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Casual Articles - The Secrets to Corporate Blogging
One of the biggest challenges in running a business is continuously finding the balance between short-term profits and monthly cash flow needs, and the business’ long term future. This can be a delicate tightrope walk indeed. However, you can use this balancing act to your advantage.Managing for the short-term gain means making dollars-only-decisions, driving people hard and prioritizing cost over ultimate value. Cutting out or failing to add anything that does not yield an immediate benefit is the mark of a business being managed only to a short horizon. Much damage can occur under the cloak of seemingly sensible frugality. If you don’t buy any seeds to plant, how can you expect anything to grow?An example of this is not investing in your people. You give your team incentives to deliver results based on the clear goals set forth. Results are measured daily, weekly and monthly, and you hold them to consistently delivering those results. While your passion for winning and your rewards to your employees for doing so are important, short-term results orientated thinking should be balanced with longer term investments in the training and development of your staff. Think of this as sharpening their axe. Would you rather pay your people to swing a dull axe all week long? Or would you rather pay for them to attend a week long training seminar to learn how to sharpen their axe, so they can come
Blogging also reflects forward thinking. By staying current with the technological trends, you give your company a fresh image.
A blog can serve as a recruiting method. Interested job seekers can examine the company by reading its blog.
When testing a new product or service, a blog is an excellent place to give more detailed instructions or receive feedback.
Although, comments can be negative. Not everyone will agree with what is said on a blog. Instead of preventi
Having your own business is great - you work at home and in your own hours. You also set your own targets to achieve. You are simply your own boss. You do not have to be stuck in 'rat-race' and you do not have to put up with a demanding boss and workmates.However, working from home also means that you have to be disciplined. It is your sole responsibility to keep yourself motivated to keep on working towards achieving your goals.So, what can you do ensure that you achieve the results you want for your business while working at home?1. Make sure that you have clearly outlined visions and goals. It is important for you to have long term and short term goals for your business. If you do not have these, then you do not have anything to guide you in your business. You must know where you want your home based online business to be in a year's time or in two years' time. Write down your goals, print them out and follow them. You must also set a timeframe to your goals, and make sure that you apply the necessary effort to achieve your goals within the timeframe you planned.2. Have a daily 'to do' list and stick to it. This is where some discipline is required. There may be some days that you do not feel like working on your home based online business or you may have some habits that take your time. It is important for you to do something for your business everyday. This means that you must
Blogs have reached into the corporate and government sectors as well. A prominent federal magazine suggests that some company employees spend more time blogging than on personal e-mail, an average of over an hour a day. What started out as an outlet for teenage expression and grassroots journalism has turned into a lucrative communications tool for small and large businesses alike.
General Motors’ Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, turned to the company’s blog when rumors surfaced about the discontinuation of the Pontiac and Buick brands. It became a means for a direct response, a way to talk to their consumers unfiltered. Other companies such as Sun Microsystems and Microsoft are also recognizing the impact of blogging in their relationships with their customers and employees. In an article dated June 5, 2005, The Washington Post proposed that there were more than 100 official corporate blogs in existence, with hundreds more on the horizon.
Although a major newspaper called blogging “ephemeral, fast-paced and scathingly opinionated,” blogs continue to grow steadily in the corporate world and companies are realizing their value.
Corporate Blogging
Internal Communication
Corporate Blogging refers to a company producing or supporting a blog that it uses to accomplish business objectives. A blog can serve many purposes in a corporate setting. Internally, a blog can be a forum for discussion about work-related issues.
The informal atmosphere is encouraging to internal corporate communication. From small-scale discussions to virtual “town meetings,” in which employees at all levels feel that they can be heard, blogs promote collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Blogging can help establish a company or employee as an expert in their field. By posting information about a certain topic, a person exhibits their knowledge of the subject matter, setting himself up as an authority. People will come to equate the site and the author with that topic. This reputation for subject mastery and expertise can boost your sales and consumer opinion.
A blog can be an interactive addition to an intranet or e-mail newsletters. Since automatic update notification is possible on blogs, people are more likely to stay on top of the latest postings.
Public Communication
Blogs can be used to communicate to prospects, clients, employees and the media. Press releases and project updates can be posted, as well as job opportunities or information that the company wants to distribute outside of the normal news channels.
