The Write Stuff

How to turn a company blog into a content-marketing machine

Printing Machines


Companies that actively blog say that their posts generate a 52% lower cost-per-lead than their other marketing communications channels. And those who post something daily have a substantial number of higher quality (sales-validated) leads than less frequent publishers. So why aren’t there more hyper-active B2B blogs out there?

“We just don’t have the resources to devote to that kind of a publishing schedule,” a lot of technology folks will say.  Understandably. We hear you.  It’s a challenge.  There’s another way to think about the problem, however, than strictly as a labor-intensive issue.  And the upside is too good to dismiss out of hand, according to the observations of Jason Keath, a veteran reporter, editor and long-time social-media educator whose experience ranges from obscure start-ups to big names — think Nordstrom, Radio Shack, Pepsi and Ford.

Aside from intimate knowledge of what it is that turns on your customers/audience the most, there are three basic elements to transforming your blog into a killer content-marketing machine: contributors, content and editing:

1.  Build a bench of the right volunteer contributors because this is where all quality content begins.  Make a list of traits you’re looking for.  Product knowledge? Social networking presence? Industry authority? Customers?  Industry leaders?  Keath suggests checking out forums, other blogs, and websites where conversations happen, like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Quora. Look for people already talking/writing about the topics you’re interested in.  Yes, some bigger names will want to be compensated, but others may be quite happy with a link back to their blog and the idea of being read by your customers. If you have to come out of pocket, pay quickly. Be sure to recognize them with link-backs and Twitter follow buttons.  If you’re a big company and your contributors are employees, make sure the CEO knows who these people are and that they know the CEO knows — and cares). 

2.  Make it simple: suggest the subject matter or request that they come up with something they already care about and give them a clear deadline.  Get a firm commitment.  And make your editorial guidelines simple — no more than one page.  Spell out the most important things they need to know and point to your blog-post examples as models to emulate. Create an easy process based on editorial flow happening on your intranet, via email, or through your blog software.  Include this in your guidelines and make sure its understandable.

3.  Set high standards. As a content creator, you’ll be judged by the content you create.  No way around it. 

Have you made more frequent blogging a new year’s resolution?  If so, how do you intend to keep it?  What are your editorial plans in 2012?