Are you trying to figure out how to help your company “join the conversation“? Or figure out just why you need to in the first place…?
Amy Gahran points to an excellent article Steve Outing wrote in yesterday’s Editor and Publisher Online. At first pass, How to Make Your Web Site More Conversational focuses on techniques to engage news readers with news media sites and blogs. But in truth, it’s a great primer for how ANY business with any kind of publication — a Web site, newsletter, blog, or whatever — can engage with its audience, foster conversation, and create a sense of community.
For example, read what Amy writes about WHY companies should foster conversation. Ignore the “news” modifier and what’s left is a compelling reason for any company to start talking and listening:
“–the main reason why news organizations should foster strong online conversations boils down to money. Having a loyal, engaged audience is the foundation of almost every aspect of most news organizations’ business model. Few things cement relationships of any kind, but especially with audiences and markets, like strong, mutual communication. Encouraging conversation — and leveraging those conversations to enhance news offerings — demonstrates that your audience is valued not merely as a market, but as a resource.
She adds: “Although only a minority of your audience is likely to engage in online conversations with you at any given time, everyone will notice that you’re open to conversation and making the most of it.
Finally: “All of this enhances reputation, which also helps build brand and audience loyalty.”
A few techniques Steve suggests:
* Specifically ask for comments on any topic by posing pointed questions or asking readers to share their experiences or knowledge about an issue.
* Allow anonymous comments, but screen them first. Encourage people to register before commenting, and don’t screen those.
* Create a “subscribe” feature for each article that allows visitors to receive e-mail alerts whenever someone adds a comment to a story or article.
* Enhance your comments to allow photos.
* Allow your visitors to create their own user-profile pages.
* Add photos of registered readers to comments, and link to their profile pages.
Read more from Steve here.
“Few things cement relationships of any kind, but especially with audiences and markets, like strong, mutual communication.”
Excellent! What’s really exciting is that I’m seeing more and more talk about the need to communicate with customers. Blogs have the ability to build buzz, but you’re doing a great service to all marketers by continuing to build buzz around having a conversation with your community. Great job as always Ms. C
Here in Barcelona -Catalonia- things are not so fast as in USA. Not all the media sites let readers leave their opinions. And there are still some companies wich have no website… but it’s very interesting to read your articles to know a little better about next steps in the net.
I think it’s very telling, and very scary, how Ann’s post about ‘Biggest Blogging Lies’ is being linked all over the blogosphere, hell it’s even worked it’s way into the MSM, yet this post is dead as a doornail.
As I told Ann, it’s the difference between ‘let’s talk about ourselves!’(biggest blogging lies), and ‘let’s talk about how we can change the (marketing) world!’(this post).
Another example of how we as bloggers REALLY need to get over ourselves. Here we have some of the smartest marketing minds in the world reading and writing for this blog, and instead of discussing how we can use this exciting media to better serve our communities, all we want to talk about is ourselves and our blogs.
I agree with all of those, except for one. I don’t screen anonymous comments. I know this is how you do things here, but for me, when I come across a blog that is moderated, it just screams to me “you can talk, but unless I like what you say, you can’t say it.”
I know the purpose behind moderation is usually to screen out spam comments or excessive flaming, but if I don’t see my comments pop up immediately, it sort of alienates me to an extent.
Also, if you’re not Johnny On The Spot with approving and allowing comments to post, it looks for a long time like nobody’s commenting on your blog.
I’ve found it works best for me to just go through after the fact and delete any offending posts that might pop up, and I don’t have too much of a problem with it.
I hear you, Mack. The “blog lies” post has received a lot of press…this morning, I opened up the Boston Globe and saw a write-up by Maura Welch about it. (Thanks for Jon Krantz for flagging it!)
But in my mind, this issue — of why it’s important to make your business “conversational” — is more critical to the evolution of blogging as a marketing tool — not blogging for blogging’s sake….
As Amy wrote: “–the main reason why news organizations should foster strong online conversations boils down to money….Encouraging conversation…demonstrates that your audience is valued not merely as a market, but as a resource.”
Otherwise, as Mack suggests, we’re all talking to ourselves. The key is to answer the charge of critics who ask, “Why should business blog? What’s in it for them? Show me the money!” In my view, Amy’s words start to do just that.