Posted by: Jennifer Gaglione
Northeast Ohio did not make a showing in a quick search on top corporate blogs. Admittedly, my search didn’t take all that long; however I do spend a lot of time online looking at business Web sites, and have found only a handful of companies in this region that maintain one. Wonder why? Could it be that by opening up a direct line of communication, blogging (define) is simply too radical for our traditionally conservative corporate culture?
Possibly. But for some time now, the Internet has been coaxing business leaders down from their ivory towers and asking them to mingle directly with the people whom they serve. Customers suddenly are in possession of VIP party passes, and they’re not giving them back any time soon. The multi-million dollar advertising budgets, slick paper brochures and corporate double-talk that used to fatten the bottom are no longer as effective.
Nothing illustrates this concept like The Cluetrain Manifesto:
“A powerful global conversation has begun. Through the Internet, people are discovering and inventing new ways to share relevant knowledge with blinding speed. As a direct result, markets are getting smarter—and getting smarter faster than most companies.”
Blogs are a terrific way to facilitate one-on-one conversations with consumers. Who needs focus groups when you’ve got a widely-read blog? Blogs can help you introduce new products and services, then find out what people like and don’t like about them; establish rapport, trust, and information exchange; convey news, events, and customer support information; and accomplish a multitude of other communications initiatives.
Now let’s look at the flip side. I maintain a blog, and it helps me achieve many of those things. But much like hair dye: once you start, you can’t stop. My primary intention is to educate and inform; and frankly, most days it’s difficult to find the time. (Many people have told me they won’t even think about starting a blog for this very reason.) Certainly that’s an apprehension for large businesses too.
Additional concerns include:
• Deciding who should blog: can you find someone “in the know”, who writes well, and has the time to post regularly?
• Losing control over the message: to hold interest, posts need to be spontaneous (not written by committee and highly-contrived---a foreign concept to many organizations).
• “Loose cannon” bloggers: sensitive information that should not go public might somehow find its way onto the blog.
• Negative comments: no matter how good its products and services, no company can please everybody all the time.
• Sparking criticism: it’s every corporate executive’s worst nightmare: what if a particular topic generates a negative vibe which spreads throughout the blogosphere and radiates out to the mainstream media?
To blog or not to blog? If your company maintains one, you’re invited to point to it here. Or perhaps your efforts to start one have been received with resistance for one reason or another? What’s your blogging experience?
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Posted by: Jennifer Gaglione
Jennifer works with companies looking to increase profits through an expanded Internet presence. Gaglione's Cleveland-based company serves a range of businesses locally and nationally, including those in the retail, manufacturing, health care and nonprofit sectors. For more than a decade, she managed marketing and public relations strategies for Playhouse Square Center, one of the largest performing arts centers in North America. She has also served as marketing director for Magicworks Entertainment, a leading, global entertainment producer.
Jennifer:
Why are you limiting it to Corporate Blogs? By definition everything corporate has to go thru a lawyer...
What about Ron McDaniel in Kent: www.buzzoodle.com
Anita Campbell in Medina: http://www.sellingtosmallbusinesses.com and www.smallbiztrends.com among many others.
Actually Ohio is a hotbed of Bloggers.... Barbara Payne, the Really Good Freelance Writer.
Deborah Brown of AllWriteInk at Bizinformer.com
Maybe you should do a google blog search http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=marketing+blog+ohio
38,000 hits today.
Chris Brown
Branding & Marketing www.brandandmarket.blogspot.com
Marketing Resources & Results www.resources-results.com
Posted by: Chris Brown | March 23, 2007 at 01:38 PM