How Not to be Boring in Corporate Blog Writing – More Fortune 500 Examples to Follow

Last week, knowing that the last thing any of my Say It For You blog readers would want for their blog is to have it be labeled “BOR-ing”, I introduced five companies who made the list of Forrester’s Top 15 Corporate Blogs.

I examined ways in which we Indianapolis blog content writers might put those lessons to use.  And, while, as a corporate blogging trainer, I don’t necessarily agree with all of the picks, I think there are things to learn from the reasons Forrester gave for liking certain corporate blogs more than others.

37signals “rarely blogs about their products, instead devoting their blog content writing to sharing advice about business and other topics.” In offering business blogging assistance, I stress that valuable information highlighing the expertise and commitment of the business owner makes for more compelling reading than lists of claims.

Southwest Airlines (“Nuts about Southwest”) blogs about itself and the industry with a personal touch, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Corporate blog writing at its best allows readers to identify with the business in a personal way.  Remember, people want to do business with people.

Quicken Loans (Quizzle Blog) posts advice on understanding the home loan market. Blog content writers need to bring lesser-known facts to readers about the products and processes the company offers, and suggest new ways of thinking about things readers already know.

Accenture taps employees, who share insights on technology, hiring, and consulting.
In any SEO marketing blog, it’s valuable to involve all members of the marketing team, plus as many employees and stakeholders as you can.  Even if it’s not practical for them to write blog posts, their input can enrich the corporate blog immensely. 

Seagate‘s Marketing Manager Pete Seege writes fun posts, such as one about Batman’s storage requirements. In that vein, I advise using unlikely comparisons in business blogging. The new cheetah exhibit at the Indianapolis Zoo is a great example of helping your audience understand what you do by comparing the unfamiliar with the familiar. The sign at the zoo compares cheetahs to race cars, with the car chassis being the animal’s skeleton, the tires being like the claws, and the cheetah’s foot pads serving as brakes.
 
I said this last week, and I’ll say it again: The greatest business blogging help I can offer in corporate blogging training sessions is to urge blog content writers to let passion and energy shine through in the blog!

Whether you’re the business owner doing your own blog content writing, whether it’s a global manager such as Pete Seege, or whether you’re using a corporate blog writing service such as Say It For You –  humor, passion, and energy are never boring!