea. These are some of the challenges Seth Godin wrote about
in his article, and how we are tackling those for our clients at
Compendium: 1. Direct Communication (Between Producer and Consumer)
Your blog will have answers, information, and resources the consumer needs to have at their finger tips everyday.
2. Amplification (of Every Consumer)
Everyone is now capable
of being a critic. You shouldn’t be surprised
to discover that if someone has a negative experience with your
company, he or she just might blog about it or even post photos, audio
files, or videos if they have them. However, if you use Compendium,
you have the ability to accept or decline those comments posted on your
blog!
3. (Authentic) Stories
People often buy based upon a story
that resonates with them. This
story can be posted on their blog which gives them a voice, and as a
consumer myself, it is important that who I work with is personable.
4. Speed (Rules)
We have become spoiled by shopping online
and click to purchase sites. We are an impatient society who wants
things quickly. You can't wait two
days (or more) for someone to respond to your emails and phone calls
anymore which is why blogging is perfect! It gives you your
information right as you need it.
5. It’s the Long Tail (that Captures Larger Segments)
We stress
this on a daily basis. 99% of people are typing in what they are
looking for into a search engine. Long gone are the days of typing in
the URL. This is why these long tail keywords are so important. They
are considered as more of a longer phrase to find a search. Compendium
uses their software to capture these keywords and win them in the
search engine.
6. Outsourcing (to Minimize Costs)
The factory-centric model
that supports every-day commodities is now
obsolete. Let someone else own the building while you exploit more
far-reaching opportunities. With blogging you don't have to worry
about this. You can blog in the comfort of your own home and the best
part is you don't have to outsource it!
7. Dicing (of Everything)
Google searching has allowed us to
find anything we want. We understand that there is no longer
just a front door to enter, but there are many accesses and entryways.
Again, at Compendium Blogware, we use our software as an entry way to
all of these places.
8. (Infinite) Choice
When the Internet first came out, there
were so few websites. Now, products are not just found at the local
retailer. It’s best to put
the brakes the branding overload and concentrate on how interesting
your products are, because it’s not just how loud you can yell anymore.
9. Consumer to Consumer (Communication)
Long gone are the
days of brick and mortar. You can sell, share, and buy directly
everywhere on the Internet. We can even set this up through your
blogs, and drive more traffic to your website.
10. Scarcity and Abundance (Which Are You?)
Marketers are
facing this issue. Are they offering too many products or too few?
With blogs you can talk about the benifits of your product while
linking it to your website. There for you can talk about your services
without shoving it down the consumers throat while providing links to
your website (etc.) for those who want it. Our affordable blogging
software allows you to do this.
11. (Big) Ideas
Old advertising ideas, just don't work
anymore. Let's take TV for example. People don't watch the
commercials anymore, they DVR their shows and skip these ads. If they
want information they can just go on your blog and find it.
This article just shows me again that the best way to market is through using successful blogging solutions.
Posted Wednesday, February 13, 2008 by
Marty Bird
Listening to a teleseminar today with Seth Godin promoting his new book, Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync?, corporate blogging was mentioned a few times. Others on the panel were Dan Pink, Rich Sloan and Debbie Weil and the conference attracted over 2,000 listeners, according to the organizers.Back to corporate blogging, Seth mentioned something that I took away from the call - and that is when you start blogging, your blog is going to change you - you realize you have to say something worthwhile, something that will be worthy of reading, something remarkable. Seth reiterated that remarkable means "worth remarking about." (This may be review for those of you that follow Seth.)
As a corporate blogger, you have to set yourself apart and set your products apart. Isn't this what marketing is all about? Seth's point was when you start blogging, you suddenly realize you are talking to humans, real people that may visit your blog and read your words. So you better have something worthwhile to read. Just like you better have something worthwhile to sell to your customers. Then as your readership grows, you have to sustain that level of uniqueness that attracted people to your blog in the first place, just like you need to continue to innovate in your given field. Does your business blog continue to innovate along with your marketing programs and your products and your company?
I found the seminar to be worth my time by simply reminding me of those points, and now that blogging is part of marketing, blogging benefits you and your company when you are remarkable.
