Blogs

Blogs represent one of the biggest challenges and opportunities for those responsible for marketing or communications within companies. Blogs show a relative importance in the promotion of the business and helps in the promotion of the site. 1. All Blogs and Bloggers are different from each other. Marketers and communicators need to appreciate there is a hierarchy among blogs and bloggers. These range from the influential 'commentators' to individuals who indulge their passion or obsession. However, each has their own importance and place in the communication channel. And, as with any marketing or communications campaign, each has to be addressed separately. 2. Blogging follows the classic marketing life cycle. At this point most bloggers would be classified as 'early adopters'. They are comfortable with technology and normally better educated than most. They also tend to be coherent and (not surprisingly) prejudiced. As such they are important as advocates, opinion formers and influencers, making them difficult for marketers and communicators to ignore. 3. Blogs are often seen as more credible sources of information. Bloggers publish individual opinions with none of the constraints and need for balance that one expects from traditional media - in fact the raison deter for many bloggers is that they are neither fair nor balanced. Public values have changed over the past decade or more. There is more distrust of traditional media which are often perceived as peddling their own agenda - often without being 'upfront' about it. Ironically users of blogs actually trust blogs and bloggers more because mostly they don't hide their bias and the site visitor feels that it is up to them to make the choice as to accept what is said or not. 4. Blogs are threat for the media - so they are embracing them! For the reasons above, media are scared that a skeptical and distrustful public will begin to desert them. So they are getting into the Blogging business. Traditional media want to control the relationship with their audiences. They figure that if, as many US media are now doing, they also include access to blogs on their website, and they will gain credibility. One newspaper executive is quoted as saying "anything that serves the reader with more information is good for us".