Let me give you an insider's view of corporate blogging
No doubt you've heard a lot about blogs. (If not, read this.) Should your company have a blog? Almost any company can benefit from a blog of its own, but it needs to be done with the right approach and good writing. Blogging done correctly can help nuture your niche markets and establish you and/or your company as a leader.
As Chief Blogger for Stonyfield Farm, the world's largest organic yogurt company, I pioneered the use of this relatively new web tool by launching corporate blogs in April 2004. The Stonyfield Farm blogs were the brainchild of company CEO Gary Hirshberg, who saw them as an excellent branding tool and a way to connect with the company’s loyal customer base. At Stonyfield, we discovered that blogging provided a personal, two-way connection with our customers, one that was fundamentally different from traditional communications efforts such as e-mail newsletters, public relations, marketing and advertising messages.
Is blogging right for your company?
Let me help you find out.
Choose from among these consultation options, or I can customize just for you.
- Freshman Seminar--1 Hour
- Bachelor's in Blogging--Half-Day
- Master's in Blogging--Full-day
- Honors Seminar--Advanced Blogging in One Hour
See Chris's Media Mentions
See the blog I helped launch for the Minnesota Woman's Consortium, at equalityquilt.org
See the News Blog created for the Portuguese Trade & Tourism Office.
Call me a rabbit! I now blog for Bernie at Annie's Homegrown Organics.
Freshman Seminar in Business Blogging
A 1-hour review of what blogging is and how it can be used in a business setting.
This seminar is useful for key staff in companies that have been talking about blogging for a while, but can’t decide or need more information before they convince others about the value of business blogging. We'll explore:
1) Why blog?
2) Brief overview: costs, tips and challenges
3) Blog content and the editorial process
4) Legal questions
5) Examples of successful business blogs
Contact me arrange for your Freshman Seminar today. Or, call the number on the home page. Or, just drop me a line if you have any questions.
Blogging is all about conversations. Let's start one.
Bachelor's in Business Blogging--Half Day Seminar
Earn your blogging credentials with a customized, half-day seminar. I'll come to your location and present to as many people in your company as you want. We'll explore:
1) Do you really need a blog?
2) Beginner Basics
A. The Technology Behind Blogging (or, "You don’t need to be a geek, honest")
B. Sample blogs
1) Personal
2) Media—newspapers, etc.
3) Business blogs
3) Intermediate Basics
A. Content—Efficient ways to build content ideas
B. The blogging editorial process
C. Demonstration: Creating a post/entry on a real blog
D. Trouble-shooting
E. Keeping up with innovations
Contact me to arrange for your Bachelor's in Business presentation today. Or, call the number on the home page. Or, just drop me a line if you have any questions.
Blogging is all about conversations. Let's start one.
Master’s in Business Blogging--Full Day Seminar
An interactive, all-day event at your location. By the end of the day, we’ll create a prototype blog together and you'll be comfortable with the basic tools of blogging. We'll explore:
1) The Basics
A. Technical issues
1) Available blogging platforms (the software you can use)
2) Standard features to look for
3) Plug-ins, add-ons, bells and whistles
4) What the heck is RSS?
B. Content
1) What to write about
2) How to find topics/ Efficient idea-generators
3) What do write when you don’t have anything to write
4) The editorial process—how to work efficiently and plan accordingly
2) Live Demonstration
I'll show you how to create a blog and a blog entry during a live demonstration (internet access required)
3) Hands-on
In a small group, participants will help each other create a prototype blog
4) Re-group
Answers to your most pressing questions
5) Brainstorming
Work together to find content ideas to nurture your niche
6) Trouble-shooting
When to call in the experts
7) Tips from the launch pad
Now that you've decided to blog...begin
Contact me to arrange for your Master's in Business presentation today. Or, call the number on the home page. Or, just drop me a line if you have any questions.
Blogging is all about conversations. Let's start one.
Honors Seminar in Business Blogging
A 1-hour presentation (or longer, depending upon your needs) that can stand alone, or be used in conjunction with the Master's Program. We'll explore:
Advanced blogging
- Video
- Audio or Podcasting
- Mobile blogging
- Fun free tips and tricks
- Advertising or promotional campaigns using blogs
- Short-term blogging—How to document a special project for a wired world
Contact me to arrange for your Honors Seminar presentation today. Or, call the number on the home page. Or, just drop me a line if you have any questions.
Blogging is all about conversations. Let's start one.
Media Mentions
Online Extra: Stonyfield Farm's Blog Culture
(Business Week, 5/2/2005) The yogurt-maker's CEO Gary Hirshberg and Chief Blogger Christine Halvorson on how the web journals connect them to customers.
Blogging Becomes a Corporate Job
(The Wall Street Journal, 5/31/2005) In its short lifespan, blogging has largely been a freewheeling exercise in online self-expression. Now it is also becoming a corporate job.
