Did MSNBC’s Your Biz Blogger Give Bad Blog Advice?
Eve Tahmincioglu (what a name!) is listed as the “primary author” of MSNBC’s Your Biz blog. Interesting, that - since one of Eve’s stated no-nos for business blogs is … having more than one blogger on your company’s blog. (The reason, according to Eve: it creates a “voice” that isn’t unified and “strong.”)
Her other tips:
- Don’t let the CEO blog unless he’s really funny and a great writer.
- Blog often and regularly.
- Don’t be boring - skip financial stuff and new customer lists and anything Eve would consider “dry.”
- Don’t “go overboard” with personal information.
- Don’t put your business or your product down in any way. Given the context, I take this to include even self-deprecating remarks that aren’t so much put-downs as modesty.
With the exception of “blog often and regularly,” I disagree with just about all of this. Not so much in a blanket, “always do these things” fashion - it would be stupid to bore your readers with financial recaps in every post, and I trust my readers to know better - but in a “these things can work if you let them” sort of way.
Example - shutting up the CEO. Are you kidding? Have you ever met a CEO you couldn’t shut up? Actually, the CEO can be a perfect voice for the company. Typically, the CEO is more recognizable to the general public or targeted customer base, and can write more authentically (and authoritatively) about “big ticket” subjects such as company vision and philosophies. If he or she needs help writing and editing posts, then assign a copyeditor staffer to clean up the posts. Just make sure the CEO understands the need for that person’s services, and has the ego to withstand the revisions - and likewise make sure the staffer understands the job is to clean up the post, not rewrite it wholesale.
Another example - Eve’s “rule” against self-deprecation. While I wouldn’t advocate a business blogger out the company as producing worthless goods or making assertions that directly counter factual information published by the company’s marketing department, a little self-deprecation and a lot of honesty go a very long way. I would absolutely advocate what I call “deep honesty” in business blogging. Be honest: is your product right for all customers, all the time? (I daresay not.) And as a smart marketer, you already know that businesses which target their marketing message with laser-like precision at a niched subgroup of their customer base fare far better than those adopting a scattershot approach. So, why not ‘fess up in the blog, and let those customers know that in XYZ circumstances, your product probably isn’t the best solution? Be even bolder - tell them whose product is their best solution. That’s right - send them to a competitor. What happens? Your company name becomes synonymous with deep honesty and putting the customer’s needs above its own. This? Is definitely a place you want to be!
When someone presents you with a list of “rules” about blogging, put on your skeptical hat and read with a wary eye. There are no rules, really, for one simple reason: blogging is a conversation, and true, honest conversations have no rules either.
Technorati Tags: business blogs
August 28th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
I disagree with letting some CEOs blog. Most are not writers, have huge egos, and think they know it all about everything - including blogging. Very few have the intelligence, grace, and clarity of though not to insert their foot in their mouth on a regular basis. Just think of all the CEOs you’ve had to work for. Plus, we all know how anonymous posting by CEOs on financial boards (hello John P. Mackey of Whole Foods) got out of hand.
Instead, blogging may need to be handled by another person at the company, maybe the head of marketing or development.