With all of Airbus's recent woes—delays with the A380 super-jumbo, layoffs and cancelled orders—you would think that blogs are the least of its problems. But it has been losing out online, too. Randy Baseler, Boeing's VP of marketing, has been writing his successful blog for several years and landing PR blows on rival Airbus—which does not blog—on a regular basis.
The Boeing blog illustrates the first rule of business blogging. If you don't have one, you're not part of the conversation. The "Purple Cow" effect—getting attention by being remarkable and/or different in a sector such as wine (stormhoek.com), tailoring (englishcut.com), or plane manufacturing (boeingblogs.com/randy)—is a missed opportunity. If your competitors have a blog and you don't, watch out.
Blogs can also help change perceptions. Microsoft wanted to put a human face on a business widely perceived as arrogant and impersonal. It hired Robert Scoble, and his blog, scobelizer.com, blazed a trail for thousands of Microsoft bloggers. Firms such as Google and Apple have more cuddly brands, but they resist employee blogging. Microsoft's openness supports its brand and creates a surprisingly positive forum for feedback from customers and staff.
The idea that blogs are only for private individuals is wrong. Businesses can and do blog successfully but the mark of a successful one is still authenticity. A blog that reads like an endless press release is unlikely to succeed. That doesn't mean you can't run a business blog that is both authentic and professionally produced or that you shouldn't have guidelines for bloggers. Southwest Airlines's blog (blogsouthwest.com) is an example of a site that cleverly mixes real human content from its employees with slick editing and sharp presentation.
Successful bloggers post regularly. There's nothing more forlorn than a blog that starts with a bang and peters out. Another common failure is having a great blog but not marketing it. Good marketing goes beyond adding the address to everything you write. You also need to reach out to the online community by actively commenting on other sites and by making sure your site is listed in directories such as Technorati and, if it'll have you, 9Rules.
Search engines such as Google and collaborative news filtering sites like Digg and Slashdot can bring in huge amounts of traffic if your site contains new information, insights and content people want to read. Metrics matter. Monitoring a blog using Google Analytics, or something similar, makes it easier to refine and target your site.
Don't think that blogs are only for the big boys. You can start one for nothing using services such as Windows Live Spaces or Wordpress.com. For small firms, a good blog is a viable alternative to an expensive corporate website. If you're new to it, try blogging about a hobby or your summer holiday to learn the ropes before setting up a business blog. Blog software was designed for non-techies to publish online so it's much easier and much less geeky than you think.
(www.badlanguage.net)
