Why I Said, “Goodbye Corporate Website, Hello Blog!”

“What happened to your website?” was the first thing my recruiter friend said as soon as I picked up the phone earlier this week.

I knew exactly what he meant, but I played dumb anyway. “What do you mean? Is the site down?”

“No, but all I see is your blog.”

I’ve been an independent headhunter for the last 5 years and for the first 4 ½ years I maintained a typical corporate website. Professionally designed logo, stock photography, pictures of the office building, couple of pie charts, the whole kit and caboodle. (Despite the fact that the site is no longer active, the design company I contracted to build it still uses it as part of their portfolio if you care to check it out.)

I always felt a little like Will Ferrell in “Old School”: the guy that spends his weekends messing with a run-down ’57 Chevy he keeps in his garage, hoping that one day I’d be able to get it out on the road and show it off, but not having any idea if or when that would ever happen. The biggest difference between me and my corporate website and the guy who tinkers with his old car is that he’s doing it because he enjoys the process; I just want the damn thing drivable!

15 years ago your business was ahead of the curve if it had any type of web presence whatsoever, but today that’s not enough. Every company has a website. No one is fooled anymore by the stock photography of glass office buildings and conference rooms filled with racially diverse teams of men AND women brainstorming about how they can meet your needs. A business website should serve one purpose: to educate your prospects and clients so they can make informed decisions regarding your services. The information needs to be fresh, relevant, and specific. And by fresh I mean up-to-date. As in today, not 6 months ago.

I wanted our site to stop being like the millions of other corporate sites out there: meaningless symbols that we pointed to and stared at – worthless monuments meant to convey size and power. I wanted it to transform into a tool that we actually used to communicate regularly with our clients, prospects, and colleagues. I want it to be more Wikipedia and less Microsoft. The problem is I am neither a web designer nor the son of one. I’m tired of chasing down web developers and waiting a month just to get a phone number on the site changed. Switching to a blog was a no-brainer.

As I was thinking about an appropriate title for this post, I was tempted to play off Dr. Strangelove, the old Peter Seller’s movie, except mine would be called “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog.” When I need up-to-the-minute information, no matter what the topic, I typically find it on a blog. Blogs give individuals with above average computer skills the ability to make changes on the fly and in real-time. Not only do they allow you to get new information online quickly, they encourage it. What good is fresh information if you have to wait 2 weeks for it?

Want to know why People Magazine, US Weekly and the National Enquirer are struggling for readers? Look no further than PerezHilton.com and TMZ.com. Why should you have to wait a week for a print publication to come out when these sites are updated every few minutes? (and uncensored!)

“Aren’t you afraid a prospect will get the impression you’re a small-potatoes outfit?” my friend asked. “That’s exactly what I want!” I exclaimed. “I AM a small potatoes outfit!”

Comments

[MN Headhunter/Paul DeBettignies]

Thad,

Looks like you and I had the same line of thought. August of 2006 I went from the "traditional" site and the blog to a newly designed blog.

Made a big difference (positive) in web traffic, referrals, resumes, and PR.

Do you know of anyone else who has done this besides us?

[Recruiting Animal]

Good for you.

[Deb Dib]

Thad, this is my first visit and I was intrigued by your post as I have just folded my four websites to become just one blog site.

I am a 18-year-in-business solpreneur with a boutique personal branding and career management business targeting a specific "psychographic" of CEO. I’ve been on line since 1996 and get far too many inquiries from people who are not my ideal clients. I only work with 2-3 clients a month, in depth and don't want a volume business. As you do, I WANT to look like "small potatoes," so that when I work with a client they will know that they are my complete focus.

I only launched my blogsite this week (and still have a bit of tweaking to do), so I'm curious to see how this strategy works as a pre-qualifier, business builder, and community builder. My developer, Kirsten Dixson (co-author of Career Distinction), is a fellow personal brand strategist and one of the leading experts on-line identity. Blogsites and blogs are the only kind of sites she recommends now.

I look forward to following your blog.

Deb Dib
www.ExecutivePowerBrand.com