Michelle Han
October 13, 2015 | 06:01:16
When building a comprehensive public relations campaign, a smart blog is still a relevant and beneficial tool. Blogging came into its own more than a decade ago, but that doesn’t mean blogs are old news. In fact, they’re critical in setting the tone and voice of a company or brand, providing ways to inform, educate, delight, and engage. A great company blog is a key to effective brand PR as well as a tool for being discovered and building new leads.
In today’s fully evolved digital media universe, blogs need to be relevant, high quality, and useful — and it can’t hurt to be fun. Here are our picks for the best company blogs that strengthen PR programs.
Zuora. We include this to show that B2B tech businesses can have blogs that shine as brightly as the sexiest consumer brands. This well-funded software company serves companies with subscription-based business models. Its blog features company announcements as well as posts filled with tips and insights relevant to its clientele, such as a post titled “5 reasons why millennials are adopting subscriptions.” But its consistent, creative visual layout makes this company blog stand out: each post gets a custom photo adhering to an overall look. The effect adds polish and style.
Williams Sonoma. Williams Sonoma Taste is a destination blog for serious foodies, another example of a brand serving up stellar content for the customer it wants to reach, engage, and keep for life. Content is clean and highly visual, and posts are organized neatly into helpful categories, making it easy to navigate and find the type of content you’re looking for, in a pinch.
HubSpot. The Cambridge-based company is yet another B2B force and a strong example for content marketers. Known for its inbound marketing services, Hubspot is a great resource for marketers, copywriters, PRs, and others. The frequency, clarity, and quality of HubSpot blog content — full of useful tips like this post on how to write great titles (the bane of many a writer’s existence) — helps it stand out as an authoritative voice in its industry.
Warby Parker. The darling of online startups, Warby Parker uses its company blog as an extension of the quirky brand voice it’s cultivated in just five short but highly successful years. Once again, posts are clean, visual, and well organized. Most importantly, the copy reflects the slightly off-center, fun and friendly voice fans have grown to love, even when offering a free download for its New York City themed desktop wallpaper: “Here it is for download. May it brighten your day as much as a pup finding a slice on the ground.”
Etsy. The Etsy blog is an amalgam of all things creative. It regularly features top-selling stores, providing readers with insights for their own Etsy shops, and plenty of ideas for seasonal craft projects. Adding commentary on news in the creative category — such as this post on Elizabeth Gilbert’s new book on “creative living” — helps keep the blog relevant and shows the brand is in-the-know.
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Dig deeper: For tips on avoiding blunders in your own company blog, download our tipsheet.
