In January of this year, I went down to Los Angeles for Pollstar's Concert Industry Consortium. It's essentially a big conference where concert execs meet up, network and teach others a little about what's going on. While there, I briefly met Hal Hassall, VP of Marketing with Echo; Echo does work on Kanye West's blog. During a short roundtable, I expressed how easy I believed it was to run a basic blog. This was countered with something along the lines of "you have no idea how many people we have working on that blog." I found this somewhat astonishing. For those of you who haven't seen it, Kanye West's blog is little more than post after post of 'look at this cool thing our staff found on the web.' Very little text and content that appears to be written by Mr. West.
My point? There's no need to attempt to be this elaborate when the results aren't there. One of the biggest positives to having a blog under a big brand is creating a sense of transparency and bringing that big brand closer to its fans. Now, let's look at other ways the whole music artist blog thing has been done. Now, before I point out one site, let me note that it may not be carried out best in practice, but the concept of being completely transparent is there. One of the better artist blogs I've come across is the one by Kid Cudi, a Kanye West-discovered rapper who has yet to release a studio album but has gained a steady following with appearances at SXSW and a free mixtape released online (don't even get me started on how smart it is to release free music online early).
On Kid Cudi's blog: It's unprofessional, poorly designed, horribly written and overall, a publicist's nightmare. But most importantly: it's extremely transparent. Cudi writes on his travel plans, how certain singles are coming along and even his level of intoxication during certain performances. Sure, admitting that you were extremely drunk during a performance at SXSW because vodka Red Bulls are your kryptonite may not reflect on you as well as it could, but the fact that you can be that open with your fans more than makes up for any negative publicity caused by this. In the professional world, one can't be quite this transparent, but the idea is there. Blogging is about showing your fans what you're like, not what you want them to think you're like.
Plain and simple, it's not that hard. Cudi's publication is a basic Wordpress publication with no major staff besides himself. At one point, he admits to not even knowing how to post his own videos to the blog.
As mentioned, things are a little bit different in the corporate realm. You can't go posting on anything, but you can still be transparent. Here's an example, and it comes from one of the biggest brands in the world: The Barbarian Group worked with General Electrics to create GE Adventures. As Noah Brier of The Barbarian Group explained to a class of mine while visiting and lecturing at The University of Montana, individuals at The Barbarian Group get to tour the GE labs and then write about the cool things that they say. For lack of better wording, how cool is that?
The blog gives those interested a deep look into what's going on at General Electric. And just like Cudi's blog, it's a plain Wordpress blog without any complex designs or elaborate staffing. So, when starting a company blog, take it from these guys. Don't use the blog as a PR podium, spraying press release copy everywhere, be transparent and give your fans a look at what you're really like.