Big coporations like IBM, Apple and Sprint, all have corporate blogs where they discuss everything from new products and services to customer service issues. The problem is, a new Forrester Research report shows that few people actually believe what they read in these blogs, as written by Heather Green in her Business Week column. She says the report found that 16 percent of people following and reading company blogs trust what is being said by that company. She goes on to say this percentage is lower than other forms of company communications such as direct mail and company emails.
As a small business owner, you have a chance to create a blog that people can trust. A blog is an open forum. A place where people come because they know there won’t be a salesman standing at the door trying to blow hot air at you about everything involving the company. Think of a blog as a community center where all the members of the community gather to talk about anything and everything - with a degree of relevance about your company. But the minute you think you can control the blog, it’s no longer a blog but instead another place for you to spread propaganda. And this is when people lose trust in what they read.
So, what kind of content should you include on a blog? Feel free to talk about what you sell - but you better do it in a way that talks about both the good and the bad. And you must encourage your readers, customers and interested followers to have their voice, which is the most important part of the blog. Ask people what they think. Encourage them to post comments so they can talk to you and each other about certain topics. Eventually, people will have a better understanding about what you’re selling. It’s the softest sell in the sales toolkit.
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