Blogs - Fad or Fundamental?

It was a friend filled weekend. First it was dinner with our friends Steve and Beth and their adorable son Grant, who will not stop growing up!  Saturday night was with the "Fabulous Four" - a name created after one too many of Rob's margaritas.

Both nights my new favorite topic came up - blogs. It was interesting to hear the different perspectives on blogs - is it a fad or should this tactic now be considered a fundamental in every company's marketing plan?

Three years ago, my friend Meredith and I cried fad - just a bunch of renegades rambling on and on about one topic or another. It is ironic that today the two "brilliant" marketers calling blogging a fad now use it in their marketing efforts. Even more ironic is Meredith's effort to ensure our children are healthy and encourage women to have pride in their bodies was met by bitter comments by those rambling renegades.

Okay, so what's my point? Ezra Palmer's How Blogs Pertain to You sums it up nicely,

"Many businesses and publishers are still trying to figure out "blogs," wondering if they should have a blog and what they should blog about. That's probably a mistake. What they ought to be trying to understand is bloggers and blog readers... The Blogosphere is a place for people who want a more personal relationship with various entities they deal with on a regular basis - corporate, government, media, you name it. They want to have a sense of a person behind or within the enterprise. They are looking for something or somebody real."

Three years later, I believe blogs are here to stay and for some companies they should be a fundamental in their marketing plans. I always say people do business with people they know and like - sometimes regardless if it is a fit or not. Why not take advantage of this fact? Use blogs as a window into the soul of your company.

...It doesn't hurt your search marketing efforts either.

Comments

[David Caro]

Well written. I believe they are here to stay and I think you put it well. They are not the end-all to marketing, but they do serve a very good purpose. Blogs had a tremendous impact on the political campaign last year because people are two things when talking politics: passionate and
personal. Both of which the blogs capitalize on. There are other arenas in which blogs make a great deal of sense, some where they are a good complement, and other areas still where they are a complete waste of time. Just my two cents.

[Josh Hallett]

The search marketing stuff is sometimes bizarre. For me, the search-of-the-week has been 'coke blog'. I've been the number one result on Google for the past few weeks.

[Jo Ann]

Agree Teresa, they are here to stay. As consumers and marketers begin to understand them more, I think they will become a key component of the marketing mix.

You go girl.