I have recently been discussing with clients and the blogosphere why it is important for companies to author blogs.This evening, in lieu of the last week of economic turmoil on Wall Street, I did a quick search on Google for the term, "CEO".
The top articles returned were very negative in nature. What can a company do to counter the onslaught of negative press and foster an image of customer service and relations?
Step one: set aside a tiny amount of your marketing or public relations budget to start and maintain a blog.
Step two: discuss relevant corporate issues and bring your customers and concerned interests one step closer to the board room.
As Allison Guimard, CEO of Alijor, recently commented on ADMAVEN:
"I’m a follower of Tim Ferriss’s 4-Hour Work Week, and his guidelines on time management have been very influential for me. Yes, I am a busy CEO, and I try to post regularly, but thankfully I have people working for me who make sure that happens! So I get friendly reminders every now and then from my co-workers/PR people to update my blog!"
Allison may be in command of a promising venture, but she does not have millions at her disposal for marketing and public relations. The point of the matter is you do not need a seven figure marketing budget to take initiative and utilize social media.
As we move to the fourth quarter of 2008 and enter 2009 corporations will come under increased scrutiny. Take your pick - John McCain or Barack Obama - both include policies of tighter corporate financial control and demand more transparency from American companies. Consider social media tools when planning your defense against attrition due to bad press and economic uncertainty.
Nicholas Kinports (follow him on Twitter @ADMAVEN) has worked in the interactive technology world for over 15 years. He is the Digital Strategy Lead and founder of Chicago-based digital marketing firm lonelybrand, where he directs the creation and execution of digital marketing programs that generate measurable signups, conversions and sales.
