Here and elsewhere, you’ve read posts from various blog consultants trying to drag you into the social-media swimming pool. If you’re like most companies, however, you’re kicking and screaming all the way — clutching the patio umbrella with both hands as you protest, “But will it help my bottom line?”
In many cases, you’re not going to be particularly reassured by the answers you get to your question. You’ll be given an assortment of “nice” reasons to blog, such as:
Hoo-boy. Try taking that nonsense to your CEO — you know, the guy who thinks marketing and sales are the same thing, and who’s still having his admin print out his e-mails for him.
Here’s the reality: Blogging has been a nice addition to the communications programs of many forward-looking, marketing-oriented companies — companies that don’t need to see an immediate bottom-line result to know their program is working.
But if you’re not in the fortunate position of working for that kind of company (and frankly, most marketers aren’t), you’re going to need an argument that’s better than “nice.” You’re going to have to explain why blogging is necessary for your company.
And by “necessary,” I mean that it will drive the bottom line immediately and in a measurable way.
Blogging is necessary for the following companies:
1. ALL online-only businesses
2. ALL companies that generate a significant portion of revenues via e-commerce
3. ALL companies that depend on the Web as a significant source of sales leads
4. ALL companies with a customer base of heavy Web users
If your company doesn’t fall into one of these categories, and your CEO is scared of blogs, it’s probably not worth banging your head against the wall at this point (although there are some under-the-radar things you can do right now to get started.)
However, if you are in one of these categories, you need to get started — immediately, if not sooner.
So, what arguments can you take into the CEO’s office to win buy-in? There are two:
1. It’s the single best way to drive organic (unpaid) traffic to a Web site — so if driving Web traffic is a key part of the marketing plan, it’s a must.
2. It’s the single best way to build and sustain a business’ online reputation — so if a brand’s standing among heavy Web users is important, it’s a must.
Demonstrating bottom-line results is easy for necessary bloggers. For example, you can track blog-related referrals directly to online purchases. You can track the progress of your company’s keywords in search engine results, among other measures, to show how the blog is driving your company’s overall Web traffic. If the Web, or Web users, are central to your business, it’s a no-brainer.
Which means that even your CEO should be ready to jump in the pool.
Tags: Blogging, business, internet, Marketing, Scott_Baradell
These are good thoughts. We develop web sites for clients and do encourage them to consider blogging. While we realize that blogging in the conventional sense may not be the top priority or even a nessisity right now we are building blogging or at least RSS capability and features into our current projects. A lot of companies may not always have the time to write in-depth thought provoking articles but using “blogging” software can be used to add calendar events, press releases, etc. which is much better than have a static page plus you have the advantage of giving site visitors the option to subscribe to the information via RSS and getting the information in a more timely manner than if they just happened to think about visiting a site. Sometimes I think the term blog is often being used in the wrong ways or misunderstood. I guess you can say I am a little more concerned that clients take advantage of “RSS” as opposed to the traditional concept of “blogging.”
Good stuff Scott. I also think it’s important to stress that blogging gives you a better understanding of your customers, which leads to more efficient (read: cheaper) marketing.
But your main point is very valid, you have to blogging in ‘bottom line dollars’ terms for many companies.
Scott,
Your post touches on an important subject. I agree with you and Mack that we have to deliver ROI and part of that is a reduction in marketing research expenses.
Furthermore, not every company needs to blog and some companies should not blog. If I were advising Exxon, for example, I would tell them not to start a blog. No good can come from that, and certainly no ROI.
Lewis,
I was actually just speaking with an energy company the other day about starting a global warming blog — showing some of the things they are doing to help the environment. If the talk is backed up by action, a blog like that can be a great idea.
Unfortunately, in the case of Exxon, their position toward global warming has been deplorable.
Scott,
I once was the manager of communications at an energy company, and we would have launched a great blog. But we distributed energy, we didn’t dig it, mine it, or in any other way produce it.
If a major oil company started a blog and could not adequately defend why over the last three decades they haven’t invested in alternative fuels, I think a blog would make their lives miserable.
I think we agree. I just wanted to expand on your excellent post and comments with my own take.
Lewis,
Like Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, we’re totally in sync.
Great post Scott! I have talked more companies out of blogging than into it because I agree that blogging needs to address the bottom line.
It’s possible not just to drive traffic to the main site, but also to do business through a blog, and to have advertising revenue from it.
You’re also so right about how you have to talk to CEOs and about how many of them still have their assistant print out their emails.
Thanks, B.L.
Blogging for blogging sake is not always time well spent. How many times have I read through a blog that I thought to be useful only to get to the end and realize all I learned was how to waste my time.
