It’s not EITHER direct marketing OR blogs. It’s AND! — Developing marketing strategy with AND

First item of business: As always, I have links to other articles that discuss the topic at hand at the end of the post.

Now to the promised discussion: "AND" Marketing Strategy.

As I said in my earlier post today, there is, and will continue to be, a lot of debate about the role of blogs and bloggers … in the media, in marketing strategy, inside corporations, in crisis communications etc. etc. etc. And there are a lot of great thinkers and writers in the discussions (check the links below and the ones in my earlier post today for some recent posts).

But thinking practically for a minute, what should a marketer DO? How do you build a marketing strategy that appropriately includes the newest tools and techniques. Not simply because they are the latest, greatest thing, but because they are the best choice for the situation at hand. Here’s my advice.

First, if you haven’t already, read The Cluetrain Manifesto. Not because it has all the answers, because it doesn’t. Not because everything in it is "right," because you probably won’t, and shouldn’t, agree with everything the authors say. Read Cluetrain because it asks the RIGHT QUESTIONS. It is then up to us to find our right answers. Besides, bottom line, you have to read Cluetrain because many, if not most, of your marketing peers have or will, so you need the common language. And it is a fun easy read. Just think about it: a book with a co-author who has an alter-ego named Rage-Boy is just not going to be boring!

Next, read some blogs. This is easy because if you are reading this, you are already doing it. Start with topics that interest you, professionally and personally. Then start monitoring blogs that mention your company or products, or at least cover your industry even if your firm is below the radar. But don’t do anything yet (unless of course someone starts a blog that rants about your company or products, and then you’ll need crisis communications. In which case my post here will direct you to some resources!)

Do NOT start a blog just because you think you have to, because everyone else is, because it is the hot new thing. Instead, sit down with your marketing plan. Review your objectives, and the current results against those objectives. Take the hard look at all the marketing tools you are using, against the expected and achieved results. Look at upcoming needs and be objective about the strategy you have outlined to meet them. Perhaps you have a product launch and you always do product launches in a certain way. Is it the most effective way, given the new tools at your disposal? Could a blog be more effective? Think about your product or service. Is direct response the only way to generate leads, or could building an expert reputation with your target audience effectively supplement your marketing strategy?

Your strategy and tactics arsenal probably includes the following:

• Direct mail (snail, e-mail)
• Advertising (print/online; brand/direct response)
• Tradeshows, seminars and Webcasts
• Public Relations (product and corp comm; speakers program)
• Website
• Collateral (printed, electronic) – brochures, white papers etc.

Does a blog really fit in this list for your business?

Before you answer the question, I suggest you organize your tactics along three main categories depending on their PRIMARY role in the marketing strategy. (And yes, there is overlap, but I am going to mostly ignore that for the moment.) This may give you an immediately clear picture of where a blog fits. Or confirm that it just doesn’t, at least not now.

Here are the categories, and how I classify things (NB: YMMV)

Lead Generation: direct mail, direct reponse advertising (print or online), tradeshows, seminars and Webcasts

Awareness/Reputation: brand advertising (print or online), public relations, some Webcasts/tradeshows

Sales Facilitation: Website, collateral. Some people may disagree with me on this one, and call these two items Awareness, but I truly believe the primary role of a Website is not to reproduce a brochure or act as a billboard for news releases. I think Websites, and to a lesser extent, all collateral, should be about providing the prospect with additional information that moves her further along the sales cycle.

Intuitively, most marketers will sense that blogs can play a strong role in awareness and reputation, but struggle with the ROI. So what’s the answer?

I don’t know, only you do.

The answer will be different for every business, and  there will always be an exception that blows the generalized rules away.

However:  here’s a set of guidelines that I think will be mostly true. But PLEASE don’t just take my word for it — do the analysis of your plan and test it against these guidelines.

1. A blog shouldn’t replace your direct response marketing. If you only have budget for direct mail, and it is working, and getting you the leads and sales you need, don’t mess with success.
2. A blog strategy is absolutely necessary for your PR and product marketing teams. At a minimum they should be reading, and where appropriate, responding to, blogs that mention your company and products. And not just the negative. A public thank-you to someone who says something nice about your product goes a long way.
3. A blog, perhaps written by a product manager or support rep, is a far better resource site for your Website than a static listing of Weblinks. It will give your Website some life, which most, alas, are sadly lacking, and help move prospects along the sales continuum as well as help build your experts’ reputations.
4. If you are in an industry that has a strong community, a blog may work as a lead generation vehicle. Likewise, if you are a local business that engages with your community through a blog, I absolutely believe it drives business. For most B2B marketers, however, see item one: blogs don’t replace direct mail. Ditto, for B2C marketers — they don’t replace advertising. Think about it: GM now has a C-level blog, but they aren’t pulling their TV ads, are they?
5. If you can do it right, a corporate blog is a terrific reputation and awareness tool. If you can’t, don’t do it. Here’s an early post I wrote on the topic. You can find discussions about corporate blogging almost daily, including at the sites I link below and in my blogroll.

If you decide to include a blog in your marketing strategy, take your time and do it right. Talk to customers, find out what they’d like to read. Talk to employees, you may find a candidate to be your blog writer that you’d never thought of, but who is passionate about the company. See item two — read other blogs in your field, try to find a space that is un/underserved by what is already out there (but don’t worry too much about this). Read the many blogs that are very specifically blogs to help people/companies get blogging. Here are a few:

• How to Blog for Fun and Profit
• Debbie Weil
• CorporateBloggingBlog
• Buzz Marketing with Blogs

Finally, remember to have some fun!

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More articles that cover this topic:

Great article from Steve Rubel: The Rise of Business Blogging with some sound advice for companies considering a blog.

From ClickZ: Embrace the Blogosphere by Mark Kingdon. Thanks to Will Seccombe at Communication Revolutions (read his comments) and Diva Marketing.

From NevOn Insights on GM executive blog. Original source of the info was Susannah Gardner at Buzz Marketing with Blogs

Update: one more article from Steve Rubel about a Financial Times columnist reading blogs for scoops. Follow the link in Steve’s post to the original. Steve’s point: monitor what is being said about you in the blogosphere.