Blogging as a marketing strategy

When most companies weigh up their marketing and advertising options they usually consider mainstream media (TV, radio, press), online advertising, direct response, outdoor etc. But their is an increasing school of thought that blogging is a relevant and powerful medium for both attracting business and communicating your brand message.

Earlier this year Sticky Advertising held a Hunter Media Showcase covering all the media options available to local advertisers. Our keynote speaker was Gavin Heaton who discussed social media and Web 2.0 as they relate to businesses. It is an area that Sticky has become very conversant in with 4 blog sites being administered by the agency and several clients beginning to explore blogging strategies as part of their marketing mix.

Gavin has just returned from New York City where he attended the Blogger Social and a social media round-table with Advertising Age. It is quite significant that an advertising bible such as AdAge is now publishing marketing blog rankings (such as the one on the top right of this site) and actively discussing blogging.

As a follow up, Gavin has just posted a fascinating piece on blogging for businesses which you really should read. In the meantime, here is the content of todays piece in AdAge magazine which was prompted by the round-table discussion:

Does Your Company Need a Chief Blogger?

Corporate Blogging Is Hot, but Experts Say Place to Start Is Far From Online

By Beth Snyder Bulik

Published: April 14, 2008

YORK, Pa. (AdAge.com) -- To blog or not to blog?

It's a question marketers are still grappling with years after the first waves of corporate blogging flooded the web. But for better or worse, it seems corporate blogging -- and the title of chief blogger -- is beginning to hit its stride. Companies such as Coca-Cola, Marriott and Kodak all have recently recruited chief bloggers, with or without the actual title, to tell their stories and engage consumers.

"It's a good idea to have a chief blogger," said Mack Collier, a social-media consultant and blogger at the Viral Garden, citing Dell's Lionel Menchaca and LinkedIn's Mario Sundar as examples of a single personality positively affecting a brand.

"At SXSW, [Messrs. Menchaca and Sundar] were getting hugged in the hallway. They were as popular as Robert Scoble! And that popularity is bleeding over into Dell and LinkedIn," he said.

Numbers going up
Today, just more than 11% of Fortune 500 companies have corporate blogs, according to SocialText, and only a handful have a designated chief blogger. The number of corporate blogs has risen slowly and steadily since the end of 2005, when 4% had any kind of blog.

"The period of 'we've got to do this too' has passed, and now people are evaluating blogs as tools. ... It's going mainstream because companies are realizing this is a tool that has utility," said Paul Gillin, media consultant and author of "The New Influencers." He counts about 60 corporate blogs among the Fortune 500.

While the title of chief blogger is seductive, analysts and industry insiders said the title shouldn't be the focus. What's essential is the brand voice, whether it comes from one chief blogger (such as Vice Chairman Bob Lutz on General Motors Corp.'s Fastlane Blog or CEO-President Jonathan Schwartz on Sun Microsystems' Jonathan's Blog) or a group working together, such as those on Southwest and Wal-Mart's blogs.

The reason matters
No one is saying that a chief blogger or blog voice is right for all brands. Bloggers and analysts agreed that brands that want to blog should identify a specific reason to do so, such as to humanize the company (like Microsoft), make the company more open (like Dell) or advance the fun-and-happy company image (like Southwest.)

"Everybody right now wants to or is contemplating starting a blog, but it's the wrong place to start," said Sean Howard, director-strategy and innovation at Lift Communications and blogger at CrapHammer.com. "They really need to start with reading, following their customers, commenting on communities. Then think about creating something."

And, in fact, there can be a downside to corporate blogging with a single chief blogger who can quickly become a lightning rod for online communities' disdain. "The whole idea of having a chief blogger when social media is so grass roots still smacks of companies trying to control this," said Jim Nail, CMO of Cymfony. "There are certainly tensions between social media as a groundswell vs. corporations trying to use it as a tactic."

Dave Armano, VP-experience design at Critical Mass and blogger at Logic & Emotion, in fact, touched off a minor tweetstorm when he posed a simple question to his Twitter crowd for this article: "Any thoughts about the whole 'chief blogger' thing?"

Most of the responses fell into one of two camps: "No way; it's too formalized and a bad idea" or "Yes, it's a dream job I'd love to have."

Intrugued skeptics
However, Mr. Armano -- and many others interviewed for this article -- are in a third camp. This skeptical but intrigued crowd thinks the focus should be less on the ctitle and more on figuring out how social media touch points can be used to benefit the brand in general.

"I'm all for the effect that the chief-blogger title creates in saying these are full-time jobs, because they are -- it's hard work. I just think it's the marketing on it that's off," he said. "It's should be a director of community engagement. That takes the focus off the medium and puts it on the interactions."

Geoff Livingston, CEO of Livingston Communications and blogger at the Buzz Bin agreed. "The problem is that too many people focus on the actual tool: the blog," he said. "What they need to focus on is the principles behind social media that make it work, like participating in a larger community works, and not controlling the conversation works."

Comments

[Gavin Heaton]

It is an interesting time! Brands are seriously trying to understand how social media can be employed. Geoff is right ... it is not about the tools, it is about reaching out and participating in your community.

[Chris Baggott]

Uggh! Love you Craig, but this AdAge thing is way off. It's all well and good to see what the big Brands are doing and thinking...but the reality is that they are becoming less & less relevant.

The one major takeaway from the whole Social Media phenomenon should be that we are tired of big brand and anonymous institutions that hide behind spokes models and info@ email addresses.

What we want is to hear from real people within the organization. The power isn't with a celebrity that gets "hug" at an industry conference. Its the average employee that posts about how the products and services work, how they help customers accomplish their goals...all that Zig Ziglar stuff.

AdAge is still trying to hold onto an old world order that doesn't exist anymore.

Best,

Chris Baggott
CEO
Compendium Blogware
www.compendiumblogware.com

[Media Hunter]

Good points Chris. However I do feel it is significant that blogging has become a mainstream topic of discussion in media such as Ad Age. The whole industry should be on notice that the rules are changing.

Thx for the comment.

[Chris Baggott]

No question. What is surprising is how few organizations are doing anything at all. But on the topic of C-level blogging, let me add this from an article in the Dallas Morning News:

"It's clear that when it comes to traditional authority figures – whether they're chief executives or heads of state – people trust them less," says Mr. Edelman. "Employees are the new credible source of information. We have data that shows an employee blog is five times more credible than a CEO blog – and I say this as a CEO blogger."

You can see the whole post here: http://blogging.compendiumblog.com/blog/blogs-and-business/0/0/people-dont-trust-ceos-they-trust-employees

Best,

Chris Baggott
CEO
Compendium Blogware
www.compendiumblogware.com