Tag: Blogging
-
When It Makes Sense to Outsource Social Media Marketing
While I believe most businesses should handle social media in-house, here I share at least one compelling reason to hire a consultant or outsource your social media marketing (this video was created for Entrepreneur magazine’s “60 Second Solutions” series): http://youtu.be/CW9kmOuepBg
-
Why You Should Manage Your Own Social Media
I make my living as a business-aligned communication strategist. Basically, that means businesses and brands hire me to create and publish editorial content that engages their audience in ways that relate to specific business goals and objectives. While consultants like me offer a valuable service, managing your company or brand’s social media in-house is a better option,…
-
Commentary Should Remain the Lifeblood of Blogs
Gawker Media founder Nick Denton still has a problem with readers’ comments: Apparently, they’re boring. At SXSW 2012 in Austin, Texas, Denton — whose media empire includes such popular blogs as Gawker.com, Lifehacker.com and Gizmodo.com — reiterated his disdain for allowing just anyone to comment on his company’s blog posts. He says comments have become…
-
The 10 Ds of Creating a Social Media Use Policy
There’s been no shortage of news these days about companies getting in trouble because of what they or a third-party marketers have done when taking to the socially-powered airwaves. A common theme among those who find themselves caught in the crosshairs of the National Labor Relations Board, the Federal Trade Commission or even a company’s…
-
Why Negativity Can Be Good for Your Business Blog
You know who doesn’t love a cheerleader? Customers. Those who post only positive blog entries on their company blog run the risk of appearing superficial and pushy. A better course of action would be to allow employees to post content on the company blog that might not be construed as all pixie dust and roses,…
-
10 Tips for Better Content Marketing
Last week I wrote about the importance of creating and publishing original content as part of your overall marketing strategy (see Why Content Marketing is King). Today, I offer my 10 tips for better content marketing: 1. Be goal-oriented: You need to create a business-aligned communications strategy where everything links back to company goals. Without such…
-
Create a Business-aligned Communication Strategy
When I worked in the corporate world (think global corporation with 30,000 employees and a Board of Directors complete with an audit committee), this was the time of year when everyone in the enterprise received their final financial targets for the following fiscal quarter, as well as numbers for all of the next fiscal year.…
-
How The Fortune 500 Uses Social Media
Just out from the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a study targeting the use of social media by America’s largest companies — the Fortune 500. In particular, the research examines what the big boys are doing when it comes to using blogs, Twitter and Facebook. And the results show…
-
Putting the Focus on B2B Blogging
If you’re responsible for marketing or business communications at a B2B company and you’re still on the fence about incorporating a blog into your business-aligned communication strategy, this should be of interest. HiveFire, a Cambridge, Mass.-based internet marketing software solutions company, has released the results of a marketing research survey that suggests many business-to-business companies…
-
What To Do If Your Company’s Blog Is Subpoenaed
Earlier this year, the Cleveland Plain Dealer disclosed that a local judge — or somebody using her e-mail account — had been using the newspaper’s comment section to opine on several of the judge’s cases. The judge filed a $50-million invasion of privacy suit, claiming the newspaper violated the site’s terms of service. The suit…
-
The Benefits of Business Blogging
Is blogging about your business worth your time? Here, I outline the potential benefits of setting up a blog to post company news and events.
-
Why Every Online Retailer Should Have a Blog
To the average online shopper, you’re just another small retailer trying to earn a buck on the Internet. If you sell on eBay, all a buyer knows about you is right there in your product listing and perhaps your seller rating, and that isn’t much. If you operate an eCommerce-enabled website, maybe you have an…
-
The Best Blog Spot: Creating a business blog may be a simple part of your online strategy, but how and where to host it?
When planning a business blog, the first question is often the most difficult: What is the best domain hosting strategy? You have three options, each with benefits and drawbacks: Standalone domain (e.g., businessname-blog.com): A standalone domain, also known as a top level domain, is separate from your business’s website domain. That can often be a…
-
Protect Yourself: Social Media and Legal Liability
Business blogging and other forms of business-related social media seem to be innocent enough, but the content you post could get you into serious legal trouble. Chicago attorney and media law expert Damon Dunn, of Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn Ltd., cautions any company that publishes content on the internet to vet that content, particularly…
-
SMB Adoption of Social Media Has Doubled
When Dr. Alan Glazier, CEO and founder of Shady Grove Eye and Vision Care decided in January of 2009 it was time to grow his business, one of the first things he did was launch a social media marketing campaign. One year later, Glazer’s Rockville, Md., optometry office is a blogging and tweeting pro, and the…
-
5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Abandon Your Blog for Facebook
In the rush to create a Facebook Fan Page to promote their business or brand, many companies are neglecting their existing blogs. As a result, thousands of business blogs have been left to rot, leading potential customers and business partners alike to draw their own conclusions as to why a company’s blog hasn’t been updated…
-
5 Tips to Attract More Blog Comments
As companies turn to Facebook to boost their business, they notice more people posting Facebook Status Updates, Notes, Pictures, and Video than are posting comments on their company blog. As a result, business owners and marketing managers tend to do one of two things: Discontinue blogging altogether, because all the action is on Facebook. Wonder…
-
Tough New FTC Regs for Bloggers
For the last year or so, I’ve been warning my clients that the Federal Trade Commission is becoming more involved in regulating online commerce, specifically in terms of disclosures relating to online content. In particular, I’ve been telling companies that the FTC is likely to implement new guidelines that will bring blogs, Internet forums, message…
-
Start a Blog For Your Business: Make sure you examine your business goals before jumping on the blogging bandwagon
Business blogs attract search engines, display your startup’s personality and encourage customer participation–a form of marketing that startups crave and money alone can’t buy. But before you jump on the business blogging bandwagon, get familiar with the basics and choose a blogging solution that’s right for you and your startup’s goals. Every blog needs a…