Friday, August 22, 2014

A personal look at blogging

When social media first became classified as social media I set up some accounts to explore what they could do and more importantly what they could achieve.

I started with blogging (using Blogger) in August 2006 - 8 years ago! The Blogger account was followed by Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook. Pinterest and Instagram have followed since.  We expected clients to expect us to know about these new communication channels and advise accordingly. Some enthused. Some didn't. As social media matures it is timely to review them and where they fit in what is now commonly called a digital marketing strategy. With 7 different channels to feed with content, the experiment could easily absorb most of the day.

The next few blogs will take a personal view of these 7 social media channel starting here with blogging..

Blog - what is it?
The term is an abbreviation of 'weblog' and its name suggests it is a personal log or diary on the web. It is in essence a personal web site. More recently digital marketers are referring to web site news modules as a 'blog'. From its personal origins, a blog tends to be less formal in content style than company web news rooms such as a Virtual News Office.

How do I use it?
For Technical Marketing this blog is a series of articles about marketing, encompassing simple pieces on marketing theory and comments on marketing issues of the day. I limit myself to writing one article a week because finding something pertinent to say, not  to mention the time to write more is too big a commitment. Each week the Technical Marketing blog is syndicated with ET Express which comes out every Friday.

What does it do?
Generally it is used as vehicle for news and comment and because of its relative simplicity of use is quick and easy for anyone to use. But clients tend not to use a blog in any real way; those who do can offer an interesting insight to the company.

Does it work?
Unlike Facebook or Twitter this is set up as open to read, so there is no real need to sign up. So signed up followers are few. However there are significant page views each month and even some comments. It is more a broadcast medium in my case and not a 'conversation'.

My view on blogs
A useful free platform for broadcasting messages, views and comments to a target audience, so include in the PR Plan.

Next time - Twitter

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