Business blog creation – what NOT to do

Get it right, and a business blog can be the cornerstone of an effective online PR strategy, driving back traffic from social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn through calls-to-action and landing pages.

“A blog has the flexibility to produce content easily, syndicate that content through any medium using RSS, and convert that audience into customers,” adds Douglas Karr, the author of Corporate Blogging for Dummies.

Implemented incorrectly, however, a corporate blog has the potential to damage brand reputation.

In order to avoid alienating customers, bear in mind the five top mistakes to avoid when blogging:

1. Starting Without a Strategy

Don’t even think about creating a business blog without a clear plan and objective. In fact, before you get even that far, consider whether a corporate blog is the right choice for your company. Can you be transparent? Can you respond well to negativity? Can you supply a consistent flow of valuable content?

Setting up and maintaining a quality blog takes time and resources and shouldn’t be entered into lightly.

2. Making it all About Me

A business blog is not a press section – keep promotional posts to a minimum. Readers want to be offered something of value. Think of your blog as an engagement platform, rather than an advertising medium.

3. Failure to Link

Don’t be afraid to link out to external sources, and remember to always cite your sources. This is both ethical and a good way to get other blogs to link to you. And of course, maximise blog SEO by linking back to your main website wherever relevant.

4. Not being yourself

Use someone who can represent the company as your content writer, and advise them to keep it human, eliminating any industry jargon. It’s always a good idea to blog about what you know, but resist the urge to get too personal – save that for individual blogs or Facebook.

5. Ignoring social media marketing

It would be madness not to use social media to leverage your blog. Having written a new post, discuss it on Facebook and Twitter to get it out there, ensuring all social profiles link back there. Keep relationships going; if anyone responds to your blog or posts about it, be sure to respond and make them feel like valued members of your online community.

Tips adapted from www.mashable.com