Why blog?
Web logs, or blogs, are a low-cost way to communicate with existing and potential customers. You can invite feedback and comments through the blog, helping to build relationships with your clients. It's also a good way to market your products in a more subtle way than the traditional hard sell. There are a number of options open to businesses looking to set up blogs: web-based blogs, the DIY route, and blogging software.
Web-based blogs
There are a number of ways to add a web-based blog to your existing company website. Blogger, Wordpress and Typepad all offer free or low-cost options for setting up blogs, which are hosted on their own servers. The sites also provide a step-by-step set-up guide, taking away the pain for less technically minded bloggers. Once you choose your blog name, all you have to do is add a link to the blog's home page to your website.
DIY
If you have a little knowledge of HTML, you could create your own blog on your company website. This can be done by using some simple HTML commands on a new page, and adding that into your existing site index. This may be a time-consuming option, however.
Blogging software
This method is for the more technically astute. The software will allow you to add a blog to your current website, so it is all hosted in the same place. You can choose to go with the advanced offering from web-based blogs such as Blogger, or opt for a blog management program like Six Apart's Movable Type.
If you're using Blogger to host your new blog with your company website, all you need is some basic information when you open the new account, such as the FTP server, the planned URL for the blog and whether your server supports FTP or SFTP.
With blogs, as with everything else, there are dos and don'ts:
- Do make sure your blog remains professional. If the blog is to represent your firm, make sure it looks - and sounds - the part. Choose colours and logos that reflect your firm's branding.
- Do keep it up-to-date. Try to post regularly; most experts seem to favour about three times a week. This will help keep your blog looking fresh and keep readers coming back for more.
- Don't treat your blog like your own personal diary or use it to air grievances.
- Don't try to hide your company's connection with the blog in the hope that it will appear independent and therefore hold more sway with readers. If you are caught out, the backlash may damage your reputation.
- Never post entries that contain spurious information or potentially libellous material. For more on the legal implications of blogs and discussion forums, see Issue 162 of eBusiness Live.
Discussion forums
Online discussion boards have become an integral part of the internet, with mini-communities springing up all over the web. There's no reason why businesses can't take advantage of this new community spirit by adding a discussion forum to their website. Adding this functionality can help you keep in contact with customers, allow you to announce new products and deal with customer issues promptly.
Setting up a forum
There are plenty of software programs out there to help. Microsoft, for example, now offers Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services technology as a free download. This program offers a number of collaboration and communication services. According to the company, most of the SharePoint Services site templates include the ability to create discussion boards.
Other options include open source solutions like Phbb. You can host this program wherever you choose, and there are some comprehensive instructions to help you get set up. It may require a certain level of technical knowledge to install and maintain, however, so it's perhaps not the best choice for complete beginners.
- Do keep a close eye on the board. Ensure that your professional forum does not get spammed by users advertising products, or that posts do not put your firm at risk of libel action.
- Do plan ahead. A number of factors must be decided in advance; for example, will there be a single forum, or will the board be split into multiple forums? Will users be required to register prior to posting, or allowed to post anonymously?
- Don't go over the top when it comes to monitoring the forum. Try to strike a balance between moderation and censorship, or you may find that your boards don't get as much use as you'd like.
Useful links:
*Check out the eBusiness Live discussion forum here.