As the publisher of CEO Blog Watch, I pay close attention the evolution of corporate communication, especially as it pertains to blogging. In fact, the "mission" of CEO Blog Watch is to chronicle the continued rise of corporate and CEO blogs.
As someone who monitors CEO blogging, I can tell you that the most commonly asked question on the subject is, "Should a CEO blog?" Here's my take on the subject:
Q: Should a CEO blog?
A: Only if he or she really wants to!
Blogging only for the sake of blogging is a bad way to enter the corporate blogosphere. There are now hundreds of CEO blogs online (possibly thousands), and even more corporate blogs published by directors, VPs and other executives. So my advice to an aspiring CEO blogger is this. Don't start a blog unless you really want to—and make sure you have something unique or interesting to blog about.
The best CEO blogs—those that generate the most buzz, traffic and excitement—are the ones published by truly enthusiastic CEOs. You can spot these blogs fairly easily, because the energy and passion with which the CEO writes is palpable.
On the other hand, the blogs written just for the sake of blogging are also easy to spot, but for more negative reasons. These blogs are published by CEOs who feel they must go through the motions because other CEOs are doing it. Or worse, these blogs are ghostwritten by PR/marketing staff (gasp!).
So to reiterate my answer to the question, should a CEO blog: Yes, a CEO should blog if he or she is so excited about the notion of blogging that it keeps them up at night. If they are practically bursting with thoughts, ideas and insights, then by all means, they should share these things.
Once a CEO decides to start a blog, the next logical question is, What should they blog about? I recommend that they blog about whatever is important to them: Their hopes and fears, their personal and professional passions, whatever they want. Just as long as they blog honestly. There's plenty of room on corporate web sites for company news, positioning statements and other one-sided information. A CEO's blog should be something different: an open dialogue.
What are the benefits of blogging?
If a CEO decides that, yes, a blog is worth pursuing, another logical follow-up question is, "Why should I blog in the first place?" In other words, how does blogging help your organization? How do you justify the time spent on blogging? What are the benefits?
Here are the primary benefits of corporate blogging:
1. Easy online publishing
Can you type an e-mail or a Word document? If so, you have all the technical "expertise" necessary to publish a blog. After the setup process, it's a simple matter of entering your content and clicking "Publish." This ease of use will make you more inclined to publish content on a regular basis, which encourages people and search engines to revisit often.
Blogs are also great for multiple-author scenarios. Let's say the CEO publishes a blog but also wants certain folks in the organization to chime in once in a while. Most blog applications make this a simple matter. You simply assign the author a separate log-in, and they can contribute to the blog without accessing other areas. Bill Marriott, chairman and CEO of Marriott, does this often on his blog. This can also be a good way to motivate people to contribute, allowing them to be the "guest of honor" on a CEO blog.
2. Search engine visibility
This might not be a big deal for a household name like Marriott. But for smaller companies, search engine visibility can be an enormous help to the bottom line. In fact, it's not uncommon for search engine traffic to be a primary source of business and revenue for small- to medium-sized companies. This is another benefit of regular blogging.
CEO blogs, in particular, receive a lot of attention. As the name implies, CEO Blog Watch is a chronicle of CEO and corporate blogging. Each time I write about a particular blog, I link to the blog as well. This adds to the subject blog's "link popularity," which is one of the criteria search engines use to evaluate and rank a web site. Over time, this accumulation of links can drive a blog up through the search engine rankings like nothing else.
3. Positioning power
Blogs tend to be closely associated with an individual author, more so than a regular web site. This is especially the case with CEO blogs, for which the blog is an online extension of the CEO's personality and ideas. In this way, blogs can help position the CEO as a thought leader in his or her industry.
4. Potential for dialogue
CEO and corporate blogs are part of the social Web, often referred to as Web 2.0. With their reader comments capabilities, blogs support the concept of online dialogue. When used properly, a CEO blog can harness the power of this dialogue concept. Through a blog, companies can get feedback directly from their customer base. They can also win over their customers by offering candid insight and discussion related to their products or services.
5. Blogs foster trust
When a CEO (or other corporate executive) publishes a blog in his or her true voice, it encourages trust among the blog's readers. When people read your blog over time, sharing in your thoughts and insights, they begin to feel as if they know you. You become less of a stranger and more of a trusted resource. And in the post-Enron world of corporate skepticism, any company can benefit from appearing trustworthy.
6. Fill in the blank
This is my own personal list of CEO blogging benefits. But with their versatility, blogs mean different things to different people. What value will you build into your blog? There are no limits—only possibilities.
Brandon Cornett is the author of CEO Blog Watch, an online chronicle of CEO and corporate blogs. Visit the author online at www.ceoblogwatch.com.
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