Indispensable business tool or platform for narcissistic also-rans?

At first sight, Butler Sheetmetal, a metal basher in Colne, would not seem the most obvious company to have one of the hottest corporate blogging sites in the North of England. But the six-strong business is far better known in the blogosphere than in the stainless steel fabrication world because of its award-winning company blog – The Tinbasher.

It is among a small but growing number of North West companies that have started to experiment with blogs – web-based commentary sites usually written in a first-person, conversational manner – to connect with customers online and advance corporate communications and marketing goals.

The Tinbasher’s focus is to “let you know who the people behind the business are and what we do, but there’s also a few other metallic morsels thrown in for good measure. However, don’t let that stop you from getting confused by the occasional post that’s completely off topic.”

John Butler, who runs the family business with brother Matthew, make no bones about it. The reason his business gets noticed internationally, and receives mentions in national newspapers such as the Guardian and Times, has little to do with the quality of its stainless steel fabrication and everything to do with the Tinbasher, set up by Paul Woodhouse, John’s brother-in-law.

“Our Paul is a very clever lad”, says Butler, who believes that the often zany blog, which Paul now runs from the US, is the main reason why Butler Sheetmetal’s website is generating close to a third of new orders. “You do not have to be a giant company to have a successful blog”, says Butler.

Company blogs are increasingly common in the US with companies as varied as General Motors, Boeing, Sun Microsystems and South West Airlines maintaining active blogs filed by senior executives.

Technorati, a website which monitors blogging trends, estimates that there are over 100 million blogging sites around the world, and Edelman, an international public relations company, estimates that there are 56 million bloggers globally.

If Bob Lutz, General Motors’ vice chairman of product development, wants speedy customer feedback on GM’s latest model launch or new electric car strategy, he pens a piece for his corporate blog,
http://fastlane.gmblogs.com, and gets an almost instant reaction.

“In the US, the FastLane blog has clearly shown that feedback is not something to be worried about,” says Keith Childs, head of General Motors Europe’s social media newsroom. “Sometimes the feedback is hard to take, but it’s direct, delivered with passion and management do listen. If people are not commenting here they will comment somewhere else. It’s easier to engage in the conversation in your own space than maybe some other spaces.”

In politics, blogging is now widely accepted as being a critical source of information, debate and opinion which political parties ignore at their peril. But it is not hard to fathom why many companies are still reluctant to get involved when the reputations of well-known names, such as Dell, Royal Dutch Shell, HSBC and Starbucks have been damaged by well-orchestrated attacks from critical bloggers.

“The lesson everyone learns in Marketing 101 is ‘Control the message’. Blogging turns that on its head, and that can be very frightening”, says David Sifry, Technorati’s founder.

Richard Edelman, chief executive of PR firm Edelman and a regular blogger, actively encourages clients to join the corporate blogging fraternity. It helps them have a “direct conversation” with their customers, and this is what they need to earn their trust. “Admit an error. Fix a problem. Commit to doing better,” is Edelman’s advice.

Edelman’s wholehearted support for corporate blogging remains a minority view, especially in the North West where there is only a smattering of company blogs, hardly any of which evoke much reader comment.

Nevertheless, there are signs of life in the North West corporate blogosphere. A group of Stockport business advisers, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Hurst accountants and Gorvins solicitors, have recently set up a business blog aimed at Stockport’s entrepreneurs. Emma Harrison, the entrepreneur behind A4E, which runs schemes bringing long-term unemployed back into the employment market, is another active blogger.

However, Manchester-based Love, a creative “hotshop” specialising in ideas for advertising, digital and design, with clients including Nike, Playstation, and Umbro, is one of the few to be maximising the potential of its corporate blog.

When it faced another bout of takeover rumours recently, it relied on its blog not only to set the record straight but to do it in a way that communicated yet again that it is one of the smartest independent agencies in the North West.

“Our blog is a natural extension of how we operate”, says Jonathan Rigby, Love’s strategy partner. “Along with our Facebook page, Flickr, Twitter, Last FM – these are all ways that we share what we’re thinking, what we’re up to and what we’re into at any moment in time.

“Potential clients want to see beyond the corporate fluff. What you see is what you get, so if a client likes what they see and if we feel like an agency they’d like to do business with, then they call us. It saves clients a lot of time and hassle finding out what we’re like when we’re not on our best behaviour. Many creative agencies seem very closed off when it comes to their culture. If I was a potential client, I’d wonder what they’ve got to hide.”

The North West’s legal community has also begun to embrace blogging. Andy Booth, partner and head of creative industries at Manchester law firm Turner Parkinson blogs on MI7, a musicians’ community website. He recently won his first piece of legal work through the blog.

For companies considering blogging, there are three crucial factors to consider, says Booth: “Firstly, does the culture of the business support it? If management find it difficult to trust their staff, then blogging is going to be a constant source of anxiety.

“Secondly, do you know your audience well enough to talk passionately about the things that interest them most? If not, the blog will just come across as a cynical PR exercise. And thirdly, do you have time to update the blog regularly?

“It’s also important to bear in mind that a blog should be a two-way conversation. So if you’re not prepared and able to answer questions and maybe even respond to direct criticism, then the best advice is simply not to get involved in the first place.”

Mark Ellis, chief executive of Ellis Whittam, a Chester-based law firm provides fixed fee employment law and health and safety support to businesses across the UK, is another blogging convert.

“Most entrepreneurs in the North West are horribly busy dealing with the challenges of running and growing a business. However, I do think that those that don’t blog are missing a trick,” says Ellis. “We don’t have time to sit back and wait for the business to grow by word of mouth, old fashioned networking and referrals.”

Nevertheless, would-be corporate bloggers should be under no illusions. A blog on its own is not going to change the business or make the phone ring off the hook. A blog is only as good as the traffic that it gets.

“The key is to set up as many incoming links as possible, spread the word, make the blog interesting and update it as often as you can,” says Ellis. If you are prepared to be a little controversial you’ll get more publicity, he continues. When he suggested on his blog that it was time to abolish much of UK employment law, the idea was picked up by a national magazine and a Government minister was forced to reject it – all great PR for Ellis Whittam.

“Whether you are a specialist boat hire company, an ironmonger or even a Savile Row tailor, people are talking about you online so why not have your own say and join their conversations by launching your own corporate blog?” argues Paul Fabretti, client services manager at KMP interactive Marketing and Technology, a Stockport web consultancy.

Nevertheless, behind all the marketing hype there is one undeniable reason why the vast majority of blogs fail. “Ultimately, a good blog is good writing”, says Debbie Weil, a Washington-based consultant and author of “The Corporate Blogging Book”. And most CEOs, although they may find it hard to admit, are not good writers.

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