Earlier in the week, I referred to the results of the UPS Europe Business Monitor survey which showed that a large percentage of executives in Europe were blissfully unaware of blogs and hence the opportunities and changes that were going on around them. Others, it seems, were aware of them but didn’t use them either as a source of information or as a tool for their own companies.
The obvious question is “why”?
Have they not yet discovered the business uses of Business Blogs or do they still consider them to be simply online diaries and so ignore them? Or does the reason run deeper and they are actually afraid of what they might do?
If so, what are they afraid of?
It could be that companies are still worried about opening a dialogue with their customers, perhaps afraid of what they might hear. They might also feel that they involve giving out information which their competition could use to copy their ideas. Effectively, it seems to be communication that they are resisting. Or is it perhaps the technology which is off putting? It shouldn’t be – it is important to ignore the technology and concentrate of what you can do with it.
Perhaps what they should be more afraid of is the advantage that their competition is gaining over them by creating a more open dialogue with customers, suppliers and partners. They might also be a rightly concerned about what is being said about them which they are not monitoring and not being able to respond to.
Business is all about Communication and so are Business Blogs.
Business is also all about Relationships and so are Business Blogs.
There seems to be a perfect match here so it is important to get out there and get involved in the conversations. They present an opportunity and not a threat! If you make sure that you listen to what is being said then you become part that communication loop and have the opportunity to lead what is being said. Customers will talk to each other using the tools that are available so make sure that they hold these conversations on your Business Blog where you can answer their concerns and direct the dialogue.
Don’t be afraid of Blogs – get involved and use them!