How to Convert a CEO into a Blogging Evangelist
Written by Andy Komack on September 5th, 2007Why won’t our clients blog more? I feel like I’m banging my head against a wall sometimes.
Corporate blogging is good. Very good.
Manage your brand, put a human face to your company, show them you’re smart, engage in conversations, get market feedback, add good content to your site, improve SEO rankings, use a voice that you can’t/don’t want to use on your website, keep things fresh, more, more, more…
But, clients, why won’t you blog? I mean, blog more? Blog more strategically? Believe in blogging?
Some of you do (yeah!).
But, one of you has gone from being skeptical to a full-fledged Blog Evangelist!
Was it the first time you saw comments on one of your posts? Was it when you saw more comments start to pile up? Was it the time you met with a key prospect and they already knew you? Was it the editor of a major industry publication who read one of your posts and asked to interview you for a feature? Maybe it was the website traffic stats that sealed the deal?
I think it was the key prospect who already knew you. You told us it was amazing when you heard someone at the table say that they had read one of your recent posts and found it interesting and discussion-worthy. The meeting just flowed from there.
And then you kept blogging. And the benefits started to pile up. I mean, one of your posts got a Top 10 ranking in Google for a very competitive keyword we had targeted, when it has been difficult to get that ranking for your traditional web pages!
Clients (and anyone reading this post), maybe you think blogging doesn’t fit in your industry? Not true.
Maybe you don’t know what to write and/or how to write? (ask us, that’s what we’re here for).
Not enough resources or time to write? You wouldn’t stop advertising or making cold calls because of that, would you? Make it a priority. You will have people find you and ask you for your advice, products, solutions, partnership opportunities, and more.
Hey, other client who has a blog, but doesn’t see how to use it effectively! Yes, you! Didn’t you tell us that one technical comment on a blog post many months ago saved your software team “three weeks of development time”? CEO, you took the time to let us know that you read an article in the Wall Street Journal about CEO blogging and (I think) you said you were ready. What happened? Read THIS POST! I’m a CEO. I’m blogging.
Granted, I don’t do it enough, but that client’s success story, and our team’s dedication to blogging (Derek, Casie, Josh, Bill the Intern - Thank you!!), has turned me into a corporate blogging evangalist…
This is Andy Komack - let me know your thoughts by commenting below or contacting me….
Update, July 11, 2008 - John Cass just wrote a great piece about executive blogging and time management:
Why won’t more corporate leaders blog?
- Blog posts take sustained energy to write
- Blogging takes marketing support to get the full effect (such as online linking, keyword optimization, technology, etc.)
- Blogging takes time to take hold
- Leaders still don’t understand (much as you might tell them) why they should blog
- The blogger has to have something to say
- The blogger has to have the boldness to actually say it
- Legal departments have to get out of the way
- The decision to spend brain time blogging means that brain time won’t be spent on something else that someone else is advocating for. “We need your time to focus more on.”
That’s a tall order for many leaders.
September 5th, 2007 at 12:15 pmMike - Well said.
Given all that, I hope that more top executives (and marketing managers) begin to see corporate blogging as a key part of their marketing mix.
All good marketing initiatives take time to plan and execute.
And many of them cannot be tracked accurately back to successful outcomes. Many of the potential successful outcomes can be tracked back to a blog/blog post.
BTW, just to be clear, I am not saying that it is the CEO’s job to blog, just that top officers sometimes hinder the overall process unnecessarily. And when a top office DOES engage in blogging, it is that much sweeter.
We have seen some very powerful successes come out of our clients’ blogs, I just wish that they were not in the minority in terms of seeing the benefits.
September 5th, 2007 at 1:29 pmOne of the big questions people ask about blogging is, “how much time will it take to blog?,” in reality I think that question really means that people are wondering what the ROI of blogging is. I think you have to explain to people through examples as you have done in your article. It think it might just be a matter of waiting for that ‘ah ha’ moment. After all remember how long it took to convince everyone that SEM and SEO was a good idea.
September 5th, 2007 at 3:16 pmFor me the issue isn’t as much about time as much as it about having something to actually say. I spend more time sifting through pointless blog junk, where bloggers don’t really have anything to actually say, then I do actually reading meaningful content. Some blogs get very old because the content is just lame. I like to think that my blog is updated when I actually have something meaningful to say. I like to publish truly honest and transparent pieces about my business and about entrepreneurship. Otherwise I feel like I’m just wasting my time, and other’s as well.
September 5th, 2007 at 3:39 pmSome CEO’s are terrible writers, and know it. And they’ll never admit that in a meeting, especially to an outside vendor.
Blogging is supposedly a personal medium, so it’s no surprise that personal insecurities might play a role in their willingness to try it, or stay with it.
September 5th, 2007 at 4:01 pmSometimes the light switch turns on when they begin to see the conversations already in place around their industry or (more effective when motivating) directly about their company, products or brands.
It’s really difficult in the emerging media environment for leaders (and dedicated people) to wait for that web page to be added, or piece of PR to hit the wires, because people (consumers) have immediate access to communication vehicles (like blogs) to voice their displeasure, comment or add opinion.
While I’m not advocating an all or nothing approach, there are steps that can be taken to get someone’s feet wet in blogging strategy, without making them feel completely overwhelmed or overburdened. And once you have a little success, I think that that motivation goes a long way in fostering a continued desire for success.
September 5th, 2007 at 4:09 pmTurning into a blogging evangelist requires a reset of thinking about the direction information should flow. To be a successful blogger, one has to give up being a monloguer and be willing to engage in a dialogue. This is a difficult jump for CEOs who are used to being the speaker and being listened to.
Being a successful blogger is more than just having something to say — it requires a willingness to risk. The old adage about not knowing someone is a fool until he or she began to speak is a source of fear for many individuals. it is the same fear that keeps so many from undertaking public speaking. Most people would rather be in the coffin than the one giving the eulogy at a funeral. A blog is a written extension of the person — the is a lot of fear and control that must be let go.
September 7th, 2007 at 6:16 pm