Category Archives: Corporate Blogging

Google+ Brand Pages

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Google+-Announces-Pages-for-Business-and-BrandsGoogle+ Brand Pages launched on November 7 and in the past few weeks I’ve had a lot of time to explore the opportunities and limitations of the Google + Pages. Google+ has a history of rolling out new features over time, but there are some key issues that were immediately apparent and should have been ready for the launch. Let’s get the limitations out of the way – I’m sure Google is working on these issues as I type anyway.

Limitations

1. Whoever creates the Google+ Page is the sole administrator of the page and content. The login would need to be shared, or only one person is responsible for monitoring the page. Google has said that within the year a multiple admin feature would be released.

2. Because the Page is created through a Personal account, the separation of professional and personal is a bit fuzzy. When using Google+, make sure you know which account is active and who you are posting as.

3. Email notifications are sent when people or pages add you to their circles, instead of when someone comments or shares your Page’s post. As a community manager, it is more important to see when someone shares your comment or references your Page, so you can quickly respond.

Opportunities

1. The competitive advantage for Google+ is that Google created it. There is immediate SEO value to Google+ and +1 as ranking factors. Linking a company’s website and social profiles together on Google+ creates a roadmap for Google and may even lead to improved rankings on brand searches.

2. Companies always have a tough time tracking social media. Google+ is going to have Google Analytics integration as well as Ripples, which is a way to track how your posts and content is shared within Google+.

3. You can become eligible for Google+ Direct Connect after placing a snippet of code on your websites header.  Direct Connect allows anyone searching for your business in Google to put a ”+” before your brand name when typed into the Chrome browser and be taken directly to the Google Plus brand page. This has intriguing potential for online reputation management.

For more information about creating and optimizing your Google+ Page for Business, check out my post on the Search Mojo Blog.

Dell: Social Media

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dell

Dell is an example of a company that understands social media. Dell knows how to connect with their audiences, both internally and externally. Using blogs, twitter, forums, and digital suggestion boxes, Dell has discovered ways to promote conversations and dialogue. Even the CEO, Michael Dell, joins in the discussion when he has something to say.

In the video below, Vida Killian, Dell employee, discusses Dell’s blogging strategy with Mark Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications. Dell started blogging internally and externally in 2006. Direct2Dell, the external blog, represents the main corporate voice and within this blog, blogs on specific topics can be found. One Dell Way is Dell’s internal blog written by the internal communication department. Other internal groups, such as IT, participate in team blogs. Dell encourages all of their audiences to engage in conversation. Listen to her advice on how to create conversations with bloggers.

Vida Killian explained that Dell’s Communities and Conversations 40 member team works to listen to and monitor blogs with the software Radian 6. Dell’s team represents all backgrounds, from engineering to marketing, so that a knowledgeable and credible response will be generated. Dell measures customer sentiment through the number of negative comments found on the web and has worked hard to reduce the negative statements about Dell.

Dell has not always known how to use social media or start conversations. Jeff Jarvis, author of the blog Buzz Machine, knows how Dell had to transform its’ strategy to adhere to the growing numbers of people talking on the internet. Dell initially did not listen to their audience, including small “no name” bloggers, but finally discovered the importance of allowing interactivity into their communication strategy.

One of Dell’s most important social media applications, though perhaps not considered blogging, is Dell’s Idea Storm. The tool is an “online suggestion box” where anyone can suggest an idea for Dell and have others vote on it. Dell actually takes the time to consider the ideas with the highest votes. The Idea Storm is an alternative direct feedback blogging application created by Dell for their audience. Idea Storm brings more customer feedback directly to the Dell site. Vida Killian, manager of Dell’s Idea Storm, discusses Idea Storm with Mark Ragan and the importance of listening to your audience. Killian also discusses Employee Storm for employee suggestions.

The New Communications Review acknowledged Dell’s efforts in internal communication and provides some of Dell’s goals and figures regarding their social media efforts. Dell, a direct company, has continued with their previous programs offline, but uses their online forums to learn more about their audience. All feedback is important in the progress and reputation of a company because Dell’s reactions affect the company. Dell is working to establish online outreach and participation with social media into the culture of Dell’s employee’s.

