I recently wrote about the importance of corporate blogging. In the post, I mentioned 5 companies that have built exemplary corporate blogs. Each blog works for its company and their audience, for various reasons related to the company’s products, it’s customers, and their overall culture. Discussed in further detail, the following 5 blogs are truly examples of a corporate blog, done right:
Kodak has multiple authors for their posts, allowing employees from across the United States to have a voice on the blog. This gives readers varied content from many different points of view. Of course, they feature a lot of amazing photography. Some they create themselves, and others they receive from reader submissions, which gives their readers a chance to interact and be recognized. Also, their types of blog posts are of a great variety – images, photographing tips, case studies, corporate office news, personal stories etc. – yet they all still tie seamlessly back into the brand.
2. Southwest: Nuts About Southwest
Southwest’s blog feels like a continuation of their homepage, creating a seamless transition for their customers. The design and branding is consistent throughout, which is a huge plus when including a blog on an already existing website. The written content is witty and entertaining, which also fits with Southwest’s larger marketing persona. Lastly, and one may say most importantly, all of the information is extremely relevant to the brand: travel news & tips, travel videos, Southwest deals, their presence on third-party ticketing sites, company updates & awards, etc. The blog therefore becomes a one-stop shop for all things Southwest, and is a pleasurable read to boot.
3. WordPress: Just Another WordPress Weblog
While the WordPress corporate blog is simple in design, and doesn’t have any extra bells and whistles, it serves the company’s purpose well. WordPress users can utilize the ‘WordPress Blog’ as a means to stay up-to-date on the platform’s releases, helping to improve your own blogs. They also provide many tips and blogging ideas from a number of employees, again giving many people a voice and providing relevant and useful information for WordPress users.
The Whole Foods blog covers more than just the food and products they sell – it’s creates a sense of community that was carried over from the sentiment of the Whole Foods Markets themselves. Not your typical grocery blog, they cover their (awesome!) food offers, but also discuss many other topics that are important and relevant to their corporate mantra and culture: going green, recipe ideas, bake-offs, holiday events, and cooking tips to name a few.
5. Zappo’s: The Zappos.com Family Blogs
The Zappos.com blog name itself is a great indication to why this is a strong exa
mple of a corporate blog done right. The company is known for having a ‘family’ atmosphere, and being a casual and fun place to work – referring to the blog as a company ‘family’ blog simply furthers that. In the same vein as their recently initiated advertising campaigns, they post funny videos from their employees, which still stress how much they value their customers. They also strive to give the readers an inside look at the corporate offices and how employees interact, reinforcing how fun the company actually is!
What’s your favorite company blog? Share with us!
