TCI Transformation Consulting International GmbH has clearly positioned itself in the market with the slogan "The Transformation Experts". In order to document this not only in the form of projects, the market and customer communication has been realigned. A central element of this will be the new TCI blog, which was recently launched. The TCI editorial team interviewed the creators of the company blog. In the first part of the interview with Thomas Riemann-Seibert (TRS) and Oliver Foitzik (OFO), we talked about corporate blogs, the specific challenges and what is important.
The corporate blog as the centerpiece of the communication strategy - Interview with Thomas Riemann-Seibert and Oliver Foitzik
You are responsible for market and customer communication at TCI, which you are now tackling with a new approach. How did this come about?
TRS: Last year, I took part in a training course on online and content marketing and looked at a number of blogs and social media sites. Of course, TCI's sites were among them. I realized that there is a lot of untapped potential here. I spoke to Wolfgang Schnober, one of TCI's managing directors, and he said to me: "Well, make a suggestion." This led to an initial idea, which Oliver and I developed into a complete communication concept.
OFO: In the past, TCI has already carried out numerous activities in the field of communication. inwards and outwards some of which were very successful. However, the overall framework of a communication strategy in which these individual "plants" were properly embedded and coordinated was missing. As a result, sustainability usually fell by the wayside. We want to and will change this with our approach. With our communication concept, we will make TCI's overall appearance even more professional, target-oriented and sustainable. The main focus of market and customer communication is naturally on greater reach and visibility in order to further increase awareness. Using carefully selected channels and tools - both online and offline - we want to achieve a greater impact on the market and, of course, with our (potential) customers, thus leaving a lasting and positive impression. Our aim is to position TCI even better as "The Transformation Experts".
What goals are you pursuing with your market and communication activities?
OFO: Basically, the focus is on the classic objectives. First and foremost is a high-quality and professional presentation of TCI with its core competencies, products and services. It is important that this is done stringently across all channels. The focus is on a uniform and convincing appearance, with which we can increase our reach, our visibility and our level of awareness in a targeted manner. Ultimately, communication must be effective and leave a mark.
TRS: The main goal was clear to us from the outset: we want to provide high-quality content for our customers and interested parties. This is the only way we can further establish TCI and its partners as a brand in the market and strengthen them in a targeted manner. However, this is not just about expanding our online reputation and improving our search engine ranking, but also about generating more inquiries and more leads. At the same time, we want to continue to drive forward the expansion of the existing partner network.
What is the initial focus of your activities?
TRS: We have defined and described all the steps in the concept - from the TCI blog to print media. At the core is the blog with the appropriate and regularly fresh content for customers, interested parties and partners. It was clear to us that this was exactly where we would start: the company blog is the fundamental basis for implementing our strategy. We have also defined other communication tools. However, these will not be tackled in parallel, but implemented successively. To begin with, we are concentrating on three areas: Content & blog marketing, social media and our old familiar newsletter in a new guise. We want to win over our customers, interested parties and partners with high-quality content and strengthen their loyalty to us.
The TCI blog has now been launched and integrated as an integral part of the company website. Why are you launching a company blog?
OFO: In addition to the website, a company blog has emerged as the ideal starting point for market and customer communication in recent years. The prerequisites for this are: Specialist knowledge, expertise and authors. Thanks to the large network of consultants, the high seniority, the extensive experience and the pronounced practical relevance of our partners, this is the case at TCI. With the blog, we can show very well what we can do and highlight exactly where our expertise lies.
How should a company blog be structured to achieve these goals? What is important?
OFO: It is particularly important to find the right mix of topic diversity and content focus. Whatever is published, it must fit the company and be authentic. This means that the greatest care must be taken in the selection of topics and the way in which they are presented. This includes entertaining technical articles, high-quality interviews and practical customer stories. It also includes interesting infographics, helpful checklists, good tips and tricks, videos, podcasts and white papers. The claim remains the same for all formats: it's about high-quality content with added value for the target group. A blog must appeal to the tastes and interests of the readers.
TRS: Apart from a good structure and different formats, the right content is the crucial element. As we all know, Google loves long articles with excellent content and regular publications. It's important to remember that the individual channels need to be interlinked. In addition, the recognition value must be clearly reflected on each channel.
How often - and how - should a company blog ideally be used?
OFO: When it comes to the frequency of publications, regularity has top priority. We have decided to publish an article at least once a week. New content helps to ensure that the diversity of topics - and therefore the diversity of TCI's services - is clearly visible and appeals to more readers. To this end, it is essential to pay attention to basic points such as clear sentences, clean wording and correct spelling as well as sufficient consideration of the central SEO criteria. Of course, it is also important that new content is regularly published on the company blog.
