The Two Types of Corporate Blog

The corporate world saw the potential of blogging early on and soon found that the corporate blog, if used properly could be a very effective management tool, both inside and outside the organization. Corporate blogs are of two distinct varieties – the external blog and the internal one. The internal blog takes the place of the “what’s happening in the company” memos of the old days and allows for the management to keep in touch with every employee directly and also permits the employees to communicate with the management is a way that has never before been possible. And for the huge number of people who are not part of the company but play a huge role in its success – suppliers, bankers, customers and so on – the external corporate blog keeps providing them the latest news about what is happening in the company.

Unfortunately, there are many companies who have started corporate blogs with no clear understanding of what they are and how they should be used – companies who started down this path just to give the appearance of being modern. A corporate blog that has no fixed aim of purpose and does not interest the internal or external reader will often produce a result that is not what the company intended. An aimless blog that does not seem to have any focus will never be respected and if it becomes a joke, what do you think will be their impression people have to the company management who send it out so often? It is not just that the blogs will be ignored – blogs are interactive media and a blog that expects responses from the reader when it has nothing of interest to say to them will not just be ignored, it will put the readers off.

A internal corporate blog done in the right way, on the other hand, can be a huge morale booster by allowing employees to express their thoughts and opinions and thus giving them a feeling of being actively involved in the running of their company. Giving employees current up to date information in the corporate blog will allow the management to collect valuable employees feedback on various issues in an informal manner and modify their policies accordingly, it needed. External corporate blogs do a similar service with those stakeholders who are external to the company by keeping them informed of developments in the company as well as giving them an opportunity to tell the management what they think and feel about the company and its products. Like the internal blog by giving customers the chance to connect with the management, a bond is formed that will translate into customer loyalty.