Yes.

That might make this the shortest blog post in the history of this blog.

But why?

Dammit. There is always that.

I had a conversation this morning with a startup executive who said, “I really think a blog would be good for us, but my CEO doesnt really agree. Given all of our other priorities, that has made blogging less of one.”

Blogging, I said, is an important part of the growth of a startup.

Why? he asked.

Dammit, I thought.

Several months back, I wrote what were my three rules of blogging. Here they are in brief:

1. Write as if no one is reading your blog (allows for openness and honesty);
2. Dont write on a schedule (allows for quality and enjoyment);
3. When you find yourself thinking “That would make a good blog post,” then you are a blogger (reduces pressure and provide a goal).

Look at those three in total. How do most companies think?

Those rules dont apply to the company:

• I HAVE to write as if someone is reading my words. I am writing to a specific audience.
• I HAVE to write on a schedule (to create consistency and expectation)
• I DONT get to choose what I write about. The market dictates that.

Most companies make the assumption that they know what they what their customers want to hear from them. It usually falls into a couple of categories:

• Press Releases
• Product Releases
• Pricing Changes

What companies fail to realize is that their customers would rather engage with them than be educated by them. What companies fail to realize is that they are PEOPLE and PEOPLE use their products or services. And, PEOPLE, like to engage with PEOPLE.

Engagement creates an expectation of reflection and communication. Take a look at my three rules again. Their primary purpose is to drive reflection by the writer.

At Lijit, we have a corporate blog that does it right (Thats right, Im proud of our corporate blog. Why? C’mon, we were such friends…).

We have four types of posts:

• Publisher Highlights (ex. The Wiz of Odds/The March of Madness)
• Product Highlights (ex. Ready…Set…Price!)
• Employee Highlights (ex. The World According to Pip)
• Thought Leadership (ex. Being the Center of Your Universe)

Tara Anderson, our Marketing Manager, manages the blog pretty simply. She will ask folks to write various posts at various times. While she facilitates the blog, we all own it. Everyone in the company. We all have logins. We all can write anything. We just have to coordinate the publication with Tara. (By the way, wondering who Tara is? Follow her on Twitter here or read her blog here or check out her latest late night gig here.)

Thats it.

Blogging has become so common place, and such a part of most people’s day, that a company that doesnt create transparency through their blog, actually creates the aura of opaqueness. Of not wanting to interact with their customers. Of hiding something.

So should a company blog?

The Harvard Business School wrote in 2005:

What [Bob] Lutz and other executives recognize is that a blog is an incredibly effective yet low-cost way to:

• Influence the public “conversation” about your company: Make it easy for journalists to find the latest, most accurate information about new products or ventures. In the case of a crisis, a blog allows you to shape the conversation about it.
• Enhance brand visibility and credibility: Appear higher in search engine rankings, establish expertise in industry or subject area, and personalize one’s company by giving it a human voice.
• Achieve customer intimacy: Speak directly to consumers and have them come right back with suggestions or complaints—or kudos.

Ignoring the existence and reach of blogs, says Heidi Cohen, principal of Riverside Marketing Strategies and an adjunct professor of interactive marketing at New York University, can leave a company vulnerable to serious damage. “With blogs, the ostrich approach doesn’t work,” says Cohen.

That Harvard school is pretty damn smart.

Why?

Don’t start with me.

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