Did you know that the American Express website has a section dedicated to business and technology articles to help you out?
Me neither.
One particular feature by Sarah Kessler from Mashable is dedicated to the “top 5 mistakes to avoid on your company blog.” Now, though they’re all valid points, most of them may be more of the “duh” variety for many of you, fair Lalawag readers. Most of you know that having a blog for your business is a good idea and that you should do your best to link out and use social media to promote your posts. I hope that’s pretty obvious.
What I still see many companies and startups not “getting” is falling into the trap of making their blog about self-promotion, rather than providing content that people would actually want to read. Write good enough content, be insightful, and the work will promote itself.
A blog is not a press section.
There should be a section on your site that is dedicated to company news, if you’re willing to share it. But using your blog this way can be detrimental. “Blogs allow consumers to view the human side of a business, but repeated promotional posts take away the brand’s personality and position the blog as a one-way advertising medium rather than an engagement platform,” explains Whitney Sewell, a social media manager at Social Media Solutions.
Your audience’s needs.
“Businesses want to write dry, information-based articles that highlight their own accomplishments,” explains Angela Neal, an online marking consultant based in Scotland. “I see blogs full of statistics and product details that are full of jargon and technical terms that only somebody within the company would know or understand.”
One time, for instance, Neal was hired by a company that makes industrial cleaning products. The company wanted to list the scientific research that went into making the specific chemical make-up of its products. Consumers, however, just wanted to know that the product meets or exceeds their needs.
Take a step back and think about what your readers want to learn about. Is it advice? Analysis? Industry news? Figure out what you can provide that is valuable to your readers.
Read more reasons here: Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid on Your Company Blog : Technology :: American Express OPEN Forum.