Posted Tuesday, January 29, 2008 by
Kaila Woodside
I love the saying "its a small world" - because I love more than anything when you walk into a crowded room where you think you aren't going to know anybody - and then you wind up talking to people you have met through email or a social media group or heard about through co-workers/friends!
Because I recently moved to Indianapolis - I am eager to meet new people and find new groups to join. The other day I received and invite from Janneane who works at KA+A telling me about Smaller Indiana. This is an online networking group created by Pat Coyle to connect creative people with innovative ideas to build a strong Indiana community.
For me - this site is amazing. It allows you to create your own profile with a basic introduction to who you are and what you do - you can also create a blog (or RSS feed another business blog) that allows you to express your new ideas (which is the main blogging benefits) - and most importantly connects you with upcoming events and new ideas in the area.
Because of this site (and Janneane) I am looking forward to attending Pecha Kucha Design Presentations this Friday! And look for my blog posts/pictures to follow the event!
Because I recently moved to Indianapolis - I am eager to meet new people and find new groups to join. The other day I received and invite from Janneane who works at KA+A telling me about Smaller Indiana. This is an online networking group created by Pat Coyle to connect creative people with innovative ideas to build a strong Indiana community.
For me - this site is amazing. It allows you to create your own profile with a basic introduction to who you are and what you do - you can also create a blog (or RSS feed another business blog) that allows you to express your new ideas (which is the main blogging benefits) - and most importantly connects you with upcoming events and new ideas in the area.
Because of this site (and Janneane) I am looking forward to attending Pecha Kucha Design Presentations this Friday! And look for my blog posts/pictures to follow the event!
Posted Monday, January 21, 2008 by
Chris Baggott
I'm putting the finishing touches on my report: Top 10 Corporate Blogging Trends for 2008 and getting ready for our Corporate Blogging Webinar next week.
Something I'm trying out as an idea is the concept of Data Driven Blogging and it's value in Business Bloging as a blogging benefit.
What if you could have substitution strings like we do with email marketing? With the idea of Compending based on implied tags we have in our blog solution, couldn't you actually insert substitution strings into your content to pull appropriate data and then Compend that post to the appropriately titled corporate blog?
I need to flesh this out a little more today, but I can see many blogging benefits to this solution for both the Company and the searcher....
There is a blogging best practice....a Win Win.
Something I'm trying out as an idea is the concept of Data Driven Blogging and it's value in Business Bloging as a blogging benefit.
What if you could have substitution strings like we do with email marketing? With the idea of Compending based on implied tags we have in our blog solution, couldn't you actually insert substitution strings into your content to pull appropriate data and then Compend that post to the appropriately titled corporate blog?
I need to flesh this out a little more today, but I can see many blogging benefits to this solution for both the Company and the searcher....
There is a blogging best practice....a Win Win.
Posted Monday, January 21, 2008 by
Marty Bird
Have you noticed the proliferation of live blogging? Maybe I'm just paying more attention now and take more notice to the live blogs posted from the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) or the Detroit Auto Show, the keynote address at MacWorld 2008, and more than ever at sporting events like NFL playoff games.
How might this apply to corporate blogging? Maybe you're at an industry conference or trade-show as an attendee. If you were attending a conference and were assigned to post a synopsis from the back row or between sessions, wouldn't you pay much closer attention to the content? Would you pay attention in a different way? Live blogging would benefit your corporate bloggers, encouraging them to think as a journalist, sharpening their listening skills while determining how the session they are attending fits into your organization's needs or the needs of the industry. They might even ask questions and listen to other's questions and comments in a new way.
Live blogging in this sense then engages the blogger in a new way. Adding the responsibility of live blogging to their attendance at a conference also populates your organization's blog with relevant content, informs the blog's readers of the latest information coming out of the conference, and serves as a journal of notes for the employee to assemble for use in further decision making.
So, yes, live blogging can fit in to your organization, but don't try it from the board room!
How might this apply to corporate blogging? Maybe you're at an industry conference or trade-show as an attendee. If you were attending a conference and were assigned to post a synopsis from the back row or between sessions, wouldn't you pay much closer attention to the content? Would you pay attention in a different way? Live blogging would benefit your corporate bloggers, encouraging them to think as a journalist, sharpening their listening skills while determining how the session they are attending fits into your organization's needs or the needs of the industry. They might even ask questions and listen to other's questions and comments in a new way.
