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Promoting Blogging to the CEO

So you’re sold on blogging. You see the great potential for your company in terms of PR, capturing market share and building better products. You understand that there is this huge networking party going on online—one you can participate in from the comfort of your own office. Moreover, you are aware that the discussions are taking place regardless of your participation, and the only question that remains is if you’re going to cede the entire space to the competition or jump in. Maybe your marketing department is looking for additional ways to generate ROI with organic search engine traffic. You recognize that blogging is a great way to create a body of relevant content and quality links to make that happen. In short, you’re ready to burst into the executive dining room, gather around the c-level execs and open their eyes to what you see as the greatest online opportunity to come along since the search engine. I understand. I am convinced too. But you know as well as I do, if you are to bring this truly innovative idea to the bosses, you’ll have to come armed with more than just your enthusiasm. Here are some ideas on how to conduct a blogging assessment yourself, and ultimately, get the ball rolling with the execs. This will enable you to transform blogging from abstract Internet technology into a concrete discussion about business benefits. The Preparation The first thing you need to do is find proof that your company should or should not be blogging. If you can prove to yourself that people are talking out there and there’s an opening for someone from your company to add value to the conversation, then you can speak with confidence to your leadership about why they should be considering blogging. RESOURCES

1. Start by using technorati.com and blogpulse.com to search on your company’s brand names and your competitor’s brand names as well as relevant search phrases and business categories. Sift through the spam and document every post you can find that has some meaningful connection to your business and its goals.

2. Search del.icio.us to see what others are book marking.

3. Find examples of how other thought leaders (maybe CEOs or product managers from competing organizations) are gaining a following through blogs.

4. Find examples of how a relevant blog post translates into media coverage, search engine listings and speaking opportunities.

5. Find examples of competitors who have blogs are getting better search engine rankings.

6. Find blog posts speaking positive or negatively about your company or your competitors.

7. Identify spots where your business is absent from important conversations.

The Discussion Now, you have conducted valuable research, and you’re armed with some initial evidence to support your advocacy of blogging. You’re ready to develop champions in the senior leadership positions of your company. But before you pull the execs away from their lamb chops, here are a few things to consider. While you want to be a strong proponent of blogging, be sure to acknowledge that it’s something that needs to be explored further before moving ahead. After all, blogging is not a small undertaking and requires a strong strategic commitment and investment. Without the resources—strategy, technology and people—in place, you will not succeed. And finally, be well versed in the potential benefits. Fortunately, they are many and include the types of things c-level execs like to hear:

• Demonstrated thought leadership within your industry

• Improved search engine rankings and increased traffic

• Enhanced product development

• Increased press coverage and buzz on-and off-line

• Superior lead generation

• Better community goodwill

Here are some case studies and white paper to help you explore these potential benefits further.

RESOURCES

ConverStatioins Business Blogging Basics

Blogging Case Studies: IBM, Microsoft, Macromedia, Annie’s Home Grown and Backbone’s Corporate Blogging Survey 2005

Podcast: The Holtz Hobson Report

Books: Naked Conversations, Cluetrain Manifesto , We the Media, What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting:

Corporate Blogs: Fortune 500 companies that are already blogging.

List of CEO Bloggers: CEOBlogsList

These are the actions of someone who cares about the company’s future—someone I would consider promoting. (But that’s just me; and I’m a little biased.) It’s a lot of upfront work, but well worth it for your company. And if you do decide to start blogging, there’s even more work ahead, like establishing a blogging strategy and policy. But, I’ll get into that next time.

Filed under: Blogging Tips

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