The blog and its influence on a brand

The use of social media to promote companies’ on-line presence is taking off.

Regularly updating a Facebook page and/or a Twitter account in order to communicate and discuss with Internet users is becoming widespread.

However, it appears that the majority of companies are not seizing all the opportunities offered by social networking and social media in terms of communication and leadership in a competitive environment.

Multi-channel, ambitious, meaningful communication

Digital media and the Internet are revolutionising how brands and consumers communicate with one another: 86% of consumers expect brands to communicate with them through the Internet (Observatoire des marques en conversation by the W&Cie Agency, November 2010). Alongside the development of real, client-focused relational marketing based on creating value and dialogue, consumers, ever-conscious of brand image and reputation, look for a direct, transparent, intelligent and personal relationship with brands.

visibility-reputation

Company communication through social media and social networks must be structured as part of a global, consistent, management and creation strategy of on-line content.

Company managers have to ask themselves this strategic question:
How can I use social networks and social media in an efficient and effective way in order to increase my visibility and develop my reputation on the web?

The brand blog, fundamental for a company's communication strategy

The challenge is to create content which develops and maintains a conversation with the brand’s target audience.

Companies must make their presence on social media and networks meaningful if they are to establish a rich communication relationship between the consumer and the brand.

Many consultants and managers feel that the age of blogs has passed.

“However, the value of a company blog is essential from the point of view of indexing” says Mads Christensen, the director of the Eurocom Worldwide network.

Indeed, there has been a renaissance of the brand blog in the context of company on-line communication strategies.

In March 2011, eMarketer published a study entitled “The 2011 State of Inbound Marketing”.
American marketing professionals were asked the following question:

“What type of social media do you consider to be the most important for your company?”

Corporate blogs remain the number one priority for 62% of professionals questioned, an increase of 10 points in the past two years. Facebook and Youtube are in joint second position with 44%. While they have increased respectively by 20% and 18%, Twitter, in 4th place, is hot on their heels with growth of 17% in two years.

The blog is a communication tool which symbolises modernity and dynamism. It is essential for any company wanting to differentiate itself from the competition and have a positive impact on its target audience.

Companies need to grab Internet users’ attention from the minute they go on-line.

An Internet user visits 84 different sites in a month, and the length of time they spend visiting a page is very short: 46 seconds (Institut Nielsen). Companies therefore have to grab Internet users’ attention from the minute they go on-line, using reliable and new information which is clear, relevant and regularly updated. These criteria now need to be applied to multimedia editorial content - articles, audio and video podcasts.

While customers seek good value for money, they also expect brands to provide a welcoming service and advice. If an Internet user finds the answers to his questions (for example, “how can I avoid jet-lag?” or “how can I make air travel with a baby easier?”) on a site such as a blog, they will come back to find answers to other questions in the brand’s areas of expertise (for example, advice on air travel, because the brand is seen and valued as a “travel advisor”) and may sign up for the RSS feed.

Once the Internet user starts thinking like a consumer (for example, by wanting to buy an air ticket), he will instinctively turn to the brand because the brand was there when the consumer was looking for a product or service on-line.

Because a blog enables companies to stand out among the thousands of searches launched by its target audience, it becomes a formidable means of attracting targeted traffic.
This interactive social media effectively establishes a close relationship between the brand and the user, whether he is a simple visitor, a regular client or a client who may go on to recommend the brand to others.

In conclusion, yes, the blog is coming back into fashion. Editorial content enables it to transform the occasional visitor into a loyal client of the brand, and even a brand ambassador, recommending it to others.

A blog: