Company Blog

Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 by Megan Glover

Seth Godin has a great blog post today: Who's telling you the truth about your online personal marketing?

His post makes a great point about the the trend in marketing these days which I relate to transparency. He writes that, "people are judging you", and isn't that the truth.

Blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instant Message, etc... have all opened the door fainting the line between personal/professional life. So how does a marketer ensure the judgments of his or her employees don't hurt the reputation of the entire company?

Why not embrace and incorporate those mediums into your own marketing? You know your employees, particularly your Gen X'ers, are all tapped in and participating... why not embrace it and make your presence known too!

It's actually one of the reasons Compendium Blogware was founded. Chris (our CoFounder/CEO) noticed while at ExactTarget that many of his employees were blogging. And, blogging about the company - but Chris had was unable to leverage the blog content they were cracking out.

That's why Compendium is built for multiple bloggers and has an administrative layer which allows you manage the blogger's message as you see fit. So, companies and organizations can give their employees platforms to blog on and yet reap the marketing benefits such as SEO. Not only that, but you're providing a real-life voice to speak out on behalf of your organization which ultimately... humanizes your marketing.

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The Worst Thing I Heard At Blog Indiana

Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 by Chris Baggott

So I was privileged to teach a session on Advanced Business Blogging at the recent Blog Indiana event in Indianapolis. I learned a lot and there were some really smart people with some really good ideas and advice for Blogging in general and Corporate Blogging specifically.

But there was a LOT of Bull S--- too. I'm not normally one to go negative but some of this stuff makes me so mad that smoke comes out of my ears.

Blog Indiana Bad Business Blogging Advice, Comment Monitoring

The experience has given me an idea for a whitepaper: "Top Ten Lies about Business Blogging" (once I calm down, I'll probably change the word Lies to Myths)

This person (who's name escapes me) was doing a session on Business Blogging as well. A woman asked about comments and explained that her CEO wouldn't let them start a company blog unless he could review and reject comments he didn't like.

The advice?? Basically, it's better not to do a blog at all if you are going to actively manage comments!

I was incredulous.   Of course a corporation has to monitor not only comments, but blog posts as well. There is a lot of responsibility and liability for anything that appears on your site...including your blogs.

If Blog Benefits = 100%   Comments in general represent < 10% of that benefit.

The reality is that most business blogs never get that many comments anyway. Comments should never be used as a primary gage of success.   Think about Traffic, Search Engine Optimization and Conversions. Those are the real metrics of blogging best practices.

So my surprise was this idea that if you are not 100% you shouldn't do anything at all was just bad advice.

Stay tuned...I've got another 9 to go :-)

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But...how will I find the time?!

Posted Thursday, August 14, 2008 by Lindsey Young

Time is money. This statement just becomes more and more literal as families, businesses, and life get more demanding. Between juggling day to day duties of our positions within our companies, employers and employees alike are hesitate to add one more responsibility to the mix, such as blogging. A common misconception within the group of people I speak with is that investing in a corporate blog is going to eat up too much of their time. Erroneous! I like to negate this idea with the following information: the beauty of our compended blogs is that the responsibility is spread out among several people, the time needed to create a post is minimal...and here is the point I really want to stress to potential clients with the time constraint objection:

Each user should post 2-3 times per week
Approximately 250 word blog posts
Conversational in tone
10-15 minutes MAX to create

If you did the math there, that's about 30 minutes a week! Blogs shouldn't be rocket science, just engage your reader enough to take the next step. Finding relevant information through your company blog will point them in the right direction to becoming your client, customer, or consumer.

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Your Biggest Problem Solved

Posted Thursday, August 14, 2008 by Ali Sales

I've been trying to find a new briefcase for work. My intent was to purchase a really nice one -- like Tumi quality because I keep buying cheapos that look nice and then fall apart in a few months. Except I didn't want a Tumi because...well, I just don't like their styles all that much.

So what did I do, given that I knew exactly what I wanted, just didn't know who to buy it from?

I searched. I typed in "best women's black leather briefcase." Talk about being a dream prospect. I used a lot of descriptive keywords to indicate exactly what I was looking for.