Sun Microsystems: Leaders in Blogging

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Sun CEO takes risks blogging. Picture attributed to BusinessWeek.

CEO Schwartz represents a company creating innovative technology. It makes sense Sun Microsystems is a leader in blogging.

Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a company that promotes network services and connections by providing shared innovation, community development and open source leadership. Well known brands include the Java technology platform and the Solaris operating system. Sun Microsystems supports network interactions and technology solutions for everyday consumer and business use.

A leader in social media, CEO of Sun Microsystems, Jonathan Schwartz has blogged as CEO since 2006. As one of the first Fortune 500 companies to start a CEO blog, Schwartz has represented the transition to corporate blogging. He uses a conversational tone, while discussing topics directly related to his company. Schwartz posts about Sun, the future of Sun, and the technology industry. The transparency and authenticity Schwartz uses in his blog presents Schwartz as a credible and relevant source for his audience. In 2006, The Washington Post ran an article on Sun’s CEO blog. Schwartz’s blog is translated into many different languages and is an effective communication medium to connect with all of Sun’s stakeholders.  Schwartz could talk about personal issues occasionally to present more of a personality, but his blog is still the most popular of all the Sun blogs. Schwartz does not respond directly to comments, but he reads all of them. He directs the comments to the appropriate department. He forms relationships through what he provides to his audience. He also will comment and write on other blogs.

Sun Microsystems employees are encouraged to write blogs, which are then linked to the main blog website. The communications department does not manage the blogs, possibly because there are so many, but guidelines on public discourse are explained for employee bloggers. The main idea in these guidelines is common sense. If there is a question of legality, Sun requests the employees ask a higher authority. Sun mentions the importance of quality and to think about the consequences of your actions before publishing.

Schwartz discusses in a video interview about how he uses his blog as a medium to communicate with employees and other stakeholders. He talks about the importance of maintaining a direct and honest personality. In the video, pay attention to how blogs help Schwartz deal with the challenges of life as a CEO.

The success of Sun’s CEO and employee blogs is due to the amount of energy that goes into the blogs. The fact that all these employees make time to provide relevant and authentic information regularly improves the brand image of Sun Microsystems. As more companies are following in the footsteps of Sun Microsystems, it will be interesting to see how Sun will continue to update their social media communications strategy.

Southwest: Blogs and Twitter

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southwestCompanies are no longer in control. This idea is very frightening for companies who are used to traditional marketing campaigns and research. Through the use of social media, consumers can promote or damage the reputation of businesses. It has become the company’s job to listen and engage consumers to maintain credibility and authenticity.

The groundswell is the social phenomenon of individuals and communities gaining power using technology. People are using Twitter, blogs and YouTube to spread messages and experiences with each other. Viral marketing creates an impact through conversations with peers. Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li, vice presidents for Forester Research, promote the idea of working with the groundswell to improve the reputation and credibility of their company.

Many companies have determined that consumers have great power over their brand and are engaging consumers through social media, especially blogs and Twitter. In earlier posts, I described several examples of companies working with the groundswell to improve their brand image through conversation and interactivity.

Southwest Airlines is a company that exemplifies the use of social media to engage with consumers.

“Nuts about Southwest,” is complete with a blog, video blog, Flikr group, polls, news, and a media center. The media center includes a video gallery, image gallery, and Red Belly Radio, a podcast. Each section of the media center is RSS feed enabled and favorite feeds are available once you log in.

To actively participate on “Nuts about Southwest,” a user account must be created, but everything can be read or heard without logging in to the site. Each blog post is identified by author and their job position. Employees, as well the CEO, engage in updates on the podcast, blogs and video blogs.

At the bottom of the homepage screen, there are links to YouTube, Flikr, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Southwest has created a good reputation on Twitter. With 18,364 followers, Twitter is an excellent way to communicate with their audience providing customer support, weather updates, boarding information and links to the other social media tools such as the video blog. In the blog, Read,Write,Web, Sarah Perez cites user experiences with twittering Southwest and the favorable and quick responses that were received.

In the video below, Paula Berg, manager of emerging media at Southwest Airlines discusses their performance in social media. Look for how Southwest Airlines used customer feedback on their blog and how they are using Twitter. Also, be sure to notice why there is only one Twitter manager.

