If You Blog It, Will They Come?

Real-world uses for blogs in marketing and technology

by Bill Koch, Editor, definingINSIGHTS

According to David McCollough’s book, Truman, near the end of President Harry Truman’s second term in office, he entered a room and saw his wife, Bess, burning pages and pages of their personal correspondence. As a history buff and a soon to be ex-President already concerned about his legacy, Harry was mortified. “Bess, think of the history!” he exclaimed.

Bess looked him squarely in the eye and threw another stack of papers on the fire. “I am,” she replied.

Fifty years later, many companies are rushing to post “inside information” about their products and processes on the Internet. It’s the latest buzz-builder in the world of marketing and technology—the blog.

With a blog, you share your thoughts about your products or ideas with the world on a frequent basis in order to engage your customers. If you haven’t heard of blogging, you will soon. With proper planning, a blog can work brilliantly. You can create an online community and gain valuable feedback by directing the conversation. If you really want your blog to take off, unlike Bess Truman, you should assess just how honest you want to be about your company.

A step in the blog direction

“The first thing you need to do,” says Ian Joyce , vice president of marketing for Definition 6, “is to figure out how the blog will fit into your big picture. It has to be coordinated with your other marketing plans.”

Joyce says a blog should be an integrated part of your overall plan to create “buzz” around a product or communicate an idea. “In most cases, a blog cannot build and sustain the momentum of an entire marketing campaign.”

Joyce notes that there are millions of blogs out there and thousands more being launched every week. “It’s such a hot thing right now,” he says, “people are sure they have to have a blog before they really understand how it works.” Joyce adds that over half of blogs are abandoned between three to six months after their launch.

“At its heart,” Joyce says, “a blog is a content management tool. You post information on a regular basis that engages your intended audience. And you control the conversation by initiating the discussion with each post.”

How does a blog differ from a message board? “A blog is more controlled,” Joyce explains. “The best blogs are set up around a specific project or topic and stick to that topic. They are more time sensitive since the postings are more frequent. They give a stronger sense of immediacy than message boards.”

A business blog presents information about a product or process from an expert. Joyce explains, “A business blog generates buzz because an expert shares ‘inside’ information with you. This person is not some random guy posting a message on a message board. He or she is a recognized expert, or at least someone with information the general public does not have.”

Committed and honest

Commitment is key to sustaining a blog. That commitment must be planned from the moment the idea of the blog gets a green light. “Otherwise,” Joyce says, “the blog will fail to gain traction with its intended audience.”

Once you have an expert to give inside information, the second buzz-builder unique to blogs is the frequency of new information. “If you post frequently, people will visit frequently. It’s as simple as that,” Joyce says. “It only takes a few trips back to your blog with no new information for people to lose interest.”

Remember, thousands of blogs are launched each week. Some could be from your competitors. Others could be from disgruntled consumers with only bad things to say about your company. Joyce advises, “If you build a blog, make sure you have internal staff or a vendor dedicated to keeping the content engaging and frequently updated.”

Say you’re committed. You have an engaging blog frequently updated by an expert. What do you get out of it? Communication with your audience.

“A blog isn’t just a journal or diary,” Joyce says. “A good blog encourages readers to post their reactions, to join the conversation. By reviewing these posts, you gain valuable insight into what readers think about your product. You get feedback on what’s working well—and what’s not—with new processes or ideas."

But what if this feedback is negative? Should you filter out comments that are less than flattering to your company? “People love blogs because they are transparent. If you commit to share the good and bad with your product development process, for example, you will gain trust with your customers. They’ll get the feeling that you’re telling them everything, not just marketing hype.”

Joyce continues, “That’s something you really need to consider before you launch a blog. Are you willing to have honest and open conversations about your products posted on the Internet? As scary as it sounds, this can be an excellent PR move.

“Managed correctly, putting your warts on display for public viewing through a blog can build tremendous credibility for a brand,” Joyce adds.

For a blog to be truly effective, a company should use writers who will be honest in their postings as they direct conversations about the product or process. The company must also be willing to accept all feedback about their products that a blog may generate. “If you start to filter conversations too much and remove negative comments,” Joyce says, “you can lose credibility. More importantly, you also lose a chance to gain customer feedback.”

From short term to next steps

Like any new toy, blogs are great fun for a while. But what happens when your staff runs out of things to say or the whole idea just loses steam? “One of the reasons businesses are hesitant to start a blog is that they think it will need to continue forever,” Joyce says. “They worry they won’t be able to keep the momentum going for years and years.”

Joyce assures clients that there’s nothing wrong with a short-term blog. The key is to set that expectation with your readers and your staff.

“Product launches don’t go on forever. Your blog doesn’t necessarily have to either,” Joyce says. “Once a certain project is complete, be open to extending the blog or transitioning it to a different blog if you have gained valuable customer feedback.”

What if the blog has served its purpose and needs to come to an end? “That’s a decision that must be made before you start your blog,” Joyce cautions. “If you think it might be a short-term blog, plan what you will do with the customers once the blog ends. If the blog has engaged your customers, you don’t want to lose their interest after it stops. You must have a place to direct them to next.”

Building your own buzz

Despite Bess Truman’s best efforts, she didn’t get to control the conversation about her husband’s legacy. With a blog, however, you have another tool to manage your customers’ impression of your company. You also get a new avenue to build a relationship with them.

While most people like to fast-forward through commercials, many of them will sit down and read a blog if they think they will get an inside scoop on a new product’s development. If you are committed to creating content on a regular basis, posting honest information about your company and receiving all feedback about your products, you’re well on your way to building buzz with an engaging blog.