Okay, so of course you're wondering what my briefcase dilemma has to do with you.

Well, as a marketer, I'm guessing this is the biggest problem on your hands.

You want people to find you. You want people to find you online. And you want people who don't know a bit about your company or brand to be able to find you online.

What you may not realize is that starting a business blogging program can help you solve this problem. Taking it a step further, a blogging solution like Compendium Blogware will help you target hundreds or even thousands of terms that have something to do with your company.

Believe it or not, people are going online and looking for the products and services you provide every day. They aren't necessarily looking for your company, your website, or your company blogs, but they are asking for something you can help them with.

Yet how satisfied and happy would they be if they did their search, found a result titled exactly what they were looking for, and clicked through to find a blog featuring friendly, educational content generated by several people within your company, and a way to act upon exactly what they are looking for, whether if be making the purchase directly from the blog or just requesting more info?

I'll end this with 2 things:

1. A really relevant quote from William Flatz of Avenue A/Razorfish

“People don't go to Web sites anymore. Web sites come to them. This is, perhaps, the best way to explain the impact of search on the online experience.”

2. My briefcase outcome. After picking through countless websites for places like LeatherTree.com, I decided that I'd had enough and went straight to Target, where I spent $30 on a new briefcase. Sigh. Briefcase retailers, are you out there? It's time to start blogging.

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Finding Time to Blog

Posted Wednesday, August 13, 2008 by Jim Hyslop

So I know that I have already blogged about this issue but it seems to come up a lot. In fact I just read a post by Shel Holtz where he also addresses the issue that I hear all the time, "my staff is already maxed...we just don't have time to blog" and it got me thinking again.

The truth is by saying you don't have time to blog you are really saying I don't have time to communicate. I know I would never hear the same answer in regard to email or phone calls. The idea of not communicating by phone would be unheard of! We need to re-tune our minds to look at the blog in this exact way....as another form of corporate communication with our clients and business prospects on a human level. The beauty of the blog is now our method of communication is serving multiple purposes. Engaging our prospects, optimizing your company in the search rankings, and turning visitors into customers by your ability to do both of the first two things. But to do so you need the tools that allow you to do this.You need to incorporate methods of advanced business blogging.

The real time issue with managing a corporate blog does not come from communicating...it comes from managing the blog for ROI. There is a lot of lifting that happens to leverage that communication for your maximum benefit. At the end of the day if your company uses the right blogging tools to do this for you, you will inevitably secure the many benefits of blogging you deserve while at the same time never allowing your clients and potential customers to rank below the number one spot on your lists of priorities.

Driving business comes from the ability to acquire new customers by communicating to them you have exactly what they need. So by saying you don't have time to blog you are really saying I don't have time to obtain new forms of revenue. From a business perspective that just doesn't make sense. Blog for SEO. Blog for engagement. Blog for ROI!!!!

Business growth = Good Stuff..........Happy Blogging!

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What do Rafting and Blogging Have in Common?

Posted Friday, August 8, 2008 by Ali Sales

A lot if you're an employee at Compendium Blogware. A few weeks ago we took the entire company on a whitewater rafting trip to Pennsylvania. The event was planned by our very own Kaila Woodside, who was a whitewater rafting guide for several years in Ohiopyle. Not only is she a fantastic part of our sales organization, Kaila can steer you through a drop the size of Niagra Falls.

Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but as someone who's never rafted below, that's just about what it felt like for me.

What did the company get out of our whitewater rafting event? Of course we got team building, bonding, and all sorts of great stories (and pictures), but we also got a lot of great blogging content. And that content helps visitors that show up at our business blogs understand that yes, we are a company that provides blogging software, but we're also an organization full of smart, fun, and hard working individuals who aren't afraid to roll up our sleeves, dig in, and kick some butt.

A big part of any company blogging program -- regardless what industry you're in -- is showing your human side. That's why I'll leave you with this great picture of me and my raft mates on the Yougheny River!

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Google ramping up YouTube ads

Posted Thursday, August 7, 2008 by Eric Romer

I came across an blog post from Saul Hansell in the New York Times' Bits blog that highlights what most of us regular YouTube users have noticed lately: an increase in ad-supported videos.

