Last month, I blogged about how my scrapbooking hobbyhorse influences my creative work at Lovell Dispatches. Well, another bone of my pursuits has trickled into impacting my work as well- blogging. I started blogging several times ago about you guessed it, scrapbooking, but it has evolved to a mongrel mammy- scrapbooking blog since I had my son, Elias, 10 months ago moment.

I’m pleased to partake that I’ve been asked by Southwest Airlines to be its sanctioned mammy blogger. What does this mean? Southwest runs one of the most popular company blogs in the world. sometimes, I’ll write guest blog posts for it about all effects related to children and traveling.( To clarify, this isn’t a paid position and is commodity I do outside of work.)

My first blog post on infant trip tips can be read then. So if this isn’t commodity I’m doing at work, why am I blogging about it on my work blog? Well, because this occasion surely will impact my work at Lovell Dispatches. For starters, I can tête-à-tête swear about the influence a blogger can have on a large commercial brand like Southwest.

hourly, I suppose commercial guests are spooked of blogging, but this does not have to be the case- especially if a well allowed out crusade is launched in confluence with the blog. For illustration, I worked with Southwest Airlines on the development of a crusade called” My Peanut and I Fly Southwest” to protest off my mammy- blogger gig. Southwest created” My Peanut and I Fly Southwest” buttons for mothers( and daddies grandparents/etc.) to post to their blogs, Facebook biographies,etc.

To candy the deal, if actors post a button on their point of choice between now and May 31, also leave a comment on this post, they will be entered to win a family four- pack of tickets to fly anywhere Southwest canvases ! By motivating people to post these buttons on their spots, Southwest is getting hundreds of fresh links to their blog each over the Internet- and word is spreading virally affirming that Southwest is a family-friendly airline. When the contest was blazoned, I started twittering about it. So did Southwest. And also a bunch of people”re-tweeted” our tweets. The contest news spread like campfire and since Friday, further than 300 people have entered. That, my musketeers, is viral marketing at its finest, and my favorite strategy to employ on behalf of my guests. It is not a fit for everyone, but when it is, the results can be important.

Just when it seems that babe are shuffling the power of Web2.0, on comes imperishable hot employer Southwest Airlines.

The company is drooling with you, your neighbor, and your implicit coming star seeker about lots of Southwest- related effects in a new blog, aptly named “ Nuts About Southwest. ”

On the blog, the company notes that “ we want to make a particular relationship between our platoon and you, and we need your participation. Everyone is encouraged to join in, and you do n’t need to register to read, watch, or comment. still, if you would like to partake prints or vids or rate a post, among other effects, you’ll need to complete a profile. ”

The JobsinPods.com platoon calls it “ presumably the stylish employment branding point we ’ve ever seen, ” noting its use of a blog; prints via Flickr; YouTube- hosted vids; pates; RSS feeds; and podcasts.

So if you ’re meaning a career in the airline assiduity, let’s compare Southwest to how other airlines are communicating with an followership full of implicit aspirants Delta Airlines has a many creative effects but is substantially ignoring any use of interactivity anywhere on its point. The same goes for the websites for American Airlines and Continental Airlines, both drastically devoid of anyhuman-esque commerce, though they tie for having the most boring and stationary career spots. Indeed JetBlue Airlines, considered one of the more “ inspiring ” airlines, has a rather flat, “ log- in needed ” website that is n’t much advanced of the cool scale.

What About Me?

Well, if you ’re like utmost other companies, you ’re not as cool as Southwest.( But you might not be as bad as some of Southwest’s challengers though.)

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Also, a study conducted lately in the United Kingdom shows that only 10 of babe use social networking spots and only a small nonage use blogs, vids, or other Web2.0 technology for reclamation. The exploration suggests that one of the reasons why social networks have been slow to take off as a reclamation tool is because babe don’t consider them a believable way to communicate, despite large figures of their target labor request using them regularly.

“ babe may be missing a trick by not espousing Web2.0 technology. They need to engage with job campaigners to encourage them to apply for jobs. Text-heavy reclamation runners with no interactivity won’t win the hearts and minds of the Web2.0 generation, ” said Cranfield University exploration fellow Emma Parry, in the study.

What to Do

You can do it yourself, eventually tapping into the power of MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter,etc., or you can pay someone for help.

SuccessFactors, for one, has a new “ Web2.0- grounded cooperative network, ” a result that helps you learn about trailing, social networking, and other tools.

Kevin Wheeler wrote a whole column about this, said it’s then to stay, and participated tips on how to gain a competitive edge.

In reality, Web2.0 is so then to stay it’s virtually over. So what’s your company staying for?

Blog Layout

The Southwest Airlines Blog site is well laid out with information ranging from blog posts, videos, social updates and podcasts. With the use of of title tags, people can quickly go to the specific media they prefer.

Blog Site separate from Corporate Site

The Blog point is its own point. There’s a big debate out there that a blog point needs to be a part of your commercial point. Southwest Airlines makes it clear that if you want specific customer service or answers to questions about your flight, you need to go to the contact runner on the main commercial point and 1) shoot an dispatch, 2) shoot a letter or 3) call and speak to someone.

In addition, the blog point is about perfecting connections between the Southwest Airlines Team and its guests. This is tough to do on a single commercial point.

Social Media & SEO

Southwest Airlines has invested heavily into its blog point. It shows in its runner rank and links. It has a runner rank of 5 and over,000 external links pointing to it. The focus is on the blog point, not on its social media spots.

It’s veritably intriguing to check out their use of social media.

If you checkout the Southwest Google Company Page you will see only one post from 2011.( veritably intriguing) I’m guessing this will change as Google changes its rules, but it’s intriguing that Southwest has not jumped on the Google crusade.

still, you’ll see a point that’s client- service driven and reactive to people posting their commentary regarding Southwest gests, If you checkout the Southwest Twitter Page. Look at he following dialogue. Notice, the thing is to get the person help by connecting the person with a representative at Southwest.

Still, you’ll see some exertion performed regarding elevations and a many notes then and there, If you look at the Southwest Airlines Facebook Page.

Summary & Lessons

Keep your blog at the center of your communication and tell people what your blog is about. Check out the Southwest About Us Page.

A company blog can operate independently from the company website and be effective.

Get your workers involved and have a blogging/ social media policy. Check out Southwest’s Social Media Policy.

Use social media in ways that fit the way you conduct business. Southwest uses Twitter for customer service, Facebook for fun and doesn’t use Google at the present time. Communication on social media platforms isn’t the same.

See if there are some effects you can incorporate from checking out Southwests ’ blog point and use of social media. It’s a veritably intriguing perspective.