Staying on top of Blogs

PRWeek's Sept 4th 2006 edition has an interesting article on handling "online influencers" (AKA, bloggers) and also on how to become an online influencer. (Unfortunately I can't link to the article since it is behind a subscription firewall that even I don't have access to...yet.)

As we all know, blogging represents both opportunity and threat. Some bloggers may produce a review or a write up on your product that you see as damaging. Others may provide opportunities for you to comment on - and increase your company's profile while you are doing it. In addition, the Corporate Blog provides a way to communicate with clients and prospects in a way that gives a personal touch.

but how to manage that? PRWeek's article adds clarity to what we all already know: Simple rules from the article
Do
Develop good relationships with online influencers
Use RSS feeds and blog search services to keep up
Keep up on the ever-expanding world of online technologies

DON'T
Pitch bloggers out of the blue without having established a relationship
Respond to negative online coverage in a threatening or accusatory manner
Post blog comments that are merely product pitches or otherwise irrelevant to the conversation

Leaks: The article says nothing about leaks but we had experience of it just this week. In the good 'ole CAD industry we are seeing a rise in leaks to 'Online Influencers' - nothing that has not been seen in politics and other industries, but the medium is now more immediate:- Leak something ten years ago and it could take a month before that print copy would come out. Leak to a blogger and the chances are good that it will be online within an hour.

How to handle that and all the other issues, opportunities that blogs bring?
According to the article, feedback from bloggers, especially negative feedback, being a much more independent source, can provide very healthy market research for the client. Negative feedback also gives rise to opportunity: the chance to establish a relationship with the blogger , the opportunity for discussion, and the potential to educate that blogger to your way of thinking.

Reacting in a threatening or accusatory manner to a blog posting is generally seen as being self-defeating. Always treat feedback in a positive frame of mind and be sincere about it! Monitor what is being said and only react if the company's point of view is misrepresented or slandered. My thoughts: Readers are generally brighter than the vendors, and can spot insincereity in a microsecond. Keep an eye on what's being said but make sure your company is not represented by others that are not in the company. That being said, the article advocates that intervention is not always wise. "Sometimes addressing an issue can amplify it to a wider audience, whereas it might simply have died away quickly on its own," says Mike Manuel, Voce Communications.

Keep close track: Use RSS or blog news services to keep a trackl of what is being said. the article recommends experimenting with tools like Factiva, Magenta and even Google news alerts. Also, use that as part of your clippings.

There's a skill to handling bloggers that is still new to many. Remember, bloggers often do not have advertising and therefore feel no constraint about negative comments when discussing a product or company. They do have to be careful of slander and libel but that seems to be a small issue at this time. This means that your relationship with bloggers needs to be healthy, friendly and sincere - and you need to be able to take criticism when it flies at you.

rachael