BLOGGING & ONLINE MEDIA: CRACKING THE CODE By Julia Zamorska, Ruder Finn/West Online media and social networking sites have evolved into essential components of a successful communications strategy for technology companies of all sizes. While there has been much hype and even some confusion around how to tap online and social media sites most effectively to benefit your business, technology companies should take solace in the fact that they do not need to spend millions of dollars to be successful in this arena. For companies looking to create momentum utilizing online tools, it’s best to leverage your own internal resources (i.e. your employees) to build buzz in cost-effective and efficient ways, which often augment your existing offline and online campaigns. Some of the best ways are outlined below. News Creation And Distribution In spite of some backlash against corporate blogs following a handful of recent embarrassments experienced by well known companies, these blogs can still serve as a great way to post company news, or draw attention to your recent press releases or expert opinions on pressing industry issues. The blogs run by Dell or Linked are great examples of what a good blog can do for a brand’s popularity – and that of the chief blogger, too. But don’t go out and get one started just yet – two keys to a blog’s success are having a purpose and making it worth its readers’ time. First think about the goals you want to achieve with the blog. This might include humanizing the company, making it more open and transparent, or sharing valuable key insights based on your company’s experience. Consider whether these objectives are best achieved by having a blog. If so, it is critical to consider the blog’s timeliness, or the frequency with which it is updated. Great blogs are updated more than several times a day, good blogs are updated daily, and a good corporate blog can get away with being updated twice a week. If your executives can’t afford that degree of a time investment – consider other avenues. Keeping a blog relevant and current is the primary key to success. If a corporate blog doesn’t fit the bill, instead, use online media as a great additional channel to distribute your news and make sure your voice is heard. One of the best sites to gain additional exposure for your press releases is digg.com. Digg is a community-based news article popularity website. It combines social bookmarking, blogging, and syndication with a form of non-hierarchical, democratic editorial control. Anyone can register for free in order to add relevant articles about their company or interesting trends in their industry. The best stories can be flagged for other users – referred to as “digging” – and readers can even leave behind comments. Other similar sites include Reddit and Newsvine. Use them to your advantage to create additional exposure and ‘buzz’ for your business. Product Evangelism Speaking of buzz, perhaps no online destination is ‘buzzing’ more than Facebook of late. While MySpace has remained largely a site for young adults, Facebook has managed to span the age groups to include not only its original audience – college students – but also groups ranging from tweens to young adults to established professionals. No wonder reaching Facebook users might very well mean reaching your ideal customer. Seize the opportunity, but do it in a balanced way. Technologists can start a regular Facebook group for free, where they can not only include a description of their company or project, but also add links, videos and comments. Many Southern California technology companies are already doing this effectively. You can also set up sites for events like your next customer appreciation event or vendor party, helping drive more attendance and higher brand recognition at the same time. Additionally, you can also set up a Facebook page, which essentially allows the same features as a free group, with the additional perk of enabling your invitees to become actual ‘fans’ of the company, and not just supporters of the group. LinkedIn, mentioned above for its blog, is another online professional networking tool that recently started offering more ‘social’ features. You can now set up groups on LinkedIn, as well as ask questions or offer answers, thereby expanding opportunities for building buzz around your company or product on the site. Media Connections As much information as Jigsaw, LinkedIn and Facebook can offer your target audience, the sites can also provide invaluable background details on the reporters you are trying to reach. Young reporters are especially active on Facebook, though well-established, iconic figures such as Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg have their profiles on both Facebook and LinkedIn, too. Many up-and-coming, as well as influential trade reporters, can be found on LinkedIn. Use the information they willingly share on these sites to your advantage by targeting your product to make them especially appealing to their coverage area and professional – or personal – interests. Once you’ve done all the background research, use the tools at your disposal to start relationships with the reporters you admire, or whose coverage and enthusiastic ear you would most like to reach. Many will reply enthusiastically – often more quickly than via their newsroom email – and frequently they will even accept invitations to ‘connect’ or ‘become friends’. But remember: once you build a relationship, don’t abuse it by offering news items that are not important enough to the reporter’s publication or are simply not appropriate to their beat. Read up on online media ethics and if in doubt, many leading PR agencies offer excellent corporate blogs on these topics. These are all effective tactics that are regularly applied by PR professionals. However, to achieve true success in your online media campaign, these tactics should comprise the pieces of a larger integrated strategy. For a b-to-b company, starting a Facebook group – though high on the ‘cool’ factor – might not be the best way to reach your customers and vendors; in that case, a corporate blog might work more effectively. For a consumer-facing company, Facebook might be your best bet. Consider your ideal audience, your goals, relevant tactics, available budgets and choose wisely. If in doubt, err on the conservative side – or find a knowledgeable PR professional and ask plenty of questions. After all, the more efficient you are in coordinating your online and offline communications, the easier it will be to create momentum from these efforts. Julia Zamorska is a senior account executive with Ruder Finn/West, one of the area’s leading technology public relations companies. For more information, Julia may be reached on Facebook, LinkedIn or via phone/email at 310-882-4007 or zamorskaj@ruderfinn.com.

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