The author points out that the ads are more reminiscent of "the gaudiness of MySpace than the sterility of Google," and describes how the Kings of Search are trying to get a return on their $1.65 billion investment when they purchased YouTube last year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of behavioral targeting when done properly, and not intrusively like Facebook's Beacon nightmare. For example, the image above has a text ad in the top right corner for Obama's book, which is probably relevant to a person watching a video about the man. But, like Saul said, it's a little harder to justify "enhancing user experience" with a Nissan ad that pops up on the bottom.

As online video grows (which it will), I'm sure this model will be tweaked and improved. However, right now, it's very much a "shouting" method of marketing. The first time an ad has no relevance to me, I stop paying attention. This only needs to happen once or twice (Myspace is a prime example), and then I tune out.

For businesses trying to reach their target audience, corporate blogging software allows you to create very relevant, personal content for those in the market to buy. The best "behavioral targeting" is to deliver highly relevant, recent information to those seeking it. As the digital shift continues, every organization will have a company blog in the next 3-5 years.

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Monon Coffee Company

Posted Tuesday, August 5, 2008 by Sarah Sedberry

On a day to day basis here at Compendium Blogware, I spend a lot of time with clients, working with them on template creation, content development for their individual blogs, question and answer periods, going over blogging metrics, etc.

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting with one of our original clients, Monon Coffee Company.

The Monon Coffee Company is located in Broad Ripple, IN, right off of Westfield Blvd. They are the ideal (non-commercial) coffee shop, offering a relaxing, inviting, and warm atmosphere. The barista's greet you when you walk in the door, there is ample comfortable seating - including stools right at the counter so that you can interact with the employees. They also feature artists often so stop by frequently to see whats new on display. For the technology obsessed, like myself, they do offer free wifi.

I was impressed with William Powell, who is the owner, as well as, the author of their company blog. He greeted every customer and took the time to chat with them. He remembered every one of them, along with what was going on in their lives. If you are looking for your modern day "Cheers" look no further. Monon Coffee Company is the place you need to go.

While I was there, it was a hard choice to decide on what to have. They offer everything from snacks, to treats, to smoothies, to (of course) coffee. I was persuaded by John to try the daily special - The Zebra Mint Mocha. A blend of crushed peppermint, white and dark mocha flavoring, milk, and coffee. I had mine iced and it was just the right accent to go with the sunny afternoon.

When you get a chance, stop by and say hello to William and the gang. Let them know if you've checked out their company blog, which you can do so here.

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Does the Thought of Corporate Blogging Make Your Head Explode?

Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2008 by Ali Sales

You're not alone. This article, 25 Tips for Marketing Your Blog, made me think of how daunting business blogging can be for any kind of organization.

There are some good tips in this article, don't get me wrong.

It's just a lot to think about, and you're a busy person, right? I am a big fan of using subject matter experts (SMEs) as much as possible. I don't want to be an accounting pro or a legal pro -- I want to have a basic understanding and then pay and rely on people around me to help.

Okay, so you know where I'm heading with this:

Wouldn't it be great if you could do the same thing with a corporate blogging program?
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a blogging partner who can worry about all the details so that you can focus on writing content for your company blogs?
Oh, and wouldn't it be great to use a blogging solution that lets you log in, type your content, and then the blogging software itself structures that content in a way that helps you get found in the search engines?

Well, stop the head explosion and accept that you don't have to know all the answers in order to get started. You just have to find the right partner, and by default, the right blogging tool.

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The Bloggers Code of Conduct

Posted Wednesday, July 30, 2008 by Chantelle Flannery

Over the past few years the concerns have been raised about how bloggers conduct themselves online. The most notable was Tim O'Reilly’s call for a bloggers code of conduct. Some of the more traditional bloggers gave a significant amount of push back to the situation while others embraced it. I think that it is important that all corporate blogging companies establish their own rules of conduct as it pertains to blogging.

