This is part 8 of a new series on how to start a business blog, and is aimed at businesses of all sizes. In these articles, I’m going to address business-specific concerns and requirements for business blogging. Previously: How to Start a Business Blog, Part 10
To Comment or Not to Comment
One of the most hand-wringing decisions a company has to make if it’s going to blog is how to handle comments. The thought of random people (some of whom are trolls and idiots) or even the competition showing up and leaving comments gives c-level types and lawyers hives. The first decision is whether to allow comments at all. There are many reasons not to, but absolutely none of them are as strong as the reasons why you should allow comments. Yes, there will be idiots who leave dumb comments. There will be trolls (people who deliberately leave nasty comments to incite you). There may be spies from your competitors. There will be unhappy customers.
Problems are Opportunities
None of these are reasons not to allow comments. Every one of them is an opportunity to show the world what great stuff your company is made of. Every customer service problem is an opportunity to prove yourself and cement your relationship with that customer further, which will cause positive word-of-mouth and lead to increased sales and loyalty. I know that there are some customers who will never be satisfied, no matter what, and they are a drain on your time and resources. Those customers should be “fired.” But for the most part, problems are opportunities to impress. And if you don’t believe that, then hang up your hat and go home, because you have no business being in business.
Comments and Blogging Go Together
My take is that if you’re going to blog, then you’re going to allow comments. Otherwise, don’t blog. Comments are a large part of what makes blogging special and appealing. Many companies have bravely entered the blogosphere allowing comments and reaped the benefits. Having comments shows you are listening. It shows that you care. And if you are smart, you will indeed listen and care and take some of those comments right to the bank in the form of fantastic suggestions and information that you would never get any other way. If anything, it is the lack of communication which has ruined reputations and sunk sales.
Craft a Comment Policy
But you’re going to need a comment policy. A comment policy informs your blog’s readers what is acceptable in comments and what is not. Comments which do not abide by the policy are to be rejected, and those that do–even if you don’t like what the commentor says–should be allowed. You absolutely must allow people to say negative things about your company and/or its products! If you don’t, nobody will trust you. Nobody will comment at all, because nobody will visit your blog. And then nobody will buy what you’re selling. Trust is one of the main forms of currency on the internet (attention is the other). Only allowing pleasant and praising comments or no comments at all kills trust.
What does a comment policy look like? You can use the one below as an example:
Comment Policy
All comments are moderated. Comments will be rejected for the following:
- Spam
- Blatant self-promotion
- Contains foul language, inappropriate sexual content, or hate speech
- Not relevant to the subject of the blog post
- Contains excessive links
- Is a customer service request or a question about your bill
While you are welcome and encouraged to comment on the blog and we value your participation, this blog is not a customer service center. We have avenues for customer service issues and billing. You can check out the FAQ or go to our help site for customer service issues.
Note that comment policy states that comments are moderated. Moderated comments do not appear on the blog until someone approves them. This gives you an opportunity to screen comments for violations of your policy before they appear on the blog. The usual points about spam, hate speech, and self-promotion are included in the policy. The last point about customer service and billing requests/issues is something that is specific to a business blog. Your company already has service and billing methods in place, and you don’t want the blog to be used for those purposes. If you’re going to blog, you had better have decent customer service available and easy billing resolution (see how blogging helps everything?).
Thank You!
This is the final post in the series on How to Start a Business Blog. There really is so much more I could say, not only in addition to what’s already been said, but about what happens during and after the launch of a business blog. This is such a broad and, at the same time, deep subject that I’ve had to only offer up some highlights in order to stay on track and not let this series get out of hand. I’ve got some great plans for expanding on this material and offering it in audio and ebook.
So let’s recap the series:
- Part 1 covers the basics and benefits of starting a business blog
- Part 2 is on determining the purpose of a business blog
- Part 3 is about choosing authors for a business blog
- Part 4 covers policy-making for business blogs
- Part 5 is about blog platform and website/blog integration
- Part 6 is a continuation of blog platform and site integration
- Part 7 covers business blog design considerations
- Part 8 is about how to choose blog categories for a business blog
- Part 9 tells you what you need to know about creating initial blog content in the pre-launch phase
- Part 10 was a very interesting look into business blog crisis management planning and its importance
Thanks, everyone, for hanging with me during this somewhat lengthy and ambitious series! I hope you found it beneficial. If you have any questions about business blogs, feel free to email me at michaelmartine@gmail.com or hit me on Skype at username michael.martine. You can always reach me through my contact page here, as well. If you enjoyed this series, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed.
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