Blogging is creating a media buzz.  At first, I didn’t get it.  Never an early adopter (I got my first Blackberry only two years ago) I was skeptical.  Would corporate executives read them?  I still have no idea whether they do.  But someone is reading them.  And, it turns out, corporate executives are writing them.  

So I thought for this very first posting it would be fascinating to just consider whether a blog is a GOOD way for a leader to communicate.  What is the return on the investment for the busy executive? I went looking for answers. 

I came across a Backbonemedia.com survey.  www.backbone.com They talked to bloggers at hundreds of companies and claim corporate blogs are living up to the hype, “giving established companies and obscure brands the ability to connect with their audiences on a more personal level”  The survey found blogs allow companies to build trust, collect valuable feedback and foster strengthened business relationships.” 

A blog is a “happening” way to build your personal brand as a leader, as well as the brand of the company.  After all, even if you’re not an “early adopter” writing a blog is still, at a cocktail party, considered pretty hip.  Someday the novelty will probably wear off.  But you can still impress your friends if you have a blog.

More important, it could be a great way to show you’re a leader and a thought leader.  When you write fresh stuff, people are interested.  If you’re the CEO or a C-level executive, people actually are interested in what you have to say.  So this is a great way to say it, on your own terms.  It’s immediate.  It feels less “edited” than any other media.  And, readers know when they go to your blog that you’ve just been there.  (Or not).  It’s almost like shaking your hand.  It’s a kind of access to your brain.

There are the tangible returns like increased sales, partnerships and business opportunities.  Many companies say it’s real.  I don’t know yet because we just started.  That’s for the marketing department.  For now, let’s focus on you, the leader.

Should you start a blog?  There are the downsides.  You have to keep it fresh.  But in my mind, that’s a good thing.  A blog allows you to speak in your authentic voice and style, about timely issues. 

Which brings up another point.  You really should write it yourself.  If you don’t write it then for heaven’s sake, make sure it is written by someone who has a Vulcan mind meld with yours.  Even then you should review it before it is posted.  Authenticity is so important to a leader… it’s your credibility … you want people to trust you.  Anyone who knows you will be able to tell in a ninnie-nano of a second whether you actually wrote the thing. 

Of course you have to size up starting a blog against your overall strategy.  But as a leader, you might find it is a fast, easy way to get a message out.  Not only could it improve your search engine rankings and generate PR, it could define your leadership—by presenting your thinking in a fresh, interesting way.   

So, that’s why I will blog.  And maybe that’s why you will blog.

~ Suzanne

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