Here’s how it works.  Customers buy a car or have some work done at one of the many Herb Chambers dealers, after which they are encouraged to share their experience on Herb’s blog.  They visit the web site, key in a little information about themselves and their activity with the dealer, and they’re off and running.  They can type anything – positive or negative – and when they click submit it shows up unfiltered on the site.  Herb requires that his dealers answer all negative postings directly and quickly, offering solutions to customer issues and returning Herb’s reputation to good standing.  The customer walks away feeling empowered, probably willing to deal with Herb in the future.  Herb gets a living case study for his dealers’ customer service prowess, and leaves a string of satisfied customers in his wake.  A win/win.

Looking at what Herb Chambers is doing, I can’t help but think – if a car dealer can leverage social media to strengthen its relationships with customers and help its business in the process, we all can do it.  So what’s it going to take to put you into a new blog?  Why don’t you think it over, while I go ask my manger if I can give you a deal.

Slowly, then not-so-slowly, the pool of media we marketers were targeting began to dry out- readership, page counts, ad revenue and staff began to dwindle.  And the marketing practice of leveraging these conduits to generate awareness began losing its effectiveness.  And so began the shift…

The major movement underway begins with our audience, who have reduced their reliance on the media to tell them what’s up, and instead have turned to one another for information.  Through user reviews, product ratings, online forums, blogs, tweets, homemade videos, and social networks, the mass collective of customers for just about any product has found a voice of its own.  Your customers are no longer only consumers of information, they are also producers of content.  They are both informing and being informed – about the prospect of a new storage array before it’s even launched, or the problems with a software update for a router before its first "official" review.  And this shift is forcing an evolution in the role of the marketer.

With users empowered to talk to one another, we can no longer pretend that we are in complete control of our messages.  We can no longer simply talk through the media and to the market.  Here are a few implications of the shift:

• We must speak directly to our customers- build a community, provide the information they want, and be more candid than ever before.
• We must give our audience a voice- allow them to speak directly to us, make sure they know we’ve heard them, and close the loop when possible.
• We must enable our customers to talk to one another- providing a forum for users and curious prospects to exchange information and ideas.
• We must not censor- nurturing our credibility and trust by encouraging open dialog with and between our audience members.
• We must listen- learning from the people who are most important to our success, and letting their voices guide our actions.
• We must build killer products- testing and double testing new features before release, and avoiding mistakes that will become very visible to customers and prospects, very quickly.
• We must over service- ensuring that the customers we have are over-satisfied, and well armed to be ambassadors of our brand.

The shift is on.  Are you ready for it?

 A multi-author blog can help take the pressure off of any one individual in your company, and provide some much needed time between posts for your bloggers to find some inspiration.  It also gives your company a way to express multiple viewpoints- "Technology Trends" by a lead engineer, or "Customer Corner" by the VP of sales…or maybe "The Fluff Factor" by the marketing director.  With a multi-author blog, you can bring your company’s unique viewpoint to life in multiple ways for multiple audiences.

Are there downsides to a multi-author blog?  You bet.  Maintaining consistency can be difficult as additional authors enter the fold.  To sustain a unified voice for your company, establish and publish some guidelines for blogging- some simple dos and don’ts that will help guide blog content.  Also, nominate a blog editor- someone who has the final say over the final posting and monitors keywords and formatting for consistency.

With a little structure, a multi-author blog can help ensure that your company is churning out quality content at a regular pace- without hiring a CBO (chief blogging officer).  And that’s nothing to shake a stick at.

Please take a minute to learn a little about this endeavor, buy a copy or spread the word.  There’s a nice writeup on the origins of this effort at The Age of Conversation web site and a Facebook Group has been created as a forum to extend the conversation.  Bringing this book together was an amazing feat by Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton, and all profits are being donated to Variety, The Children’s Charity.  

For a list of all the authors who contributed to this book, see below or click "Read the rest of this entry".