A blog can strengthen the bonds between the company and its customers. When a company presents itself honestly and transparently, it not only builds trust, but instills loyalty as well. Customers are more likely to work with a company they feel they know better than another. Blogs allow for that informal communication. They create good word-of-mouth among customers who don’t read the trade magazines or business pages. The nature of a blog fosters that image of transparency and openness for a company. Most people prefer companies who are honest in their dealings and frank about their issues. As seen in the media with the Dan Rather case, a blog can illuminate the truth through encouraging people to share what they know.
Blogging also reflects forward thinking. By staying current with the technological trends, you give your company a fresh image.
A blog can serve as a recruiting method. Interested job seekers can examine the company by reading its blog.
When testing a new product or service, a blog is an excellent place to give more detailed instructions or receive feedback.
Although, comments can be negative. Not everyone will agree with what is said on a blog. Instead of preventin
It's no secret that there are many dangerous jobs out there in the world. Heck, some jobs that should be relatively safe, like working at a post office, result in people losing their lives. So while it is true, because of the world that we live in, that no job is totally safe, there are some jobs that are dangerous just by the nature of the job itself. We take a look at just a few of these, most of which will probably be very obvious to you.One of the most dangerous jobs in the world has to be that of a policeman. Not the ones that sit behind a desk, but the ones that are out on the street. With the prevalence of drugs and other substances in our society, every step that a policeman takes out on the streets is a potential step into mortal danger. What makes this all the more worse is that policeman are paid less money than professions that are no where near as dangerous and certainly no where near as important. This makes being a policeman not only dangerous, but thankless. This is something that you really have to want to do with all your heart.Another very dangerous job is that of a fireman. Every time that alarm goes off and a fireman has to respond to a fire, he is potentially walking into his death. Burning homes and warehouses don't care who you are. They don't care if you have a uniform on or not. Fire burns and kills everybody the same. In some ways, being a fireman is even mo
General Motors’ Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, turned to the company’s blog when rumors surfaced about the discontinuation of the Pontiac and Buick brands. It became a means for a direct response, a way to talk to their consumers unfiltered. Other companies such as Sun Microsystems and Microsoft are also recognizing the impact of blogging in their relationships with their customers and employees. In an article dated June 5, 2005, The Washington Post proposed that there were more than 100 official corporate blogs in existence, with hundreds more on the horizon.
Although a major newspaper called blogging “ephemeral, fast-paced and scathingly opinionated,” blogs continue to grow steadily in the corporate world and companies are realizing their value.
Corporate Blogging
Internal Communication
Corporate Blogging refers to a company producing or supporting a blog that it uses to accomplish business objectives. A blog can serve many purposes in a corporate setting. Internally, a blog can be a forum for discussion about work-related issues.
The informal atmosphere is encouraging to internal corporate communication. From small-scale discussions to virtual “town meetings,” in which employees at all levels feel that they can be heard, blogs promote collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Blogging can help establish a company or employee as an expert in their field. By posting information about a certain topic, a person exhibits their knowledge of the subject matter, setting himself up as an authority. People will come to equate the site and the author with that topic. This reputation for subject mastery and expertise can boost your sales and consumer opinion.
A blog can be an interactive addition to an intranet or e-mail newsletters. Since automatic update notification is possible on blogs, people are more likely to stay on top of the latest postings.
Public Communication
Blogs can be used to communicate to prospects, clients, employees and the media. Press releases and project updates can be posted, as well as job opportunities or information that the company wants to distribute outside of the normal news channels.
A blog can strengthen the bonds between the company and its customers. When a company presents itself honestly and transparently, it not only builds trust, but instills loyalty as well. Customers are more likely to work with a company they feel they know better than another. Blogs allow for that informal communication. They create good word-of-mouth among customers who don’t read the trade magazines or business pages. The nature of a blog fosters that image of transparency and openness for a company. Most people prefer companies who are honest in their dealings and frank about their issues. As seen in the media with the Dan Rather case, a blog can illuminate the truth through encouraging people to share what they know.
Blogging also reflects forward thinking. By staying current with the technological trends, you give your company a fresh image.
A blog can serve as a recruiting method. Interested job seekers can examine the company by reading its blog.
When testing a new product or service, a blog is an excellent place to give more detailed instructions or receive feedback.
