Blogs Proving Their Mettle in Marketing and on Wall Street

As regular readers of the Betty Factor know, we’ve been involved in a grand experiment since mid-November 2007: an effort to see if “eating our own dog food” worked for us.

Specifically, if we truly believe that simple, direct, to-the-point and uncomplicated marketing communications efforts for our clients will be successful, then shouldn’t we undertake similar efforts for the various POLITIS LLC companies? Ya’d think so, right?

So . . . we officially launched TheBettyFactor.com on 11-11-07 with no fanfare whatsoever. And as reported here on February 18th, I think we’ve made pretty good progress (so far) with this blogging/marketing effort with the Betty Factor. (We have a ways to go yet, but so far, so good.)

Now comes an interesting video report from Yahoo!’s Tech-Ticker about “Media’s MVBs: Most Valuable Blogs.” Driven by a recent article from 24/7 Wall Street that ranked the 25 most valuable blogs or blog media networks, I think Henry Blodgett (the face behind No. 12-ranked Silicon Alley Insider) provides some good insights into the initial transformation of some blogs/blog-networks into professional media companies, companies with real valuations.

Here’s the Blodgett interview:

TIP: 

What does all of this mean for the average marketer considering blogging as a marketing communications tool? In two words: Do it!

I know that it will take lots of time and it will involve real effort, but in the end, blogging is only going to become more and more critical as a vehicle for companies, brands and people to create and sustain a two-way dialogue with current and prospective customers, partners, investors and more.Besides, if you don’t blog, you risk becoming irrelevant, particularly in our hyper-connected, always-on, on-the-go Web 2.0 world.

So what are you waiting for? Get blogging!!!!!

ZDNet’s Krigsman is Correct: I.T. DOES Lose Credibility by Speaking in Technical Jargon

Michael Krigsman, driving force behind ZDNet’s IT Project Failures blog, nailed it yesterday when he wrote, “Is IT becoming extinct?”

In one of seven points he makes as to why he believes that the average Information Technology department is headed for death’s door, he writes,

“IT loses credibility by speaking in technical jargon . . .”

Michael Krigsman, “Is IT becoming extinct?” ZDNet, 3-23-08

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Blogging Can Work for Any Company, Not Just Small Firms

In Monday’s edition of The Wall Street Journal (3-17-08), Shelly Banjo wrote a powerful piece on the benefits of blogging for small businesses entitled “Attention, Bloggers.”

It’s a good read, one that I recommend to anyone connected (even remotely) to any aspect of marketing. I particularly liked this paragraph from her story:

“Businesses of all types and sizes are focusing on the power of bloggers as opinion shapers. But harnessing that power is particularly important for small-business owners who don’t have the money to create name recognition with big marketing campaigns. By connecting with the right blogs, small businesses can generate buzz around their products and services and increase sales dramatically.”

“Attention, Bloggers,” Shelly Banjo, WSJ, March 17, 2008

My one point of contention with Banjo’s article, if any, is that readers might leave her piece and incorrectly believe that blogs are only designed for small businesses.

This is NOT the case, and for the record, I don’t believe this is what she was communicating in the first place.

Rather, I believe it’s becoming quite clear that the ongoing explosive growth of the Internet and the tools/services tied to the World Wide Web have empowered consumers, corporations and organizations in ways never before imagined. One of the most crucial ways that this rising tide of advancing technology has changed our lives forever is the ability it gives individuals to connect directly with corporations and organizations in one-to-one digital dialogues.If such dialogues are conducted in the transparent light of the blogosphere, they can (and in fact, often do) invite expansion into Web-based conversations that can experience exponential viral growth, either the benefit or detriment of the original participants.