Marketing Invades The Blogosphere
New York, NY (August 25, 2008) - The Washington Post ran this piece on the state of blogs in Corporate America. Nothing really new, but you get the sense something is about to change on the web again in the next few years. I get the distinct impression people are already tiring of corporate saturation. Read:
…Of the approximately 112.5 million blogs on the Web, almost 5,000 are corporate, according to blog indexer Technorati. Calacanis blogged to start conversations and be a part of a virtual community, but corporate bloggers are in it for other reasons: talking directly to customers or giving a personal touch to a big business.
“It’s a phenomenal promotion vehicle for a company, or a great crisis tool or a great customer service tool,” said Geoff Livingston, a public relations strategist and social media expert.
Smaller businesses are experimenting, too, since a blog can be an economical way of getting attention.
“It’s a small business, so we don’t have a marketing budget,” said Robb Duncan, who began a blog for his Georgetown gelato shop, Dolcezza, about two years ago. “We’ve never done any ads or promoting because we can’t afford it. So I guess its kind of guerrilla marketing, and it’s free.”
When his second store opened in Bethesda in July, Duncan used his blog to advertise an opening night ice cream giveaway. He ended up serving over 300 gallons of ice cream to more than 1,000 customers that night.
Though blogs may not always yield immediate results, they can be part of a “halo effect” that ultimately gives a business a bigger online presence, says Debbie Weil, a corporate blogging consultant and author of “The Corporate Blogging Book.” “I think that the really important thing about using a blog as a business strategy is that usually you cannot connect the dots directly from blogs to revenue,” Weil said.
The tough part isn’t creating a blog; it’s generating attention around your product. If the shit isn’t dope, chances are, you aren’t going to succeed. In the same way that people discovered good music and good products first-hand, the blog is just an extension of your personality and brand. If you can’t effectively communicate yourself that way, your potential for success is severely limited. But blogger beware - instant access to millions is an easy way to get yourself in trouble. Post wisely.
Tags: blog, blogging, business, company, marketing, Music, promotion, tech