Although, comments can be negative. Not everyone will agree with what is said on a blog. Instead of preventi
Running around to several different stores to get supplies for your business is not just a waste of time; it's a waste of money. A business owner needs a place where he or she can get all the supplies they need; supplies to help further what the business is trying to accomplish.Years ago, a business owner would go to countless stores to get the things they need to run their business efficiently. Back then a person would spend a whole day doing that by driving around aimlessly looking for a place that has exact things. One place would sell printers, but they wouldn't sell fax machines, so they would have to go find a place that sells that. Luckily with the evolution of the retail environment, you can get most of what you are looking for in one place.For example; In Germany, they have an establishment called Viking Office Products. If that name doesn't sound familiar, it is Germany's version of Office Depot. This place is basically the place you go to if you have an office business. If it is printing paper, they have loads of it in different lengths and dimensions, as well as printers. And since you are buying those things, you might as well pick up a computer, because it has those too.Come to think of it, you actually don't even need to drive there if you don't really want to. You can do the lazy thing and go online to many office supply providers websites and have the items delivered dire
The informal atmosphere is encouraging to internal corporate communication. From small-scale discussions to virtual “town meetings,” in which employees at all levels feel that they can be heard, blogs promote collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Blogging can help establish a company or employee as an expert in their field. By posting information about a certain topic, a person exhibits their knowledge of the subject matter, setting himself up as an authority. People will come to equate the site and the author with that topic. This reputation for subject mastery and expertise can boost your sales and consumer opinion.
A blog can be an interactive addition to an intranet or e-mail newsletters. Since automatic update notification is possible on blogs, people are more likely to stay on top of the latest postings.
Public Communication
Blogs can be used to communicate to prospects, clients, employees and the media. Press releases and project updates can be posted, as well as job opportunities or information that the company wants to distribute outside of the normal news channels.
A blog can strengthen the bonds between the company and its customers. When a company presents itself honestly and transparently, it not only builds trust, but instills loyalty as well. Customers are more likely to work with a company they feel they know better than another. Blogs allow for that informal communication. They create good word-of-mouth among customers who don’t read the trade magazines or business pages. The nature of a blog fosters that image of transparency and openness for a company. Most people prefer companies who are honest in their dealings and frank about their issues. As seen in the media with the Dan Rather case, a blog can illuminate the truth through encouraging people to share what they know.
Blogging also reflects forward thinking. By staying current with the technological trends, you give your company a fresh image.
A blog can serve as a recruiting method. Interested job seekers can examine the company by reading its blog.
When testing a new product or service, a blog is an excellent place to give more detailed instructions or receive feedback.
Although, comments can be negative. Not everyone will agree with what is said on a blog. Instead of preventi
Any observant professional would have now been aware of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank's advertisements that touted it as "the world's local bank". The pictorial display of intimate knowledge of local customs of countries where they operate is very impressive.Organizations with subsidiaries around the globe know the pitfalls of not observing appropriate behaviour when dealing with the locals of their various markets. Losing their market share without implementing effective measures is one of the unfortunate consequences.Moreover, it is a common fallacy to presume that all Asians share exact same mentality, practices and religion because they all look the same. Anyone who never interacts with people other than their own naturally makes such assumptions, which will lead to unnecessary stereotyping and prejudices.Henceforth, it is a company's responsibility to ensure that their expatriate staff acquire the sensitivity, understanding, knowledge and intelligence before they are tasked to liaise with or work directly with the locals - be they employees, business associates or customers.It cannot be denied though that there are a few common threads that the various Asian societies share. For example, the hierarchical structure of a typical Asian management which defers to the head of the company - who has the final say in a decision or may be a mere figurehead. Or, the theory of Feng Shui
A blog can be an interactive addition to an intranet or e-mail newsletters. Since automatic update notification is possible on blogs, people are more likely to stay on top of the latest postings.
Public Communication
Blogs can be used to communicate to prospects, clients, employees and the media. Press releases and project updates can be posted, as well as job opportunities or information that the company wants to distribute outside of the normal news channels.
A blog can strengthen the bonds between the company and its customers. When a company presents itself honestly and transparently, it not only builds trust, but instills loyalty as well. Customers are more likely to work with a company they feel they know better than another. Blogs allow for that informal communication. They create good word-of-mouth among customers who don’t read the trade magazines or business pages. The nature of a blog fosters that image of transparency and openness for a company. Most people prefer companies who are honest in their dealings and frank about their issues. As seen in the media with the Dan Rather case, a blog can illuminate the truth through encouraging people to share what they know.
