Do's and Don'ts in Blogger Relations

Nowadays, much news is generated and disseminated from the blogosphere. According to comScore, there are more than 77 million blog visitors in the U.S., a number greater than the total audience of Facebook or MySpace. While some of these visits are casual or entertainment-oriented, 50% of all readers report that blogs influence their purchase decisions, and the majority report that online reviews are often more helpful than speaking with a sales associate.

With such a captive blog audience, organizations need to be ready to cultivate positive relationship with the relevant bloggers to interact on content, image and influence. I've come up with a very short list of do's and don'ts when organizations approach and communicate with bloggers.

Don'ts --
1. Don't spam bloggers with irrelevant information to influence stories.
It’s easy for bloggers to spot who reads them and who doesn’t, and guess who gets the welcome?

2. Don't try to pay to get your products/service favorably blogged.
90% of bloggers claim that they talk about brands in an unpaid manner. Exchanging content for cash is not widely accepted. Tapping into this existing behavior is really important.

Do's --
1. Know your bloggers, and know them really well.
Dedicating time to read and interact with the target blogs. Think in their shoes; help make their work easier; be the kind of blog participants you wish to have with your own blog.

2. Respect bloggers' decisions.
If your target bloggers decide not to review your products, you'll need to be able to respect the decision and continue cultivating relationship with them. After all, the power of the blogosphere lies in its truth and authenticity - bloggers' decisions are part of it, so embrace it.

What do you think organizations should/can (not) do in terms of blogger relations?

Toyota’s Hibernating Blog

Once bitten, twice shy.

To owners of 8.1 million Toyota vehicles worldwide, this idiom has become increasingly relevant. A massive recall due to a sticking accelerator problem has made a substantial number of loyal Toyota customers reevaluate the reliability of their Toyota cars as well as the maker of them.

Toyota has, gradually, implemented crisis communication programs (here’s a timeline regarding Toyota’s responses to the incident). Social media wise, Toyota has, again gradually, addressed issues on Youtube, Facebook fan page and Twitter. But with this post, I’d like to direct your attention to an official Toyota blog that is fast asleep during a whole winter of crises.

Our Point of View is a blog written by Toyota associates that aims to “explore current issues in the automotive industry”. A frequent author is Irv Miller, Toyota’s VP of Environmental and Public Affairs. The first post was written in January 2008, and the last in December 2009. As the tag cloud indicates, the blog makes the most effort to inform/educate/promote “hybrid”, “Prius”, and “Venza”. It’s interesting that though tags of “recall” and “recalls” are listed in the tag cloud, they don’t link to any related posts.

Also as said, the blog stopped being updated since December 2009 when the floor mat problem started to hugely affect the carmaker’s reputation and revenues. Information related to the most recent recalls is not available on the blog; nor is a hyperlink to Toyota’s official recall website. The last post has generated 205 comments, but none of them were responded. Speculations, anger, and disappointment were everywhere yet unheeded-

“You asked for it..You got it Toyota”

“The problem is not the pedal but the electronics. Toyota needs to come clean and tell us the real problem. And then fix it.”

“Be a company of integrity, if there is a problem admit there is a problem, and fix the problem. be a company of integrity, honesty, open communication and be responsible and do your part, so step up to the plate.”

……

I feel that since Toyota has decided to open a blog in the first place to directly communicate with its stakeholders, it needs to carry on the communication, and make efforts to turn the hatred into discussions- before the place becomes a recycle bin of hatred and negativity.

I’d like to hear your opinions on Toyota’s hibernating blog. Do you think they have stopped updating the blog for a reason? Or do you think the carmaker needs to wake up the blog, and manage the crisis through frequent and genuine communication with the blog readers?