eric tatro dot com

Noah Kagan has posted a list of "Top 5
Stupid Trends of Marketing 2.0." This "stupid trend" jumped out at me:

You need a blog. Why? Do you really? Do people really care what your company has to say?

I agree. But first, let me say I consider myself a proponent of
business blogging. When used correctly, a well-written and frequently
updated blog can help the public connect with an organization in a way
that was difficult or impossible before the Internet age. Take Robert
Scoble for example, who in a previous life, worked and blogged for
Microsoft. Prior to reading his blog and his comments about Microsoft,
I was at best indifferent to the company and at worst mildly hostile.
After reading his blog and discovering other blogs written by Microsoft
employees, I began to soften my position. A year ago I had my mind set
on purchasing a Mac when my current laptop dies or becomes obsolete-
Now, I’m interested to see what Microsoft has up their sleeve with
their next operating system, Vista, and will take that into
consideration when making my next computer purchase.

Reading honest posts from employees, without the hype and marketing speak, had a measurable effect on my thinking and feelings.

While blogging has helped open a
dialogue between individual consumers and companies like Microsoft and
General Motors, it won’t have the same effect for every organization. I
think it works very well in humanizing large companies that market
directly to consumers, but I’m skeptical about its effectiveness when
used by organizations that sell their wares to other businesses.
Traditional marketing materials can deliver a positive message, and may
offer a more effective result for business-to-business organizations. (I’d love to see some concrete research on the effectiveness of blogs in shaping reader opinion- Has there been any?)

If an organization keeps a bad blog, well, watch out. The blogosphere will turn on you if you don’t update frequently, aren’t completely transparent, don’t allow comments or remove posts.

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Simply put: Blogs certainly have their place in business, but organizations shouldn\’t feel compelled to maintain a blog simply for the sake of blogging.

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Eric Tatro, Marketing Specialist
\nPublic Relations and Marketing
\nGarden City Hospital \n
(734) 458-4259
\n(734) 458-7190 Fax
\netatro@gchosp.org \n
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Visit Garden City Hospital\’s Web Site:
\ngchosp.org \n

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