Marketing through Blogs FMCC Workshop 13 October, 2006 New Delhi Presented by Rajesh Lalwani It’s about conversations! October 2006 © Scenario Communication Partners 2006 Write to me at Rajesh(dot)lalwani(at)gmail.com for the full presentation.

We already know about corporate bigwigs blogging in the US. Correct. Many CEOs have taken to writing blogs to engage with key stakeholders.

Jonathan Schwartz, President, Sun Microsystems Technology, Competition http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/

Bob Lutz , Vice Chairman, GM + Others GM initiatives and other asides http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/

Others, like Microsoft have even used their employees’ blogs to give it a human face and soften its image.

Robert Scoble, The employed at Microsoft (Since quit) Agreed with critics when he believed they were right. Communicated feedback to Microsoft teams. Later led Microsoft’s blog initiative ‘Channel 9’. http://scobleizer.com

Isn’t this corporate blogging? Yes, and can benefit an organisation in many ways, depending on the need & situation.

Enhanced Reputation & Stakeholder Trust Establish thought leadership Gauge feedback on critical, internal/ external issues/ initiatives Impact prospective customers by imparting information and comment Address industry issues and shape public opinion Help reach and impact government on policy issues Engage with prospective employees Engage with current employees Become a source of information for the media, industry and other stakeholders

Establish thought leadership

Gauge feedback on critical, internal/ external issues/ initiatives

Impact prospective customers by imparting information and comment

Address industry issues and shape public opinion

Help reach and impact government on policy issues

Engage with prospective employees

Engage with current employees

Become a source of information for the media, industry and other stakeholders

What about using blogs for marketing? Many companies are already using them successfully as marketing tool for their brands.

But do blogs and bloggers really matter? Ask Dell (and Sony), IIPM who have found themselves caught in a blogfire.

Ignore it at your peril Oops! I wish I was engaged in a conversation with my customers. My relationship could have helped in damage control.

But even before you jump in and decide whether to set up a blog or engage in a blog outreach programme, blogs can help you to understand the pulse.

You are being spoken about: Are you listening? Track issues, analyse. Opportunity/ Crisis? Wouldn’t you like to participate in the conversation/s?

Here’s somebody who listens: Inputs come handy in identifying customer needs and help fine tune product offerings. http://ysearchblog.com

Nokia connected: Word of mouth sells When did you last buy anything because the media said so? Word of mouth sells.

The official N 90 blog Not all maybe positive as this one, but comments like this build user confidence and counter negative impact.

Using blogs for marketing isn’t necessarily about setting up a blog. You may not have one but may still use the blogosphere to your advantage. Amazon’s Affiliate Programme invites bloggers to sell its products and earn a commission.

Neighbor’s envy, owner’s pride Learn as you have fun. Andrew Carton, a Treo fan set up this blog. It’s hugely popular as we can see. http://treonauts.com

Engage, don’t sell “ Vespaway celebrates the urban mobile lifestyle and includes articles, tips, tricks and links on the latest tools to help individuals get around any city more quickly, easily and enjoyably.”

Who’s your evangelist? “ Bullets are our babies! Not one should go wasted!!!!”

So, where do I begin? Hope you didn’t waste time… Listen…carefully first!

Jump in? Or…follow a method? Blog/Works Proprietary Methodology slides, for private circulation only.