Marketing

Resource Guide for Corporate Bloggers

June 1, 2011

Ask any content marketer, and they’ll tell you a corporate blog is the key component of any successful content strategy.

But where do you start? Why should you do it? And what does corporate blogging really mean, anyway?

This resource guide provides answers to those questions and more, with links to blogging tutorials and tips that will help get your corporate blog up and running in a hurry.

Corporate blogging basics

What is corporate blogging?
The first step to implementing a corporate blog is to understand the basics. OpenView’s Devon Warwick provides a straightforward explanation of what corporate blogging is all about in this excerpt from our free eBook.

How blogging fits into content marketing
While blogging is only one piece of the content marketing puzzle, it’s arguably the most important. In this post, Amanda Maksymiw expands on the benefits of corporate blogging and why it should be the cornerstone of any content strategy.

Why blogging is critical at the expansion stage
Clearly, blogging provides access to uncharted marketing channels for organizations. But it is really necessary these days? In a word – yes. Serial entrepreneur Mark Suster explains why corporate blogging is especially important for startup and expansion stage businesses in this column.

Getting started with corporate blogging

The key elements every corporate blog must have
A lot goes into starting a new blog site, and every step should be planned carefully ahead of time. Actionable marketing expert Heidi Cohen outlines the nine blog elements that are integral to every top corporate blogging initiative.

Choosing the right blogging platform for your business
Having loads of content won’t do you any good until you have a place to post it. In this article, business blogger Rich Brooks highlights some of the top blogging platforms available and outlines the key considerations that go into making the right choice for your organization.

How to make blogging a part of the job
So you’re sold on the importance of starting a business blog — now you just have to convince everyone else. Unfortunately, those who are most resistant are often the ones that can add the greatest value to your blog. HubSpot CMO Mike Volpe offers some tips for getting your entire company to buy in to the power of corporate blogging in this article.

Ann Handley on building your content pipeline

More info: Encouraging internal participation
Content marketing guru Ann Handley offers some addition tips to help make blogging a priority outside of the marketing department in this short video.

Finding guest contributors for your blog
Just because it’s your blog doesn’t mean others can’t contribute to its content. In fact, bringing in an external source from time to time is a great way to take the pressure off your staff and make your site more visible at the same time. Marketing author Rohit Bhargava offers some ideas for adding guest bloggers to your corporate strategy inthis short tutorial.

Looking beyond the blog
So you’ve chosen your platform, launched your blog and started writing. Now what? Content marketing blogger Brody Dorland provides 12 tips for enhancing the success of your corporate blog that should be part of your strategy from the very beginning.

Best practices for business blogs

Corporate blogging dos and don’ts
As with all marketing strategies, blogging techniques include the good, the bad, and everything in between. In this short excerpt from our free eBook, Devon Warwick works around the gray area and identifies the tactics that can help and hurt your content efforts.

What search engine optimization can do for you (and your blog)
No content plan is complete without search engine optimization (SEO). In this tutorial, TopRank CEO Lee Odden demonstrates how to develop a successful SEO strategy and use targeted keywords to make your blog more visible online.

Finding the right images for your corporate blog posts
It might seem silly at first, but interesting visuals can make a huge difference in increasing the overall appeal of your blog. So how do can you grab the best images from the ‘Net without stepping on any toes? Conversation starter Mike Sansone breaks down the rules for using pictures with blogs and offers some suggestions on where to find the best ones.

The top corporate blogging metrics to track
There are many ways to measure the effectiveness of your blogging strategy, but for startup and expansion stage businesses, some are metrics are better than others. In this post, Heidi Cohen lists the 21 areas to focus on when evaluating the success of your blog.

Additional corporate blogging resources

You can find even more information on implementing a successful blog by checking out the additional resources below. And once again, don’t forget to download our free blogging eBook for a more detailed story on how to get your corporate blogging initiative up and running.

For the latest on corporate blogging and other topics for startup and expansion stage organizations, follow the OpenView Labs team on Twitter @OpenView_Labs.

Editor’s note: You can find even more information on developing a blog for your company by downloading our free eBook, The Ultimate Guide to Corporate Blogging.

Content Strategist

Brendan worked at OpenView from 2011 until 2012, where he was an editor, content manager and marketer. Currently Brendan is the Vice President of Corporate Marketing at <a href="https://www.brainshark.com/">Brainshark</a> where he leads all corporate marketing initiatives related to content, creative, branding, events, press and analyst relations, and customer marketing.