Here’s an interesting fact: Research carried out by IBM in 2010 discovered that around 80 percent of corporate blogs fail to post more than five entries.

It’s not a statistic that surprises me. I’m always stumbling across company blogs that haven’t been updated in months. And I can understand why. Blogs are a great way for businesses and corporates to market their services, but they take a lot of work and effort. Many businesses just don’t have the time, or the resources, to fully commit to the project.

Here are five ways that corporate blogs often get it wrong:

Lack of consistency

Blog posts need to updated on a regular basis if they are to attract a loyal audience. When postings are infrequent, it reflects badly on the company, demonstrating a “can’t be bothered” attitude. Definitely not the kind of impression you want to make on potential customers.

Boring content

If a business is struggling to come up with new content ideas, their posts can often all end up sounding the same. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a little. Postings can take a huge variety of forms – from interviews to case studies, question and answer posts to how-to articles.

And content doesn’t have to be restricted to text. Photos, videos, charts and audio clips can all be used to great effect.

No content strategy

Often the biggest reason why postings are infrequent and boring! Don’t leave blog posts until the last minute – plan them ahead of time. Setting up an editorial calendar is imperative for effective blogging, enabling businesses to:

• Align blog content with other marketing campaigns, events and business activity.
• Ensure posts fit in with the overall marketing plan.
• Assign writing tasks to different members of staff.

Too much self-promotion

Yes, blogs are a marketing tool but strong sales tactics don’t do well in blog posts. The aim of a blog is to build a loyal readership, so concentrate on providing useful, interesting content. Gradually you’ll establish your business as a trusted authority, and when your readers do actually need your services, you’ll be the first person they’ll call.

Ugly formatting

Readers are drawn to well-formatted text, so aim to include lots of white space, easy to read fonts and clear headlines throughout your blog. To introduce consistency, decide on a format that every blog post will adhere to.

Have I missed anything? Do you know any other mistakes that could be added to this list? Leave a comment below.

About the Author: Emma Brooks is a New Zealand-based freelance copywriter and blogger. She works for clients around the world, delivering engaging, accurate content for corporate communications and online publications. Join her on twitter.

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