Getting Your Organization to Think About Blogs
By now you’re probably no stranger to blogs. You’ve read the news and heard the stats: the blogosphere doubles in size every six to seven months, a new blog is posted every second, and blogs are undoubtedly mainstream. In the U.S. 36% of all Internet users have now visited a blog – and the number keeps growing. But with all this talk how is your organization managing these changes? Does your organization have a plan for approaching blogs in the New Year? As blogs continue to rise in popularity every organization should be thinking about their impact. The following steps are a good place to start the conversation with your organization…
1. The team needs to understand what blogs are all about. Your organization should understand what a blog is and if they aren’t familiar you can use the metaphor of a journal with the latest entries showing first. Blogs are available on all subjects and can be text-only or can include podcasts (audio segments) or vodcasts (video segments). You can also subscribe to a blog using a news reader such as Google Reader, Bloglines, or IE7, among others. RSS (really simple syndication) is the technology that allows you to subscribe.
2. Look, listen, and learn. Blogs give your organization an intimate view of what the market really thinks about your industry and your product or service. Your organization should be monitoring the blogosphere (the collection of blogs out there on the Web) to see what’s being said, to know whether it’s influential, and to plan how you’ll use this information. There are several tools you can use to monitor online conversations. Technorati, Blogpulse, and Icerocket are just a few examples. Third parties can also help you in this area by conducting online monitoring services or by conducting an online audit.
3. Consider blogger outreach. Bloggers are similar to journalists in that they can help you to spread the word about your product or service – if the story is good! As with PR there are no guarantees (and bloggers aren’t push-overs) but there are methods you can use to put the odds in your favor.
4. Consider a blog of your own. As we know blogs are not just for individuals. GM, Dell, Ford, McDonalds, and Southwest Airlines are just a few of the Fortune 500 that provide blogs. Blogs are a powerful (and relatively inexpensive) way to communicate with those you serve (as with an external blog) and even with one’s own employees (as with an internal blog). A notable example of an internal blog is Ron’s Blog, a podcast that the VP of Communications at ALTANA Pharma developed with us to communicate to a disparate sales force. Employees loved it, it brought the sales team closer in line with the organization’s objectives, and over 90% accessed each and every episode.
5. Go at your own pace. Although blogs will continue to grab the media’s attention they’re still a fairly recent medium. Your organization should know they can always “test the waters” so to speak. Online monitoring is a good low-risk first step and blogger outreach is a wise next move. If your organization is eager to start blogging themselves they should consider why they want to blog and build their strategy around the objectives – never the technology.
Blogging is a great tool for direct communication and dialogue but it does take commitment; commitment to post regular content and commitment to respond promptly to user feedback. Blogging is never a one shot deal but the benefits of improved communication and knowledge sharing are definitely worth the effort. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be blogging too.