Here are the main points that should be included in the code of conduct:

As an individual and as a company taking responsibility for content fond on the blog
Take a stance for/against use of images and videos you might not have the full rights to
An explanation for your commenting policies – to you respond via email/post/comment and do you even approve comments when appropriate
Policy for approving or declining posts – what content is acceptableHow success is measured and tracked on the blogs
An explanation for how the content from the analytics on the blog are used and what they are

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How to Track, Measure and Adjust Your Blog

Posted Thursday, July 24, 2008 by Eric Romer

Today at 5pm EST, co-founder and CEO of Compendium, Chris Baggott, will be answering questions about how to track, measure and adjust your company blog. Details below:

What: How to Track, Measure and Adjust Your Blog

Who: The Blog Squad: Patsi Krakoff, Psy.D., & Denise Wakeman, with guest Chris Baggott

Where: At your home or office: on the phone or on the web

When: Thursday, July 24 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Why: To learn how you can earn a good income from blogging.

Investment: Zero - It's free to attend. Register now to attend the live event.

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Few Excuses to Avoid Upgrading Browsers

Posted Monday, July 14, 2008 by PJ Hinton

Dennis O'Reilly is writing about upgrading browsers in his Workers' Edge blog over at CNET News.com. Quoting from the post we read (emphasis mine):

According to Net Applications, IE 6 accounted for more than 26 percent of the browser market in June 2008, while IE 7 was used by over 46 percent of all people on the Web. If your PC runs Windows 2000 or an earlier version of the OS, you can't upgrade to version 7 of IE. Unless your boss insists that you use the older version of the browser on XP or Vista, you've got no excuse for not upgrading to the safer IE 7.

As a blog company, browser market share is something we keep an eye on because it helps shape our testing policy. We have to make sure that both our blogging features work properly on supported browsers and that blog pages look right on them. We choose which browsers are supported based on market share.

I second O'Reilly's upgrading advice because not only will you get a more secure browser by leaving IE 6 behind, you will have a better web experience because IE 7 is much better at complying with web standards.

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July 4th - Part II

Posted Thursday, July 10, 2008 by Sarah Sedberry

Next stop on the 4th of July weekend tour was Philadelphia, PA, the heart of our country's foundation.

For those who have never visited this city, it is a place I highly recommend you put on your list of places to go. The history that is entrenched here is amazing, along with all of the beautiful architecture and interesting places to see.

Some of the highlights of our two days in Philadelphia included a visit to the childhood home of Larry from the Three Stooges, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the graveyard where Nicolas Cage was chased in National Treasure, Rocky Balboa's training route, the City Tavern - complete with costumed service staff and patrons, Betsy Ross's house, Benjamin Franklin's home, the first United States Post Office, and the list goes on and on and on...

The city of Philadelphia has such a rich history that goes hand-in-hand with that of our country. The amazing thing to me is that it wasn't that long ago that all of this happened. We're talking about 250 years here. What a small blip of time in the world's history! Even more mind-boggling is how successful our country has become in this short period of time. Much like the results a company can obtain from maintaining a current blog, a blog can propel a website, due to search engine optimization, in a relatively short period of time, thus giving your company great success.

One of the great thing about blogs, is that they can pull off the equity of your already existing website - just how America pulled from the ideas and concepts of Britain. Blogs give your company the chance to jump ahead of the curve in marketing.

I cannot stress enough the importance of rich, current, and frequent content in company blogs. Search engines thrive on these components and are what ultimately make a blog successful.

Our country is rich in its history and continues to build on it going forward, making us a stronger nation each and every day. Do the same with your corporate blog - build it richly and therefore ensure your success!

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One Size Doesn't Fit All

Posted Wednesday, July 9, 2008 by Kristen Hanschu

Many people think that when it comes to blogging, one size fits all. In other words, they think that one platform will work for every type of business out there. This is not true in today's fast moving technological world.

In the book, Break From the Pack by Oren Harari, he explains why one size does not fit all. When people are looking to blog and they come to Compendium for solutions, we get asked why we are better than the rest. That is because we are different from every other blog creation software company out there.

