We are finishing up our blog plan and one question we are struggling with is should it be a company blog where all of us blog (there are four of us, each would supply articles based on their area of expertise) or should we all set up individual accounts?
- an outsourced CFO & bookkeeping business owner
First, kudos to you for putting a plan in place before jumping in. It’s always better to begin with the end in mind (Covey) and this helps everyone know and understand, whether they are blogging or not, what direction the company is taking for one of the marketing tactics.
Second, this is actually not an easy answer. In a simple world, I would say everyone should play a part. However, I have known too many people all too well who freeze up at the mere thought of having to write a sentence, let alone an entire blog post. So here are a few things you can consider before making this decision.
1) How often do you plan to post? In your plan, did you decide how often you would post to your blog? Is it daily? If it’s daily, can just one person maintain this pace? I would determine if the schedule is possible with just one person or if it will take your entire team to contribute in order to reach your goals. You do not want to begin your blog with daily posts and then after the novelty wears off your posts do too. Remember one of the important aspects of marketing is consistency; this applies to blogs too.
2) Can everyone write? I have often said what’s painful to write is equally painful to read, whether that’s due to poor writing or a tough subject. When people don’t want to write or don’t write well, it shows. Assign a few topics and a word count cap and have your team go at it. Note how long it takes each person to submit their post and how well it may (or may not) resonate with your audience. Can you afford to have your whole team spending that amount of time on this activity?
3) Is it important for your audience to know your team? Determine if it’s valuable for your audience to know your team and what it is they should know. Some people need to work with companies with a solid bench for helping the team, others, don’t really care so much and are OK with the front man making it happen like the Wizard of Oz. Figure out if your clients/audience values knowing you have a solid team working for them or if they really just care about you, their main point of contact.
In a very general sense, I would have your team participate, I would blog daily and I would encourage each person’s gifts to come through. This is the true essence of what makes a blog great.
