On Blogs as Marketing Tools
By The Parodist | June 13, 2007
Aryty Launch and the Use of Blogs as a Marketing Tool
Annalyn Jusay, Manila Bulletin, 11 June 2007
Annalyn Jusay of Manila Bulletin wrote an interesting article on the launch event we attended recently, which lead her to further expound on the use of blogs as a marketing tool. To quote a definitive paragraph,
“Bloggers and their URLs soon found their way into the much-coveted address books of in-demand publicity agents. As PR diva Amor Maclang herself admits in a previous interview with this column: ‘The era of high-profile celebrity endorsements is diminishing its luster. More and more marketing-forward MNCs and communications professionals are looking to smaller, yet more credible niches to tap, with bloggers being the most immediate choice. In PR, we (now) manage and monitor internet perception and reputation as vigorously as we do “traditional” media.’”
And that is just a portion of it. Let me share a few tidbits from my own experience:
Over time, I’ve managed to accumulate quite a number of PR invites (shows, private launches, other press events), got sent stuff to review (or simply as a ‘token’ of goodwill), and offer to interview people, i.e. Playboy bunnies who wrote a book, from various companies and/or PR agencies. Note that these are usually US-based and proved to be slightly difficult to avail of or participate in but some still do send stuff over and I appreciate it cuz it means they value my opinion and reach (and links and keywords :lol:).
These things have oriented me in the whole concept. That it can happen if it hasn’t. eCommerce sites will indeed use blogs since they can tap into a ready-made market, esp if you have a niche blog. Other companies with websites will follow suit, looking to promote their own. Advertisers see blogs as a click-rich online estate and a great conversion resource. Yes. I started to see blogs in a different light.
In addition, I reckon these things — using blogs as a marketing tool, in particular — certainly presents and necessitates a different standard in blogging now.
You can look at it in two ways, one is the typical and most obvious answer, which is using blogs as a medium to promote a product or a service. It will certainly help create the necessary awareness you may need to jump start a launch, feed the hype or build a lasting impression on your customers.
Another is to use the blogs (and bloggers) as a form of market research. As what I’ve observed during the event mentioned in the article. It was not only for Aryty to introduce their services to us bloggers, but also for them to initiate a discussion, which they can generate feedback that somehow resembles a focus group discussion. There was actually a period wherein they nitpicked the translation on a marketing material. Hehe.
It’s quite interesting, really. Blogging (and bloggers) has been around long enough to witness how it has evolved into something more organised and less personal. It has kept its opinionated nature and raw-ness, which a lot of patrons appreciate. The influx of traditional media into the ’sphere is welcomed with mixed emotions that can be seen in the usual territorial debates, the want of a proper definition and what-not’s. Heh. Anyway, bloggers know what bloggers do and the whole cyberculture that makes it rich and diverse is what these companies and PR agencies see.
Blogs don’t seek to be the voice but simply to have one. Bloggers recognise the fact that their voices are part of a multitude and will merely seek to add onto the conversation and also, hopefully, to start one. Blogging is New Media. Bloggers are writers of ideas and opinions. But let’s not forget that they can also be entrepreneurs, consultants, copywriters and yes, marketers. I’ve always believed that there’s strength in numbers and value in conversation.
Incidentally, I got quoted in the article so do check it out. Hehe. 
Photo courtesy of Annalyn Jusay
*You can click it for a larger view.
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Topics: Blogs & Blogging, Press Mentions |
June 13th, 2007 at 9:16 am
well said sasha:) my only concern is that there won’t be much to differentiate bloggers from traditional media, except the raw-ness as you said.
June 13th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Ajay: Thanks.
How about the interaction? You also mentioned in your article, “Blogs are also more interactive in the sense that they get instant feedback and suggestions from the readers.” And I think that’s one things that can differentiate them, right? And it’s real-time, at that. I reckon that’s one of the reasons why traditional media (present company excluded 
) have entered the world of blogging (I don’t want to go into the rest 
).
July 7th, 2007 at 5:02 am
Im not surprised … one of these days bloggers will rule the universe.. (LOL)