by Karen Rynes, Director of Marketing

I read a couple of great posts yesterday by Mack Collier at The Viral Garden and Marketing Profs DailyFix that address the power of the blog and social media to impact your company's image -- and, in particular, customer service.

The gist is this: when it comes to serving your customer, you'd better make a genuine effort to listen to your customer to ensure they are happy, otherwise it could cost you MUCH more in the long run.  In other words, don't just provide lip service (or a coupon) -- do what is best for the customer (if at all possible) instead of simply what is easier or cheaper for the company.

Collier hits it on the nose in a response to a comment made to his post, saying "I think the problem is, too many retailers focus more on teaching the associates how to take the customer's money back to management, and not their feedback."

In the not-so-distant past, one unhappy customer would tell 5 friends about their experience, and those 5 people would each tell another 5, and so on...until as a result, you had MANY people who chose not to patronize your business based on the experience of one person who they probably didn't even know personally!  Now take that phenomenon and multiply it by infinity, and you realize the power that a single negative blog post could have instantaneously!  It could cost you tens, hundreds, thousands or more in potential sales because of the power of the Internet.

This subject also ties back in with 2 of my previous posts (The Art of Listening and Blogging is a 2-way Street) as Collier says, "The smart companies are the ones that will take an active role in listening, and even participating in the existing conversations within their community."

I'm not living in a dream world.  I realize that it is virtually impossible for every single customer to walk away a happy one (some people simply cannot be satisfied, no matter what you do)...but we need to avoid enabling the snowball rolling downhill that could result when your effort is not your best effort.  Think about it.

If you'd like to read more about blogging for your company and to view all segments in my ongoing Social Media Series, click here.

By Karen Rynes, Director of Marketing

Happy New Year!  My resolutions this year include the usual suspects...lose a few pounds, exercise more, spend more time with friends, read more -- which is no easy feat with a 12-month old baby who is on the verge of walking & is getting into EVERYTHING!

My resolutions also include a pledge to listen more & learn from what I hear.

As I've said before, blogging is conversational -- it's about people & relationships.  One of the important aspects of business blogging is not only posting to your company blog and sharing your own knowledge or observations, but to listen & respond to what others are saying about you & your industry.

Mike Sansone, on his Converstations blog, posted a great list of tools back in September to help you "eavesdrop" on the conversations happening in the blogosphere.  A couple of items to note from his list are:

1. Use a Feed Aggregator, such as GreatNews or NewsGator, to monitor RSS feeds
2. Set up free Technorati blog searches using your own keywords & tags
3. For the full list go here

Thanks for coming back to check out my Social Media Series this year!  In case you missed it during the holiday craziness, my Dec. 18th post touched on a really thought-provoking subject:  Should companies control what you blog about and/or require confidentiality agreements...even for personal blogging?  What do you think?  I'd love to hear (see...I'm listening!) and learn from your thoughts & opinions on this sure-to-be-controversial topic.

Also, you can review ALL the segments in my ongoing series here.  You'll find that while some of these posts are a couple of months old, they're still current as they communicate best practices.  And, if you haven't read them yet...they're new to you!

By Karen Rynes, Director of Marketing

Blogging is about people and relationships.  The biggest thing to remember about the blogosphere is that many conversations are happening among many people.  Writing on your own blog lets you voice a view.  And, if you allow comments on your blog, you can get a two-way conversation going there.  But that is not enough.

The key to successful blogging is to join in the conversation by not only posting to your own blog but posting comments at and participating in other blogs.  You'll evolve from being a blogger who posts to being a blogger who participates in bringing both sides together...and become an active member of the community.

Doesn't this sound like relationships in real life?  That's why I said that blogs are about people!

As Liz "ME" Strauss at Successful (& Outstanding) Blog(gers) puts it, "Visiting a blog is much like stopping by a neighbor's house.  It's a cordial way to let the owner know that you stopped by.  If you've stayed long enough to read something, leaving a comment is a nice gesture and a relationship-building act.  It's like leaving your calling card on a business call or leaving a note at the house of a friend."

