The Pros of Blogs

At first glance, Will Somerset, CEO of Lancaster-Webb Medical Supply was negatively taken aback with the knowledge that one of his employees, affectionately known as Glove Girl, was blogging about company happenings. After taking a closer look, the line of benefit and harm to the company became more difficult to distinguish. Companies like Lancaster-Webb today are discovering that blogging can be beneficial, if done correctly. Though Glove Girl had the best intentions, there may be a few tricks to learn to make her blogging skills invaluable.
In the present economy, firms are looking for ways to cut costs where they can and blogging can be a cost-efficient form of marketing. Sullivan (2009) stated that corporate blogs can operate as forums which inspire feedback and promote industry discussion. Many customers turn to a company’s blog to find out information about the company and find out what it would be like to do business with them. Customers can receive advice and up to date information about products and services. Glove Girl did just this for those who read her blog. She answered questions, gave updates, and provided insight to Lancaster-Webb products.
Why were people so drawn to Glove Girl’s blog? Glove Girl was able to do what many blogs do for corporate America: make the impersonal personal (Sullivan, 2009). A company’s website may have all the necessary information to make an informed decision about whether to become a customer, but a blog helps a person to see the company’s personality by creating a human experience in an otherwise impersonal forum. Aaron Tucker, the Vice President of Killer Chef says, “I think the blog allows individuals the flexibility to engage as they wish, whereas the e-mailed newsletter is something a person has to opt into… One is far less intrusive than the other. Also, a blog, if done well, can get picked up by other Web sites, and this will lead to increased Web site traffic and improved Google rankings” (Sturdivant, 2009, p. 27). The blog allows a customer to see the company for what it really is, not only the parts that marketers want people to see.
As CEO of Lancaster-Webb, Somerset is tasked with actively promoting the business and continuing to explore ways in which the company can continue to increase its leading market share. While intrigued by the possibilities of a corporate blog, Somerset also had some reservations as to how Lancaster-Webb could build upon Glove Girl’s popularity and operate within the confines of company policy. The biggest challenge to Lancaster-Webb is to outline a strategy for developing the company’s blog.
Sullivan (2009) offers a few recommendations when establishing a company blog that Somerset and Lancaster-Webb should keep in mind. The first step in establishing a corporate blog is to plan ahead, establish your business objectives, and stick with them. The person writing the blog should understand the company’s brand and share its values. While immensely experienced and talented, Glove Girl was operating outside the confines of a defined marketing plan. Ironically, one of Lancaster-Webb’s own customers admitted to Somerset that Glove Girl was more persuasive than any of its own advertising (Suitt, 2003).
The second step is to recruit talent (Sullivan, 2009). A person who has an authentic voice and shows a passion for sharing information with customers should be in charge of the blog. Lancaster-Webb is extremely fortunate in this case as Glove Girl is already in place. She has the talent and the following and can be used to help spread the marketing and advertising message for Lancaster-Webb.
The third step in creating an effective company blog is to create a schedule (Sullivan, 2009). While daily posts can be overwhelming and messy, companies should post to their blog often to keep information fresh. While over 7 million blogs are active, there are nearly an additional 93 million blogs that have been created and no longer updated (Wortham, 2007). A company such as Lancaster-Webb cannot afford for its blog to dry up.
Finally, a company must make sure to keep its blog interesting. Pictures, videos and interesting facts can keep viewers intrigued and wanting to come back for more information. Readers of blogs are becoming more accustomed to features of blogs beyond the text. As social media becomes increasingly personalized, Lancaster-Webb can look for ways to offer interesting and visually appealing elements to its blog to continue to attract the interest of its customers.
If Lancaster-Webb can help Glove Girl sharpen these areas, the blog can produce great things. The more often a customer comes back to view its blog the business increases its chances of creating a sale.