Live blogging in this sense then engages the blogger in a new way. Adding the responsibility of live blogging to their attendance at a conference also populates your organization's blog with relevant content, informs the blog's readers of the latest information coming out of the conference, and serves as a journal of notes for the employee to assemble for use in further decision making.
So, yes, live blogging can fit in to your organization, but don't try it from the board room!
Posted Monday, December 31, 2007 by
Chris Baggott
Still on the topic of small business I want to point out some of the small business bloggers I know that some of the more traditional bloggers seem to not want in their club.
As you know, I'm a big advocate for the idea of blogging for search. This is really a great equalizer for the small business to take advantage of location as a qualifier in search.
Suppose you were looking for some tequila and you lived in the small town of Greenfield. You might type "petrone tequila Greenfield" as a search term. (try this at home) you will find business blog for a small liquor store owned by a pair of sisters named LizAnn & Amy.
How about if you wanted to have your teeth whitened and you lived near Anderson Indiana? You might enter into the search box "teeth whitening anderson Indiana". Do that and the top organic result will be for a local dental practice blog called "YouSleepWeWork".
And what if you wanted to relocate your office to Indianapolis? You might enter "office relocation Indianapolis". If you do this search you will find a small commercial real estate blog as the top organic result. The owner, Chris Carmen claims his leads are up 18% in the two months since he's started this blog.
Small businesses don't need gigantic numbers to have meaningful impact. With easy to use blogging software and the obvious blogging benefits, it's clear, every corporation or organization should have a widespread blogging strategy.
As you know, I'm a big advocate for the idea of blogging for search. This is really a great equalizer for the small business to take advantage of location as a qualifier in search.
Suppose you were looking for some tequila and you lived in the small town of Greenfield. You might type "petrone tequila Greenfield" as a search term. (try this at home) you will find business blog for a small liquor store owned by a pair of sisters named LizAnn & Amy.
How about if you wanted to have your teeth whitened and you lived near Anderson Indiana? You might enter into the search box "teeth whitening anderson Indiana". Do that and the top organic result will be for a local dental practice blog called "YouSleepWeWork".
And what if you wanted to relocate your office to Indianapolis? You might enter "office relocation Indianapolis". If you do this search you will find a small commercial real estate blog as the top organic result. The owner, Chris Carmen claims his leads are up 18% in the two months since he's started this blog.
Small businesses don't need gigantic numbers to have meaningful impact. With easy to use blogging software and the obvious blogging benefits, it's clear, every corporation or organization should have a widespread blogging strategy.
Posted Friday, December 28, 2007 by
Chris Baggott
I recently saw Guy present in an Entrepreneurs Conference in Indianapolis. Basically the same talk I've seen him give twice before over the years. Maybe you have seen it before too: He starts with a joke about booting up his Mac, talks about Yahoo, then tells the audience how cool it was at Apple in 1985 or whenever...all timeless lessons sure...kind of like a college professor.What got me off this weekend was the following quote in the New York Times in a story titled: Blogging's a Low-Cost, High Return Marketing Tool. Obviously from the title you can see that this is a story about the opportunity and democratizing value of widespread business & corporate blogging. What did Guy have to say?
"If you're a clothing manufacturer or a restaurant, blogging is probably not as high on your list as making good food or good clothes."
Huh? We are talking about a marketing tool. I would think that a focus on quality would be a given for any business....so I really don't even understand the comment?
What about:
Making meaning?I'm continually frustrated by an attitulde that small businesses don't have these characteristics.
Righting a Wrong?
Preventing the End of Something Good?
Minimally it a half-empty view of the opportunity. What I loved about Guy back when he had a zest for this was his passion of exposing the humanity of your business. He calls humanity out specifically in The Art Of The Start. In almost all of his books he talks about the Humanity of the Mac back in the early days. He talks about differentiating yourself from competition by telling a better story, being involved in the community and being more human....
Does this not sound like the perfect application for Business Blogging? What better way is there to expose the human aspect of your business that blogging? How else would he suggest you tell your story, differentiate your product, etc....
