Here’s how the Asia Pacific President of Ogilvy Public Relations, Christopher Graves, suggests companies approach the Blogosphere.

1. Start reading business blogs to get a sense of tone, voice and content. Familiarize yourself with blog search engines and monitors. Check out the blogrolls and trackbacks.

2. Plan with your communications counsel to decide whether you are looking for a blog to: raise company profile through positioning you as a thought leader; create buzz to raise company and brand awareness; be a sales tool talking to prospects and existing customers; communicate internally for project collaboration; use as an internal knowledge management tool.

3. Be comfortable in your own skin. “Do not try to be funny or wisecracking if that’s not you,” advises Graves, “since blogs are about being candid and ringing true.” It is better to be informal and personal, he says, but remain true to your own voice. Update frequently, even if briefly, and do not use a ghost blogger. Use loads of links to relevant information; remember — as a blogger you are the tour guide.

4.Write a company blogging policy (use the models in this paper).

5. Choose a publishing platform. While using a community, commercial and Web-based service such as LiveJournal or Xanga or MSN Spaces, “it’s not appropriate for a corporate blog,” suggests Graves. He advises using either a hosted professional service such as Typepad or even better, if your IT department is up to it, use software on your own server such as Moveable Type or Word Press or Radio Userland.

6.Make sure your trusted communications counselor holds a briefing session with your team so everyone understands the key points, the goals, the ground rules and the risks.

7.Make sure the blog is promoted via search engines and other blogs.Mutual links, or blogrolls, are the way to network in the blogosphere.

8.While influencing key bloggers may be a sound strategy, approach this with extreme caution and transparency.
The blog world punishes top-down tactics or undisclosed co-opting of bloggers.

Download The Executive Blogger's Guide to Building a Nest of Blogs, Wikis & RSS

Pdf format, 2.8mb, 17pages.

Author: Christopher Graves, President, Asia Pacific, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.

Chris joined Ogilvy PR in early 2005 after 23 years in business news. He spent the last 18 years with Dow Jones on both the editorial and business sides. He was one of the founders of Wall Street Journal Television, Managing Editor of Asia Business News (ABN), Vice President of News and Programming for CNBC Asia, Vice President of News and Programming for CNBC Europe, Managing Director of Business Development (EMEA & Asia) for Dow Jones Consumer Electronic Publishing (WSJ.com), and Managing Director of Far Eastern Economic Review.

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Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide is an international communications firm and part of the WPP group. Our proven ability to design and deliver successful campaigns, find creative solutions to challenging communications assignments and exceed client expectations has earned us a reputation as a valued partner and industry leader.

We are honored that The Holmes Report recently named us "International Agency of the Year" for our work conducted in 2003. This marks the fourth year in a row that Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide has been awarded with Agency of the Year status (2002 Network of the Year Asia Pacific, PR Week; 2001 Agency of the Year, PR Week; and 2000 Agency of the Year, The Holmes Report).

Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide is headquartered in New York, with more than 60 offices located around the world. In the United States, we have offices in Atlanta, Cambridge, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco and Washington, DC. In the EAME region, we have 30 offices, with major hubs in London, Paris, Madrid and Dubai. In the Asia-Pacific Region, we have more than 20 offices in key locations including Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney and Singapore.

The expertise of our staff allows us to offer a full range of communications services within seven global practices: Consumer Marketing, Corporate, Healthcare, Social Marketing, Public Affairs, Technology and Entertainment.

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