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How Top Management Uses Blogs To Increase Business
op management executives blogosphere, the press, and most
at corporate giants like of GM’s constituents are tuned
Sun Microsystems, Boeing into his blog which gets more
Commercial Airplanes, General than 5,000 visits and 13,000 page
Motors and Hewlett-Packard have views a day.
ventured into the blogging arena.
What is prompting these busy In its simplest terms, a blog can
executives to take time out form be an online and very public
their hectic schedules to join in journal. It is an effective
the conversations in the medium used by top management to
blogosphere? Simple, it is the communicate directly to its
desire to promote a new market segment, business
atmosphere of openness with associates, stockholders and
employees, shareholders, employees. Blogs serve as
customers, prospects and the channels for management to
general public in the process not explain to these people that the
only increasing business but, directions and actions and views
more so, giving a human voice to that management is taking are in
the company. the best interests of all parties
concerned. Through a blog, the
Bosses – Why Blog? CEO or any high level executive
has the opportunity to converse
“What began as an experiment has with his target audience on a
become an important means of regular basis. The executive is
communication for GM. It has in a unique position to set the
given me, personally, an agenda, steer the discussion and
opportunity to get much closer shape the views and opinions. In
with you, the public.” These are a way, top management executives
the words of General Motors vice would seem to be the logical
chairman Bob Lutz. The persons to blog in behalf of the
company. Nobody can represent a achieved thru blogging can enable
company and a product or service a company to gain a high position
brand better than top executives in its industry. Corporate
especially the CEO. They are in a executive blogs also provide a
good position to comment on fast and direct method of
certain issues. managing research on customer
experiences, company perception,
Blogging provides management with commentaries on policies and
a fast and cost-effective means agenda.
of conducting two-way
communications with the company’s Unfavorable comments are not
audience. Management and filtered out. Management
customers, industry peers or the evaluates these inputs and
public all have the opportunity responds accordingly. GM vice
to respond either in the comment chairman Bob Lutz emphasized it
box or their very own blogs. is extremely important to run the
Management wants to find out how bad with the good comments or
the public views the company so else credibility will suffer. In
it can improve its products or the blogosphere, credibility
services. Listening and engaging counts the most. Once it is gone,
the blogging community can turn the blog is useless. Filtering
out to be a highly effective way out the unsavory remarks takes
of discovering what your targeted away the essence of a real
audience thinks about your conversation. It completely
company. Top management can use eliminates the likelihood of any
feedbacks, good and bad, to their wrong perception about your
advantage. These feedbacks are product or service being
used to improve products or corrected.
services and systems. The
immediate and open communication As a whole, top management
executives use blogs to help Blogging is more informal and
generate sales thereby increasing thus easier to bring readers into
business. Blogs help them develop the conversation. Executive
a human voice that customers, bloggers are advised to get
prospects, shareholders, industry personal while taking into
peers, employees and the general consideration that a certain
public can relate. Giving a human level of propriety is necessary.
voice to the company is
significant as people basically Blogs are perfect for executives
do business out of relationships in as much as the focal point is
as they do out of prices and on a subject matter that are an
benefits. Blogging promotes a expert. An effective blog allows
two-way communication about what the executive to deal with
is important to companies and business concerns and expound on
communities – dialogue that more major industry or company issues.
often than not builds a working For an executive blog to be
relationship. successful, it should at all
times reflect the conviction and
Effective Executive Blogs voice of the executive, not the
PR or legal department. This can
It takes a combination of be quite difficult as an
passion, personality, expertise executive blogger has added
in one’s field, wit and wisdom, responsibilities to watch what he
writing proficiency to make an says, keeping in mind securities,
executive blog worth reading. An disclosure rules. The best
executive blog is not just a executive blog is one written by
summary of company press the executive himself. It is hard
releases. For a blog to be to be transparent when another
efficient, avoid having posts blogger is posting opinions on
that read like a press release. industry or company trends that
he has nothing to do with. Some executives hire the services
of public relation firms to draw
An effective blog uses short but up blog strategies and at times
concise and periodic entries to help them maintain the
rather than long and boring white technical side of blogging.
papers. In fact, some of the Others have in-house
outstanding blogs are those that communications staff to handle
have only one or two sentences logistics for them. Some
with links directing readers to executives write entries on their
related articles. BlackBerrys or e-mail them. More
importantly, executives claim
A good executive blogger just they write their own blog
focuses on two or three vital personally with the slightest or
points. It is then scanned and no editing from the public
proofread by a blog-savvy staff relations or communications
member. He also should organize department.
the content of his blog.
Arranging the corporate and Finally, to earn credibility in
industry issues he plans to the blogosphere, an executive
tackle over time is recommended blogger should also take
to build cohesiveness. comments, favorable or not with a
Categorizing entries with grain of salt. It also means
relevant keywords can result in owning up to bad news about the
higher search engine ranking. New company. As Seth Godin, marketing
entries should be posted guru and best-selling author
regularly, at least two to three emphasizes, an executive blog
times a week. There is nothing works best when it is based on
worse than visiting a blog that candor, urgency, timeliness,
has not been updated. pithiness, controversy and
utility,
management executives blogging to
With the deluge of readers increase business.
visiting blogs, expect more top
About the Author:
http://www.theinternetone.net
Read more articles by: Danny Wirken
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