The Business of Blogs

Stenback agrees: “Do not make your blog some backwater page on your main business Web site. If you treat your blog like an experimental afterthought, so will any potential readers.”

Good blogs begin with a plan. Thickins creates a strategy document for his clients that includes marketing objectives, and a plan for the structure and flow of information. “In almost all cases, I’m going to suggest that it should be a multi-author blog for companies that have sufficient size,” Thickins says. One-person blogs have been known to peter out when a blogger gets tired of posting regularly. Thickins thinks that content stays fresh when several people are responsible for blog entries.

However, Stenback notes that “group blogs can be tough to pull off. There are some great ones, but usually they lack the unique personality and voice that is the hallmark of a good blog.”

Be prepared for feedback to posts. The interactivity of blogs means that there are parts of the conversation that you don’t control. You must be prepared to deal with reader comments or reach out to other bloggers who have something to say about your company—good and bad.

Blogger relations are critical in maintaining a balanced dialogue that truly serves the readers, and many companies feel they need help in figuring out how to do this. Thickins says that firms should be certain that their public relations team is Web savvy and has a focus on newer media. Pitching ideas to bloggers who comment on your industry is similar to other public relations pitches. By being the first to reach out, Thickins says a company can develop a positive image from the get-go.

The best advice is not to ignore any comments, unless they are outright rude. Blogs are meant to foster dialogue between disparate groups of people, but as with other company communications, you’re reputation is on the line.

“You’ve got to jump on those comments, negative or positive,” Thickins says. “And you’ve got to be prepared to comment in a way that isn’t going to be perceived like you’re just doing a sales pitch. You’ve got to identify yourself. You can’t do an anonymous comment because people see through that.”

If the strength of blogs lies in being transparent and open, then it follows that readers will give more credence to comments that are signed with your name.

You can identify the key blogs that are discussing your com- pany by going to blogsearch.google.com and entering your company name or industry as a keyword. Large firms now have in-house blog monitors that watch what’s being talked about on influential blogs.

Marketing on the Internet is not a monologue, Ohmann says. Information is shared on the fly at the pace of the customer. Whether communicating technical support issues or getting some buzz going for a new product launch, a blog can be an effective format.