Building A Company Blog

How one transit agency engaged an audience and grew an award-winning blog in just six months.

Juno Kughler Carlsonjuno.carlson@omnitrans.org

In 2012, Omnitrans began a new blog featuring news and story profiles of its passengers and employees.

It earned 1st place in the Social Media Blog category in the APTA 2012 AdWheelcompetition.

Why is blogging so important to an online marketing campaign?

Builds online brand reputation

Defines who you are and what sets you apart in your industry

Identifies brand ambassadors

Generates goodwill

Humanizes you as a company

Encourages social sharing

Provides social media content

Creates partnership opportunities

Forms the basis for press releases

Blogging not only provides original content for your social networks, it also increases audience engagement.

Blogging & your social networks:

Thanks largely to the blog stories we’ve shared on our Facebook page in 2012, our fan engagement has risen from 479 in January to 2,402 in August—an total increase of 401%.

The concept:For Valentine’s Day, spotlight Marianne and Larry Rose, Omnitrans coach operators who have been married 16 years.

Article posted to niche social sites on cancer survival, autism and transit.

The Press-Enterprise newspaper picked up the story for Valentine’s Day.

The Roses received a letter of commendation from Senator Bill Emerson.

Marianne was able to offer support to passengers also struggling with cancer.

Coach operator JoJo picked up a family who had gotten lost near their stop, and the children wrote her a thank-you. Sharing touching personal moments like this helps humanize our service.

Show some heart

Listen:

When interviewing people, listen for interesting side stories that go beyond your original concept.

Network:Think about what social partners might be natural tie-ins for your article.

Some tips for blogging success:

Share:Add a tagline at the end of your blog articles to encourage sharing:

Do you like this story and want to use it for your blog or newsletter? All our stories may be freely re-posted and shared with others!

Do you have a great Omnitrans story to share? Let us know!

Email juno.carlson@omnitrans.org

The concept:Write a passenger profile of a cyclist who regularly uses public transit to highlight the use of our bus bike racks.

Story was networked on social sites focusing on doulas, cycling & frugal living.

Christine was identified as a public transit champion & potential brand ambassador.

Feature a Destination What are some of the interesting stops along your routes that your passengers might enjoy?

By interviewing local businesses, you build goodwill and provide a valuable resource for your customers.

The concept:Interview a community college student who has been saving money through our GoSmart program.

Article was posted to social sites focusing on living donors.

Story was also networked with community colleges who partnered with us on Go Smart.

Krystle was identified as a potential brand ambassador. She was recognized as a heroine by our Board Chair Dick Riddell at our rebranding ceremony.

Say it with pictures

Sharing pictures that show some of the behind-the-scenes operations of the business can help build excitement over a product or service.

Increased our online presence on industry sites, news networks and social media.

Helped break stereotypes about the people who ride public transit.

Boosted social media engagement and created online buzz.

Raised employee and customer morale with our people profiles.

Helped us identify & reward brand ambassadors to spotlight at special events and share as potential contacts for news media.

How blogging helped our agency:

“I would enjoy being employed by someone who cared as much as Omnitrans does about your team and passengers” – Oratio

“I really enjoyed reading this article. It is really refreshing to see that others’ do look for the good in people. Even the grumpy ones!” - Marice

Comments from readers:“I was struck by how cut off from our community we can be when we ride in our individual automobiles, and also how much cars keep us from moving our bodies and getting fresh air. Thanks for an inspiring story.” – Susan