Companies are starting to realize exactly how powerful blogs can be, especailly as marketing tools. According to Geoff Livingston, a PR strategist and social media expert, “It’s a phenomenal promotion vehicle for a company, or a great crisis tool or a great customer service tool.” Microsoft is using a blog for Windows 7 with the hopes of building an overall better product that satisifes customer needs and wants. In fact, there are a lot of fortune 500 companies that are using blogs to engage with and interact with their users. Some of the fortune 500 companies with blogs include:
- Sun Microsystems
- GM
- Cisco
- Raytheon
- Oracle
- Starbucks
- IBM
- FedEx
- and many others
An article by the Washington Post quotes Bill Marriott as saying: “that’s the importance of public relations, of advertising, of everything we do and this [blog] is just another channel.” A blog also shows the personal side of a company leader. People like and appreciate the human side of corporate America. It’s not always about business and when a company leader opens up a bit, readers respect that.
A blog is indeed a powerful medium with many benefits such as:
- allowing readers or prospective employees get a sense of the corporate culture or work environment
- creating an online presence that builds brand equity and awareness
- allowing readers to post feedback directly on issues or features that they may or may not like
- shows the personal side of a company or a company leader
- let’s companies and individuals build quality relationships with loyal readers or users
- allows companies or individuals to make important news or event announcements
These are just a few of the many ways that companies can use a blog as a valuable marketing and relationship building tool.
How are you using your blog? How is your company using it’s blog?
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