I once read on the back of a restaurant menu about how they didn't use a mixer but used a fork for mixing scrambled eggs. The menu explained how the "marbling" of white and yellow made their omelets better (for a reason I can't remember). The point is that when I lived in this city I was completely sold on this story and it's been my standard for scrambled eggs ever since. Remarkable.
Imagine if this guy had a blog.
Every business on the planet is made up by people. For the most part these are passionate, good human beings who care about their products, care about their customers and feel like they are making a difference. This has nothing to do with the size of the organization large or small, a blogging benefits. With easy to use blogging software this fantastic marketing tool is available to everyone.
Posted Wednesday, December 26, 2007 by
Chris Baggott
So they say that "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas". I've never heard that applied to Reno, so I thought I would share this video of one of the most enjoyable conferences I've had the pleasure to present to in a long time.
The event was America Outdoors and the attendees were made up of Whitewater Rafting and other adventure travel outfitters. It was interesting to see how this group responded to the idea of Corporate Blogging and Blogging for Search. One might think that small business people who work in remote locations wouldn't be too jazzed about blogging benefits such as search engine optimization or other aspects of blog success.
To the contrary, these folks totally get the concepts of Marketing Democracy. Outfitters compete every day for the vacation dollar against the giants of travel like Disney, Cruise Ships and all the other corporate travel giants.
What's great about affordable blogging software and solutions is that these outfitters actually have great content. They are not in the business to get rich...no one is doing this as just another corporate gig. No, these people are in the Outdoor Travel business because of the passion to share what they love with others. That makes Business Blogging the perfect outlet. Disney might be able to outspend a couple who own a rafting business on the Youghaghaney River in almost every marketing tactic....but some middle level marketer is never going to beat these folks on passion. Easy to use blogging software makes the field much more competitive for businesses that are staffed by people who love the game.
How about you? Where is your passion? Watch the video...compare this to your last industry get together...
The event was America Outdoors and the attendees were made up of Whitewater Rafting and other adventure travel outfitters. It was interesting to see how this group responded to the idea of Corporate Blogging and Blogging for Search. One might think that small business people who work in remote locations wouldn't be too jazzed about blogging benefits such as search engine optimization or other aspects of blog success.
To the contrary, these folks totally get the concepts of Marketing Democracy. Outfitters compete every day for the vacation dollar against the giants of travel like Disney, Cruise Ships and all the other corporate travel giants.
What's great about affordable blogging software and solutions is that these outfitters actually have great content. They are not in the business to get rich...no one is doing this as just another corporate gig. No, these people are in the Outdoor Travel business because of the passion to share what they love with others. That makes Business Blogging the perfect outlet. Disney might be able to outspend a couple who own a rafting business on the Youghaghaney River in almost every marketing tactic....but some middle level marketer is never going to beat these folks on passion. Easy to use blogging software makes the field much more competitive for businesses that are staffed by people who love the game.
How about you? Where is your passion? Watch the video...compare this to your last industry get together...
Posted Sunday, November 11, 2007 by
Jenni Edwards
Why would someone blog for SEO when you could simply pay an search engine optimization firm to help you get on the first pages of Google? GREAT QUESTION! While I am definitely a fan of integrating traditional website SEO into a corporate blogging strategy (great platform and indexing to start with); website SEO is not the end all and here is why...
First, SEO is usually around a few keywords and as you optimize for more and more keywords it is going to require additional content in the form of words ---(Note: While tagging video, pictures is possible; it still isn't the same as words; remember, search engines are always evolving; but they were built on the idea of words/text...that will always remain the framework). So the point here is --- too much content = poor design and marketing principles on your website...Flash is a powerful medium, use it!
Second, is the lack of breadth most traditional SEO strategies provide...we all can agree that we describe things differently and therefore search differently. So while it is great for a Denver shoe store to win "Denver Shoes" in a search; what about all of the people searching "Denver Footwear" or "Shoes in Denver"? Hopefully you get the idea here; bottomline --- a great blogging solution allows for you to build on your current SEO strategies and target hundreds of competitive and long-tail keywords and let the content lie where it should --- blogs, not your overstuffed homepage. Oh, and there are many additional benefits of blogging outside of SEO (more to come on this!).
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