The latest issue of The Public Relations Strategist is all about blogs and blogging. There is some very good material, but it’s a subscription pub and so not all the articles are online.  

There is a great Q and A about why businesses should blog.  Ed Cafasso, Snr VP  in the Boston office of Manning, Selvage and Lee is a blogging skeptic and he asked some hard questions that were well ansere dby his team.These are the two I particularly liked.

Q: Many C level execs see blogging as just an online diary yet PR strategist say it is a must.  What should I say to clients?

A: Clients and prospects should know that a conversation about their brand is taking place in the blogosphere – it’s not really their choice.  Remember the old line for voicing a complaint?  ‘Start your own damn newspaper!”  Well, that’s what’s happening here.

Q: Risk and fear of the unknown are  big hurdles. What’s the  guaranteed minimum takeaway or behavior change we can claim with a blog? 

A: If your company fully embraces blogging we can guarantee that

1. You and your employees will see the potential of blogs as an internal and external communication tool
2. You’ll begin to see other ways to use social media: podcasts, RSS feeds, wikis, video blogs etc., in your external communication plans
3. You’ll learn about your customers need and desires

What I tell clients who ask about blogs:

1. There is a conversation in progress – it’s going on with or without you.  Listen first and learn what your customers are saying.  This is one guaranteed takeway.  You will gather a wealth of information about your product, your company and your industry.
2. Once you know what your audience is interested in you can develop a content strategy that will meet their needs – and meet your goals.  Starting a blog or creating an RSS feed is easy today. But it’s what goes in the blog or feed blog determines your success. If what you write doesn’t resonate with your audience, they won’t be back.