Adrian Ho, Aki Spicer, Alex Henault, Amy Jussel, Andrew Odom, Andy Nulman, Andy Sernovitz, Andy Whitlock, Angela Maiers, Ann Handley, Anna Farmery, Armando Alves, Arun Rajagopal, Asi Sharabi, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Bernie Scheffler, Bill Gammell, Bob LeDrew, Brad Shorr, Brandon Murphy, Branislav Peric, Brent Dixon, Brett Macfarlane, Brian Reich, C.C. Chapman, Cam Beck, Casper Willer, Cathleen Rittereiser, Cathryn Hrudicka, Cedric Giorgi, Charles Sipe, Chris Kieff, Chris Cree, Chris Wilson, Christina Kerley (CK), C.B. Whittemore, Chris Brown, Connie Bensen, Connie Reece, Corentin Monot, Craig Wilson, Daniel Honigman, Dan Schawbel, Dan Sitter, Daria Radota Rasmussen, Darren Herman, Dave Davison, David Armano, David Berkowitz, David Koopmans, David Meerman Scott, David Petherick, David Reich, David Weinfeld, David Zinger, Deanna Gernert, Deborah Brown, Dennis Price, Derrick Kwa, Dino Demopoulos, Doug Haslam, Doug Meacham, Doug Mitchell, Douglas Hanna, Douglas Karr, Duane Brown, Dustin Jacobsen, Dylan Viner, Ed Brenegar, Ed Cotton, Efrain Mendicuti, Ellen Weber, Eric Peterson, Eric Nehrlich, Ernie Mosteller, Faris Yakob, Fernanda Romano, Francis Anderson, Gareth Kay, Gary Cohen, Gaurav Mishra, Geert Desager, George Jenkins, G.L. Hoffman, Gianandrea Facchini, Gordon Whitehead, Greg Verdino, Gretel Going & Kathryn Fleming, Hillel Cooperman, Hugh Weber, J. Erik Potter, James Gordon-Macintosh, Jamey Shiels, Jasmin Tragas, Jason Oke, Jay Ehret, Jeanne Dininni, Jeff De Cagna, Jeff Gwynne & Todd Cabral, Jeff Noble, Jeff Wallace, Jennifer Warwick, Jenny Meade, Jeremy Fuksa, Jeremy Heilpern, Jeroen Verkroost, Jessica Hagy, Joanna Young, Joe Pulizzi, John Herrington, John Moore, John Rosen, John Todor, Jon Burg, Jon Swanson, Jonathan Trenn, Jordan Behan, Julie Fleischer, Justin Foster, Karl Turley, Kate Trgovac, Katie Chatfield, Katie Konrath, Kenny Lauer, Keri Willenborg, Kevin Jessop, Kristin Gorski, Lewis Green, Lois Kelly, Lori Magno, Louise Manning, Luc Debaisieux, Mario Vellandi, Mark Blair, Mark Earls, Mark Goren, Mark Hancock, Mark Lewis, Mark McGuinness, Matt Dickman, Matt J. McDonald, Matt Moore, Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Michelle Lamar, Mike Arauz, Mike McAllen, Mike Sansone, Mitch Joel, Neil Perkin, Nettie Hartsock, Nick Rice, Oleksandr Skorokhod, Ozgur Alaz, Paul Chaney, Paul Hebert, Paul Isakson, Paul McEnany, Paul Tedesco, Paul Williams, Pet Campbell, Pete Deutschman, Peter Corbett, Phil Gerbyshak, Phil Lewis, Phil Soden, Piet Wulleman, Rachel Steiner, Sreeraj Menon, Reginald Adkins, Richard Huntington, Rishi Desai, Robert Hruzek, Roberta Rosenberg, Robyn McMaster, Roger von Oech, Rohit Bhargava, Ron Shevlin, Ryan Barrett, Ryan Karpeles, Ryan Rasmussen, Sam Huleatt, Sandy Renshaw, Scott Goodson, Scott Monty, Scott Townsend, Scott White, Sean Howard, Sean Scott, Seni Thomas, Seth Gaffney, Shama Hyder, Sheila Scarborough, Sheryl Steadman, Simon Payn, Sonia Simone, Spike Jones, Stanley Johnson, Stephen Collins, Stephen Landau, Stephen Smith, Steve Bannister, Steve Hardy, Steve Portigal, Steve Roesler, Steven Verbruggen, Steve Woodruff, Sue Edworthy, Susan Bird, Susan Gunelius, Susan Heywood, Tammy Lenski, Terrell Meek, Thomas Clifford, Thomas Knoll, Tim Brunelle, Tim Connor, Tim Jackson, Tim Mannveille, Tim Tyler, Timothy Johnson, Tinu Abayomi-Paul, Toby Bloomberg, Todd Andrlik, Troy Rutter, Troy Worman, Uwe Hook, Valeria Maltoni, Vandana Ahuja, Vanessa DiMauro, Veronique Rabuteau, Wayne Buckhanan, William Azaroff, Yves Van Landeghem

What types of information should you provide?  Well…whatta you got?  I’ve seen high tech companies that are sitting on top of mounds of data about performance and security create blogs around this information – becoming authorities in their respective industries and generating massive media coverage because of it.  I’ve seen a building safety equipment vendor centralize publicly available research and legal information on its blog, providing a resource for its audience and creating awareness for its solution.  And I’ve seen an executive at a storage hardware vendor use his blog to discuss trends in data management and backup strategies, using his unique viewpoint to promote his company’s differentiation.

The point is, the people you want to communicate with are just outside your door, and they’re looking for useful information.  Chances are your company has some inventory of information that nobody else can provide to them.  By sharing this information with them, you can open the door to new conversations that position your company as an expert, as a resource, as a partner. 

The only question remaining are – what useful information does your company posess, and how can you leverage it on your blog?

