Some reasons why businesses don’t blog
In The 12 reasons why UK businesses don’t blog, the UK firm E-consultancy.com looks at why businesses and brands are reluctant to use blogs. Many of these top reasons are valid for other countries as well. For example, you might be the CEO and be afraid that your employees start to write inappropriate things. Or simply, your PR agency or yourself don’t understand what a business blog would bring to your company. But read more for my favorite reasons…
Chris Lake, the author, writes that to the contrary to what happens in the US, UK and European marketers are ignoring blogs. And he decided to find why. Here are two of these reasons.
You think it is too risky to allow your colleagues to write blog posts.
Maybe it is. But it probably isn’t, with appropriate guidance and a little prior training in the arts of SEO and copywriting.
You set the guidelines, the subject matter, the overall content framework. They will abide by those rules, because that’s what employees are generally good at (the ones who aren’t good at obeying rules tend to become ex-employees rather quickly).
Well, this is pretty straightforward. But let’s jump to the final possible motive for not starting a business blog.
You think blogging isn’t right for your business.
You might be right. But at least be aware of the benefits of blogging before you make this call. Remember that you do not have to talk exclusively about your business on your blog, nor give away any trade secrets. Nobody cares that you got a new printer for your office, and that it makes a whirring noise that is annoying everybody. They do care about what you have to say about subjects relevant to your business, your products, your policies…
Lake also links to a list of British corporate/brand blogs compiled by Suw Charman from Corante.
What do you think of these reasons for avoiding business blogs? Are they valid in your country? Do you know about additional ones preventing a company or a brand to start a blog?
Source: Chris Lake, for E-consultancy.com, July 5, 2006