Other companies and organizations should look to Southwest as a model who actively engages the consumers to provide information and customer service using social media. Southwest has many diverse options available to engage consumers effectively online. Southwest has done a good job improving its’ reputation by working with social media demonstrating trustworthiness and credibility through interactivity.

Zappos: Microblogging with Twitter

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twitterEverywhere I go, I hear people talking about Twitter. Twitter is a new social network application where you can ‘follow’ people and be ‘followed’ by those you may or may not know personally. Information is updated by answering the question, “what are you doing?’ Answers can range from a simple, “I am eating a sandwich” to providing breaking news on any type of situation. There are many opinions on whether this microblogging site really can be useful in the corporate world. Some people think the 140 character limit is too restricting, while others think it is a chance to really learn to write concise and relevant material. Twitter has only been around for three years, yet there are many companies who have turned to Twitter for extra support with their social media objectives.

According to a cision-twitter-conversation, Twitter should be used to establish relationships and create dialogues with audiences. Public relations can benefit from using Twitter because the format makes conversations simple and direct. Listen to your audience and decide if and when you should pitch an idea. If you are not trying to pitch a story, just try to find out what your audience is interested in and improve the way you communicate with them.

zappos_logo1One company that has really explored Twitter is Zappos. An online shoe and clothing retailer, Zappos.com, has found a way to excel as a company with the help of social media. Tony Hsieh, Zappos’ CEO, uses Twitter regularly to update on anything from work travels to what he is eating to company news. The way Tony writes, as well as the links he provides, gives a personal insight into the company. On his blog, Hsieh lists the reasons he loves and appreciates Twitter.

The Zappos CEO is not the only one ‘tweeting.’ All of the Zappos employees are allowed to join Twitter and/or write for the company blogs. On Twitter, the picture identifies them as employees, so they are immediately showing transparency and authenticity with their followers.

Marshall Kirkpatrick on Read,Write,Web discusses how Zappos is using Twitter to engage with customers and provide personalities for the people working at Zappos. The post is from almost a year ago and the numbers of employees using Twitter and CEO followers has increased by a huge margin since then. Kirkpatrick discusses in depth the importance of Zappos including public brand mentions, employee tweets, employee twitpics, and employees who Twitter. Also, Hsieh has created an introduction guide for using Twitter.

As I have discovered in my previous posts, it doesn’t matter who blogs (or tweets) for your company as long as that person is willing to take on the commitment and deliver relevant information to their audience. Twitter presents a chance to really show a personality and have fun with the character limit. Zappos has found a strong personality and is recognized as an innovator in social media technology.

Craigslist: CEO and Founder Blogs

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If you need to rent a new apartment, buy used golf clubs, hire a babysitter for your daughter, find someone to spend your Saturday night with, discuss world politics, find a new job and have only time to look in one place, where can you look?

Craigslist.

Craigslist boasts extensive online classified advertisements and discussion forums for over 550 cities in more than 50 countries. Essentially, anything you are looking for and plenty you are not looking for can be found on this one online resource.

Linked on Craigslist is the Craigslist blog written and updated by CEO Jim Buckmaster. Buckmaster uses the blog to give current news and media coverage about the company. Posting relevant Craigslist issues, good or bad, shows transparency and authenticity in the blog. Buckmaster is not trying to sugarcoat the real issues. He also provides the occasional humorous picture or story. By hearing directly from the CEO, the diverse audience perceives the company as wanting to engage in dialogues regarding current issues. CEO’s have to invest huge time commitments for blogging and risk disclosure of important company information.

In ADWeek , it was suggested that instead of focusing on whether the CEO or employees are posting, it is more important to look at whether the blog is saying something important and interesting to its’ audiences. The CEO’s who are blogging are CEO’s the stakeholders want to hear from. Buckmasters’ blog remains close to topics concerning Craigslist.

Before researching Craigslist, I had no idea there was a real Craig. Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist works as a customer service representative for Craigslist, but he is known in the blogosphere for his blog, CNewmark. His blog provides a real personality to Craigslist. While there are posts about Craigslist, Newmark primarily posts on subjects that are relevant to him, his audience and organizations he wishes to promote. With all the news and spam entering inboxes these days, adding humor to relevant subjects helps Newmark get his message across to readers.

