Online Marketing Blog - Latest Comments in 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

ccolell — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:15:22 -0000

Yes, but what do you think it should be done ? Maybe even having a good CMS and effort to write nice content, the ROI it is hard to see because at this moment, there are so many blogs that it is very dificult to atract visitors attention.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Clara James — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:52:55 -0000

Here are some reasons some of people give for letting their blogs fail:
Not getting many comments, Not enough subscribers, Didn't see any increase in traffic to their website, Too hard to come up with new content every week, Couldn't figure out how to promote their products and service......etc..

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Michele — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:01:37 -0000

This post although short and precise is a big help to me. But, I'm struggling with creating representative indicators. I've outlined the objectives, strategies and tactics being in line with your recommendations. But what would be S.M.A.R.T. enough to establish whether the blog is a success? I've all analytical indicators on traffic, comment, feed etc. - is there anything else I could consider?

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Content Rich - Jon W — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:46:52 -0000

Excellent advice for all businesses. Blogs take a lot more time that many company execs realize. Goals should most definitely be set in order to achieve success.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Jan Simpson — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:08:34 -0000

Good post - I guess my question would be back to the corporations:

1. One if you are blogging - then you are marketing or adding to your brand awareness and educating your potential new customers.
2. If you are marketing, then you would need to hire full time marketing bloggers that keep up with the posts and you will need to hire full time consultants that help with the strategies, implementation and are liaisons to the rest of the company
3. Why on earth - would corporations not see this - is it because bloggers didn't identify themselves as marketeers?

Seems like a major oversight - and an identity crisis.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Jennifer Haubein — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:26:55 -0000

Great post! I help small business owners get their blogs and email newsletters up and running and what I've found is they are usually abandoned due to lack of time and writing resources. One tip I could give is to repurpose your articles i.e. post them on your newsletter, blog, and article directories. This way you are getting great mileage out of your articles and writing.

Here's to your online success,

Jennifer Haubein

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Debra Lothrop — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:15:51 -0000

I am a new start up business, so reading this information about blogging is great. Thank you for sharing that.
I am also new to the "blogging" community and only maintained one on on a website called "Cafe Mom's". It truly is a lot of work.
Key word, "Delagate".
Thank you.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Douglas Karr — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:50:40 -0000

I would think the #1 reason would be 'lack of transparency'. Blogs that sound like Marketing are not effective because they lack the personal interaction between the company's blogger and the writer. Blogs are for building relationships, not building marketing spin.

I'd recommend that companies that are looking to find resources seek out Compendium Blogware. They have both the strategy and the application that companies need to blog successfully.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Fione - internet marketing asi — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:23:53 -0000

Yes, sometimes the team or person in charge of the company's blog might not even know or be aware of the reason behind starting a business blog.

Most will just end up reporting on company products and then not giving in valuable information in their blog articles.

Lee, your example of "Ferrari" out of gas haha, that's funny. But maybe some companies just like to display their Ferraris without driving it. Therefore ending up with bosses who are proud to say that "Hey we've got a company blog too" (even though it's not been updated for 8 months)

Regards,
Fione
http://www.eOneNet.com

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

George — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:07:39 -0000

Not to mention that most people (myself included) just get so busy sometimes and don't update it as often as they should. Great post!

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Lee Odden — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:25:43 -0000

Thanks for the comment Chris. Who blogs and resource/content allocation are real issues for organizations with staff that are spread thin and unfamiliar with the nuances of blog writing and interaction.

Even after you remove most or all technical barriers to entry, there are still execution issues to be dealt with or the blog ends up like a Ferrari out of gas.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Lee Odden — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:21:47 -0000

Thanks Peter, that case study was VERY useful, well done. Too bad they had to stop.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

petergold99 — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:18:00 -0000

Lee

We set-up an internal blog for a large high street UK retailer as the CEO wanted to 'connect' with his 20,000 employees. Although he did not initially see a blog as the answer he agreed to give it a go and we agreed on a 3-month pilot with some clear measures and objectives.

Within 6 months they had 1,000+ visitors/day (record was 3,500) and the blog split into 'Business' and 'Staff Q&A'. It was a real success and they have even added a 3rd blog for a specific (large) part of their business. All 3 blogs are 'linked' and promote each other sharing data etc.

The CEO would not be without his blog; even ringing in to ask why Typepad was down (rare), how many visitors etc.

WHY DID IT SUCCEED

The CEO owned it.
They listened and shared even the 'negative' questions.
They were honest i.e. recognised the issue and were prepared to say they could not fix it - yet.
They delivered i.e. fixed problems that were staff issues e.g. we've been waiting 9 mths to have our air con fixed; they fixed it in weeks.
They asked for ideas and suggestions on product launches etc.

The bottom line was that the employees saw a real difference so interest grew because it was worth it.

The PA and her team spent 1-2 hours/day managing the blog but they also felt it was worthwhile and enjoyed seeing the activity grow. Unfortunately, it was called Fred's Blog (not his real name) so now he has left, it has stopped for the time being. They do plan to start again but maybe with an internal social network.

Hope this is useful.

Peter

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Chris Baggott — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:32:22 -0000

Great comments, Perhaps there are two other points here that have not yet been made.

In your opening paragraph you mention IT setting up a blog. We see that as roadblock number one. Pick a SaaS vendor so that all right tools are in one package and don't require any IT resources standing between desire and success.

