Searching for Blog Relevance
One computer, coupled with the speed and immediacy of free speech on the Internet, can significantly impact public perceptions. We are no longer discussing if blogs matter but rather, which ones. As bloggers amplify their voices through ever-expanding audience networks, companies are in a hurry to get straight answers on how these new stakeholders affect their reputation and financial assets. The most commonly asked question in communication strategy meetings is, “Who are the most influential bloggers?”
Considering the numerous factors that affect audience interests – such as content, topic, industry and social context – the right answer is, “It depends!”
There is not a standard formula for measuring the influence of blogs on reputation. Traditional Web metrics may not be the best tools to gauge a blog’s power in reaching online audiences. With the exception of a few, most blogs do not garner traffic comparable to mainstream online news sources, growing their audiences through links and referrals instead.
The primary factor to consider when estimating a blog’s influence is relevance. What percentage of employees, investors and customers are regularly reading the given blog? Those blogs that have both a high number of links (a proxy for Web readership) and are identified as relevant by key stakeholders should be put on a communications watch list for postings about the company’s business and industry.
In short, your company needs to effectively track blogs, adjust media plans and integrate alternative communications among existing tactics. Here’s how:
Step One: Check the house inventory and start a list. You may already have some information about your online followers. Are bloggers emailing Webmasters, customer service representatives or PR contacts? Browse through the company Web site log reports. Are Web site visitors being referred to the company site from a blog? Start your watch list with bloggers who are contacting the company and driving traffic to your Web properties.
Step Two: Take online audiences’ pulse. Partner with online buzz-monitoring companies (Intelliseek, BuzzMetrics, v-Fluence) for an in-depth understanding of what online audiences are saying about your brands, products and services. Which blogs are hosting the most extended conversations about your company and its offerings? Note the proportion of conversations stemming from blogs vs. other online public forums. Earmark those blogs that contribute most to the online chatter about your company.
Step Three: Add some weights to the equation. After creating a short list of blogs based on your company Web site referrals and online monitoring research, use specialized search engines (Technorati, BlogPulse) to gauge these blogs’ clout. How many other bloggers link to them? Do they consistently write about a topic relevant to your company’s position? Those blogs with more links and a consistent voice should go to the top of your list.
Learn about the bloggers’ educational and professional backgrounds. According to an Arizona State University study (Economist, April 21st, 2005), “the top bloggers are more likely than top newspaper columnists to have gone to a top university, and far more likely to have an advanced degree, such as a doctorate.” Are the bloggers in your list experts on the topics they write about? If so, their readers will be even more likely to follow their recommendations.
Step Four: Browse online and offline media. Supplement blog search-engine information with news database (Factiva, Lexis-Nexis, Dialog) searches. Are the bloggers on your list cited by any offline or online media sources? Any coverage in mainstream media outlets validates the blogger’s influence.
Step Five: Confirm relevance with your audience. Conduct a survey among your key stakeholders and run your list of relevant blogs by them. Have they heard of these blogs? Do they read these blogs?
Step Six: Measure impact on reputation. When surveying your stakeholders, ask them about their perceptions of the company and what sources they use to form their opinions. Are the blogs you’ve identified treated as credible sources helping to shape your audience’s opinions? Would they be willing to pass along such information to their friends, families and colleagues?
Blogs are vehicles for influential stakeholders who speak up to make a difference in their communities. They carry opinion leaders’ views from computers and wireless devices to in-person conversations. Thanks to blogs, hard-to-find information comes within stakeholders’ reach and turns into sales, votes and investments. Companies can strengthen their foothold online by identifying and tracking those sources that significantly contribute to the buzz on their brands, products and services. Businesses can get a direct view of how public opinion about their initiatives evolves by following blogs relevant to their audiences.
--Idil Cakim
Director, Knowledge Development
Burson-Marsteller
Posted by Idil Cakim at April 25, 2005 02:44 PM
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