Jun
30
Blogging has become the communication tool de joeur.
It is a magnet for building communities, momentum around issues, (abusing people) and engaging audiences in some form from all over the world.
But is there a point where you don’t blog?
What prompted this line of thinking was a thought about which industries might actually be hurt by blogging.
Take Banks for example. Once a shining light of credibility and integrity they have slipped back recently to be just above carsales people in trustworthiness according to a few surveys (Still looking for the formal results, will come back to you.)
I would have thought a blog by a bank on customer service or updating their members/customers on upcoming changes would be a superb idea to get the engagement happening and by opening up the two way communication, actually build loyalty through openness and transparency.
However, a summary search on Google, brings the banks up a little short. Zero on page one of a search of “bank blogs”.
So is it a case of no bank blogs because:
- We don’t have the time (really, who does?)
- We don’t know what the reaction will be (that’s half the point - plus you can moderate comments)
- What’s a blog? (Er, ok!)
Having been in banking for the past 20 odd years and knowing the actual person who would be responsible for this in a few banks, I can see a world of possibilities and a world of wins.
But in the broader sense, would it be commercial suicide for an industry like banking & finance to run a blog? A legal minefield?
I believe banks would actually gain some serious momentum in customer loyalty circles with a well managed, open and honest blog.
Here are the top 10 benefits of a blog for industries like banks:
- communicate directly with customers
- create announcements around significant changes at no cost
- supply information customers can comment on
- build loyalty through ongoing community contact
- viral communication of bank policies
- real issues being raised and dealt with
- customers supplying workable cost saving solutions
- banks re-inventing their ‘personalities’
- reduction in complaints being escalated to ombudsman level
- communication of resolutions to common problems
It is true this can be accomplished by a website but not in the same communicative way a blog can.
I’ve focused on banks here, as I said because that is my background, but there must be other industries where blogging hasn’t caught on and yet could make a difference.
Enlighten me!
Comments
4 Responses to “Business Blogging - where do you stop?”
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Great post Bill. With all the blogs I’ve been reading lately, I can’t help but look around and think about the different businesses that could benefit from a blog as well.
One place I see that could use a blog to their benefit would be any charitable organization. Providing supporters with constant updates of how their money is being put to good use along with stories of their successes could do nothing but help their organizational goals (as long as their doing what they set out to do).
Hi John, thanks for commenting and I 100% agree! It is a timely suggestion too as a a very good friend of mine and a past manager/mentor is the state CEO of the MS Society here. I had lunch with him last Friday.
I’ll mention your suggestion to him. It’s a blinding flash of the obvious when you think of it - of course, it’s only obvious after it’s been suggested!
I’ll let you know what happens. Thanks for dropping by.
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