The perils of ignoring blogs

There are new levels of complexity for communicating a company’s messages, given the emerging prominence of new media such as blogging, podcasts and RSS feeds. And while companies can choose to not participate in these enablers of real-time conversations, the dialogues will continue to take place with or without them. According to Stephen King, CEO of Marqui and industry expert Paul Kedrosky, traditional public relations is no longer an effective gatekeeper when new technologies enable everyone – employees, customers, competitors, consumers, stockholders, etc. – to be company spokespeople. And although the blogosphere is very sensitive to the attempted control of its informational flow, it is possible for messages to be gently shaped through external influence.

Additionally, the good news is that this technology is also opening doors for more public relations programs metrics. Blogs, podcasts and such are all inherently measurable…and within the context of a company’s marketing program.

The two experts shared this information with an astounding 1,700 enrollees in a recent webinar through the American Marketing Association. A recorded version of the program is available at www.marketingpower.com, with additional information available on the Marqui website.

-posted by Rachel