Number of Fortune 500 Firms That Blog Nearly Doubled in Four Years

Posted by: Neil James // September 24th, 2012

Is it safe to retire the myth that blogging is the domain of basement-squatting KIPPERS? It might just be. According to new research from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, 28 percent of Fortune 500 companies have corporate facing blogs. That figure is up from 16 percent in 2008. Dartmouth’s research reported that telecommunications, commercial banking, utilities and specialty retailing outpaced all other industries with respect to blog adoption, while forest and paper products, trucking and waste management lagged behind. Dartmouth also reported that three-quarters of Fortune 500 firms have corporate Twitter accounts and two-thirds are on Facebook.

@NeilAndrewJames

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The Importance of Maintaining Your Blog

Posted by: Kirsten Taylor // May 14th, 2012

Blogging was once a popular social media outlet, but according to Holtz Communication, they’ve been hearing that the sentiment about blogs is declining. In their current blog (ironic), they discuss the importance of understanding that putting in a solid effort can still yield impressive results, and it’s an important outlet for brands to maintain.

The rational behind some agencies and companies ditching their blogs is that blogs just distribute noteworthy news but don’t contribute to the reputation of a brand. However, Holtz argues that often times, blogs can absolutely generate the most traffic to a site – and many blogs host the thought leaders in an industry.

They remind that good content is not easy! It’s hard work, but it’s worth it, because what you put into it is what you’ll get out. Not to mention, it can host things like white papers, webinars, etc. which re not best placed on social sites with content limits.

The article goes on to explain how to put in the right kind of focus and effort, ask the right questions, avoid shameless self-promotion, and ultimately reach to true social engagement.

@KirstenETaylor

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How Not to Run a Corporate Blog

Posted by: Mark Palony // February 4th, 2011

A blog can be a great business tool, if you use it right. Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media shares some of the more common mistakes people make with their corporate blog. Some are technical, others are in execution, and all are worthy of keeping in mind.  But I would like to add one more to Lisa’s list: Strategy. Or lack thereof.

There are a lot of active company blogs that travel through cyberspace with no direction. The content you find on them is there to take up space. There’s no theme, no thread, no commonality that binds them. In fact, I’ve read many a company blog that serves an the author’s soapbox from which they pontificate on all manner of subjects, personal and professional. And the simple truth is, if you don’t have a strategy you won’t have an audience.

Take the time to develop a strategy that will guide the content you post. Your readers and your company will benefit from the effort.

@MarkPalony

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Nurturing Your Social Media Relations

Posted by: Mark Palony // December 23rd, 2010

The new paradigm of media relations has many public relations professionals stumped. For those who learned their craft by sending press releases and pitching media reps on the phone or over lunch, this new world made up of blogging and Twitter and LinkedIn can be intimidating. That’s the bad news. The good news is it’s not as scary as it seems. A new article Content to Commerce shared some rules for nurturing web-based media relationships.

Far from being without structure, those who are successful in their web-based media relations efforts are so because they follow common sense rules for engaging bloggers, as they would with traditional media. The list is specific to moms that blog and is skewed a bit toward marketing, but there is much good advice for anyone who needs to extend their media relations activities to the world of online publishers.

@MarkPalony

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USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO BYPASS THE MEDIA FILTER

Posted by: Mark Palony // November 4th, 2010

I’ve grown weary of hearing people say they were taken out of context. The fact that we’ve been in the throes of another election season has made matters worse, but my “context fatigue” is a long-standing affliction. It is a constant source of mental and physical aches; the results of shaking my head every time I hear someone make this claim.

Why do I shake my head? Because people have been taken out of context – sometimes intentionally – since news and interviews were invented. It’s called the media filter and it’s made up of writers, editors and space constraints that make it nearly impossible for you to communicate your story your way. Simply put, no one’s words are 100 percent safe – a fact that won’t change despite complaining and gnashing of teeth.

You’re probably saying to yourself, “Tell me something I don’t know,” and you’d be right. But sometimes, we have to consider the fundamentals before we can see new ways to tackle old problems.

Through most of history, companies have produced content, press releases and articles– to distribute to the media in hopes of “getting picked up”. Unfortunately, too many companies are still wedded to their traditional ways, meaning their corporate message is strained by the media filter before it is delivered to the market.

But there’s no reason to accept the status quo when you can use technology to distribute your message, unfiltered.

The Internet has given birth to a host of wonderful communication vehicles such as blogs, Facebook, YouTube and other multi-media channels. Each gives you the power to distribute content you produce through channels you own. It is the ultimate message control. Context you create, context you own, all there in its entirety for the world to consume exactly as you intended.

Regardless of format, you now command the message and the channels of distribution. What’s more, you also have the opportunity to directly engage your market when they respond. If you are not now, you should be using the Internet to distribute your message unfiltered, unadulterated and in context.

I’m not here to announce the death of traditional public relations tactics. On the contrary, they are just as necessary today. But with access to technology that allows you to reach out directly to your audience with your story told your way, why wouldn’t you take advantage?

@MarkPalony

Image: All the President’s Men

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Key Elements of a Social Media Policy

Posted by: Neil James // August 11th, 2009

Should employees be encouraged to use social networking to enhance marketing outreach? Or will such activity impede productivity in an already tight economy? And what about reputational risk? These and other questions are clearly on the minds of every C-suite executive.

Recent research we undertook with our friends at Ethos Business Law found eight in ten businesses have concerns about the potential liabilities of social media. Yet, only one third have a policy in place to govern social media use, and just nine percent said they have conducted relevant employee training.

Instead of ignoring the need for responsible guidelines, organizations of all sizes should begin to define their strategy regarding social media, and most importantly, the rules for employee engagement. By doing so, management can take advantage of the benefits offered by these new communication channels while mitigating undue risk. But remember, social media is a far different animal than traditional technology. A company’s current policies on IT matters are usually not sufficient.

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Companies Remain Uncertain – And Do Little – About Potential Risks of Social Media

Posted by: Neil James // August 6th, 2009

Social media has become a fixture on communication agendas across the country, fueled by the fact that Americans’ spent 73 percent more time on such social networking sites in the past year alone. But according to a new survey, social media use is also generating its share of corporate heartburn.

Recent research we conducted along with Ethos Business Law confirms that confidence exists in social networking as viable communication outreach, but so do worries about the potential liabilities involved. Concerns regarding social media use were acknowledged by some eight in 10 businesses participating in the national study, which was conducted over the month of July. Fifty-one percent fear social media could be detrimental to employee productivity, while almost half (49%) assert that using social media could damage company reputation.

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