Blogging has changed the way publishing works.

What started out in a techno ghetto moved to the mainstream of digital publishing over three years ago. These days many small company websites are run entirely by blogging software and many big company CEOs are itching to write their own blog.

That's why in the digital marketing coaching we run it's come up so much that we created a whole training programme just about blogging for business. This Digital Insight Report is a quick starter that participants get, and we thought it worth sharing with a few of the people who asked for our research newswire. If you want to make a comment then mail me back and we'll add it to our own discussions. And if you've come across some great case studies of corporate blogging, then we'd love to see them.

These reports can be useful for explaining the basics of digital marketing to colleagues and as we write one every month, if there's a topic you'd like to see covered then simply mail us back.


Danny Meadows-Klue
Founder and Chief Executive
Digital Strategy Consulting

Speed read

• With blogs come the freedom to express, connect and discuss - the engine for a much deeper cultural change in society.
• Blogging, like much of web marketing, is turning the traditional 'push' model of communications on its head.
• Online has created a new type of media consumer: one that's both in control, and knows it.
• It's not about how loudly the site (or the blogger) shouts. Instead, it's about how much and how deeply your audience wants to listen.
• Just in the way there can be strong or weak advertising, so too can there be strong or weak blogging.
• Most firms have made a bit of a hash of getting involved in online communities, but those that get it right, are proving that there's a new model for how business should talk.
• For a small firm, this is now one of the easiest forms of marketing and really builds into a resource over time.
• Before creating your new blog, taking a step back to gather your thoughts helps you evaluate what you're doing and decide where and how you use your effort.

Getting to grips with blogging
Blogging is one of the most flexible of web communication tools. Its content can be used to deliver anything from rich information and technical data, to the emotive columns and opinions of a firm's leadership team. The ripples spread far and wide: from building the firm's brand, dealing with complex repositioning, to feeding news and information to journalists and stakeholders in the sector. Internal blogs can help teams in large organisations exchange information, while at home, blogging allows enthusiasts to indulge and share their passions. As the price of the software collapsed, the technologies became accessible to the smallest businesses with the most slender margins. For many the model of the blog has replaced the idea of a web page, and their ease of use guarantees that anyone with the skills to handle a word processor has the skills to build a blog. Easy, free, and highly effective: it is no surprise that blogging has moved from the margins to the core of web publishing so fast.

The difference with blogging
Blogging can change the way firms relate to their customers because as a platform it can deliver messaging in a very personal, engaging and participative way. For small firms it has the ability to build engagement and discussion, while for large firms it can break down the walls between customers and senior staff, offering the potential to transform the role of corporate communications. By developing their own blogs, or carefully raising discussion and comment on those run by others, brands can extend their footprint and reach wider audiences. It can be an exceptionally powerful, cost-effective and intimate way of developing a message, but comes with real risks and limitations. The digital networked society has given a voice to anyone, and this democratisation of access to discussion creates a new landscape for messaging. It's a powerful reminder of the new era of communications we all work in, and getting it right demands strategic thinking and a sustainable plan, as well as authenticity and tenacity.

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