Up until about a year ago, most people never heard of the term blog. Today, blogs are just about everywhere, found on web sites spanning national and local news organizations, charities, academia, large corporations, and small businesses. Just as email and web technology became popular in the 1990s, blogging has also become part of the mainstream.

Blog is short for the term, “web log.” The common blog is an accessible web-based journal that allows for the posting and updating by non-technical people. The first blogs were personal journals, but their flexibility and simplicity have made them an effective communications and management tool among creators and users, empowering the public to have a voice and become part of a dialogue with local, national, and international organizations.

Millions of Americans today read and participate in blogs. According to a Pew Internet & American Life Project, 27 percent of internet users, or 32 million Americans, say they read blogs, and 12 percent have posted comments.

Perhaps the best example of how blogging became widely regarded as an important communications tool was during and after Hurricane Katrina. Many people and organizations were able to quickly adopt this technique, which provided a catalog of events and minute-to-minute reporting from the scene. “Metroblogging New Orleans,” sponsored by Metroblogging, a network of international city-specific blogs on the web, became a magnet for residents affected by the hurricane, allowing them to post their experiences as the tragedy unfolded.

In addition to providing a first-hand account of events, blogging can integrate with an organization’s ongoing marketing strategies, build rapport and lasting relationships with constituents, and become a key component of marketing and public relations programs.

Building your own blog

Any organization can benefit from having a blog. Companies should first test a blog strategy that fits its marketing and/or public relations missions. A test could comprise of choosing a senior member of the organization to author a blog. Working with an assigned writer/editor, the lead blogger would create an ongoing, interactive dialogue targeted to customers most likely to be interested in and benefit from timely industry information.

Keep in mind that blogs should not be written as promotions or advertisements for a company; rather they offer pertinent information and cite trends within a given profession or field.

Blogging represents a promising way to create relationships with clients, offering:

• Two-way, instant communications that email does not allow
• A viable approach to building a constituent database from a group of potential customers who have selected themselves as being interested in your company
• A method to increase traffic to your organization's web site

Along with its potential benefits, blogging brings challenges that must be considered prior to implementation. Companies must be vigilant while monitoring content. The freedom offered to blog users can also become a license for posting derogatory or factually incorrect information. To combat this potential problem, clearly state that blog posts must be approved before they appear publicly. Promise that after clearance, posts will appear within 24 hours.

By testing a blogging strategy that reaches prospective and current customers, companies might just find one more effective component to use in their marketing and public relations programs. Blogging should be tested as part of your 2006 marketing/PR strategy and could very well play a central role in connecting with customers in the coming years.

Getting Started: Blog Search Engines

Before getting started, research the types of formats, topics, and technology that blog authors offer their audiences. Below is a sampling of free blog search engines that will help give you ideas about the kind of blog that is well suited to your company. www.technorati.com, www.blogsearch.google.com, www.feedster.com, www.talkdigger.com, www.pubsub.com.

You finally got media coverage for your story and it’s going to be in a top industry publication. Now what? According to marketing experts, you get as much mileage from that article as possible.

“Have a plan that’s going to leverage every piece of coverage that you get,” said Susan LaPlante-Dube, president of Precision Marketing Group in Upton, Mass. “Be prepared to talk about it, put it on your web site, have reprints made, mention the article in your newsletter, and feature it in your print and broadcast advertising. These are examples of how public relations and marketing work well together.”

LaPlante-Dube offers four more top marketing strategies that support a company’s PR program:

Create a relationship marketing plan. You’ve taken the time to establish solid connections within your industry. Why not think “outside the box” and develop relationships with those of a related profession? For instance, a CPA or financial planner attending a real estate lawyers’ association meeting will make new contacts and learn another side of the business. Networking with people outside your niche can lead to new business prospects and referrals.

Establish an endorsement marketing campaign. Build upon your positive relationships by asking clients to be sources of referral. For example, write a letter of referral about the service you offer and ask your client to sign it. The letter could be addressed to senior executives and would highlight the client’s satisfaction with your company. The letter would also ask the person to take your phone call when you contact the company.

Feature a “call to action” in your advertising. Whether you’re using print or broadcast media or both, an advertising campaign should have a specific call to action. Simply telling the audience what you do is not enough. Many companies effectively offer free industry white papers by using advertising to drive prospects to visit their web site. And still others offer free consultation when calling their 800 number. These offers increase web traffic and inbound calls and allow you the opportunity to collect pertinent information to help sell your product or service.

Measure the results from your web site. In today’s business world, your web site is a critical marketing tool. You’ve spent the time and money to have a copywriter and web designer produce a first-rate site for you company, now use it to learn more about your current and potential clients. Make sure you capture traffic statistics to learn what pages are being reviewed and what types of sales are being generated. Use this information to track the habits and interests of your customers, and be sure to update your web site on a regular basis.

By incorporating these proven marketing strategies with effective PR techniques, companies of all sizes have successfully generated sales leads and developed new business. Not every strategy works for every business type, but by testing them out you will find what works best for you.

Precision Marketing Group offers marketing services specifically designed and targeted for each client’s business needs. Working with small to mid-sized firms, Precision Marketing helps clients clearly distinguish and articulate the unique nature of their products and services. Visit www.precisionmarketinggroup.com.

Shock PR is exploring possible partnership relationships with other franchisor organizations whereby Shock PR would provide PR services to their franchisees for business launch programs and other ongoing visibility program needs.

We are also accepting applications from PR practitioners across the United States who are ready to be on their own, but want the business structure, support, and national branding that the Shock PR franchise can provide to them. Go to www.franchise.shockpr.com to learn why a Shock PR franchise offers an exciting ground-floor business opportunity for you, too, if you’re someone who wants to invest in and build your own future.

You can check out the Shock PR International flash ad on the O’Dwyer’s PR Newsletter site! Go to www.odwyerpr.com.

Sherrill House, an award-winning 190-bed nursing center in Boston, was treated to a visit by Red Sox mascot Wally the Green Monster on Valentine’s Day. Wally handed out roses to residents, to their surprise and delight. http://www.sherrillhouse.org.

Shunra Software announced the powerful new 4.0 version of their predictive application and network performance assurance solution, Shunra Virtual Enterprise, which predicts service level compliance for applications and infrastructure – before rollout. http://www.shunra.com.

1stWorks, which offers real-time interactive software solutions for secure collaboration, conferencing, and multi-media content delivery, had a paper on a fast and space-efficient form of enumerative coding, developed by their Chief Scientist Ratko Tomic, accepted for presentation during the poster session at the prestigious Data Compression Conference in March. www.1stWorks.com.

Make worthy causes and social responsibility a component of your own and your clients’ PR programs. By helping an organization in need by providing services/products/time on a pro bono basis, it not only makes you feel good, but it also does good.

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