Also, no other platforms can give such direct uncensored exposure to various people directly or indirectly associated to the business.

Customer Relations and Branding Building Exercise

It's difficult to think of any interactive medium other than blogs where you can network and build a rapport with your audience. Actually, blogs bring out desirable effect on customers and business collaborators, because business owners themselves are interacting with customers.

Mentioning one of the advantages of blogging, Shailesh Mehta, founder and CEO of GurukulOnline Learning Solutions, says, "Blogging, unlike advertising, gives ample scope to customers to interact with the company, thus breaking the myth that consumers are passive receptors of marketing or branding exercise."

Hence, blog, being an interactive platform, helps in bonding with people associated to the business. Sree Krishna, executive director of Gemini Communication, explains, "Being a two-way communication channel, blogging is an effective tool for building brand. Organizations can share information about their products and services, new developments, and offerings to its shareholders."

Concurring with Krishna, Rajul Garg, co-founder and VP (Corporate Development) of GlobalLogic, says, "Blogging can be an effective marketing tool for any company, as long as it's part of an overall social media campaign."

Explaining his point further Garg explains, "Blogging is common social media activity for software companies. Also, there are countless emerging businesses that are using this tool to become conversationally involved with their customers. One such company is Stonyfield Farm."

How will Blogging Benefit Emerging Business

Consumers' feedback is paramount for most emerging businesses. Based on comments, companies get to know view of their business partners, customers, shareholders, etc., on various issues. These views in turn help businesses to design marketing strategy, innovate products, depending on various responses.

Palin Ningthoujam, founder of India PR Blog, says, "For SMBs, blogging can be a cost effective communications tool. It can be a good way to build up the profile of the senior management in the market. Unlike large corporations where there are multiple protocols to follow, SMBs can get engaged online and respond to queries and complaints in quick time."

"Today, consumers are not passive receptors. In fact, they're active participants and key opinion makers to create or destroy product value by using blogging platform," says Yergaselvan Kumaraswamy, director of WhereIsMyBoss.com.

Further, Kumaraswamy stresses that during crisis it can be an excellent tool for damage control exercise and can be used for enhancing image of the company. It's an excellent platform to talk about new products, get reviews on the same, and to test drive new ideas.

"Companies can post their newsletter on the blog for immediate and high visibility and ask their audience to their post comments," Kumaraswamy remarks.

Explaining more on the benefits of blogging, Srikrishna says, "Blogs are very useful for consumer-oriented businesses and can collate information and feedbacks from consumers directly. When your blog is linked to many other blogs, it helps in increasing visibility and building brands as they're read by many."

Talking on similar lines, Ningthoujam says, "The traffic on a blog can help build a brand or a spokesperson, and help in creating sales and business prospects." He further attributes blog to be useful for an organization gauge and study the feedback of customers and build up a community.

Shortcomings

Like most things blogging too has its own set backs. Since, it's an open forum anyone including your competitors or discontented ex-employees can post their comments. Blogs can make you vulnerable to rundown, bizarre, or offensive comments, thereby jeopardizing your company's reputation.

"Company's reputation can be at stake, if some wrong information or negative comments are posted. Also, the repercussions of giving out confidential information should be taken into consideration," says Kumaraswamy.

According to Mehta, blog's authenticity and content are always questionable.

Ningthoujam also cautions against the influx of negative comments through blogs. "One concern that businesses have about blogging is they feel they might lose control of their key messages and might not be able to control negative feedback." However, with a well -planned strategy, he's hopeful that many Indian companies, like many companies abroad, will benefit from blogging.

Although, businesses are effectively making use of this tool, yet the concept of blogging for marketing and branding tool is yet to catch attention. Mehta says, "To make blogging more popular, there is need for some advertising through print or electronic channel to create awareness."

Related Links:
The Art of Blogging