As an example, Ardath Albee wrote a provocative post asking readers to take a good hard look at their corporate blogs to see if they’re boring. In the post, she cites a recent study by Forrester that tracks some interesting trends in corporate blogging. Ardath also offers some tips on how to spice up your corporate blog, and a good discussion follows. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Another good post by Lee Odden covers three common mistakes companies make with their blogs, why they make them, and how to avoid them. One of the underlying themes of Lee’s post is that companies need to think through how a corporate blog fits into the marketing mix strategically, and how it’s going to work mechanically. I couldn’t agree more. Don’t just sign up for a Wordpress account – build a plan so your blog serves a purpose and sustains and scales.

We’ve also written some recent posts on business/corporate blogs, including one on sourcing good content and another on the emergence of a "Chief Blogger". As the interest in this area grows, we’ll definitely be writing more. I have a feeling other bloggers will too, and that’s music to my ears.

Now – is it just me, or is "The Rays" a goofy name for a baseball team? I mean, I would understand if everyone on the team was named Ray. Focus, Todd, focus.

So when Netflix pulled the plug on Profiles, the backlash began, and the blogosphere started spinning fast. Hundreds of bloggers began writing in protest, thousands of readers left comments expressing their dissatisfaction, and soon Netflix’s own blog was barraged by notes from unhappy customers. Oh, and then there’s the Internet petition. The morning after Netflix’s announcement, I added my name at position #482. That night, there were about 1,500. And in a few days, that number doubled.

The happy ending: earlier this week I was pleased to receive another hastily written e-mail from Netflix that began "You spoke, and we listened. We are keeping Profiles." This is an example of how social media is working, not only as a platform that can elevate the voice of the common man, but as a strategic business tool. In this case, blogging helped movie lovers unite and fight back against a corporate giant. But it also helped Netflix by providing invaluable market research about one of their features.

I hope Netflix and other companies take note. Blogs are more than forums for over-caffeinated counter-culture geeks to express their feelings. They are a new way to listen to customers and gain insights into what they want (and what they will buy). For Netflix, the listening should have started before they axed the Profiles feature, but in the end, they did the right thing.

My question is: can blogging be as effective in the business to business world as it is in the consumer market? We think so…what do you think? We’re listening.

With that, Our Ten Most Popular Posts: 

1. Internal Communications: Own It
2. The Blogosphere: You Don’t Have to Blog to Belong
3. Mission Statement: Make it Possible
4. Slogans: Say What You Do
5. Market Segmentation: How to Prioritize Targets
6. High Tech Blogging: Why?
7. Lead Generation: The Bell Curve
8. Communications Part II: To the Right People
9. Age of Conversation 2: The Deadline
10. The SEO Triple Play: Message, Mechanics, Maintenance

Focus content

For emerging companies, sharing blogging duties is a good idea. It helps take the burden off any one blogger, and allows the company to present multiple viewpoints within its area of expertise. However, one of the greatest assets in a blog is a consistent focus and tone. Without a single owner to guide blog content, posts from multiple authors can easily drift off topic or diverge from the company’s voice, baffling readers in the process. By establishing an owner for all blog content, companies large and small can ensure that all posts are in line with their blog’s focus and tone, and that consistency will keep readers coming back.

Stay on schedule

Blog readers, and especially RSS subscribers, expect to see new content on a blog at least once or twice a week. Posting on a regular schedule helps set and reinforce reader expectations for how often and when to check for new posts, so when companies drift from their blogging schedule, readership trails off. A single blog owner can create a blogatorial calendar and manage the posting schedule to ensure that new content is added frequently and rhythmically.

Moderate comments

When a reader comments on a blog, he or she expects to see their words appear shortly after they click "submit". So when a legitimate comment sits in moderation next to all that wonderful blog spam, readers question whether or not anyone is listening (or worse, whether or not they’re being censored). A blog owner is responsible for reviewing and allowing comments as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the blog owner should ensure that every reader comment gets a reply to keep the conversation going.

Join the conversation

Blogging in a vacuum is never a good idea, so it is critical to find and read other blogs that are related to your company’s area of expertise. Other blogs provide great source material for new blog posts and offer a means of driving links and traffic back to your site. Whoever owns your company’s blog should make a habit out of reading other blogs, commenting where appropriate and reporting interesting posts back to key stakeholders in the company. Without a single ambassador to the blogosphere, different people can send mixed messages on other blogs or, even worse, valuable external content can go unread.

We don’t all have the resources to employ a chief blogger. But by establishing a blog owner, we can avoid sending mixed messages, duplicating efforts or missing opportunities. Most importantly, assigning a blog owner provides a path to consistency, and a stable of happy readers.

What are your thoughts on the chief blogger and blog ownership? Please share – I promise to post and respond to your comment quickly.

We’re also happy to announce that the good people at Blogged.com, who review and rate blogs based on frequency of updates, writing style, relevance of content and site design, have reviewed our blog and given us a rating of 7.0 or very good. Sure, there’s room for improvement, but we’re proud of how far we’ve come in a short time, and excited to be included in their ratings. Many thanks to the people at Blogged.com for taking the time to stop by and check us out. If you’d like to add your two cents to our rating, feel free to click the image above and leave a review. Or, let us know what you think below. Thanks again for reading.