I think we must all agree that a business blog or corporate blog may not be for every business out there. While a corporate blog can help to build a good reputation for the company and help the company to get in touch with its customers, there are some key issues to iron out before you get started on a corporate blog.

Here are some things to consider.

1. Objective of your blog

You want your readers and customers to come to your blog once, and then be forever glued to it, checking back everyday, right? That’s the ideal situation, because you want them to hear and give feedback on what you have to say. So what are the topics you want to talk about? What do the customers want to hear? While it may be nice for you to write about what’s happening in office everyday and how what you are doing aligns to your corporate vision, what some readers are looking for may be stories of how others have informatively used your product, for example.

You need to know what gap your blog wants to fill. You need to know the objective of blogging! Please don’t turn your readers away by giving them stuff they could not care less for.

2. Have a good grasp of your blogging software!

There are heaps and truckloads of blogging software out there, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. So which one will you use for your business blog? Actually, it does not really matter which platform you choose – it is more important that you have a good grasp of the one you choose! If you choose Blogger, make sure you know how to use it well. If you are using WordPress, again, make sure you know how things work!

Its easy to get started on a blog. Blogger can get you started in 10 minutes or less! But, its not easy to get a professional looking one! You could use the default templates for the blog engine, but you must know what is on your blog. For example, you need to know how to at least edit the default blogger template, so that you can get rid of the “Edit-me” links on the sidebar by default. You need to know how to make sure the author’s bio shows what you want to show!

Remember, while search engines search for text, the visual appeal is necessary for human visitors.

3. Optimize your blog for search engines

I’ve mentioned it in my previous post, actually. You need to know how to write your blog posts to rank well in search engines. Over 75,000 blogs are created every single day. How do you make yours stand out? Your blog will become another provision shop in the Sahara Desert if you do not optimize and get listed on search engines – people won’t be able to find you!

You need to know the basics of SEO, publish your feeds and get your blog listed on Search Engines – at least for people who are searching specifically for more information you your company’s products!

4. Good PR Skills

Ultimately, the blog is just a tool. You need to know what to do with the blog, you need to know how to handle feedback, you need to know how to write so that people will listen, to keep your content interesting and updated. If you turn a deaf ear to negative feedback – let me tell you this – its not going to work out! If there is someone talking about your company’s products, you need to know what its about, and address the issue right away!

You also need to know what is happening in the blogosphere – search Technorati and other blog aggregators about what others are posting in your industry. Remember, your reputation is at risk and you cannot just sit there thinking that the problem will go away.

To sum up, if you want to start blog, make sure you know your objective, and know how to use your blog well. I would recommend you to even test it out on a separate domain or on a free service how to use your blogging software. In the end, the blog reflects your company, so do a good job.