By Joaquim P. Menezes -
“To blog or not to blog.”
That isn’t the question – to die-hard champions of corporate blogging it isn’t.
To them, the query would seem superfluous and silly, and the answer self-evident.
“Duh,” they would say. “Of course they should?”
If pressed further, they would recount for you all the business benefits offered by this Web 2.0 tool – from brand recognition and insight into stakeholder needs, interests and concerns, to market intelligence for better product development et al.
If egged on further still, they could easily pile up success story upon success story, exemplifying the empirically verifiable gains that blogs have brought to firms of every type, in every sector. Talking about “empirically verifiable”, earlier this year analyst firm Forrester Research did a report called Calculating the ROI of Blogging. The report offers a three-step process by which marketers can identify the key benefits, costs, and risks of blogging and understand how it affects business goals. It cites the General Motors’ corporate blog initiative as a proof point, recounting how the blog project provides the auto manufacturer with key intelligence “to make critical businesses decisions, such as whether to invest heavily in innovations that will rekindle press attention.”
With all this mounting “evidence” of the power of blogs, why isn't take up greater among businesses?
Why aren't companies salivating at the prospect of launching their own blog projects?
The same Forrester Research that in January excitedly discussed the ROI of blogging, more recently published a less-than-heartening report about adoption rates.
The analyst firm surveyed 275 IT decision makers at U.S. companies with 500 or more employees and found that nearly half (46 per cent) have no plans to invest in blogs.
True, a majority of U.S. companies are now at least considering corporate blogs, the report says, “but there are still plenty of businesses not convinced that blogging has business potential.”
Hmmm? So what's their beef with blogs?
According to Forrester, it’s mainly that they see little business value in this Web 2.0 tool.
“It's a headache they don't want and many have more critical problems to solve,” says the analyst firm.
Apparently IT decision makers look at the “chaotic” world of consumer blogs and ask themselves: "is this what we want to get into."
Added to that, many of those who do perceive value believe the gain is incremental, and gradual rather than swift and revolutionary.
Despite such skepticism among many, there’s no getting away from the fact that there are companies that will swear to the blockbuster success they've experienced with blogs.
There’s Eastman Kodak Co., for instance, which is using blogs as a vehicle of corporate transformation, and whose blog posts are garnering unbelievable traffic.
According to one report, A Thousand Words, a blog where employees share photography ideas and other personal interests, attracts up to 20,000 visitors a month! A Thousand Nerds, where Kodak scientists blog about research and development, gets up to 10,000 visitors a month).
A company spokesperson says blogs have: fostered a dialogue between customers, helped educate the market about Kodak's new business initiatives, and raised employee morale. Source: SearchCIO.com Of course, the argument can be made that because blogs are doing it for some companies, they will work equally well for others. This of course triggers other questions?
· When a blog project fails is it because of channel unsuitability or poor implementation?
· Are there corporate blogging “best practices” that would heighten the potential for success – while minimizing risks?
· Is it true that the benefits of blogging are incremental, rather than rapid?
Share your thoughts with us.