Allison VanNest
Which corporate blogs make Santa’s “Nice” list this year…and which ones are going to get coal in their stockings?
We can’t speak for Santa, but here are our favorite blogs of 2014: We like the honesty and straightforward storytelling of Penelope Trunk and Bill Marriot, the inspiring (and mouth-watering) Whole Story by Whole Foods, the accessibility of KissMetrics, and the simplicity and motivational messages of Tiny Buddha and Zen Habits.
Great business blogs come in all different shapes and sizes, but they have a few things in common:
- They engage their readers and build communities
- They offer real value (and not just another sales pitch)
- They communicate the company’s values and mission with a distinct voice
- They pay attention to detail
When content marketing company Social Fresh put out a call for the best business blog, they received over a hundred nominations. Their panel of expert judges rated blogs on three criteria: Calls to Action, Content Quality/Consistency, and Audience Engagement. (You can view the list of winners here.)
These three areas are essential to the effectiveness of your business blog. If you neglect your call to action, then you’re not making the most of your connection with your readers. If your blog isn’t providing valuable content on a regular basis, then you’re not going to build a readership. And if you’re not engaging with your audience, then you’re not building a community.
Achieving success in these areas starts with understanding your audience. How do they relate to your brand? What do they find important and interesting? “Research your target readership thoroughly,” advises social media strategist Matt Everard, who notes the Virgin Atlantic Blog as being particularly successful. “Understand who your audience is, and what type of content they’ll enjoy reading – and, more importantly, which posts they’re likely to share on social media.”
The Guardian cites a lack of understanding as the reason why so many corporate social media accounts had to apologize for embarrassing gaffes and manipulative marketing this year. “Perhaps the biggest threat to social media marketing is the gulf between what marketers and consumers think is acceptable,” writes Thomas Brown. He notes Facebook’s clandestine experiments as a reason corporate blogs might want to reconsider their information gathering and marketing policies.
When a corporate social media account makes a faux pas, it’s usually because they weren’t paying attention. Recently, Barnes and Noble ran a Facebook campaign promoting a Black Friday sale of signed editions—with an obvious typo in the tagline. While this wasn’t the end of the world, it did make the brand look a little careless. That’s why proofreading is an essential step in creating content for the web. When Susan Boyle’s social media team Tweeted the hashtag #susanalbumparty, readers parsed it incorrectly and thought they were being invited to a whole different kind of party. (Check out more corporate media fails here and here.)
How does your blog rate? Look at the archives of your blog over the past year and see how often and how consistently you posted. Review the average number of comments you received—and note how many you responded to. Finally, try pulling up a few random posts and checking them for errors. If you’re not satisfied with what you find, then make a commitment to doing better in 2015!
Want to get inspired? Check out these Best of 2014 lists for the top-rated business blogs from across the web:
- Small Business Blogs – Top 25 List For 2014
- Top Five Blogs In 2014: The Best From Business To Travel
- Learn from the 10 Top Business Blogs That Did it Right
Did your blog make the “nice” list this year? If not, what do you plan to change in 2015? Share your story in the comments!
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