If you’re new to the world of corporate blogging, or if your company’s blog needs an overhaul, the internet has much to show you. A corporate blog can serve many functions – building customer loyalty, sharing expertise, showing off the fun and creative side of your business, and more. Unfortunately, many blogs run by businesses seem to lack the grassroots energy, originality and openness that made blogging popular in the first place.

I scoured the internet for blogs by companies large and small that exemplify the best of what corporate blogging can be. Let’s get started, shall we?

1. {Grow} Blog
I didn’t have to scour far to find this gem. {Grow} is a marketing company whose seamlessly integrated blog is in AdAge’s Top 150. Founder Mark Schaefer is a firm believer in the power of blogs to boost a company’s visibility and online cred, and the fact that his blog post popped up early in my Google searches for “corporate blogging” proves it. Schaefer does most of his own blogging, but he also hires other writers to contribute articles on social media and the online marketplace. I like his slightly edgy, straightforward writing style, and the fact that he somehow responds to every comment on every post he writes. The goal here is to share online marketing expertise without giving it all away, and {Grow} accomplishes it beautifully.

2. King Estate Winery Blog
When I visited the websites of many prominent local businesses, looking for blogs in my own backyard, I didn’t find many, and those that did appear had me choking on months of accumulated dust. King Estate Winery was a refreshing exception. Their blog is well balanced with a variety of media formats and posts on relevant subjects from vineyard highlights to sponsored events (though I did get a peppery aftertaste from all the exclamation points!) It’s a good addition to King Estate’s website and a way to draw visitors from beyond the wine club.

3. Feeding America Blog
This blog has some great examples of storytelling, a tactic used by successful writers and bloggers in all venues. Feeding America is a non-profit, but their blog’s goal is the same as any for-profit venture, to provide insight into what the organization does and why it’s important to them. They also include a call to action in the sidebar, which brings up an important debate among corporate bloggers. Is the blog a good place to ask for the sale, or is that what your main website is for? It all depends on what you’re selling and who your audience is. Here, it’s effective, and a good reminder of the emotional power of blogging.

4. OPEN Forum
Feeding America’s blog has a very narrow focus and topic range, but Open Forum, a blog site from American Express, is just as broad-based as the name implies. Instead of one blog, they have several, forming a sort of user-generated business magazine. Many of the posts sound generic, perhaps a sign they may have swapped quality for quantity, but I admire American Express’ willingness to build and manage an online community only tangentially connected to their brand (the American Express logo does appear at the top of each page). The comments sections under the posts are active, and the sidebar listing the most popular posts makes Open Forum feel like the happenin’ place to be for business leaders.

4. Official Google Blog
The Official Google Blog is probably one of the most-read corporate blogs. I like that they use their own blogging platform – Blogspot, which actually is very good – to host the blog. The design is simple in accordance with Google tradition, and the content is interesting and readble. About two-thirds of the posts are about Google, and the other third fall into the category of “look at this cool thing we found online”. The posts are written by Google employees, from accountants to department heads. It’s a good balance – you learn that the writers have outside interests, but overall their focus is on the cool things that Google itself is doing.

5. Just Venting.
Ok, I’ll admit it, my favorite thing about this blog is the name. Get it? They manufacture heating and air conditioner cleaning systems. A little cleverness goes a long way – but really! It’s important to be memorable, and choosing a blog name that is distinct from your company name is a good move in my book. Why title it “News” when you could call it “Just Venting”? Anyway, the blog wins for other reasons as well. The design is open and readable, highlighting popular posts at the top for first-time visitors, and provides a description of what the blog is about. The “featured products” sidebar suggests the sale without actually pitching anything. And even though I know next to nothing about this industry, after reading a couple of posts, I now feel like I could carry on a short conversation with a HVAC technician in an emergency.

6. The Editors
I remember a time when “traditional” news institutions shunned the idea of blogs and citizen journalism. Now, it seems like they can’t get enough new media. The BBC is taking it to a whole new level by actively gathering and making use of reader comments through The Editors blog. I include it here because it’s a great example of how blogs can build trust and brand loyalty though participation. Instead of allowing other bloggers and websites to criticize the BBC and its news coverage, they’ve volunteered to start the conversation about their product, taking control over their brand identity in the democratic online environment.

All six of these blogs share important qualities that stand them out from the herd. First, they’re consistent in their tone and quality. The bloggers write in a way that demonstrates their expertise, encourages conversation, and reinforces their brand. They produce original content – not fluffy filler, not press releases and product descriptions, but real stories and articles that could as easily appear on other blogs. They all incorporate a design philosophy that is simple yet interesting, and above all user-friendly.

Most important, these blogs are updated on a daily basis. Unlike items on a website, blog posts are dated, which means that they can easily take your entire online presence from “current” to “forgotten” if allowed to become too old.

What’s different about all these blogs? Plenty. Some encourage and thrive off reader interaction (comments, “likes”), others don’t seem to mind the sound of chirping crickets. Some are written by multiple authors, others just by “admin”. They also vary in who they’re writing to. Just Venting and, for the most part, OpenForum are business-to-business blogs. Their audiences are other business owners who are looking for product advice and expertise in related industries. The others are aimed at customers directly, or the public in general, or in the case of Google, both (the only remaining non-Google users were last spotted disappearing into the rain forests of Borneo).

Whether you’re looking for a new way to reach out to clients, or your company is sitting on a wealth of advice you’ve been itching to share with the world, blogging is a great way to do it. The key is concise, approachable writing and the dedication to keep it going. If you don’t have these resources within your own staff, maybe it’s time to look elsewhere. Blossom Blogs is here to help.