Why is Word-of-Mouth so important? Think about why you bought a Stila’s lip gloss based on your friend’s recommendation rather than being convinced by the ads? This secondary communication has been transformed to online communications. Consumers rely on more online reviews or “blogs” to understand and get familiar with a brand!
I used to work as PR. Generally speaking, from the corporate perspectives, PR profession is not as valuable as Marketing‘s (although PR is one of the elements of Marketing’s, sometimes companies do separate these two functions). PR is all about building “trust” and “relations” but not paying for brand communications. Cultivating, sustaining, and improving “long-term” relationship with all external stakeholders is the core value of PR. With that in mind, one press conference or exposures on newspaper cannot guarantee the linkage to immediate business sales. Just like the contradiction that high brand awareness≠high sales revenue. This concern gets even worse especially during economic downturn.
I have been always thinking about the glass ceiling of PR. However, “word-of-mouth marketing” may re-leverage PR expertise.
One successful corporate blog should be long-term committed, engaging, more personal touch, and authentic. Just like PR, these approaches are more I called it “soft sale” (i.e. conversational & informative) rather than “hard sale” (i.e. advertising). Corporate blog is one of the tools for companies to build up relationship with their current and potential consumers. This virtual conversation is getting more powerful than personal one due to the change of consumer behavior. Consumers’ impression on preferable brands has been highly influenced by how corporate blogs interacts and involves with Web users.
But of course corporate blog is not a medium to release press release. This is not a place to deliver top-down message but a bottom-up operation. The audiences are no longer the press or consumers but the companies’ “friends” - sharing interesting points, discussing future trends, and engaging the conversation. Just imagine you are talking to your friends, what would you do? Trust me, consumers can feel the differences. Nokia’s blog is a very good example to show its caring and commitment.
Only one thing that I am not sure about the corporate blog so far is its effectiveness. Back to my previous point of the relation between PR and sales, I can't help but wondering if an interactive and highly-visible blog ultimately generate more business?
I'd Rather Be Taught In World of Warcraft
14 years ago
I think companies are better off searching for customer insight outside of their own web domain. Many customers take initiative and start their own communities to discuss their favorite products -- see Apple for instance. I think companies should leverage these communities to learn more about what customers want. These folks aren't shy about stating their opinions and might be more open on their own turf.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the effectiveness of the corporate blog..I tend to think corporate blogs still show signs of the "hard sale", and I do not blame them for it. Poor quarterly earnings can result in the dismissal of managers, and you have to weigh the cost-benefits of taking the time and effort to build these social customers...
ReplyDeleteAgree with Peter. Most people just see corporate blogs as a marketing tool, and the consumers who use them probably aren't the ones you'd want to listen to for recommendations. I tried to watch the "virtual conversation" video, but had to close it because the gentleman's haircut was offensive to me. But I listened long enough to be able to say that I feel like he was just restating the obvious. Nothing has changed in regard to consumer-business relationships at the core. Consumers expect top-notch products and service, and companies must work to give it to them as quickly and efficiently as possible.
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