Our MyST Blogsite generates highly qualified leads compared to other venues of online lead generation. One of the primary reasons is we have a trust factor, which we built (and continue to build) by providing dependable and accurate information through the blogsite. As a result, actions are more meaningful for business and the customer."
Until recently, only a handful of Fortune 500 Companies had a corporate blog, but the trend is clearly toward wide adoption.
I probably don't follow [nearly enough] news about corporate blogging; the "blog" pundits keep saying the same stuff in their podcasts. But recently, I took in a dose of Debbie Weil's Corporate Blogging Show and a few other video gems to get up to speed on this emerging trend of wider adoption of corporate blogging by non-technology-based businesses.
It's a trend that's not surprising. I can recall how many large companies objected to the idea that employees be allowed to use instant messaging to improve their communications; that was 1999 - things have really changed. I also remember when most Fortune 2000 CEO's didn't use email - that was like 1995 and only a few years before that, most companies didn't allow employees to connect to the Internet. The corporate defense mechanisms resisted email for a decade - now they're all trying to figure out why email is where knowledge goes to die.
Years ago Jeff Jochum, an exec at Pictage (also a dear friend and skiing companion) looked at my idea to build a platform to meet future corporate blogging requirements and said - "This'll never fly as long as they call these things blogs". ;-) We had a good laugh and went back to skiing. Well, Jeff was wrong, but he's still a pretty good skier at least.
Adoption of blogging by larger firms is both predictable and quickly becoming a requirement. Businesses no longer have the latitude of ignoring the blogosphere because that's where their fiercest competitors, best advocates, and the press, customers, and prospects are engaging in debate, news-mastering, and disinformation. If you don't participate in the conversational web, someone else will shape your brand equity for you - that's pretty risky.
Scoble and Israel are the authors of the book Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers, published in 2006. While many blogs started as personal journals, the authors believe that they can be an important way for businesses to interact with the public. This allows the blog to represent the corporation.
Though the mainstream media too often dismisses them as "personal web diaries," weblogs are becoming a powerful force across the spectrum of modern culture. Regardless of whose numbers you consult, there is no denying the sheer volume of blogs, in all their infinite variety, is already staggering and growing exponentially.
The blogosphere is changing how customers gather and consume information about the marketplace. Scott Anderson, Hewlett Packard's Director of Enterprise Brand Communications took a huge step in bringing his company in line with the principles of open dialogue with its customers through the blogosphere.
I spoke with a group of bloggers in Phoenix recently. What I found is that very few had any business from their blogs despite a lot of effort. I have 5 closings and 7 active buyers directly from [our MyST blogsite] in 2008. I know because I ask. One person told me they have been reading my blog for almost a year before they called me to buy a property."
