What The Blog ?
Imagine chilling on an outdoor foldout chair, cicada's clicking, sun streaming down, clear blue sky, tent to the far left and a cold Canadian Club whiskey in your hand. That’s my idea of a family camp, out in the Pohangina Valley. If only it were like this in the middle of march this year. Instead, I’m inside my tent, Cicada’s still clicking, rain pouring, whiskey in the fridge. The rain hasn’t stopped all day, so I figured, what a perfect time to do my blog, even if I can’t upload it just yet.
At the end of the day, a blog is what you make it, much like a wet camp day or in my case, few days. Blogs can have a big or little impact depending on how they are used. You can submit entries as frequent as you like. Daily or weekly entries are great for small businesses. Bigger businesses can even go as far as monthly updates in place of a company newsletter? This allows companies to share business news with their customers. The running of a blog can help shape brand awareness and even go as far as influencing the company with their decision-making process regarding things such as current products, future products and company direction as a whole. A blog can be used as an interactive source of communication between current and potential customers. The response can also aid in obtaining new customers by sharing what it’s future projects are. Take Coca-cola for example; they have a blog on their website where they share their most important and sometimes not so important messages they wish to communicate with the world. The features this blog has allows its audience to comment and share the entries via social media, reaching further people.
Do you remember when Coca-Cola decided it would be a great marketing campaign to start printing names on their products? The campaign was called “Share A Coke”. Essentially Coca-Cola was personally identifying each of their customers and making them feel special. Your name is special to you, you may have the same name as someone else but none the less, it is who you are. If something has your name on it, you are naturally semi enticed to purchase or at least take note of this product, at minimum start talking about, spreading the word. Blogs are usually hosted on the website owned and hosted by the company/business. By adding a blog, this acts as an inexpensive way of advertising. Whether you see the blog or the product on the shelf, either way Coca-Cola had a very clever way to start word of mouth advertising which we all know is priceless.
While blogs are great for external users and business as a whole, blogs are also a very effective way for companies to communicate with internal users such as staff and/or stakeholders and shareholders. Very similar to the like of the external users, companies can share business news to show direction but also other confidential items such as open budgets. Blogs are also an effective way to help encourage and show appreciation for staff or company sponsors.
So what are you waiting for? What the Blog? Why haven't you started your own blog yet?
Thanks for viewing my blog, until next time!
Brok Milligan
16092592
I'd absolutely love your feedback.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a blog for the purpose of a Massey University paper and is part of an assignment.