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Corporate Blogging - Making a strategic approach
By Editor on Feb 13, 2007 in PR2.0, corporateblogging
Should your organisation blog? Can you benefit from engaging with the emerging social media? Should your engagement be proactive or reactive? Or should your blogging plans be put on hold as yet?
Interest for corporate blogging catching up
The interest for corporate blogging in India seems to be catching up. Many PR clients are increasingly asking for blog exposures, in addition to exposures in the mainstream media. Then there are large MNCs looking at India closely in terms of engaging the social media structure here.
Considering that many of the global Fortune 500 companies and many other smaller companies across the globe are already on the blogging circuit and are benefiting from it, it is high time the India corporates learn how to leverage the social media.
Issues
One of the pertinent issues today seem to be that many of the brands & corporates in India are still not clear on how to engage the blogging environment. Even if companies decide to set up a blog or have a policy to engage with bloggers, they might not know what to do some months down the line. They think of the blogosphere and the whole social media environment as unmanageable and therefore prefer to keep away. Then there are company regulations and employees are not clear whether they can blog openly or not. Sharing of industry and business knowledge openly by an employee can be a concern for an employer.
Then another problem could be that there was no professional consultant who corporates could consult before they venture into blogging. Corporate marketing teams need to figure out clearly what will be the ROI, and what they are getting into. Blogging should come to them as a strategic decision and not because some employees feel like blogging. What should they blog about? What can they share? Who will be the author? Who might be the potential readers, or who they want to be the readers?
Getting professional consultancy on blogging in India
New social media management firms like BlogWorks are now engaged in helping corporates make social-media decisions by first analysing their marketing requirements, and by mapping what engaging with the new media environment can do for their companies. Once a blog is set up, a measurement matrix can be followed to help track how the initiative is going in tune with their marketing. The firm has been holding workshops for small and large groups across India for corporates and PR agencies interested in learning more about blogging and benefiting from the social media environment.
How much does corporate blogging pays?
To quote an example, in 2006, General Motors FastLane blog delivered an estimated US$410,470 worth of customer insight and marketing at an approximate cost of US$255,675 - a return on investment of 67 percent - according to a newly released report from Forrester Research. Compare that to 2005, when GM’s blog generated an estimated US$578,374 worth of information and publicity at an approximate cost of US$291,196. That’s a 99 percent return on investment.
Useful links on corporate blogging
1. Corporate blog- wikipedia
2. Sample corporate blogging policies
3. The Corporate Blogging book
4. Welcome to Blogosphere: An Executive Blogger’s Guide
On Feb 14, 2007, bella said:
Hey HH,
As usual useful and well researched topic. Just want to share an experience …
One of the gentlemen from my client’s side was very interested and enthusiastic about PR2.0, but all his colleagues, compel him to forgo this idea. They reckoned blogs are impossible to manage, they are so very uncontrollable. Five people out of six gentlemen presented there voted out of this idea, and you will not believe what all sort of excuses they were giving to avoid it.
But still, no matter how rigid people are to accept, one thing is very clear organizations are apprehending the need of Web2.0. They have realized how important it is to reach people faster and to have a two way communication with the targeted section.
Don’t we all know for how many days some would remember coverage in print or electronic media? But as far as net is concerned, today people are increasingly exposed to it….24X7
Cheers!
Bella
On Feb 14, 2007, hobbithob said:
Hey thanks a lot for sharing this. It reaffirms our thoughts that as PR consultants, we can assist our clients the new media. And yes you are right that print and TV coverage will have a shelf life shorter than online articles. Thanks for contributing so much to this blog time and again. I owe you one.
On Feb 16, 2007, Rajiv Dingra said:
Hi Hobbit,
My view is that the young kids of social media will be the most important players in the sphere of online corporate communications because the traditional businesses are clueless and the traditional pr firms who are moving towards blogging are making a mess of it like the ad agencies did of online advertising way back in 2000. Those who are in touch with the medium and use internet like they breathe air would be the ones that will rise as effective advisors for corporates.
Really nice article. Just wanted to mention my firm http://www.WATConsult.com a strategy consulting firm which has already signed up a few clients for corporate blogging.
On Feb 20, 2007, advistas said:
Nowadays decision makers and middle class people prefer the internet in forming their opinion before news papers reachout to their households.
TV has lost its credibility in India due to surfeit of trivial news and little in terms of analysis.
Corporate blogging is going to be the best place for organisations for interactions with their employees and potential customers and it will bypass different layers of channels in getting into the target people. But the main problem is in the attitude of modern management who do not want to the reality and do not want to come direct interaction. They prefer to live in their own made-up world.
On Feb 20, 2007, hobbithob said:
Thanks, Rajiv and Advistas, for your inputs.