Reading and commenting on other blogs provides many benefits.  You can:

• Get to know new colleagues
• Stay relevant on industry news
• Learn new tips
• Increase traffic at your blog
• Enlist new customers
• Find content to post on your blog
• And much more!

Additionally, you also need to respond to comments that appear on your own blog even if it is a simple "thanks for the comment."  This will show your readers that you are listening and value their comments, which will make them come back again...and again.  And with that, you have started a relationship!

This week, I encourage you to take the time to visit, read & comment on at least 3 new blogs.  You'll get the satisfaction of sharing a few of your own opinions and you'll also probably gain a few new readers!

Thanks again for tuning in to this ongoing series on Social Media that I post every Monday.  In case you missed it, here's last week's post on honesty & full disclosure.

P.S.

• For more about commenting on blogs, check out what else Liz "ME" Strauss has to say about Comments & Comment Policies.
• Back in October, Mack Collier of The Viral Garden decided to "walk the walk" and lead by example to fellow bloggers by posting "100 Comments" in under a week!  He runs a very popular marketing blog centered on the community...and commenting is definitely a community-building tactic.  Here's the post.

By Karen Rynes, Director of Marketing

While it seems like the subject is a bit heavy to digest along with 4 days' worth of turkey leftovers, ethics and full disclosure is a hot topic in the blogosphere these days.  It would seem to me that full disclosure and transparency would be a given.  In blogging, just as in journalism, you are publishing your words to the world, therefore, some of the same ethical policies can & should be applied to blogging. 

 By definition, full disclosure in journalism refers to disclosing the interests of the writer which may bear on the subject being written about.  For example, as a reader, you should be aware that you are reading this post on the Jaduka corporate blog and I am an employee of Jaduka.  Obviously, content & opinions generated in this blog are going to be associated with Jaduka company interests.   

By the same token, if I am commenting on another blog, especially if it is in regards to a subject, industry or product within Jaduka’s niche, in the interest of full disclosure I should identify myself & association in my comment…which I always do.

 A blogger's code of ethics includes these 3 policies:  

1. Disclose conflicts of interest, affiliations, activities and personal agendas.
2. Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence content. When exceptions are made, disclose them fully to readers.
3. Be wary of sources offering information for favors. When accepting such information, disclose the favors.

You can go on for days on the subject of ethical blogging, but the bottom line here is…you’ll never go wrong if you are HONEST!  It is the ONLY policy!

Please check back next week, when I’ll be talking about joining the conversation & commenting on other people’s blogs.  Not only is participating in others’ blogs important to stay relevant on your industry & field, it’s also a great way to meet new colleagues…even mentors.  And of course, feel free to comment if you have any input, tips, posts or articles.  And for those who may have missed them, here's Part 1 and Part 2 of my Social Media Series (in which I discussed "blog writing" tips).  Have a great week!

 P.S. You can check out more on the subject of full disclosure by reading Lorelle VanFossen’s post on Full Disclosure on Corporate & Commercial Blogs or WOMMA's Ethics 20 Questions.

By Karen Rynes, Director of Marketing

Welcome back to my series on best practices for Social Media.  As I stumble & stroll through the blogosphere, I’ve found that the 10 blog writing tips I’m covering have been really helpful to a newbie like me.  It takes time to navigate your way through this new medium and finding great lists of tips & tricks helps to make that progress more productive.

To continue last week's post on bettering your blog posts, here the final 5 writing tips that I’ve compiled which will help you write better posts--and as a result better communicate with your readers!