PRWeek interviewed Newmark at the 2008 PRSA International Conference addressing many issues including media relations and the benefits of communicating on the web with accountability and transparency. He calls himself a “community organizer” because he has strived to bring attention to the people who are impacting the world in a positive way. He acknowledges the growth of media as well as how and why companies need to actively engage their audiences.

Peer-to-peer communication, such as Newmarks blog, builds trust because of the direct engagement. Newmark explains how when a company is serious about supporting its customers, they must engage in a dialogue and take ideas from customers seriously. Customer feedback is genuinely important to help a company improve its tactics.  Craigslist is driven by community feedback, which accounts for much of its’ success.

Newmark offers PR professionals some suggestions on communicating in the new world of Web 2.0. He suggests becoming familiar with the new tools available and creating an online reputation. Word of mouth is driving all these new practices and PR communicators must join in the conversation.

Marriott: CEO Blog

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Mark Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications, says that when blogs are done well and post the key issues on the mind of the CEO in a personal way, a wall is removed between the audience and the CEO. Blogging with a conversational tone is a personal way to create a two-way dialogue connection with various stakeholders. While Ragan states that bloggers don’t have to always be top executives, companies with CEO bloggers show themselves as leaders and innovators in social media. People are not just consumers anymore, they are producers. People are producing blogs, wikis and podcasts that can shape the reputation of a company’s brand. The company has to learn to reach the producer where they are and in this case, the blogosphere.

Companies and CEO’s find excuses for not blogging including time, liability and creativity. CEO’s need to realize that the length of a post doesn’t matter; it’s the consistent, interesting and informative content that is vital to a blog. References in the form of external links can drive a blog to relevant information for the audience. Comments provide a sense of community. Ragan Communications supports the use of anonymous comments to learn all perspectives on issues; however comments should be moderated.

According to an article, only a small group of executives have taken up blogging. More companies and CEO’s should consider blogging because direct communication with your marketplace coming from the CEO carries authority and credibility. When setbacks arise within a company, a blog is a place where CEO’s can clarify and explain the situation. Blogs are effective forums for discussing company’s issues. The more people know about a company and the personalities behind it, the more likely they will do business with the company. Stakeholders gain a different perspective on a company’s behaviors by reading and interacting on the blog.

Bill Marriott, CEO of Marriott International Inc., has seen growth in sales since he started blogging. On his blog, he discusses the way he publishes his posts. In his seventies, Marriott does not know how to type or use a computer, so he hand writes or dictates his posts. What is helpful on his blog is the ability to listen to Marriott read the posts, sort of like a blog specific podcast. His posts vary in length, but address topics focused on the hotel business. Marriott is seen as a leader in social media providing his audience with interactivity and transparency.

To see more ways Marriott International is using corporate blogging, check out Vice President Culinary and Corporate Chef, Brad Nelson’s food and travel blog.

HP: Employee Blogs

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HP

Blogging is essentially a community media, so it makes sense for companies to include their employees in a blogging initiative. Each department in a company offers unique perspectives into the company’s thought process.

HP is one of the company’s with employee blogging. Blogging allows HP to personalize their brand and connect directly with stakeholders. Globally, HP’s blogging has offered audiences the opportunity to join communities with different interests. Blogging has enhanced and improved the brand and reputation of HP.

When HP began blogging, they had to find a way to encourage employees to buy into the blogging initiative. Without prior experience with blogs, the idea of blogging may be scary because of expectations regarding maintenance  and readership.

Internally, blogging can help promote an event and support the use of social media. According to Leticia Gow, internal and HR communications manager for HP EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), a communication plan was based around the Cannes Film Festival to create a contest generating buzz about the festival and blogging. The goal was to make blogging fun! Employees did not have to start their own blog and maintain it, instead the first step in the contest was to post on an internal blog. The bloggers followed guidelines and were rated by their peers.  The best rated bloggers attended the Cannes Film Festival and posted their experience at the festival on an external blog.

Along with several other companies, HP has promoted employee blogging. HP employees can participate in group or individual blogs on company specific business topics. HP business blogs cover topics ranging from photography, IT management to innovation. There are blogs in several languages including Russian and French portraying HP’s presence in the global community.

