JULY 2007: BUSINESS TOOLS, MARKETING
Company
blogging can help boost the bottom line
These days, you can’t go online without encountering a
blog. The user-generated websites, typically a series of
journal-like entries listed in chronological order, turn
political gaffes into big news stories, help new writers land
book deals and display a glut of personal information. But
blogs aren’t strictly for hobbyists. Many businesses are
using the online forums as marketing tools to accomplish a
variety of tasks, from shaping a company’s image to
testing the viability of new products.
How can you determine if a blog will benefit your business?
Take a look at the big picture, especially your overall
marketing strategy. Blogs should never stand alone as a tool,
says Jim Olson, senior vice president of the Digital Strategies
Group at the public relations firm Waggener Edstrom Worldwide,
but as a companion to other marketing campaigns.
Just as many of your marketing decisions are based on
connecting with a specific audience, so should your strategy
when it comes to blogging. “We always ask our clients,
‘who’s your target audience and how do they consume
information?’” Olson says. “Where are the
online conversations about your company taking place and
what’s being said?”
For example, if you’re a startup working with new
technology, your audience might be more web savvy and expect
your blog to be updated regularly and have an in-the-know tone.
Or, if you’re a restaurateur, the way local foodie
bloggers discuss new restaurants might help your chef craft a
buzz-worthy personal blog of her own.
RESOURCES
How to get started
You can find plenty of free blog software online, including
WordPress, Moveable Type and Textpattern. Or consult a web
designer, who can help create a blog format that works with
your company’s established website.
If you’re curious
Check out the most popular blogs on the web, as determined
by Technorati. /.docs/pg/451?redirect_id=26682
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Also think about what you want to say and how you’ll say
it, now and years from now. Some of the most successful blogs
provide fresh insights and, most importantly, relevant
information. Posting that kind of material may require going
well beyond promoting the company line. “Companies think
they should be out there in blog form, so they take material
that may not be pertinent and just shove it out there,”
says Mike Heiser, president of YRG Communications, a Portland
marketing and communications agency. “When material is
pushed out like that, it sits, nobody posts new stuff, and the
blog dies.”
Heiser frequently recommends blogging to clients because of
the “communities” that form online. In lieu of
traditional one-to-one marketing, blogs can reach a large group
of people who share common interests. And thanks to the comment
feature that most blogs employ, one-way dialogue is replaced by
informal discussion — a valuable environment for taking
the pulse of new ideas or products long before release
dates.
Notice how your intended audience interacts online so you know
what to expect before you begin. If you’re not prepared
to have a real, open dialogue with those people, you may not be
ready to have a blog, Heiser says.
But what if a rogue community member decides to pan every
single one of your posts? While blogging might seem
unpredictable in comparison to traditional marketing
approaches, most types of marketing involve risk, says Jim
Olson. “Think about taking your CEO out to lunch with
someone from The Wall Street
Journal,” he says. “You don’t have
total control over the final story.” In the blogosphere,
that lack of control can establish credibility and trust among
readers. “The people you may be trying to reach might
trust the information on blogs much more than in a paid
advertisement,” Olson says.
Frank Shaw, president of Waggener Edstrom, has been writing a
blog called Glass House
(http://glasshouse.waggeneredstrom.com/blogs/frankshaw) since
April 2003. Shaw covers business and communication issues by
linking to news stories and other blogs. Glass House helps
increase Waggener Edstrom’s visibility with a large
online audience, give the company a face and show clients how a
business blog can function by example.
While the direct results of a blog may be difficult to
determine (did that rise in sales really happen because the
company blog got 50,000 hits last month?), the low cost of
entry makes blogging a good option for startups hoping to
increase their Google ranking and companies willing to invest
time into a burgeoning medium.
— Lucy Burningham
Have an opinion? E-mail feedback@oregonbusiness.com
