Why Advertising, Marketing and PR Pros Should Blog (Part Two)

4. Blogs are Immediate. A blog makes it possible for the everyday communications professional to distribute newsworthy, thematic content to a large, like-minded audience – without many, if any, layers of approval – almost instantaneously. If timeliness is a critical element of your publishing plan, it’s an irresistible platform. A blog allows you to draw out invaluable feedback, too, without having to lollygag through the traditional rites of business courtship. Comments from readers are akin to free market research. If your goal is to establish an open, online dialogue with prospects and influential people who might otherwise not give you the time of day, a blog just may be your entrée – it certainly is a unique ice-breaker.

5. Blogs are Infectious. Like any good viral marketing campaign, the content of the best blogs is passed from reader to reader, extending the author’s reach – and influence – exponentially. Bloggers are notorious for linking to other blogs that they recommend and respect. And other related sources of news, information and opinion – even offline, traditional publications – won’t hesitate to pick up an interesting post and republish it. So, in effect, a blog gives you the power of a syndicated columnist. What’s more, search engines such as Google are all over blogs, especially when they’re updated regularly. Blogging results in more top placements than you ever could have imagined for you and your organization.

6. Blogs are Empowering. Today’s consumers and business prospects are desensitized to the sales pitch. They’ve seen and heard it all. Such rampant skepticism reared its ugly head in a recent Gallup survey, which ranked people in advertising very low for their honesty and ethics. Ouch! At the very least, we may as well accept this much: we have lost more than a modicum of control. However, because a blog is such an open, grassroots medium, unadorned and unplugged, its trust factor is high from the get-go. The format alone is engaging and empowering. With RSS (Really Simple Syndication), the audience decides what they want and when they want it. They have the upper hand. And by giving recipients the authority to post their own comments, it’s easy for the public – and fellow bloggers – to hold advertising, marketing and PR pros accountable for their claims. Think quid pro quo.

Note: Written by Yellowfin Direct Marketing’s Bob Cargill, this is part two of a three-part series on the many reasons why advertising, marketing and public relations professionals should blog. Part one appeared on December 7, 2004, in A Fine Kettle of Fish, and part three will run here next week.

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