Blogging is an interesting concept – it allows us as marketers to reach our potential clients with useful information and a hint of our corporate personality. It’s really hard in most traditional marketing venues to get across the fervor one feels about one’s product or industry- but blogging offers that opportunity. I’m passionate about continuing education – I think it is vital to our nation’s ability to compete in the world marketplace – but my direct mail piece touting my site SeminarInformation.com can hardly show my or my co-workers passion. How can we tell the world we’ll go the extra mile to provide an answer to client’s question about a particular seminar – only through my blogging about the experience. It gives us “life” beyond our corporate image.
Scott, you make many good points.
My take (and what we consult our clients about) is that you MUST participate in blogging because:
1) Either, someone is blogging about you, and you need to be part of the conversation, or you have NO influence in this medium. Do you want those bloggers to overwhelm the messages you want the market to hear? I don’t think so.
2) Or, no one is blogging about you, in which case you don’t even EXIST in this medium. It’s a huge missed opportunity to create (relatively easy-to-create) valuable content for your target market.
One way to think about this is that many, many target customers don’t distinguish HOW you’ve published information, they just Google about you, and they find out about you through search.
Many, many target customers may not know what a blog is, or how it works, and they may never care. What they care about is gathering information that will help them make a better decision. You need to provide them with that information through all viable methods, including blogging.
Good concise post Scott.
It seems to me, if a comapny or brand has an online presence – then it will become a matter of, “a company cannot afford to not have a blog”.
Great post!
I think it’s insinuated here, but if your customers aren’t the types of folks who read and value blogs, blogging probably isn’t worth too much time.
I found out that starting a blog, and asking others to write or contribute to posts, helps everyone understand the business a bit better since we’re speaking directly to the customer.
Thanks for the post!
Scott,
Good points all. And a clarification of who a “heavy Web user” might be. Many companies have customers who are online these days, talking about their products on discussion boards, blogs, etc. One example (that, yes, I’m involved with) is GlaxoSmithKline and their new OTC (over-the-counter) weight-loss product, alli. GSK has started an official corporate blog at http://www.alliconnect.com.
Maybe and maybe not. Blogging is only as good as your voice, the strength of your signal, and the conversation it sparks. If your company blog has no comments, isn’t read by anyone, and doesn’t get picked up, it’s not paying for the person/people you have on the payroll who do it all day, every day.
Your CEO wants to spend money to get the best return. Is the cost of a headcount in marketing as good as an investment in operations or manufacturing? What about a second salesperson in the NY Metro area?
What’s the ROI of the blog thing, anyway? If you can’t triangluate a way to get there, don’t pitch it — unless communication is part of your company’s DNA. Companies that tightly control all outbound communications will never blog (successfully); those without a robust strategy to get dialogs started will fail, as well — and all of it costs something.
It’s not good enough to say “everyone must blog” because everyone doesn’t need to.
Maybe and maybe not. Blogging is only as good as your voice, the strength of your signal, and the conversation it sparks. If your company blog has no comments, isn’t read by anyone, and doesn’t get picked up, it’s not paying for the person/people you have on the payroll who do it all day, every day.
Your CEO wants to spend money to get the best return. Is the cost of a headcount in marketing as good as an investment in operations or manufacturing? What about a second salesperson in the NY Metro area?
What’s the ROI of the blog thing, anyway? If you can’t triangluate a way to get there, don’t pitch it — unless communication is part of your company’s DNA. Companies that tightly control all outbound communications will never blog (successfully); those without a robust strategy to get dialogs started will fail, as well — and all of it costs something.
It’s not good enough to say “everyone must blog” because everyone doesn’t need to.
Scott,
I agree with your post and the reality that many marketers are facing in their business roles.
I also am asked the “why should I blog” question by clients and their board of directors. And, with 4 different generations at play in the workforce – it is often difficult for those who are not “web savvy” to understand the purpose and the presence of blogging.
Seth Godin, author of Permission Based Marketing & Purple Cow, said it best when he said it’s just another form of communication. I agree!
Nowadays, leaving messages on voice mail is considered “having a conversation”. A friend of mine’s 14 year old daughter logged in 3,000 text messages last month and he was shocked. While another friend commented, isn’t that just an electronic form of “note passing” – didn’t you do that as a kid?
Blogging is just another form of communication. If your target client (the clients that give you the most pleasure and profit) are “talking” on-line via emails and posts — then you need to be blogging. If not, you’ve missed a form of communication that will help you be heard and stand out above the competitive clutter.
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