Big brands are run by board members, divisions, mission statements, annual reports. . .you get the point. It’s hard for an outsider to see the personal side of a big company because hundreds or thousands of people get lost behind a corporate identity. And it’s hard to sell a corporate identity, especially in this time of transparency and social marketing.

Big brands need to use their blog to reveal that personal side. A blog is a chance to showcase the fact that a company isn’t only a bunch of suits looking to build on the bottom line. Most people behind most big brands actually care about their business and the people that support it. That’s what I call personal.

Check out these three examples of corporate blogs with that personal angle.

1. MoonPie moonpie memories blog as an example The MoonPie blog doesn’t scream BLOG. It could be argued that it’s not really a blog at all, but I classify it that way because it’s a designated area on the website that is set up to publish new content in a stream.

MoonPie wants you to supply the blog content by sharing your MoonPie memories. You submit the details, and they publish it. The posts can easily be shared on social media…just like a typical blog post.

How smart is it to have your customers do the blogging for you?!

2. Sharpie

the sharpie blog as a corporate website example

I’m not alone in my love for The Sharpie Blog. It’s gotten quite a bit of credit for its innovative blog approach. A whole team manages the blog where they feature all the kickin’ things that people do with their Sharpies. From the company president’s motorcycle to a special campaign supporting breast cancer research, the blog is home to compelling feature stories about people.

3. Johnson & Johnson johnson and johnson corporate blog example The about page on the JNJ BTW blog sums it up perfectly.

Everyone else is talking about our company, so why can’t we? There are more than 120,000 people who work for Johnson & Johnson and its operating companies. I’m one of them, and through JNJ BTW, I will try to find a voice that often gets lost in formal communications.

This is a big step for us as a company. Anyone working for a large corporation will appreciate that there are many internal limitations on what we say and how we say it.

Kudos to Johnson & Johnson for asking their staff and partners to write blog posts. This is an excellent way to nix that corporate speak and build a community.

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I know what you’re thinking. It’s so much easier to have a personal company blog when you have a globally-popular product instead of a local service that’s not-so-easy to grasp. You’re right. Service-based businesses and small, local businesses blog differently.

Sara Lancaster

About Sara Lancaster

Sara is The Condiment Marketing Co.’s founder and creative director. She oversees client relationships, strategic marketing plans, as well as a bit of copywriting and social media management.

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