Looking for what’s going on in the world of technology public relations? Well, you have landed on the right blog! Welcome!

I just joined Gabriel Marketing Group, and while thinking up ideas for my debut blog post, I kept coming back to one question: “How will I develop my voice?” The voice behind a corporate blog can sometimes be just as important (if not more important) than the actual content. The voice helps to develop the character of the blog, and can be a crucial tool when it comes to creating a personality for your brand.

Translation: A voice must be developed and maintained to make corporate (or personal) blogging truly effective and worthwhile for your organization. Blogging, as with all forms social media, is an excellent platform for organizations to connect with and gain feedback from their publics.

So now on to the important part – how does one create a good online ‘voice?’ As an avid appreciator of all things social media, I’ve come up with a few helpful hints to get you started.

1. Be genuine. This is the most important rule to creating a blog that people will truly listen to and respect. They may just be some words strung together in WordPress or Blogger, but if you don’t honestly believe in whatever it is you’re promoting or blogging about, your audience will be able to read it in your voice. Transparency is key.

2. Include your own thoughts and opinions. That’s the beauty of social media – it is truly a forum where anything goes. And blogging is about as personal a form of social media as it gets. The more you insert yourself into whatever it is you’re blogging about, the more your audience will feel as if they know you on a personal level. This can be especially important for a corporate blog where it is so easy to become impersonal. Whether your target public consists of clients, customers, or company partners, the intent of any good organizational blog is to spark a discussion. By developing a personality for your brand through the blog, you are able make better connections with your audience. The hope is that your publics will respond positively to your voice and engage in your online conversation, giving your organization real feedback.

Obviously, this point must be carried out within reason; A corporate blog is nowhere for you to voice your opinion on how awful your coworkers are or to talk about last night’s episode of ‘The Walking Dead’ (unless you can make it completely applicable, in which case I would be thoroughly impressed).

3. Monitor your blog. It is extremely important to monitor the stats and comments on your company’s blog. Almost all blogs now have social media management and analytics tools that can be used to determine whether or not the voice you have created for your blog is resonating and actually having a positive effect on your organization. Gauging the reaction of your audience is an important part of engaging in any sort of corporate social media.

4. Have fun with it. Last, but certainly not least. Enjoy blogging! It’s an awesome and inexpensive way to get your creative juices flowing, and hopefully increase your organization’s visibility at the same time. One perk of having fun with your blog: if you enjoyed writing it, chances are your audience will enjoy reading it just as much.