Search engine marketers frequently recommend blogging as a tactic for achieving search engine optimization (SEO) goals. B2B marketers have consistently recommended blogging as a communication vehicle and brand awareness tool for the company, but developing a strategy that accomplishes both of these goals isn't always easy.
The Argument for B2B Blogging
Some may argue blogging is a "dying initiative." A study conducted in 2010 would position blogging as such, and even a "blog post" written in The New York Times highlighted the point. Before jumping on that bandwagon, consider two points.
1. While writers were quick to identify how millennials (ages 18 to 33) are moving away from blogs, most older generations were gravitating to them. As a result, from 2008 to 2010, blogging actually rose 3 percent as an Internet activity among all adults.
2. Consider what is taking the place of the blog: social sites like Facebook and Twitter. I wouldn't advocate ignoring platforms at the expense of a blog. Remember this: with a company blog strategy, the organization owns (and controls) the content and discussion (assuming the organization isn't using a hosted solution like Blogger or a WordPress hosted blog).
Proper organization is important to an effective B2B blogging strategy. Here are five organizational methods that help B2B companies achieve success with their blogging strategies.
1. Define Objectives
This is the most critical step. Defining objectives helps the organization create a focused content strategy, including topics that will be developed, tone, and helping with the identification of the appropriate writing personnel.
Objectives differ. Examples include:
i) Support for their SEO strategy.
ii) Industry thought leadership.
iii) Support customer service and/or sales initiatives in the field.
These objectives have potentially different audiences that will need to be considered. With multiple stakeholders potentially in the mix, the layout and agreement on objectives is imperative.
2. Establish the Contributing Team
It's important to find the right team members to write. For B2B blogs, we tend to find a multiple author strategy works best, since there are multiple product lines, target audiences, etc. With multiple authors, the demand for new content and content ideas can be scaled across the team, as well.
Potential authors include:
i) Executive leadership and/or sales management.
ii) Knowledgeable members of the engineering or IT teams.
iii) Customer support managers and personnel.
iv) Experienced industry professional (and guest writers).
In addition to the writing team, at least one person should have the responsibility for organizing blogging initiatives, including maintenance, scheduling, and comment moderation. This individual can funnel comments to appropriate writers and help advocate for the blog internally and to externally.
Read more
The Argument for B2B Blogging
Some may argue blogging is a "dying initiative." A study conducted in 2010 would position blogging as such, and even a "blog post" written in The New York Times highlighted the point. Before jumping on that bandwagon, consider two points.
1. While writers were quick to identify how millennials (ages 18 to 33) are moving away from blogs, most older generations were gravitating to them. As a result, from 2008 to 2010, blogging actually rose 3 percent as an Internet activity among all adults.
2. Consider what is taking the place of the blog: social sites like Facebook and Twitter. I wouldn't advocate ignoring platforms at the expense of a blog. Remember this: with a company blog strategy, the organization owns (and controls) the content and discussion (assuming the organization isn't using a hosted solution like Blogger or a WordPress hosted blog).
Proper organization is important to an effective B2B blogging strategy. Here are five organizational methods that help B2B companies achieve success with their blogging strategies.
1. Define Objectives
This is the most critical step. Defining objectives helps the organization create a focused content strategy, including topics that will be developed, tone, and helping with the identification of the appropriate writing personnel.
Objectives differ. Examples include:
i) Support for their SEO strategy.
ii) Industry thought leadership.
iii) Support customer service and/or sales initiatives in the field.
These objectives have potentially different audiences that will need to be considered. With multiple stakeholders potentially in the mix, the layout and agreement on objectives is imperative.
2. Establish the Contributing Team
It's important to find the right team members to write. For B2B blogs, we tend to find a multiple author strategy works best, since there are multiple product lines, target audiences, etc. With multiple authors, the demand for new content and content ideas can be scaled across the team, as well.
Potential authors include:
i) Executive leadership and/or sales management.
ii) Knowledgeable members of the engineering or IT teams.
iii) Customer support managers and personnel.
iv) Experienced industry professional (and guest writers).
In addition to the writing team, at least one person should have the responsibility for organizing blogging initiatives, including maintenance, scheduling, and comment moderation. This individual can funnel comments to appropriate writers and help advocate for the blog internally and to externally.
Read more