Businesses Mull the Bottom Line of Blogging (American Observer, March 2007)
5 Questions with Christine Halvorson
(Engage Corporation, 3/1/2005)
Business Blog Case Study: Stonyfield Farm
(Business Blog Consulting, 12/1/2004)
Yogurt-flavored blogs
(The Concord Monitor (NH), 6/12/2005) Stonyfield Farm is taking the lead as Granite State companies test the blogosphere waters.
Should you hire a "Chief Blogger"
(BlogWrite, 6/1/2005)
Organic Communication
(Portals Magazine, 7/1/2004) Blogging enters the business world. One of the first interviews about the Stonyfield Farm blogs.
Biz Blog Profile Series: Stonyfield Farm - Stonyfield Farm Blog "Cow"munities
(Diva Marketing, 5/17/2005) A case study of the Stonyfield Farm blogs.
Smart Woman Online: Christine from Stonyfield Farm (Lip-sticking, 12/1/2005)
New Company Brings Blogging to the Business World (09/06)
Blogging Success Stories (Backbone Media, 10/06)
Develop New Connections (Spark: Be More Innovative through Co-Creation, 10/05)
Speaking engagements--where I've been
I have addressed large and small audiences on the topic of corporate blogging. Drop me a line or call. I'd be happy to talk about addressing your conference, convention or workshop.
Recent speaking appearances:
- New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, Preserving Community Character Spring Conference, April 2008
- MicroCredit-NH 2008 Entrepreneurial Exchange, March 2008
- Bulldog Reporter's Media Relations Summit, June 2007
- The Institute for International Research, Return on Marketing Investment Conference, February 2007
- New Hampshire Micro-Credit statewide "Entrepreneurial Exchange Day," May 2007
- New Hampshire Micro-Credit, Jaffrey chapter, January 2007
- Cross Country Ski Areas Association eastern meeting, November 2006, Great Glenn Trails Outdoor Center
- Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce Business to Business Expo, May 22, 2006
- The Kitchen Conference for Natural and Organic Marketers, sponsored by Maxwell PR, Portland, Oregon, April 2006
- The Wall Street Transcript--Igniting Buzz Conference, New York City, September 2005
- Third Way Brand Trainers blogging workshop, New York City, September 2005
- New Hampshire Travel Council Annual Conference, May 2005
- New Technology for PR Practioners, Public Relations Society of America--Yankee Chapter, Manchester, New Hampshire; 2005
- BlogHer inaugural event, San Jose, California; July 2005 (Hear an audio recording of this appearance.)
Biography of a Corporate Blogger
Christine Halvorson turned a successful, 25-year career as a professional writer into a career as a professional blogger, one of the few in the country. She pioneered the use of blog (web log) technology for Stonyfield Farm in 2004, harnessing this intriguing new form of communications and turning it into an extraordinarily effective business tool. At that time, there were no models to follow. She couldn't turn to other food product companies and just copy what they were doing. Instead, she applied what she knew about good writing, good reporting and good story-telling and turned it loose into the blogosphere. It worked. Today the Stonyfield Farm blogs are cited among the few corporate blogs that are doing it right. In her position as Chief Blogger, she has advised like-minded companies and been the subject of numerous media and blog interviews.
Prior to blogging, Christine worked as a freelance writer specializing in women's health and travel articles. She has written three non-fiction books and co-authored four more. In her spare time, she writes fiction and tries to learn Spanish.
Trained as a journalist, Christine has been a community newspaper reporter, an editor in a major publishing house, a public relations practitioner and an advocate for women and public policy specialist within the Minnesota Legislature.
See Chris's Media Mentions
What's a blog, anyway?
A blog is a web-based diary. That's the "legal" definition. The word "blog" is a contraction of the words "web" and "log".
Maybe you already knew that, but just didn't know how "blogs" could apply to your business. After all, aren't they just the stuff of political pundits and narcissistic teenagers?
No. Blogs can be used as your company's on-line diary, or you can just think of a blog as an incredibly easy way to update a website. You're reading a blog right now. I've just used blogging technology to make it easy for me to put information up on the web without calling in web technologists and graphics design teams. You probably read more blogs on the web than you realize. Many people and companies are using blog technology to give themselves more control over their own website--people like you and me who don't have enough time to wait around for the techno- geeks to serve us. If you know how to do word processing, you can blog.
Another great way to think about a corporate blog is as an on-line, interactive editorial column. (The Blog Pundits call this "Thought Leadership.") If you've always had something to say, but didn't know where to say it, a blog can be a great sounding board. You can use a blog to show the world how much you know about your industry or to give instant updates on projects and issues you care about.
Corporate blog possibilities are endless. Let me show you.