You are spot on with regard to goals. SEO and Conversion are the easiest to measure and what's great about blogging is that you can track your effectivness. The issue about who blogs (creates content) should be moot by now. The idea of one blogger or a top down C-level blog is giving way to the model put forth by Richard Edelman in this years Edelman Trust Barometer:

"It's clear that when it comes to traditional authority figures – whether they're chief executives or heads of state – people trust them less," says Mr. Edelman. "Employees are the new credible source of information. We have data that shows an employee blog is five times more credible than a CEO blog – and I say this as a CEO blogger."

By engaging widespread employee participation. You spread the content creation burden and thereby generate more content...and the best part according to Edelman (and my experience) is you get the kind of content that visitors want and trust.

Chris Baggott
CEO
Compendium Blogware
www.compendiumblogware.com

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Lee Odden — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:11:13 -0000

Plenty of great feedback on the post, thanks and I am glad it was useful. Jumping after every new "shiny object" marketing tactic without planning dooms the effort to failure. Then the marketing channel gets a bad rap because "it doesn't work".

I'm working on the follow up to this post and it should go live Tues am, "5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Succeed"

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Ali Sales — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:19:39 -0000

Great insight. I think your first point about not having a clear objective is the biggest point of failure.

As a corporate blogging software provider (Compendium Blogware), we only partner with organizations and businesses rather than individuals who are blogging for citizen journalism.

What's shocking is the number of organizations that approach corporate blogging with a citizen journalism mindset.

The basics are that the same objectives that apply to ANY marketing activity that you engage in should also apply to your blogging program.

If you don't have an objective, how do you measure, evaluate, and get better?

It's refreshing to see others who believe that the goal comes first and foremost. Great post!

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Stacy Karacostas — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:08:48 -0000

Although this post is aimed at corporate bloggers, I really think the same points and suggestions hold true for small businesses. However, I think this biggest specific to small business hurdles specifically are:

They don't start their blog with a purpose, instead they do as one commenter posted and decide to start one because they heard it was a good idea.

They don't make posting content regularly a priority. Most entrepreneurs I've run into have done the same thing with their blogs that they've done with that e-newsletter...Written one or two posts then run out of time.

Of course, many could avoid this fate simply by outsourcing their blogging to a ghostwriter or Virtual Assistant, or if their business is big enough, one employee who likes to write and is a bit techie.

Even a professional copywriter like me sometimes struggles to write 2-3 posts a week (what I consider the bare minimum). But I love getting the conversation started on what's working and not working in marketing for other small businesses. You can see what my community has been talking about at http://www.marketing-junkie...

Thanks for the words of wisdom for all businesses trying to make their mark on the Web!

Stacy

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Aaron Weiche — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:52:16 -0000

I definitely encounter the meetings where the client wants to be part of the "blog buzz" but has no idea what it can, should do or will do for them. Then you combine their fear of reader comments and interaction and I have to chuckle a bit. So many businesses fear a two way street of communication! :)

Participation in the world of blogs is where I ask clients to start. Showing them how to search, find and interact with blogs related to their industry gives them a better idea on what is involved, possible goals and the power of the conversation. Great list of "issues" Lee.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

nicole — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 09:31:22 -0000

we just started a blog on ip cameras, and the hardest part is trying to get readers, esp for such a specific thing. our other blog is doing well, but this one, I'm just trying to crack the industry as best as I can through building relationships. It's also a very young industry. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Nick Sowden — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:55:32 -0000

Great post Lee. I've taken your advice already; my first exploit into blogging has now decided on a focus point. My experience using social media to marketing with no budget. Follow along at www.NickSowden.com Thanks.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Mark Jeffries — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:34:22 -0000

Love all this content - spot on.

Another idea - when starting a blog or series of podcasts - give yourself a huge early start. With a nice little stockpile of content ready to go, you will enjoy the luxury of time as you continue to build your message.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Barry Hurd — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:13:52 -0000

I really have to agree on the comment mechanism section. Comments and conversation make a blog an evolving entity. Comments also feed the great SEO Monster looking for fresh and up-to-date content.

"For the same reasons people hire guides on jungle, mountain or desert excursions, businesses can realize the benefits of blogging more efficiently and cost effectively when working with a capable consultant."

Having been a mountain guide myself when I was younger, I have actually said this same line many times over. There are simply some things that you cannot do for yourself. You cannot blow your own horn... and while you can learn from your own mistakes, it is usually a lot less painful to learn from someone else's.

I also agree on the resource allocation. I would have to say every single client I have dealt with (or at least 99%) greatly underestimated the amount of effort, time, skill, and talent it took to launch and cultivate a business blog. Most of my professional contacts look at me in disbelief when I tell them how many words per day I actually type for my own blog and other client sites.

If I had to add a "6th Reason" to this list, it would be that "Support for the idea from the top didn't exist"

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Charles — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 08:16:36 -0000

I agree with each of the points above and ultimately it comes down to a lack of planning. All business blogs should have a content strategy, and a clear idea of who will research and write posts, which includes setting aside enough time for this to be done.

The benefits of building a popular business blog are huge but all too often poor planning means that business blogs just end up being a timeline of company announcements.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

CCoyne — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 08:12:23 -0000

@robert john ed - I hear your point loud and clear. This is precisely why I believe company executives should be (at least partly) responsible for maintaining a company blog. For an individual in the marketing department who has been charged with the task of "setting up" a blog, it is likely just one more thing for them to do. They may have a passion for marketing, but if they don't care about the product, service or industry they'll be writing about, the blog just won't do well. Companies have to get the people who care the most (or have the most at stake) to participate for a blog to be successful.

Re: 5 Reasons Why Business Blogs Fail

Kris — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:19:04 -0000

This is excellent. Thank you for the informative post! I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what else you have to say.

Thanks again!
Kris