1. Graphics are good: People love pictures! Not only do graphics add some context and pizzazz they also make your post more interesting and readable (just check out my great graphic up above). You can use illustrations, photos and even logos—it all depends on what is relevant to your post. Just be sure, however, if the images don’t belong to you, that you review any copyrights that apply as and to always credit the source of the graphic.
2. Give a lot of “link love”: The blogosphere is most valuable not because of blogs, but because of people…so, if you read something interesting on another blog, give a "shout out" to your fellow blogger by linking to them through your posts. For instance, I found a great read on blog writing tips from Darren Rowse over at Problogger.
3. Review and read: Not only does reading other blogs keep you informed, it also helps your own writing. By reading others’ work you can see how various writing styles and delivery connects (or doesn’t) with readers—I’ll cover this more in an upcoming post, but keep in mind that blogging doesn’t just mean posting to your own blog but also reading and commenting on other blogs.
4. Use key words: Every industry has keywords that are part of the lingo. Include key words and phrases into your writing so that other readers who are searching for material (and who use those key words in their searches) can easily find your post.
5. Tag your Posts: Tags are key words, phrases or names that are a theme in your post. For example, if I were writing about one of my company’s products I would tag my post with the name of my company (“Jaduka”), the name of the product (“Click-and-Connect”) and the industry category (“voice-enabled web communications”). As you see below, I tag this post with “social media” and “blog writing”. This way when readers type these words into a search engine like Technorati they can easily find this very post.

In case you missed it last week, here are the first 5 tips. Once you start blogging regularly you won’t even need this list as you’ll be a pro in no time! I’ll cover more best practices next week--please do stay tuned. As always, if you have any great tips, posts or articles, please share them through the comments so that both myself and all readers can benefit.  Happy Thanksgiving!

By Karen Rynes, Director of Marketing

Despite the fact that I am working for what is considered to be a start-up, new technology enterprise, I still feel like a dinosaur in the web 2.0 world. Without giving away my exact age (a lady never does!), I am one of the generation who actually attended college in the early 80’s without the use of a computer – much less having my own!

Those were days of using a typewriter to do your term papers or signing up & waiting your turn to use the word processor in the computer lab. I’ve tried to block it out, but I still remember those good old days taking the Basic and COBOL programming courses (required for my business degree) complete with flow charting & punch cards.

Fast forward to 2006 and here I am as Marketing Director working with a team who is integrating new technology and tools into our communication efforts. As with the rest of the world, much of social media is new to us…especially blogging. In an effort to get myself up-to-speed and in the swing of using all these great new tools and technologies—like blogging, social networking and podcasting—I’m launching a multi-part series of best practices that will air here weekly, each Monday.

One of the best practices in business and blogging is what is called “full disclosure”. In fact, transparency is not only valued in the blogosphere, it’s expected. On that note, I fully disclose this: my series is intended to help YOU learn as much as it is to help my company and me…so we’ll all be learning together!

The #1 question our company’s staff, and me, had at the outset of blogging is: How do I write a good post? In order to answer this I’ve done some research and compiled 10 tips, this week I’m focused on the first 5, namely:

1. Focus!: While blogs are more informal than a newspaper article, business blogs aren’t a personal diary so you need to keep your reader in mind—keep focused and stay on topic. Many blogs are dedicated to one specific topic while others explore a range of topics in a given industry or field. Whatever your preference, just remember to stay on topic and keep your focus.
2. Have a GREAT title: You know how newspapers and magazines use attention-getting headlines to encourage readership? Your title should let the reader know the value they’ll receive from reading your piece. You could create a descriptive headline (e.g. “Social Media Series”) or one that explains the benefit readers will receive (e.g. “Better Your Blog Writing!). For this post, I opted to use a headline that married both the description and the value.
3. Add personality: Share interesting and valuable information with your readers but add some of your own personality. After all, everyone has their own personality and writing style.
4. Bullets are helpful: Whenever you’re listing information, like statistics or even this list I’m doing here, use bullets. It’s a great way to keep your post organized and “neat” for your readers.
5. Don’t go on…and on: There really are no rules as to how long your post should be, it depends on the subject you’re writing on and the information you need to communicate. The best “rule of thumb” here is to provide the information and, when appropriate, your views and then to end thereafter. Hey, we’re all busy people and there are a LOT of blogs to read!

So, in an effort to follow my own advice above about not blathering on for too long, I’ll end here and continue this by posting the final 5 tips next Monday. In the meantime, if you have any great tips, posts or articles, please share them through the comments so all readers can benefit. Happy writing!

P.S.: Here is a great "blog writing mantra" by Mike Sansone as well as "Ten Tips on writing a successful blog" by Robin Good here.