New Venture Marketing

The Souk & the Supermarket

A favorite client threatened to come to my site today and post a comment to the effect I haven't blogged in too long and isn't that a bit hypocritical for someone who is so enthusiastic about new Internet media.  So with the hope of doing a pre-emptive strike, I am posting today.  Okay, John, the ball is in your court.  How about that new web site?

I will be teaching a course at Stanford Continuing Studies this spring on the Internet and new digital media and I am delighted.

The course will be entitled:  The Souk & the Supermarket:  Demystifying New Internet Media.  The Souk in this instance will be a "new" model for community, chaotic, messy and ever changing, and the Supermarket, my metaphor for a conventional business, highly structured and controlled.  I've wanted a chance to explore the changes I have seen resulting from the impact of the Internet. This is a great opportunity.  So stay tuned.

Resources on Business Blogging

Getting ready for a panel next week on business blogging, I thought it would be useful to provide some initial resources for those who wish to learn more about the subject.  There are now a great many books and posts on the subject.  These are just a few favorites:

A few thoughtful articles on blogging for business

.  Does Your Company Belong in the Blogosphere?, Katherine Heires, HBS Working Knowledge newsletter.

.  23 Questions for Prospective Bloggers -- Is a Blog Right for You? by Darren Rouse, Problogger.

.  Marketing Challenge:  When its best not to blog, Meryl K. Evans and Hank Stroll, MarketProfs.

.  The Beginner's Guide to Corporate Blogging, Fredrik Wacka.

.  Blogs level the playing field for small companies by alpha blogger, Steve Rubel.

.  Business Blogging:  Big Companies  and  Business Blogging:  Small Companies  on my own blog.

.  The Flip Side of Corporate Blogging:  Sun Microsystems says blogging helped rebuild its reputation, by Sally Falkow.

.  Business Blog Case Study: Stonyfield Farms by blogger, Rich Bruner.

Blogging For Business

On Thursday, March 23, 2006, I will be leading a panel on "Blogging for Business:  An Insider's Look at How to Use Blogs At Your Company, Business or Non-Profit "for the Alliance for Technology and Women (ATW) at Applera in Foster City.

Joining me will be an outstanding line up of panelists:

-- Paul Rosenfeld, General Manger for QuickBooks Online Edition, whose team blog, QuickBooks Online Edition "expresses news and views about Online Edition by the people who make it."

-- Tara Hunt, director of Marketing at Riya.com whose blog, Horsepigcow, covers such topics as markeing, living on he online life, 'web 2.0' social software technology and feminist theory...

-- John Earnhardt, Senior Manager of Policy Communications for Cisco, Worldwide Governmental affairs, who began Cisco's first blog and is its main author.

-- Britt Bravo, a consultant for nonprofits who writes for at least 4 blogs:  Blogher.org (leading blog and conference for women), NetSquared.org (social web to nonprofits),Yougcaucasus.neweurasia.net (bloggers mentoring project) , and her personal blog, Have Fun * Do Good.  Britt is also the author of a blog about building community and addressing global social issues.

They are a very diverse group of experienced of bloggers.  Come join us and discuss the use this highly debated communications tool.

Blogging for Business -- Small Companies

Business Blogging offers tremendous advantage for small companies. 

Business Blogging offers tremendous advantage for small companies. While blogging enables large publicly-held corporations to look and act more like smaller, more personal counterparts, blogging gives smaller companies the look and feel of a larger more established firm.
 
Blogging can help a small company establish a market presence hitherto reserved for the big guys, establish its credibility and expertise. More importantly, blogging can help drive search engine rankings which can enable a small company to be more readily found. 

Business blogging builds networks and helps to establish relationships with customers, partners, investors, analysts, press and anyone else who is interested in what your company has to offer.

Business blogging is very cost effective to implement.

Important for a small firm, blogging  requires very little money, though a rather healthy  bit of writing and time.  Many blog hosting services are free of charge or cost only a few dollars a month for extra services, such as analytics or more flexibility with blog site design.

Business blogging offers tremendous benefits for the small company.

I'd like to share my own experience which I think typifies some of these benefits.

Blogging for Business -- Big Companies

A few days ago I had the opportunity to speak about Business Blogs for High Tech Companies at the SD Forum, and have a very rich exchange.  I would say that about 40 people attended, all from the high-tech arena, split between consultants, entrepreneurs, and those who worked or were looking for work at both small and large companies.  Not surprising for a high-tech event, most were familiar with blogging and as many as 40% blogged.

What did surprise me, however, was how few of those were using blogs in their business and the concerns that possibility seemed to raise. 

Business Blogging for High Tech Companies

I'll be speaking at the Software Developer's Forum, Monthly Marketing SIG on Monday, May 9th on "Business Blogging for High Tech Companies" and would like to invite anyone who is in the area to come. 

The presentation will include information on what blogs are, how you can use them, what is syndication and RSS is -- and why you should care, what to consider before you start a blog, resources, next steps, and examples of some of the best high tech blogs.

The meeting will be held at 6:30pm and be held at the Mitchell Park Community Center in Palo Alto.

Blogging for Business: Some Resources

There are a great many resources available today for those who would like to learn more about blogging for business.  Here are a few favorites to get you started:

.  "Blogging Basics", Technorati
.   How to Blog - 101 Series, T.L. Pakii
.  Your Guide to Corporate Blogging, Fredrik Wacka
.   Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies, Susannah Gardner, from the first chapter of her soon-to-be-published book of the same title
.   Weblogs:  Realigning Business, Technology & Communications, Kathleen Goodwin
.   Blogging for Business, BusinessWeek
.  Several excellent articles on blogs and blogging, MarketingProfs

Favorite Blogs

It seems like everyone these days has been asking me about blogs, what they are, what's all the fuss, do I really think matter.  I do think they matter, as much for themselves as a new kind of communications media as I do for what they represent -- a fundamental change in how we market and communicate. 

But if you want to understand about blogs and new digital media, what they can do and represent, you need to read them for a while to get a feel for it.  In the marketing and communications world, these are my short list:

   .  Shel Holtz, a veteran PR guy with considerable depth in the Net and whose book, PR on the Net was a kind of bible. 

Some Excellent PR Resources

Financial News Releases
There is a fine post on PR Newswire written by Ann Somerlath, Associated Press, on writing financial news releases.

Business Blogging
Susannah Gardner is in the process of publishing  her excellent book "Buzz Marketing With Blogs for Dummies" and is offering a free preview of the books first chapter, "Checking Out Business Blogs".  It is an very thoughtful piece for how a company should go about considering a blog.  In pdf format from Gardner's site.  via Wayne Hurlbert

Beginners Guide to Business Blogging

Debbie Weil, a highly regarded business blogger and and eNewsletter evangelist, has written a book Link: Beginners Guide to Business Blogging which she is offering for free a 15 day trial period -- ending January 25, 2005.

In it she provides insights and examples on well written blogs, what they are and why you should use them, useful links and an many more useful topics.  While there is still time, run out and down load a free 15-day trial copy.