(This time two years ago, most people hadn't even heard of the term 'bloggers,' save for the early adapters and the gear-heads. But by early 2005, you couldn't get away from
them, what with how bloggers impacted the U.S. presidential election as well as the scandal at CBS News concerning President Bush's National Guard service, among other Page One
stories. For now, the rage about the blogosphere has died down - that is, until the next blogger calls a major company on the carpet about its products, services or messaging.
Much as PR pros might like, bloggers are not going away. So, how do you get your arms around the blogosphere without getting burned? Andrew Bernstein, president-CEO of Cymfony, a
media-analysis firm, takes a closer look.)
Much has been discussed about the role of senior PR professionals in developing a proactive program for interaction with the "blogosphere." Online discussion in the form of
blogs, message boards, user groups and live journals has created a flood of digital content. Some herald these developments as if it were 1999, when everyone had to have an
Internet strategy to drive business.
Yet, the blogosphere is not new (usenet groups have existed for 25 years). Instead, the blogosphere is a culmination of many factors, including easy, affordable access to
publishing ideas, complaints and opinions combined with the viral nature of the Internet to accelerate reach and visibility.
In order to best understand this new media channel, one must not only actively monitor the blogosphere, but also understand trends and opportunities through analysis. Some
companies know how to monitor, interpret and interact with these discussions, but most do not.
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, five million people post or share some kind of information on the Web through their own blogs, which
are read by an ever-increasing number of the 70 million adults who go online on a typical day.
This online discussion, also known as consumer-generated media (CGM), is having an increasing impact on all facets of the corporation -- from reputation and sales to product
marketing and market research. In fact, a growing number of brand strategists see CGM as one of the primary sources of direct consumer feedback, research and communication.
In analyzing trends, companies can discover issues that are becoming prevalent as well as noting opportunities or just monitoring how the competition is faring.
For example, if a consumer complains online about BestBuy's in-store customer service, is this a trend or is it a single unhappy customer? Has another blogger or a
traditional journalist picked up on a trend or has someone offered that Circuit City has better customer service?
It probably doesn't matter as long as the company has an active analysis program, which can determine if and when this theme gets picked up in other venues and which thinks
about how to respond or act.
In fact, a deeper analysis might show that, across the industry, there are multiple complaints arising and that they have customer service at that core with other issues
involved, too. Once the analysis is done, then the PR team (and other business teams) can formulate a strategy.
However, given the viral nature of the blogosphere, it more critical than ever to keep re-evaluating and testing responses.
Maybe a blog initiated by senior executives would provide a forum for the company to acknowledge they have issues and that they want to listen to customer feedback -- even if
it is negative.
The automotive industry provides a further example. A recent study conducted by Keynote Research shows the importance of the Internet for research.
The study indicates that more than 76% of shoppers visit an auto manufacturer's Web site before visiting the showroom, and about 67% said they would visit a third-party Web
site to review consumer opinions. Now, with the advent of blogs and consumer discussion sites, auto companies are starting to take a closer look at what is being said about them
online.
General Motors took the first step in launching the GM "FastLane" blog earlier this year. Authored by automotive industry veteran and GM executive Bob Lutz, the GM
FastLane blog quickly has become one of the most visible corporate blogs. (See page 1 for a related story.)
FastLane has been a medium to both boost corporate reputation and to serve as a forum for unfiltered product feedback (both positive and negative).
Because GM is one of the few companies willing to allow consumers to comment to GM's posts, GM has received a positive brand boost. In addition to the reputation benefits,
marketers at GM are able to use this site as a way to gain insight for their product and sales teams.
Clearly, online venues have become an important medium for communicating with key audiences, including consumers, shareholders, employees and critics. They are great sources
for gauging perception on products, brands and overall corporate reputations.
Many bloggers are the early adopters and the innovators -- key influencers whom marketers are trying to reach.
But why monitor and analyze? It always has been important for marketing and PR professionals to gain a deeper understanding of what customers or prospects think about their
clients, their products and their competitors.
Even if customers and prospects are not saying negative things about your products or services, they could be recommending alternatives.
Customer retention and acquisition is extremely expensive, so companies cannot afford to ignore bloggers and their power to influence buying behavior.
So, how does a company interact with the flood of postings and information available in today's blogosphere? Some goals should include:
- Identifying changes and new trends in customer perceptions of your company and its brands -- and those of competitors.
- Capturing more detailed and unbiased consumer requirements for product design and execution.
- Determining what influential leaders are saying or not saying about your products and brands.
- Discovering threats to your company, employees and other stakeholders.
- Developing strategies to shift negative perceptions about your company into positive customer sentiment.
The blogosphere provides PR professionals and marketers with a new window on strategic issues (not just tactical plans), and it allows them to leverage a deeper media spectrum
to their possible advantage.
The success of a company's interaction with blogs -- or even launching its own blog -- is enhanced by adhering to such basic guidelines as listening to consumers, posting open
and honest blog entries, and representing both positive and negative responses.
Ultimately, an improved corporate reputation leads to increased customer retention and acquisition as well as improved employee morale.
But companies also need to keep a finger on the pulse of the entire blogosphere to understand what people are not saying about their products or preferences they
may have for the competition as well as other general competitive intelligence.
By implementing a complete blog monitoring-and-analysis program, companies can stay on top of issues across many customer segments, they can gain rich competitive intelligence
and they can understand how to best communicate with their target audiences. The first step is setting a corporate mandate to separate reality from the hype.
Contact: Andrew Bernstein is president-CEO of Cymfony Inc., a media-analysis company based in Watertown, Mass. Bernstein can be reached at 617.673.6003, [email protected].