Your business blog gives you an ideal platform to write about topics likely to be of interest to your customers and prospects – and the people that might influence them.

A good blog should include posts on various topics, each written by the most appropriate person in your business – i.e. the person with the most expertise and knowledge of that subject. 

Your regular blog posts should not be left to just one person, you should encourage people from all levels within your business to blog about the topics they know best.  It sounds so easy doesn’t it?  But how do you get your staff to buy in to your business blog? 

1.    Show enthusiasm from the top! 

You should lead by example.  If you are not seen to be proactively enthusiastic about your business blog yourself, you cannot reasonably expect your employees to be.   Make it compulsory for your key employees to produce a weekly blog post about their part of your business.  Explain the proven commercial benefits of business blogging (see previous posts in this series) and let them know you want them involved as you value their knowledge.  

Consider introducing a weekly incentive (bottle of wine, chocolates or something similar) which will be awarded to the person who writes the ‘best’ blog post each week.  

2.     Make someone responsible for your blog – create a blog administrator role 

Dedicate a specific resource to manage your business blog.  Their job description should include: 

•  Ensure prompt receipt of blog posts from those appointed to write them.
•  Retaining the ‘buzz’ about blogging amongst the staff
•  Educate the team about blogging best practices. 
•  preparing and communicating a weekly report showing how the blog has benefited the business that week (leads generated, calls received, links to the website etc.)
• Ensuring that blog posts have been ‘signed off’ and approved as necessary prior to publication 

Everyone in the business should be enthusiastic about blogging and understand the business benefits that a good blog can bring.  Do not however assume that everyone in your team will have good copywriting skills – if necessary bring in the editing skills / SEO skills required or provide appropriate training.

The weekly report should be produced with the objective of making the blog a ‘fun’ competition, rather than a chore.  Celebrate your successes with the team.  If you receive new business leads from your blog let everyone in your business know about it! 

Tomorrow we will continue this series of posts aimed at giving you good practical advice to help you improve your online success in 2011.  Please check back again then. 

If you would like to know more about successful business blogging please leave a message below or visit WSI IMS – WSI Internet Marketing Services for UK Businesses.