If you want to blog for your business then you need the right tools. This includes an affordable blogging software that you can customize to your website and business. It also means that you are able to have many individual bloggers contributing to one site. In return you are utilizing the blog site to gain new clients, sell more product, and market your product or service.

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What is appropriate content for a company blog?

Posted Wednesday, July 9, 2008 by jennifer buscher

One of the most common questions I hear from potential clients is “what should I blog about?” The obvious responses are to use content you are already creating for press releases, e-mail newsletters, and marketing collateral. However, last week I experienced a compelling event that I wanted to blog about, which raises the question… is it appropriate to blog about something that I’m personally passionate about on my company’s blog? I don’t think it’s wise to voice political opinions on your company’s blog site thus there should be a content control layer, but I do believe personal experiences have a place in the corporate blogging world. After all, people like hearing from other people and get sick of being fed "marketing speak" all the time. Showing the human side of a company ultimately builds trust.

Last week, I took a long lunch break to rally against puppy mills in Indiana, something I’m very passionate about, and learned that everyday 4-5 million dogs across the country sit in puppy mills, some who have not been out of their small cages for 5-10 years because they only exist to breed. They are housed in shockingly poor conditions and often lose their hair and teeth due to malnourishment. The primary way to stop this abuse is to cut the flow of consumer dollars to your local pet store in order to put an end to the vicious cycle that keeps puppy mills profitable. To learn more, click here. I want to get the word out, and I can’t think of a better way than to blog.

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July 4th - Part 1

Posted Tuesday, July 8, 2008 by Sarah Sedberry

For this year's July 4th celebration, I traveled to our country's birthplace (Philadelphia, PA) in order to take in some history, as well as, enjoy a wonderful 3 day weekend. During the trip the decision was made to make it the ultimate history/National Treasure re-enactment tour. Over my next few blog posts I would like to share the information I learned along the way.

First stop was Valley Forge.

Now maybe it's my fault for not paying attention in history class growing up; however, upon my return I did a poll and realized I was not alone in my revelation.

Did you realize that there was never a battle fought at Valley Forge?

I was surprised to find this out when visiting this now National Park. It still holds great significance for our country though, as that is where George Washington's troops took refuge for the winter during the Revolutionary War. It was during this encampment that Washington's troops were almost depleted due to poor conditions there, involving inadequate clothing, disease and famine that led to high death tolls. With the relief of spring, that April a Frenchman, Baron von Steuben, came and applied a vigorous, systematic training program, that transformed the ragged troops into a confident 18th century military organization. Ultimately forming what is now today, the United States Army. The ideals, training and fighting styles were all established during the encampment at Valley Forge. Thus making it the historical landmark that it is today.

After our visit to Valley Forge, my friend and I discussed how wild it is that neither of us knew the history behind this landmark. To realize that there was never a battle fought, nor enemy attack blew our original thinking of what Valley Forge stood for. It opened our eyes to the truth as well as gave us a greater appreciation for what our forefathers went through when establishing our country to make it what it has become today.

There can be parallels made to blogging for your company and the ultimate strength that it will give your business. There are common misconceptions and confusion about blogging for business, but that is what we at Compendium are here for. To help clear up that confusion and work with you in order to make your blog successful. Much like Steuben helped America become an organized and elite fighting unit, as a Client Success Manager, I am here to help you... much like the Army motto.... "be all that you can be" (My apologies for the cheesy tag line).

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Fear of a Blog Planet

Posted Tuesday, July 8, 2008 by Eric Romer

I had a "mini-dinner party" with two friends last night from college. It was a pretty good deal, as they provided the food & wine, and I just offered up my portable tailgate grill & kitchen. I'll take that arrangement any day....

So, as we were talking, one of my friends said she loved company blogging at her old job because it allowed her to be more creative. It wasn't formal press release writing, which can be a bit dry.

My other friend asked "do people really read blogs?", which was an honest perspective I think many people have. I used to think the same thing, and I'm 93% sure it's just that word: BLOG.

It has a connotation that seems elite, or only for the tech-savvy. That's simply not true. The word "blog" comes from "web log". With simple blog software, t's just an easy way to log/journal/document your life or business on the web.

