Breaking Through to Bloggers
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The document discusses the history and evolution of blogging. It notes that one of the first bloggers was Isocrates in ancient Greece who used blogs to debate political issues without direct interaction. Blogging allows people to publicly argue and share opinions. The document then discusses how bloggers decide what topics to write about, noting tensions between serving readers' interests versus their own interests or autonomy. It provides tips for organizations looking to engage with bloggers, emphasizing building relationships, adding value, and communicating on bloggers' terms rather than just promoting corporate messages.
![Social Media Relations PrinciplesCreativityCatch their attention – but be personalCreate a Win-WinApproach them on own termsBuild RelationshipOpen, Honest“I usually make fun of my industry [and] am irreverent about my job. I throw myself under the bus because I know they want to already. I usually introduce myself as a PR flak who has to do this.”](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/breakingthroughtobloggers-091022103318-phpapp01/85/Breaking-Through-to-Bloggers-18-320.jpg)
Breaking Through to Bloggers
- 1. Breaking Through to BloggersTapping the Power of BlogsBrian G. Smith, Ph.D.University of Houston
- 2. The First Blogger?Name: IsocratesProfile: Loved Politics – Wasn’t a PoliticianDebated Issues – No town hall meetingsPopular – No Personal InteractionBlog Purpose: “to wage war against the false pretenders of wisdom”Topics:Proper conduct of GreeksDirect political affairsPublic opinionSource: Blogwars by David Perlmutter
- 3. argue from a safe distance.Does this sound new?It isn’t.
- 4. Blogging Isn’t New…Human NatureImpulseArgue…as many people as possibleBlogging is…DebateForce opinion...Just the Technology is
- 5. Blog-specificThe blog post: Short, Random, What’s on your mind?Hyperlinks: Linking people and ideasEndless Surfing?FeedbackInteraction – Opportunity to participate is CriticalThe Power of the “Comment”Niche-orientedHow do you tie YOUR shoes?Four Blog Metagroups:Politics, Gossip/Celebrity, Motherhood/Family, Music
- 6. The Million $ QuestionWhere do posts come from?How do Bloggers decide what to write?First…understand how bloggers become bloggers.
- 7. Blogger Evolution1. ExploreCreate something purely personal that only die-hard fans and aficionados read2. Community Membership3. AutonomyReader interests take precedence, bloggers feel pressure to write for the communityBlogger returns to original purpose, takes content control, becomes more proprietary and personalFight or Flight
- 8. “I think a lot of bloggers, when they first get started out, get excited about the metrics, the traffic they get, how many people are reading the RSS feeds, and it matters to them a lot. But I think once you cross a certain threshold, it really doesn’t matter anymore. I think that’s something I had at first…but now, I tend to write more my own perspectives…the postings get more personal and deeper.” -A Technology Blogger
- 9. Blogger DecisionsReader InterestsBlogger InterestsAutonomy Self-interest3. Blog as an extension of the self1. Reader reactions / feedback2. Serve the community3. Meaningful ContributionPR / Marcomm ActionsThe Rules: No SpamNo “Wowing” with fancy copyNo forgetting they’re human
- 10. Blogger Interests“One thing I try not to do is pander or write what I think readers want to hear. I lose a lot of individuality and it becomes an assembly line…I write it more for me, and I’m glad they like what I write.” -A Political Blogger
- 11. Reader Interests“I think it’s worse if people read something that’s dumb than if they don’t read anything at all.” - A Personal Blogger
- 12. Public Relations Actions“The only red flag would be if someone wrote me a note that said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you wrote something like this?’ trying to influence the way that I write my column. That would be a right red line I wouldn’t cross, and I would probably have a few choice words for him.” - A Political Blogger
- 13. At best…You Are A Last Resort“Sometimes I have writer’s block and I have nothing to write about. If I haven’t written in four days, I’m much more likely to say ‘screw it’ and just talk about whatever, a press release or whatever.” – A Tech Blogger
- 14. 10 Reasons why your buzz blog will fail?Maybe you’ve done this…Dear PR Agents
- 15. “And in the end…the love you take, is equal to the love you make.” – the BeatlesIt’s a love-hate relationship.They want a relationship.
- 16. So….let’s take a look at what you’re doingInformation source? Niche Audience Targeting? “Street Cred” - The In CrowdPromotion – an easy route to publicity?The most commonDialogue, Interaction, and Feedback?Blogging on your own?Some of these may of have worked with journalists, but bloggers don’t play the game.
- 17. Sorry, I do this because I love writing, not because I want to be pitched.” “It’s not just this quick-fix that people think it is…you have to treat them as a long-lead publication. You should know their blog, know who they are, and go back to your client to develop content they will find interesting. Don’t just try to push whatever the client says is their press release to them.”
- 18. Social Media Relations PrinciplesCreativityCatch their attention – but be personalCreate a Win-WinApproach them on own termsBuild RelationshipOpen, Honest“I usually make fun of my industry [and] am irreverent about my job. I throw myself under the bus because I know they want to already. I usually introduce myself as a PR flak who has to do this.”
- 19. Skills and TipsManage the media flowRSS FeedsCategories, Keywords, Tags: StrategicRecent Posts / Popular PostsCompany Speak vs. FunHumanizing the OrganizationCreating an identityThe importance of diversion
- 20. Summing up Social MediaStart CreativeFirst communications should be catchyGo Conversational-Be HumanLimit corporate speakPersonal interest Emphasize Win-WinBe consistentGo Niche
- 21. How About You?If you can’t Beat ‘em…Are You Blogging?Become part of the 20%
- 22. “In a world of fragmented media, employees’ online diaries can be a seductive way to lure customers into conversations.”“They’re sticky – readers check back several times a day. And posts get linked to other sites amplifying their impact.”“They’re efficient. Employees can post questions about their work and get instant, mass feedback.”“Done well, they can humanize faceless behemoths. The Evil Empire of Redmond can instead become the home of ‘The Scobleizer,’ Microsoft’s most famous blogger.”
- 23. Talking ContentPublish content & ideas (52%)Build Communities (47%) Thought leadership (44%)Get info to customers (36%)Get feedback from customers (23%)
- 24. Corporate BlogsKodak: Educating CustomersXerox:Becoming an expertStarbucks: Testing IdeasPBS: Building Relationships
- 25. Good Corp Blogs: The Authority?Technorati AuthorityPopularity: the # of blogs linking to a website in the last 6 months. The higher the number, the more authority the blog has.Blog Links: #of blogs linked to the blog, rather than number of times linked. Though, a new link on the blog means +1 point for another 180 days.Google RankingKeyword Usage: Most important in the title, but body text as well. Also relevance of keyword rate.Links: Not just quantity, but quality, in- and outboundOriginality: Negative rank for similarity of content to other sitesAge and Update: i.e. ongoing incoming links, updates
- 26. Top Blogs (Technorati)Top 100 BlogsTop 15 Corporate Blogs
- 27. Email: bgsmith@uh.eduTwitter: @bgsmithphdBlog: http://theorynpractice.comSlide Deck – slideshare.net/bgsmithphd