How do companies recognize a good time to set up a blog?
TRS: In my opinion, there is no good or bad time to start a blog. The worst time is not to start at all. With a high-quality blog, combined with appropriate social media activities, any company can significantly increase its visibility and reach in a short space of time.
OFO: I agree with Thomas' statement 100 percent. A company blog creates real customer loyalty. If a prospective customer or reader finds the information relevant to him, he has a concrete benefit. In addition to the positive impression, they can become regular readers and will recommend the blog - and therefore the company - to others.
For which industries is this communication tool particularly valuable?
TRS: In a nutshell: for every industry. As mentioned above, a blog serves to convey valuable knowledge and existing expertise. This knowledge, in turn, appeals to interested parties and customers if done correctly. If they find what they need, they will come back. In this way, the company establishes itself as a high-quality brand with the selected target group. A blog is of course an ideal communication tool for professional service companies.
OFO: Nowadays, a blog is one of the central instruments in market and customer communication. It is used for customer acquisition, contributes to customer loyalty, increases the number of hits on the website and thus sustainably supports lead generation - both online and offline. In addition, authors receive direct feedback from readers and can engage in more interaction and discussion. We specifically promote active dialog with decision-makers. In times of digitalization the "sharing" of knowledge at the center. And your own knowledge only has a short half-life anyway.
What basic rules are particularly important when it comes to providing content to potential customers via a blog - or for customer retention?
TRS: At the risk of repeating myself: The most important thing is high-quality content. The customer or prospective customer must find themselves in it. Ideally, it should be able to solve a question in everyday business life. Or at least it should provide valuable assistance. Authors should therefore only write articles that offer clear added value. But publication alone is not enough: readers' reactions are extremely important. This must be taken into account, the interactions must be evaluated and provide direction for further action.
What about the editorial plan? The content that is published needs to be well thought out and equally well planned. What are the specific challenges when it comes to creating a good editorial plan?
TRS: As with any good project, the same applies here: Very good planning is half the battle. We plan our publications about six months in advance so that the authors know exactly when they have to deliver. This gives them enough time to write and we can edit them properly. We also have sufficient reaction time if an author is unavailable.
OFO: Generally speaking, it is important for the editorial team to cover all relevant areas so that the diversity of topics and the variety are intertwined. Other aspects that must be clear from the outset are categorization, keyword assignment (tags) and also the valuable internal and external links. The use of images should also not be underestimated. On the one hand, they must be appealing and on the other hand, the rights must be strictly observed. The source references, for example, must be created cleanly and in the correct form.
What do you need to bear in mind for sound and forward-looking editorial planning? Do you have any special tips for this?
OFO: If there are several authors involved in a blog, it is advisable to train the authors. A so-called style sheet, which explains all formal requirements, is very suitable for this. The topic planning also needs to be well thought out so that the blog appeals to the reader and they feel comfortable. The aforementioned lead time is particularly important for the editorial team in order to be able to react appropriately to absences. As a reader, you can also recognize good editorial planning by the fact that the posts are written in a consistent style and offer individual added value. At the same time, the topics are as varied as possible and easy to find.
With all these positive aspects, it's also good to have a counter-example: in your opinion, what are the absolute no-gos when it comes to blogging?
TRS: What doesn't work at all is writing useless, unstructured articles and stealing the reader's time. Every company, and therefore every blog, has a specific direction that determines the topics. And above all, these articles should add value. For the authors themselves, articles that do not fulfill this requirement are also not a good reference.
OFO: On the one hand, it's about showing competence for the authors: Publishing a post about a topic you know too little about is effectively a waste of time. But even if you are familiar with the topic, there are rules to follow: An article always needs structure, must be enjoyable to read and should also not reproduce third-party content 1:1 or infringe the rights of third parties.
What are the benefits of TCI-Blog for the authors?
TRS: It is important to us that the TCI blog is a benefit for everyone - for customers and interested parties as well as for TCI itself and our partners. Our authors, i.e. our partners, can demonstrate their expertise in the blog, regularly publish high-quality articles and present themselves to a broad public. In addition, a comprehensive profile of the respective author is published with each article - with the possibility of direct contact by third parties. This gives each partner the opportunity to strengthen their own personal brand.
Thank you very much, Mr. Riemann-Seibert and Mr. Foitzik, for these revealing insights into the TCI blog and the work behind a good corporate blog! The second part of the interview is about "corporate communication that works" and the points that are important here.
The interview with Thomas Riemann-Seibert and Oliver Foitzik led the TCI editorial team. You will find the second part of the interview here shortly.
(Cover image: © stevanzz | fotolia.com)