Don't fear blogs - they're here to make communication easier in a constantly evolving era of technology. A corporate blog allows your business to easily communicate on a human level.

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The love/hate relationship...

Posted Thursday, July 3, 2008 by Sarah Sedberry

I am an athlete; I always have been, and always will be. I was a 3-sport athlete growing up, as well as, played a varsity sport in college. Upon graduation I picked up multiple recreational sports, along with a relatively unknown sport called adventure racing, in order to keep my competitive spirit quenched.

Someone with my background in sports should be somebody that thrives on working out and staying in shape, which I do. However, it is a love/hate relationship. All of us have experienced, at one time or another, the love hate relationship. The following quote explains my tug-of-war battle better than I ever could:

“People don't always play sports because it's fun. Ask any athlete, most of them hate it, but they couldn't imagine their life without it. It's part of them, the love/hate relationship. It's what they live for. They live for the practices, parties, cheers, long bus rides, invitational’s, countless pairs of different types of shoes, water, Gatorade, and the coaches you hate but appreciate. They live for the way it feels when they beat the other team, and knowing those two extra sprints they ran in practice were worth it. They live for the way they become a family with their team, they live for the countless songs they sing in their head while training all those hours. They live for the competition, they live for the friends, the memories, the pain; it’s who they are.”

- Source Unknown

This same love/hate relationship can be applied to blogging and business. Our clients LOVE the blogging benefits they receive, such as the traffic driven to their pages, the increased results of their call-to-action buttons, and the success of higher page ranking - due to search engine optimization that results from; their users blogging. However, they may HATE the thought having to find the time create and write a post for their company blog.

My suggestion is to pull from your own personal experiences, and use that information to express yourself and your business in your blog post. Besides its YOU that your readers are looking to hear from, so go ahead and give them that personal, human voice!

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My Response to ZDNet's Mitch Ratcliffe.

Posted Tuesday, July 1, 2008 by Daren Tomey

I read a great post this morning from Mitch Radcliffe at ZDNet titled, "What is a company blogger good for?. Mitch does a great job of outlining 5 goals or objectives that companies may consider prior to launching a corporate blog. As a result of his post, I posted the following comment.

"Seems obvious but often overlooked

Mitch,

Thanks for the post on developing a clearly defined set of goals and objectives prior to launching a company blog. As a provider of corporate blogging software (www.compendiumblogware.com), we all to often encounter this challenge and attempt to take a more consultative approach with our prospects and clients. Sometimes this backfires as some of them simply want to subscribe and blog, however those that are either already focused on their goals or are willing to allow us to help them define what their goals and objectives are going to be related to blogging for a purpose, experience the greatest benefits and quantifiable results."

So, how did I find Mitch's post? It is a simple process of setting up Google Alerts, something that we recommend to all of our clients. These alerts, set up with keywords that are important to your business, industry, or interests, are great sources of inspiration and topics for which an author can write about on a daily basis.

This and other blogging best practices can be found on our website at www.compendiumblogware.com.

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Cheers to Local Search and Blogging

Posted Friday, June 27, 2008 by Ali Sales

This year, local advertisers are expected to shift over $13 billion of their budgeted funds to the Internet, according to Borrell Associates. That number is up by 50% over the last year.

Why is this relevant to you? Because we can't ignore the huge role that local search is going to play for nearly every kind of business, even national chains and enterprises who are stretching themselves for ways to get back to the basics of relationship building. And guess what?

Business blogging will most certainly play a role in the migration of dollars from off-line to online and in the local search arena.

There are a few key things driving this shift:

1) People want to buy from people (i.e. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, like in Cheers)

2) People want to buy from people who *are like them* -- of course regional/local means common ground

3) Search is the #1 online activity these days, right behind email marketing

If you attended our Humanize Your Marketing with Blogging webinar this past week, you know that company blogging leverages all of these factors. If you were unable to attend, here is a link to the instant replay.

The numbers and actions of advertisers and all kinds of companies will continue to prove that local/personal marketing is the way of the future. Starting a business blog is one of the best things you can do to get headed in the right direction and jump on a trend that's going to become the norm.

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