Corporate Blogging
Enterprise blogs are
blogs published by or with the support of an organization to reach
that organization's goals. In external communications the potential
benefits include strengthened relationships with important target
groups and the positioning of the publishing organization (or
individuals within it) as industry experts. Internally blogs are
generally referred to as tools for collaboration and knowledge
management.
Enterprise blogs can be classified into six
different categories. Each category shares common characteristics and
the blog content can be expected to differ between the categories.
Furthermore, there're differences in terms of target groups and
purposes.
Enterprise
blogs can be external - sales blogs, relationsip blogs,
branding blogs) and internal (knolwedge blogs, collaboration blogs,
culture blogs).
The purpose of sales blogs is to market or sell products/services, make citizens aware of public services, get donations for charities or political parties etc. Such blogs are created and sustained by the organization itself, or more specifically by individuals within it writing on behalf of the organization. Target groups of sales blogs are (potential) clients/customers and citizens, that is persons and/or other organizations that are directly involved with the publishing organization, or those it wants to reach with the purpose above.
Relationsip blogs have the purpose of creating, upholding or strengthening relationships. Blogger: The organization itself, or more specifically individuals within it writing on behalf of the organization.
Target groups: Often smaller and more specified than with sales blogs. Examples are support blogs aimed at customers of a certain product, finance blogs for IR purposes, PR blogs for media, blogs trying to reach students, future employees, politicians/officials etc.
Branding blogs Purpose: To strengthen the brand, the profile, of the publishing organization or individuals within it. Blogger: Not necessarily the organization itself. Individual employees' or executives' blogging ("insider blogs"), if supported by the organization, can be viewed as a branding blog. The same goes for adverblogs and blogs that are not apparently connected to the organization. Target groups: See Relationship and Sales blogs.
Knolwedge blogs Purpose: To give employees information and insights relating to their work assignments; news, business intelligence, reports about ongoing projects etc. Blogger: The organization itself through one or more designated bloggers, or potentially all employees through a
entirely open blog publishing model. Target groups: All employees with a certain interest.
Collaboration blogs Purpose: To provide a working team with a tool for research, collaboration and discussion. Blogger: The team. Target group: The team. (There's only a fine line - if any - between this blog category and business wiki's. publications.)
Culture blogs Purpose: To strengthen organizational culture. Typically through informal content of social or non-work related character. Blogger: The organization itself through one or more designated bloggers, or potentially all employees through a entirely open blog publishing model. Target groups: All employees as employees, and not as professionals (developers, managers, assistants and so on).