The Power of Blogs: An Army of Brand Advocates

I found a number of ready-to-implement action items in the chapter, "Blogs: Tapping Millions of Evangilists to Tell Your Story." The author removed some of the mystique of blogging and laid out a plan of approach. The following points illustrate the key topics in this chapter:

• Understand the Blogger's Real Role: to Share Opinion, not Provide Balanced Reporting
We cannot think of blogging as journalism. We need to set aside that mindset and realize that writing a blog is not about interviewing sources, getting the facts, summarizing findings, and then writing a fair and balanced article. It's about a blogger sharing his or her opinion with the world. Fact checking may not apply. Although the blog may not be objective, it may be widely read and accepted as fact. Companies need to be aware that a disgruntled blogger can quickly do damage to their reputations. As blogging becomes more common, it has an increasing impact on traditional journalism. News is shared more quickly and more widely than ever before. It will be interesting to see how the relationship between blogging and journalism continues to evolve.

• Begin at the Beginning: Monitor and Observe
The first step in entering the blogosphere is by listening to what is being said about your company, your brand, and your product. This step makes blogging less intimidating because it involves listening instead of "speaking." It allows companies to become more familiar with blogs in terms of the language used, the dynamics of the comment and reply, and other points of blog etiquette. Knowing what is already being said online can help develop the strategy and launch plan for the next steps in the process.

• Next Step: Enter the Conversation
The interesting point about this step is that it begins with a response, not a conversation starter. This point of difference is important because at this stage in the game, a company is still learning the ropes. A response to a blog provides blog newbies with a focused topic and a chance to craft a reply that is honest and sincere. The response will show that although the company is the expert, it is replying at the invitation of the blogger—not just dumping corporate speak into the conversation.

• Get Others Talking: Engage Bloggers Already Talking About You
Now that a company is replying to posts and creating an online reputation, the next step is to create a relationship with bloggers already writing about their product. This is an effective way for companies to spread the word through a network of existing, experienced bloggers. As stated on socialmediaexaminer.com, finding dedicated brand advocates who are bloggers is like instantly adding helpful, committed, and social-media-savvy members to your sales team—for free.

• Take the Plunge: Start Your Own Blog
In many industries, blogging is a relatively new method of communication, and a company can create a reputation as an early adaptor. A company blog creates forum in which they can present themselves as an educational resource and foster interaction and collaboration with readers.

The most important point made in this chapter is that a blog is an effective way to communicate your message by getting other bloggers talking. Viral, word-of-mouth advertising is something that is not always possible with traditional advertising because the message had to resonate with the audience. If they didn't care, they wouldn't share. By reaching out to brand advocates who already "care" about a product, a company has an army of brand ambassadors ready to spread the word.