We’ve recently done a review of social media marketing processes at Apis Design. As a result, we’ve identified a few weak spots that needed improvement. Below are the things to focus on when creating a blogging process at your company.
Purpose. Before getting into the details of your blogging program, answer the question “Why?” How does a blog contribute to your marketing and communications objectives? Are you trying to increase awareness of your company’s activities? Is the point to create a community of readers?
Content focus. Knowing what you are going post is as important as why you are going post. A common reason for blogging is to share valuable information with members of your network; customers, partners, vendors. The goal is to make sure that your individual posts (and blog as a whole) deliver value to your audience.
Identify champions. These are the people who will become the voice for your company. They are employees that read, talk and breathe the industry. They are the experts. They also know a lot about your company and your customers.
Quality control. Although many are saying that your social media message should not be controlled, we believe that any communication that’s coming out of your company should be controlled for quality. A peer review process should solve the problem.
Frequency. Frequency of your blog posts will depend on resources available, your industry, and the goals you are trying to achieve. Based on our experience a weekly post should be sufficient in most cases.
At the end of the day, blogging is about delivering value as well as engaging with the reader, so 1) keep the reader in mind, 2) keep the message in mind, and 3) participate / discuss.
