The Skinny on Blogging for Business: Part Three
Ever wonder why InsureMe started blogging? Check out this recap of The Skinny on Blogging for Business as published in the September issue of the TAAR Report, and learn why.
So the rewards of blogging are great. But what about the risk?
Blogging Isn’t For You If…
Blogging is cool, but it isn’t for everyone. And you’re better off recognizing this before you start, because it can open you and your business up to certain risks.
James Omdahl, InsureMe’s Marketing Strategist (whom some of you met at HIGH TECC in July), spoke at Commission Junction’s annual summit last year on the topic of business blogging. James and a lot of other big name marketers agree: Don’t start a blog about your business if you have something—anything—to hide. If you can’t be transparent in your blog, visitors won’t be interested in reading it. And if they learn you’ve been the least bit dishonest, you can bet you’ll hear about it in the comments section.
Naked Conversations also identified a pretty solid list of questions to ask yourself and your organization before embarking on a blog. Some of these questions include:
Does your business culture understand that “markets are conversations”? The Cluetrain Manifesto (http://www.cluetrain.com/) is a set of 95 theses; a veritable call to action for businesses to examine the power of the internet and its role in today’s business.
Bottom line: if you don’t think having conversations matters to clients or business partners, a blog isn’t for you.
What will your boss tolerate? Show him or her some examples of what you’d like to emulate for your business. If you are your own boss, peruse some blogs by topic by entering a keyword (i.e. actuaries, insurance law,) on Technorati.com, and see what turns you on—and off.
How legally cautious is your company? If you have a legal department, get their opinion on having an open dialogue with the public.
These last three are my additions:
Are you committed? Blogging is relatively low-cost, but you have to invest time to get anything out of it.
Are you vanilla? No one wants to read a lackluster blog. Find a way to tell your story and incorporate your voice into the blog.
Do you, or does someone in your company, have the writerly capabilities to author a blog? If you’re going to make up words like “writerly,” you may want to reconsider authoring a blog full-time.
Jokes aside, make sure the blog author(s) have a decent written command of the English language. Reading a poorly written blog is like listening to someone talk with their mouth full.
Sure, blogging brings a few risks. But you can mitigate these by following one of the unwritten rules of blogging: Blog smart. Don’t give away company trade secrets. Don’t launch a product on your blog prematurely. Don’t rip on your boss. You know, be smart!
Stay tuned for the conclusion of Blogging for Business to learn how to get started!
