In Groundswell, written by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, the POST method offered 5 objectives for a company:
- Listening
- Talking
- Energizing
- Supporting
- Embracing
This week is about talking to your customers which is really important, because this is how you are communicating with them. You have to figure out the message of how you are going to sell yourself, your company, and your product/service. Customers want to feel connected to the brands they are buying. A popular trend that has arose is the focus on social awareness. Companies are connecting people and products to causes all around the world, including charities, providing employment and clothes in third world countries, and more. TOMS is a shoe and eye wear company that has created their One for One business model. For every pair of shoes or eye glasses you buy from them, they will provide someone in Africa the same. TOMS as chosen instead of communicating with a blog to their public, they have a segment of their website dedicated to stories of giving, inspiration, motivation, etc.
Click here to check it out!
Ten Tree has provided similar methods of communication, with their treemap (communicating how people’s trees are making a difference); however, Ten Tree has begun preparation to begin a blog to talk to their customers.
Groundswell, suggests 10 tips for a successful blog:
- Start by listening: Ten Tree’s Social Technographic Profile was spectators and joiners, which the company can listen to through creating groups for the customers to join. They have created a strong following through social media sites such as their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.
- Determine a goal for the blog: Here is where Ten Tree will decide what they will communicate to their audience through the blog.
- Estimate the Return on Equity: Is the return on the blog worth the time that has to go into it?
- Develop a plan: What will your blog look like? How will it be updated? What will it communicate and tell your customers? These are all questions that a company must understand before they develop their blog.
- Rehearse: This suggests that Ten Tree should write about five to ten blogs before they go live with the site. By completing these blogs, it provides Ten Tree’s audience something to read when they announce their blog.
- Develop an editorial process: This is who is going to be reading the blog before it is posted, and editing it. This is very important to help keep the blog’s goals aligned with that of the company.
- Design the blog and it connection to your site: Ten Tree has already created a link on their website at the bottom for their blog.
- Develop a marketing plan so people can find the blog: Ten Tree will be marketing the release of their blog on their various social media outlet, the major ones being Facebook and Twitter.
- Remember, blogging is more than writing: Monitor your blog and find out what people are saying about it. Comments create dialogue between a company and their customers, and this can be positive or negative. It is important for a company need to know how to respond to these comments, and keep their company’s values in mind. This will all relate to the company’s brand that they are trying to communicate.
- Final advice: be honest: This helps build trust and loyalty with customers to keep them coming back to your company.
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