At this point, an understanding of the value of blogs seems universal – at least from a marketing perspective.
But I’m still surprised by how many organizations I come across that either don’t have a blog or have a blog that they don’t use. I think the perception still exists that having a blog requires having thousands of followers that hang on your every word. But the truth is that your blog can simply be your personal publishing mechanism. As we’ve previously discussed, the line between paid and earned media is blurring, and “MarCom” has become all about content creation and distribution – what is now being called “owned” media. This is the PR dream!
A blog can help you solve the following PR challenges:
- Do you have a great bylined article that nobody will publish?
- Want to put out a case study or customer story without spending the time and money on a marketing piece?
- Have an announcement that isn’t exactly newsworthy?
- Do you have an executive with strong opinions and an interest in pontificating?
- Have a social campaign that needs a long-form home?
- Or a marketing campaign that requires a simple landing page?
This is not to say that having a blog is easy. As with every communication channel, there should be a goal and strategy in place to support it – the blog that isn’t being used is a result of haphazard planning. Before you get your web team building a blog on your site or set out to find a good service you can employ yourself, make sure you understand the commitment and the resources needed to sustain it.
- Frequency: Your content strategy will dictate how often you should be publishing. As a ground rule, every blog should be updated regularly – at least one or two times per month.
- Engagement: Make sure to monitor for and respond to comments. Just because a comment is negative, does not mean you should ignore or censor – quite the opposite! This is an opportunity to possibly create a new relationship.
- Best Practices: If you are interested in blogging to gain a following or increase your search results, you’ll want to invest in understanding the best practices of blogging and employ them in each and every post. As SEO best practices evolve, so too will blogging best practices. Make sure you continue to educate yourself.
So what are you waiting for? You probably already have content ripe for publishing. And RH Strategic is here to help if you need more information on how to make the most of it.
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Does your company have an owned media strategy? Leave a comment below, or tweet us at @RHStrategic with the hashtag #RHetoricBlog.
RH Strategic is the PR firm for a hyper-connected world, delivering integrated media, social & digital strategies for technology, healthcare, and public sector markets. Â
