2. Spread the wealth
Not everyone in your organization may be cut out for blogging, but marketers who rely on a single blogger to disseminate the brand's message may not be doing all they can to connect with users, says Ryan Evans, director of experience design at Corey McPherson Nash.
"Employees, even CEOs, change jobs," Evans says. "You need to make sure that your social media stream has value beyond a single person. One way to achieve this is to spread authorship among a number of authors at your organization."
But multiple bloggers can also serve as a hedge against rubbing some users the wrong way. While it's still important to communicate with a certain amount of decorum, the decision to include personality will almost always mean that some users simply won't mesh with your bloggers. According to Evans, The Wells Fargo Wachovia blog -- which has the fitting tagline: One Team, Twice As Strong -- offers users a nice sampling of personalities to choose from.
3. Link, link, link
You've probably heard an earful about the power of linking from your search team. But links aren't just about SEO; they also play a valuable role in any blog.
"Blogs feed on links," Evans says, pointing out that the practice is a great way to build an audience for any blog, corporate or otherwise. But links also provide another critical ingredient to a personality-driven blog: the ability to listen. After all, links are a visible indicator of the blogger's willingness to engage in a conversation and actually listen to what others have to say in that space.
4. Have a little fun
Most people don't have to be told to have fun, but for a host of reasons, most marketers work hard to hide their human side behind a wall of branded messaging. While that might be just the trick for TV or print, it's no good on a company blog, says Sarah Jo Sautter, associate creative director at Organic and assistant editor of the agency's ThreeMinds blog.
So how do you have fun with your readers and still stay on message? According to Sautter, brands like Coca-Cola relax a little for readers of their blog by holding a regular caption contest. In the example below, readers are invited to caption a Coke ad from the 1920s.
John Held, Jr. was an artist and cartoonist who became famous for his illustrations of American society in the 1920s. He was a regular contributor to such magazines as Life, Vanity Fair, and Harper's Bazaar. Many of his drawings depicted collegiate life in the Jazz Age, including this 1926 advertisement for Coca-Cola.
Your Challenge is to create a witty caption for the artwork by 5 p.m. on June 10. A winner will be announced June 11. I look forward to seeing your entries.
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