Using a Blog for Internal Audiences

Using the POST Planning Process

• People—

      Use Social Technographics Profile to decide what customers are ready for.

      Assess based on current activities, trends and procedures

•  Objectives—

      What are the goals?

How best to utilize the Groundswell: marketing or sales; tapping internally to unify
employees

•  Strategy—

      How do you want customer relations to change?

      Will customers help carry message?

      Do you want them to engage in the company?

§  Allows to plan for changes first

§  Get input from company members who feel threatened

• Technology—

What application should be built?
Pick appropriate tech incl: wikis, blogs, social networks, etc…

Writing in journals, diaries, or whiteboards has become outdated ever so rapidly as Web 2.0 emerges at full steam in a world dictated, persuaded and dissuaded by social commentary, and popular opinion. Blogging is the new journaling and is used by millions of people across the globe to express anything that the reader is interested in. The first item to tackle when you decide to begin blogging is to figure out your target audience. People Who are you appealing to? Is that group of people ready to experience the infinite blogosphere?

For the sake and ease of this exercise let’s decide our target audience to be our co-workers excluding senior leadership. The purpose of finding out the Technographic Profile is to make certain your are writing, and integrating employees who might be unsure about this technology shift. Be sure to pay special attention to those who are cautious around this idea of writing a journal online.

Continuing to make the blogging experience an ease and interesting it’s time to figure out the Objectives. Simply put: What is the purpose of the blog? Is it to educate on company practices? How about to entertain and create a light-hearted environment allowing a little enjoyment? Or is it just one author’s thoughts/musings/quirks?

I think that the underlying purpose of the majority of company blogs is to inform and educate the employees which many times can read drab-like. Why not have one small section for “411” information towards the back/end of the blog? In my experience, you obtain more favorable results by creating humor and entertainment for your co-workers.  Create contests, competitions, and shows/events and blast that in the blog. You would probably rather read about a Family Fun Weekend with chances to win prizes over reading an updated Privacy Policy or HIPPA Regulations. Am I right?

This is where the most important part of creating a blog rests. Well, really this is probably the most important part of any aspect of life or business. Creating a Strategy means deciding how the followers and listeners in your co-workership will function. The best way to put this blog up and get response is create interesting topics, stories, and engaging your loyal fans. If you give an opportunity of an open forum setting, you will have many more employees following, and even more importantly, responding, posting, hosting, and ghosting their friends.

In this process you must pick a technology. We obviously stayed with discussing blogs and how those can be used. I believe blogs—while costing a lot of time, energy, and creativity—are becoming fast the most used medium for social engagement. Whether you choose creating Wikis, Blogs, Social Medias, Chat platforms, texting, or virtual worlds: create something you enjoy! Create something imaginative, creative, and innovative that your friends and coworkers will be talking about by the end of the week!  But most importantly, 

Enjoy!