Blogging for CEOs
By admin | September 15, 2008
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Take it from a top CEO Coach…Blogging for CEOs is becoming a bigger issue with each passing day. Today’s Myatt on Mondays question comes from a CEO who asks: “I’m interested in Blogging, but my board doesn’t want me to Blog…is Blogging effective for CEOs?” The discussion over whether or not CEOs should Blog is not a new one. The stance of the risk adverse is that there is little to be gained, but much to be lost with regard to CEO Blogging initiatives. Proponents of CEO Blogging believe the Blogosphere provides the CEO with the ultimate platform to evangelize the corporate brand, and to effectively communicate across multiple constituencies. In today’s post I’ll share my thoughts on the current state of Blogging as well as my argument in support of CEO Blogging initiatives…
Not only does Blogging work, but it works even better when the blogger has credibility. The farther up the org chart one resides, the more influence one possesses, and the more leverage one creates via Blogging. The simple truth of the matter is that there is such a thing as Blogging pedigree. I don’t really care how popular a Blog is, or what someone’s Technorati ranking is, but I do care about who they are and the position they hold. Call me a Blog snob if you will, but I’m not likely to be too interested in the opinions of an unkown blogger, but I am always interested in what a CEO of a company has to say…especially when the content is not in the form of a prepared speech, or the third party interpretation of the media.
It is important for those reading today’s Blog to understand that I eat my own cooking with respect to Blogging…I Blog because I know from more than 3 years of first-hand, in the trenches experience that it works. If you’re interested you can read a prior post entitled “Why N2growth Blogs” in which I explain why I Blog. To those of you reading today’s post who still haven’t seen the light, and believe that Blogs are either insignificant, or that the window of opportunity has passed with regard to Blogging, I put forth the following demographics as proof of the power of the Blogosphere as a medium:
- Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog.
- More than 147 million Americans use the Internet.
- Over 57 million Americans read blogs.
- 1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog.
- 89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years.
- 9% of internet users say they have created blogs .
- 6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog .
- Technorati is currently tracking over 112 million blogs .
- over 120 thousand blogs are created every day .
- There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day .
- 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs .
- 37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 or 2006 .
- 51% of blog readers shop online .
- Blog readers average 23 hours online each week .
If I haven’t convinced you yet, let’s look at what some other CEOs said about Blogging in a recent issue of Inc. Magazine:
- “More effective than any marketing budget for getting our name out there.”
- “Within 60 days of launching our blog, it is our top referral source.”
- “Results have been great - we had more than 100,000 visits in May alone.”
- “Our clients love it, and lots of people in our industry pay attention to it.”
- “The blogs are 50 percent of website traffic. Great participation.”
A main point of consideration for CEOs is that Blogs transform you from an uncaring corporate executive and turn you into a human being that people can relate to…they personalize you in a way that few other mediums can. They allow you to be proactive in your communications, or if needed, provide a rapid response to crisis. CEOs need to understand that Blogs drive revenue, increase personal and corporate brand equity, and create communications leverage.
Lastly, I want to remind you that Blog stands for Better Listings On Google. So, do I think CEOs should Blog? In a word; yes. It would be my strongest recommendation that if you’re a CEO who hasn’t established a Blog that you do so immediately. Few things can impact CEO Branding as quickly as lauching a CEO Blog. If you don’t know where to start, give me a call and I’ll help.
Topics: Blogging & Social Media, Myatt on Mondays |
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