If You're Not a Blogger, Don't Work in Marketing!

(Credit: Gaping Void)

I was shocked to hear that a recent American Express survey found that only five percent of small and medium-sized businesses have blogs. For the New York Times is right when it calls blogging a "Low-Cost, High Return Marketing Tool for SMBs." I have always been a firm believer in the power of corporate blogging, and certainly one the best things I've done so far in my marketing career was convincing my superiors (both times at medium-sized businesses) to support the launch of company blogs. The blogs got us media coverage because we were early adopters, and we used them to build communities of users and generate business. And all of that for a minimal time commitment.

The Times article makes the point that blogging is more suited to consultants or anyone else who has a distinct point of view that may be of value to others. Duh! If you have nothing to say, sure, then you shouldn't blog. While it may be interesting to read the daily musings of your local butcher, it is questionable whether this would help his/her business. Blogging, however, is an invaluable tool for marketers. I truly believe that if you want to work in marketing -- and this will only become more relevant with the continued professionalization of the blogosphere in 2008 -- you need to be a blogger. If you don't have an opinion or you can't articulate it, marketing is the wrong discipline for you.

Marketing is basically about two things: telling stories and sharing points of view. If you're not good at either, you will never be an excellent marketer. Increasingly, marketing needs to be personal, contextual, local, and fast, and blogging is one of the most effective vehicles to accomplish this. Blogging is a mindset. It is about immersion, about becoming one with your audience, understanding the (small) things that matter to it. And it is about letting go and giving up control: The next time you hold a meeting on your brand story remind yourself that hundreds of people out there in the blogosphere may have already done the job for you. You’d be better off spending the time blogging.

Here are a few other suggestions for building a strong blogging culture in your marketing organization:

- Hire people who read blogs (especially those that are relevant to your business).

- Give them time every morning to skim through blog updates in their Google reader.

- Hire people who know how to write and know how to write to generate attention.

- Give them time every week (similar to this company's "Facebook Friday") to blog.

There's a good chance you will build more brand equity than you would in countless strategy sessions.

Comments

[Paul Chaney]

I concur on all points. Markets are conversations, and participation is marketing.