Corporations Still Struggling With Corporatespeak In Blogs
By Tom Chandler on Jul 12, 2008 in Copywriting, Engagement Marketing
Business blogs aren’t exactly booming — at least according to Ken Magill in a Direct Magazine post, where he cites a Forrester report documenting rapid decline in business blog growth:
Business-to-business blogging took a nosedive this year, mainly because returns on corporate blogs haven’t matched investment, according to a recent report by Forrester Research.
…the number of new corporate blogs has dropped sharply in the last year and a half, according to the report, with 36 companies launching them in 2006, 19 in 2007, and just three in the first quarter of 2008, according to Forrester.
The problem? Corporations repeatedly fall victim to their inability to escape boring, meaningless “corporatespeak.” In fact, Forester’s report speaks to the traits required to successfully engage customers:
Successful corporate blogs “talk openly with an authentic voice,” and are “humble and honest,” two traits that run counter to many corporate egos, said Forrester’s report.
Ouch.
For corporations - who often see blogs as yet another pipeline for corporatespeak (or showcases for preening executives), the ugly truth is this: customers and prospects want useful information or thought leadership, and they’re not getting it. (And yes, they need it coherently written.)
Some organizations have shown excellent returns from blogging (like Patagonia’s Cleanest Line), and the benefits of engaging with customers (binding them to the brand via shared passions and values) are significant.
If I were Absolute Ruler, I’d immediately recruit a good writer, slap a new job title on them (like Corporate Content Writer, though if it were me, I’d negotiate for “Content Czar”), and point them at the Internet.
Imagine the ROI of a good writer - working for a tech company — who was engaging with customers, prospects and media via blog, twitter, social networks, flick’r, YouTube, IM, eNewsletter, etc.
You don’t have to imagine it, of course. Look at what Scoble did for Microsoft.
One of the hidden truths of Web 2.0 is this: the need for copywriters who can communicate in a personable, engaging fashion is far greater than the supply.
Sadly, corporate America hasn’t realized it yet.
Keep writing, Tom Chandler.
Very well put, Tom. You’ve very adroitly written a summation of a large majority of my “corporate America” clients this past year. They are hesitant to spend any money on press releases, let alone on blogs.
The question, really, is this: How can we, as professional copywriters, convince companies that they not only NEED us in general–they need us, specifically, to blog for them.
Considering how little the “medium-sized” (we can talk about what makes up this group in a later post) companies even have blogs, the entire scenario is troublesome.
Do I have an answer? Nope. But that’s OK. They don’t either. The most pressing question is how do you convince them that their competitors are using it to their advantage and, if they don’t start doing it, they’ll be suffering some serious sales losses.
My “tell” earlier may have given me away as a marketing writer who is trying to meet director level decision-makers who are in the process of outsourcing the marketing function. Maybe I’m delusional. Maybe I know too much. Maybe I know far too little.
Either way, thanks for your post. It helped spark a few ideas.
Best regards,
Scott Siders
President
Novo, Inc.
http://www.novowriting.com
Scott Siders | Jul 12, 2008 | Reply
Scott: That’s a great comment.
Most corporate clients understand the need for quality copy when they’re spending serious dollars on media placement (as in ad campaigns).
New media channels are a different breed, and the lack of definitive ROI metrics surrounding engagement marketing and Web 2.0 don’t exactly invite participation from those who need definitive proof before committing.
My biggest concern is that all the engagement media channels will be carved up among different corporate fiefdoms; PR gets the blog, product folks get the forums, Marketing gets the enewsletter, a self-serving VP gets twitter… you see the danger.
Instead of engaging customers and prospects with one voice, all these new channels will pipe differing versions of corporate reality (gotta like that term) into the engageasphere (there’s another for you).
Given the amplification common to today’s online media, one good communicator could — assuming they used their power for good instead of evil — mean a lot to an organization.
Keep in touch and good luck.
Tom Chandler | Jul 13, 2008 | Reply
Scott - This from the Communities Dominate Brands blog:
Amen.
Tom Chandler | Jul 13, 2008 | Reply
I like what you post and the comment of Scott, I learn a lot from your conversation. I am not a professional writer but I understand what you are trying to tell.
racquel lyle | Jul 23, 2008 | Reply