Marketing through Blogs It’s about conversations! October 2006 © Scenario Communication Partners 2006 We will cover: What is social media, relevance/ impact on brands. How social media could be used for marketing – anecdotes, tips, how to begin. Things to remember. Strategic approach.

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.

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

Blogs are complementary to your efforts Advertising will continue to drive sales Media relations will drive visibility Blogs bring transparency, a first-hand perspective based on participation both from the company and the consumer

Advertising will continue to drive sales

Media relations will drive visibility

Blogs bring transparency, a first-hand perspective based on participation both from the company and the consumer

But do blogs and bloggers really matter? Ask Dell (and Sony), IIPM (Arindam Choudhuri) 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. Dell has since set up a blog.

And it doesn’t impact high-involvement products only

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?

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

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.

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. Shouldn’t Treo have thought of starting a community first? http://treonauts.com

Enablements RSS Podcasts Video Mobile

What about closer home? Who is using it? Many a marketer have shown foresight and started out early- the first in their attempts…

This one is interesting I think.

Travel blog contest outreach

October 2006 © Scenario Communication Partners 2006 Map of connections on a social networking site

So, where do I begin?

Jump in? Or…follow a method? Strategic Approach