Blogging also reflects forward thinking. By staying current with the technological trends, you give your company a fresh image.
A blog can serve as a recruiting method. Interested job seekers can examine the company by reading its blog.
When testing a new product or service, a blog is an excellent place to give more detailed instructions or receive feedback.
Although, comments can be negative. Not everyone will agree with what is said on a blog. Instead of preventi
A lot of buzz has been around affiliate programs in those past few years. The truth is that the internet has given practically endless possibilities for a lot of entrepreneurs who started an online business. Affiliate marketing is a powerful internet marketing strategy that pays off in the hands of those who know how to benefit from it.You have to look at affiliate programs from two different perspectives. The first one involves you as a merchant, who wants to increase the online sales. In this case, you would start an affiliate program which would financially reward people who bring you customers.The second point of view involves, you guessed it, you as an internet marketer who wants to profit from the affiliate rush. It usually works best when you build a website and you refer your visitors to your partners' websites. If a visitor that you targeted toward your affiliate partners buys something from them, you get a commission.Now it doesn't sound like much at the beginning, but when you realize the potential of the internet market you soon discover the possibilities. I won't sound like a broken record and say there are endless possibilities, you just have to double click and you're on your way. No, starting a successful affiliate marketing business is a task that requires a lot of work and determination, either you are a merchant, a webmaster without a product, or both.As any busine
Blogging also reflects forward thinking. By staying current with the technological trends, you give your company a fresh image.
A blog can serve as a recruiting method. Interested job seekers can examine the company by reading its blog.
When testing a new product or service, a blog is an excellent place to give more detailed instructions or receive feedback.
Although, comments can be negative. Not everyone will agree with what is said on a blog. Instead of preventing them, welcome the constructive criticism and edit comments only to remove profanity and personal attacks.
The Down Side
There are some drawbacks to blogging. It is not a magic solution to your business needs. Many people feel that blogging popularity is much like the Internet in the 90's, a promise of money, but not necessarily delivery.
Blogging can lead to legal issues as well. Companies have real concerns about liability, exclusions and limitations, and indemnity. Although there are laws that protect against libel, misappropriations and other injuries suffered as a result of posts on the Web, companies can be held vicariously responsible for statements made by employees that are harmful to others. In any medium where an employee is sharing information, there is the possibility of leaking trade secrets or financial information. Former Google employee Mark Jen was famously fired for gabbing about life at the company on his personal blog, not sanctioned by Google.
Like all essentially unfiltered communication, blogs can get personal. Many bloggers feel the need to discuss their personal lives as well as their professional ones. Companies must be careful not to stifle communications by keeping personal lives out of the workplace. By doing this, they risk closing down the lines of communication entirely.
Inevitably, a disgruntled employee may use this as an opportunity to badmouth the company. This is not limited to blogs, since an unhappy employee has a variety of mediums through which to vent his disapproval. Blogs just make it easy. The content may not have enough substance to warrant or hold an audience. Some companies fill their blog with marketing fluff. People can see right through this and will most likely ignore the site. Blogs should be used for transparency, not shameless self-promotion.
Best Practices
Fine Print. Since there are so many legal issues surrounding blogs, it is imperative that the site has some sort of disclaimer and limitation of liability.
Know What You’re Doing. Senior management should be educated by the corporate communications and legal department about what blogs are and how they might affect business.
Create Blogging Policies. A company should have a list of policies regarding blogging to ensure that trade secrets are kept secret and personal lives do not become public. Policies may include keeping financial information from being posted, as well as severe consequences for anyone using the blog for negative publicity.
Avoid the Marketing Blog. Making your blog into a blatant marketing campaign is a bad idea. Customers are looking for real answers and honest opinions. They will pick up on insincerity instantly.
Keep It Fresh. Make content relevant and timely. Update the blog as often as possible with the most worthwhile news. This will encourage people to come back.
Reinforce the Company’s Core Values. Then, make sure the content fits these values and supports the business strategy.
Encourage employees to use it, but remind them of the ramifications of their actions.
Free versus Paid Products
When creating a blog, there are hundreds of services and software from which to choose. The first decision to make is whether to go with a free service or
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