The Top 5 Corporate Blogging Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them

Corporate Blog Tip #4: Content Volume

If you have blogs that are titled and focused on a specific keyword term, the next most common mistake is not creating enough content. As a general rule of thumb, it's impossible to write too often. The more frequently your organization posts, the more successful you will be in attracting qualified traffic.

Two mistakes that can be made to hinder content are over thinking each and every post and not utilizing enough people in your organization as bloggers.

When I first started blogging, I asked Seth Godin for some insight. He gave me the best advice I've ever received by simply saying "be more pithy." A blog post is not an article, it's not a whitepaper; it's a story. The best blog posts have a picture and tell a quick story about a customer, a situation, a product/service development, or feature. I use the phrase "write for the web" all the time. This means that you use your keywords and you understand that most people are not reading through the entire post , they are scanning it. The goal is to establish credibility. According to a recent Adfusion study, the most credible online advertising format is the story. Your corporate blog provides you with the opportunity to tell many useful and interesting stories.

The second content volume mistake is not including enough individuals in your blogging strategy. Who are the best people to tell the stories of how others are using your products? The CEO or the folks in sales and customer service? The answer is probably both. Generally speaking, an organization should encourage everyone to participate in their corporate blogging efforts. If they get a phone or a business card, they should be getting a blog interface as well. Encourage everyone to tell the stories that occur every day in your organization. You will not only generate more content with a lot less pressure, you will find that employee content humanizes your organization and is more trusted by readers. Richard Edelman himself says that employee bloggers are five times more credible than CEO bloggers.

Next Tip: Calls to action