It seems like the Internet dark ages, but it was just a couple of years ago that there was a fear of blogs. “What are the bloggers going to say that may hurt my brand? “ “How can I stop them from talking negatively about us?” Splashed on the front page of Business Week in 2005 was “Blogs will change your business”. And on Forbes magazines front page read “Attack of the blogs”. Scary stuff, indeed!
Was that fear realistic? Was there reason to panic? Did the blogs really attack and change our business?
Yes and no.
Yes, bloggers got to enjoy their new found freedom to write whatever floated their boat – whether you liked it or not. Yes, they made an impact on several businesses – the likes of Dell, Kryptonite, and AOL immediately come to mind. Yes, they changed some businesses. But was it really all that bad? No.
Corporations learned how to really listen to their customers outside of the controlled customer service calls and feedback emails. They learned that they can positively affect their business by taking corrective action right away and, potentially, getting public kudos for doing so. They learned that part of creating an effective marketing program is to understand what consumers are saying, and to craft those messages in familiar user-speak.
In essence, corporations learned how to leverage the great insight the bloggers had on their products and services to make them a better company. It doesn’t take thousands of bloggers to make a difference or even an influential one. Great marketers know that great ideas come in small packages – therefore the insight from one blogger can help you create a better company.
“Blogs will change your business”. “Attack of the blogs”. Thank Goodness!
No related posts.