What sets HP apart is that employees can blog on a company specific topic, but they also have the option to start a personal blog for fun. Both blogs can be linked to the corporate webpage. The personal interest blogs allow employees to write about their family or personal hobbies. Ashley Sanichar, a client manager in South Africa, uses photos on his blog to share his life and links to the corporate HP website. Other blogs deal with hobbies such as computer programming, cooking, and living with a disability. HP gives the audience an opportunity to see the personalities behind the large company improving brand reputation.

HP prominently lists the blogging code of conduct on the community website. Clear blogging guidelines are given for blogging and commenting.

Sony: Corporate Communications Blogger

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Sony “Sony, No Baloney.”

The title of Sony Electronics first blog post, by Rick Clancy, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, identifies the blog as a transparent and authentic medium for communication and conversation. Clancy reveals his blogging strategy right off the bat.

The majority of blog posts will be written by Clancy. With the help of moderators, he will respond to relevant comments. Like a good blogger, Clancy plans to write at least weekly. He acknowledges not everyone will appreciate the blog, but he is going to use this medium to inform consumers about Sony initiatives as well as to address controversial issues and any misunderstandings about Sony.

Writing a blog is time consuming and revealing, but Clancy is prepared to take the time to  provide meaningful personal experiences relevant to Sony. The content of the blog will deal with topics ranging from product issues and events to affiliated Sony companies. Clancy established guidelines for commenting and indicated comments will be moderated before posting. Clancy’s first post provided readers with a framework of the blog to establish expectations for participants.

Engaged in a competitive market, Sony needed to establish a way to interact with their consumers directly. With an audience invested in social media, Sony had to meet their audience online and establish a blogging strategy that would be effective. Sony worked with Nielsen Buzz Metrics and Forrester Research and together decided a blog would be their next step for building relationships. Sony realized early on that all feedback is good feedback because it provides an opportunity for Sony to be a part of the conversation.

Why would a corporate communicator be in charge of a company’s external blog? In the following video, Rick Clancy answers this question by arguing corporate communicators are strong writers, communicators and are willing to take the time to listen to their audience. Content is important in the blog, but reading and listening to comments before deciding on the best response can positively impact the relationships the blog helps to foster.

Clancy takes a book, I mean blog tour around the United States to different Sony Style stores to talk to consumers, employees and other stakeholders. The goal is to form dialogues to determine how the blog can be more relevant to the audience to increase traffic on the blog and consequently, Sony’s websites.

Rubbermaid: Communications Bloggers

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RubbermaidA successful example of a corporate blog maintained by a communications department is Rubbermaid. Rubbermaid is a brand that represents durable products made to simplify life, mostly to help organize consumer’s homes. Rubbermaid started their blog about a year ago and the blog is managed by seven employees. The seven bloggers represent different areas in the communications department at Rubbermaid. Jim Deitzel, the Senior E-Marketing Manager, found the blogging platform to be a chance to communicate with consumers and professional organizers in a less formal tone than the main corporate website. Deitzel monitors posts before they are submitted, but because of the no controversy organizational content, he doesn’t really have to edit or adjust the posts.

A few months ago, John Cass interviewed Jim Deitzel from Newell Rubbermaid for a case study on his blog. Deitzel explained to Cass that they experimented with who would blog. Now only employees write for Rubbermaid, but in the beginning an outside writer was used for a few posts. Deitzel informed Cass that Rubbermaid chose people within the communications department to write for the blog even if they did not offer to help. Fortunately, he found that they ended up enjoying writing in this new medium. He did notice that even though there are many employees at Rubbermaid signed up to blog, not all of them post regularly.

I value the posts at this blog because they incorporate the Rubbermaid products in a way that shows how they help organize in real life situations rather than just saying how great they are and that you, the consumer or organizer, should own them. The communications writers have found a good conversational tone with their audience leading to interesting and varied responses.

In my first post, I discussed how consumers are wary of corporate blogs. With this is mind, do you agree with Rubbermaid’s practice of choosing people within the communications department to write for the blog? Could other Rubbermaid employee bloggers increase the trustworthiness of the blog?