Blogging - What is it?

Blogging - What's all the Buzz? A weblog or blog is a web site where an individual records his/her ideas, observations and opinions, inspires comments from others and links to other web resources. The format is flexible (a personal journal, an interactive information management) and its style is informal (immediacy and personality). Blogs are public and searchable on the Internet. Blogging has revolutionized traditional on-line communication and has a tremendous potential to do the same in marketing. A blog is what all "websites wanted to be" updated on a regular basis, contains content that is of interest to a select or target audience and is easy to update and change. Blog technologies can be described as "content management made simple." PR is a solo voice, a blog is a choir Blogs also differ from other on-line marketing tools. • Direct emails are totally asymmetric, with total control, but without interactivity: you send, they receive…and if don't want to receive they regard you as a spammer giving you communication negative value. Opt-in lists are a partial solution but emails are simply not engaging enough, there is no real conversation going on. As for interactivity, if they reply (unlikely), they have no immediate feedback other than a pro-forma, auto responder. • Chat rooms, on the other hand, are totally interactive and therefore impossible to control meaningfully and often degenerate into chaos. The communications are transient and quickly lost in the digital blizzard of Internet Relay Chat. • Forums give a degree of control and are highly interactive. However, even if they are actively moderated the format gives equal weight to the threaded discussion as it does to the issue which started the thread. This is generally not desirable and not effective for a company's communications. According to some marketing and Internet experts: "Weblogs may have succeeded where corporate marketing websites have failed. That is to communicate a voice that is focused, clear and representative of the organization, establish a relationship with customers that goes beyond the traditional buyer-seller transaction, to consistently update and provide content that is interesting and provides incentives to customers to return on a regular basis and provides added value through a feedback system that is open and unedited where ideas, concepts and opinions are discussed openly and freely." The major advantage of blogs is the ability to communicate with audience in a casual manner. Blogs style and format enable companies to communicate the 'official' message to their customers in an informal and credible fashion . The best weblogs focus on specific topics, rather than diary-like outpourings, and can be rich sources for up-to-date information on niche topics that are not covered well anywhere else. Some of them attract reasonable large audiences and a link to a company web-site or a news story about a company is likely to cause a noticeable spike in traffic. Weblogs tend to attract people based on specific areas of interest. Their readers are, in effect, highly targeted markets and can have a disproportionate effect on a company's public image. Blogging activity involves linking to other weblogs, interesting items may be picked up by many other bloggers, creating a snowball effect that can lead to big exposure. Recent Blog Movie Related Campaigns: NEW YORK (Adage.com) -- Gawker.com has launched its second advertising blog for the new John Waters film, A Dirty Shame, which opens Sept. 24. The promotional effort, sponsored by New Line Cinema, follows on the buzz-generating success of Gawker's first adverblog, "The Art of Speed," in which Nike showcased artists' interpretations of speed in mini online movies. The new "Dirty Shame" adverblog mimics the gossipy, Hollywood banter that is the tone of another Gawker blog, Defamer, and is promoted across all Gawker properties. The official New Line Cinema film site is hot-linked at the top of the site. The New Line Cinema blog will run for about three weeks, said Gawker's publisher, Nick Denton. The entertainment sector is particularly suited for blog-related promotions, according to some marketing observers. Blogs are viewed by their readers as edgy sources of breaking cultural news and their readers like to spread the word about something new in their area of interest. Blog enthusiasts are excellent evangelist candidates. They're early adopters. Often, they're serial buzz spreaders, and they can funnel waves of others just like them toward your blog and your organization, especially if it's a small business B2C or B2B? Doesn't matter. Companies that sell primarily to other companies may find that a blog more easily bridges the feedback loop between end customers and channels. That bridge is often missing or difficult to create using existing tools—like focus groups, or the telephone. For any organization, a blog is part of a long-term customer evangelism strategy. Since blogs are easy to set up and pay for (some are free), launching a blog should be at the top of your to-do list. Why? Among dozens of reasons, here are seven: 1. They fan the flames of customer evangelism. Their personal nature helps humanize you and your organization. 2. They function as an instant-feedback mechanism. Most blogs allow readers to respond to your posts or link to them on their own blogs. These features provide almost real-time feedback on ideas and issues that strike a chord, or highlight new or existing problems. A blog can reveal a little problem before it grows into a bigger one. 3. They compel you to "Napsterize" more of your knowledge more often. A blog is about sharing what you know, think and believe; search engines index your ongoing knowledge sharing, making it easier for customers and prospects to find you. Attracting is always easier than hunting. 4. They facilitate the spread of buzz. Honest, informative or thought-provoking posts about issues important to customers and prospects tend to be spread more often. 5. They allow you to have more simultaneous conversations. It's more than you could ever do in person. 6. Most blog service providers offer good-looking templates to use if your existing Web site design is embarrassing or nonexistent. 7. They help position you as a knowledgeable expert in your industry. Once you start blogging, Here are five blogging don'ts:' 1. Do not have someone else write your blog. Write it yourself. 2. Blogs should not be managed by a PR department or ad agency. Blogs are best when they're authentic, which may include run-on sentences, detailed analysis or critical opinions. Typically, those qualities run counter to the sensibilities of traditional public relations. 3. Do not have a thin skin. Comments to your posts may bite or sting, especially while other people watch. But a benefit of blogs means unwarranted criticism often causes other customers often to spring to your defense. Trust-based relationships emanate from taking the bad with the good. 4. Do not let your blog go unattended for weeks at a time. Focus on several posts per week, even if they're just a few paragraphs. 5. Do not make your blog a branding exercise in self-centeredness. If you endlessly promote yourself and your services, no one will care. There are several blog service providers, but here are two of the best: • www.TypePad.com starts at $4.95 per month. • www.Blogger.com is free. So what are you waiting for? Start Blogging now!