What Can Blogging do for You?

What are the implications of blogging on PR and marketing communications?

Blogging is an emerging new channel of information and influence that all communications professionals need to be aware of and develop an understanding for.

It is essential that communications professionals are aware of the blogs relevant to their organisations so that they can monitor what is being said about their organisation and its products and services (which can provide early warnings of impending issues or potential crises), competitor information (through competitor blogs), as well as gaining better understanding of the concerns, challenges and interests of different stakeholder groups.

Communications professionals should also note the media outlets and journalists on their target lists who have their own blogs. These can be monitored for the journalist’s personal areas of interest, and new stories that the journalist may be thinking of or working on. Journalists’ blogs can be a helpful source of background information when pitching article ideas.

Another implication of blogs on PR and marketing communications is the potential to be utilised as a tool by the organisation to communicate with stakeholder groups.

Can you use blogs as part of an integrated communication strategy?

As well as a new channel for the voices of individuals and journalists, blogs are a new communication channel that organisations can utilise to communicate and engage directly with their stakeholders. As such, blogs can be used as part of an integrated communication strategy to enhance and complement the rest of an organisation’s communications activities.

Blogs provides a bottom-up, grassroots method of sharing information about organisations through the web. They can be used to:

• Generate interest about the company and/or its products and services among current and potential customers, partners, resellers, media, and industry influencers
• Build buzz and positive word of mouth promotion for the company and/or its products and services
• Spark informal conversations about the organisation and/or its products and services
• Position executives or R&D teams as thought leaders
• Offer an outlet for news and information not important enough, or even suitable for a press release, but still worthy of being communicated
• Differentiate an organisation from its competition
• Provide an alternative to one-to-many email broadcasts
• Enhance internal communication
• Target very specific groups – people with specific demographics, opinions, perspectives, worldviews, and interests
• Reach audiences that may be difficult to reach through conventional communication channels – e.g. tech-savvy audiences
• Monitor public opinion and sentiment