Thanks to social media, companies now have other channels to reach their target audience without having to go through traditional gatekeepers. Communication made extremely easy, I would say, if you know how to use it to your advantage.
It seems like everybody is blogging these days. But, really, that doesn’t override the benefits of blogging.
Employee Blogs
I love to read blogs written by employees. Jenny Cisney, Chief Blogger of Kodak said its blog puts a human face on the company.
In between classes and work, I enjoy reading a thousand words blog by Kodak employees. Employees post pictures and blog about their families, vacations, etc. I loved the post by one employee who uploaded an ultrasound of her first baby. I bet a lot of people can relate to that.
Photo Courtesy: Kodak
Blogging is a good way to engage your employees and your consumers because it is interactive. But, it doesn’t pay to join the blogosphere just because other companies are doing it. It involves strategic thinking and a lot of commitment to be successful with employee blogs.
Companies benefit on both ends by allowing their employees blog. Consumers hear from those on the inside and can identify more with the company.
I’ve come across blogs written by managers and CEOs, but nothing is more credible than having the “ordinary” employee blog. By ordinary, I don’t mean unmotivated employees who have an axe to grind with the company.
It’s always good to have criteria for selecting employee bloggers so that you don’t create disgruntled employees who feel they should have been selected and not the other person.
Blogging Tips
Here are some tips that can get you started if you’re thinking of taking a big step into the blogosphere:
- Have a blogging policy for employees.
- Do your research. Who is the target audience? What do you want to accomplish by blogging?
- Set goals and objectives of the blog. This also makes employees understand why they are blogging.
- Give your employees the freedom to write on the topics they choose.
- Have the legal department read each post to ensure there are no legal liabilities.
- Bloggers do not all have to come from the PR department. People in other units also have an interesting perspective on the company’s business.
- Encourage feedback from the target audience.
- Put a mechanism in place to evaluate the success of your blog.
Transparency or Nothing
I came across a US government blog, which I also found very interesting. I was impressed that the government was embracing social media with open arms. It makes me think transparency. In defining its social media strategy, the government is seeking people’s opinion via a five-minute survey. The survey is a good way to engage readers.
Photo Courtesy: Southwest Airlines
Brian Lusk, who writes for the Southwest Airlines blog, said “If you have something to hide, you probably shouldn’t be blogging.”
Lusk granted an interview to The Buzz Bin on the first anniversary of the Southwest airlines blog. It’s an interesting read.
If you have nothing to hide and you plan strategically, you’ll soon discover beauty in blogging.
Are there employee blogs you like? I would love to read them.
By allowing employees to blog and participate in social media, some companies are ultimately looking at maintaining higher credibility so that better business could be conducted. While the liberty to blog remains, I suspect employers may want to “watch” some employees’ blogs just to find a reason either not to give a raise or benefit or even to fire.
It’s always good to have a company policy/guideline on blogs. That way, employees know what they can and can’t do. I don’t think companies gain anything from “punishing” their employees for blogging. Instead, we can all learn from companies that are effectively using employee blogs to connect with their audiences.
I think it’d be strange to “select” employees to blog. Shouldn’t everyone have a say?
As you quoted, if a company has something to hide they shouldn’t be blogging.
Most logical people are aware that big companies aren’t all well-oiled machines. There are certainly problems, and employees should be able to voice them. Once voiced, a company should be able to decide whether a particular claim is valid, and if so, initiate change.
A company proud enough to have a blog, should be proud of all of the employees that make it up. “Selecting” would exclude others and cause tension. If everyone has a voice, everyone feels more valued.
Hearing opinions straight from an employee of the company I feel is much more reliable and noteworthy than any other opinion I could obtain from a website or a review. Since blogging is an optional action done by an employee, they are not going to blog just so they can bad mouth the company they work for. They are doing it because they care about their company and it’s products. I do feel, however, that at some point it could get risky for the company if employees possibly started giving out too much information, such as new releases or openings of a specific product that should not yet be made aware to the public. As long as blogging is monitored correctly I can see nothing but good coming from it for the company. I do have one question though. How do you motivate employees to blog about their company, what’s in it for them? Why should they take time out of their schedule to blog, is there any benefit they will receive from doing this?