Blogs come in a variety of forms and are read for a variety of reasons. What they all have in common are that they share, true or false, information. Often, blogs are seen as a credible source of information with a highly influential impact on consumers opinions regarding products and brands (Aggarwal et al 2012, Technorati Media 2013). The readers of the blogs may then be compelled to share the blog or information contained within it thus increasing the impact of the initial blog. Of course, it is not always so simple to create a blog that has this effect upon the reader. Companies, for many years, even more so since the rise of the internet era, are focussing on how to utilise word-of-mouth (WOM), especially electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), to their advantage.
This blog will outline 5 ways to increase the utility of blogs and the impact they have.
Dobele, Toleman and Beverland (2005) outline five elements that a message must incorporate to increase its chance of going viral. These 5 elements are:
- Capture the imagination by being fun or intriguing
- Attach the message to a product that is easy to use or highly visible.
- The message is well targeted to its audience
- Associated to a credible source
- Combine a variety of technologies
Whilst loosely alluded to in the fourth element, Doyle et al (2012) gave added focus to the importance of trust in the information sharing transaction.
How to… be fun/intriguing
Provide information to your audience that either keeps them coming back for more or compels them to go and find out more.
‘The use of game thinking and game mechanics to engage users and solve problems’ (Zichermann & Cunningham, 2011, pXIV)
Otherwise, introducing elements of gamification into a series of blogs brings an additional incentive to come back and read on. By setting goals and achievements for your readers to attain, you create a community of readers who can then interact on a common theme whether it be to share tips, answers or just discuss to work out a puzzle.
If the blog is providing information and is instantly calling for the reader to put that information into use by way of a game, puzzle or competition it is more likely to engage the customer as they will feel enabled to compete.
Figure 1 – Advertisement for The Blair Witch Project, Source: Mendez (2016)
An example of an engaging customer campaign that utilised elements of gamification is that of The Blair Witch Project. The intrigue, inherent with murder/ghost mystery, created a huge media storm surrounding its validity providing great exposure for the film.
Watch out for!
The consumers within a blogosphere are extremely engaged and in great numbers! Be sure that the planning of any gamification techniques is astute as flaws and inconsistencies are extremely likely to be found out thus damaging brand image/bloggers reputation.
How to… increase the utility or visibility of your message
Simply put, make sure that the reader is aware of the product/service in question and it is almost imperative that links to the product/service are included to improve the ease of access for the customer.
For example, Hotmail’s rapid rise to fame has been largely accredited to the (free) link to create one’s own email account at the bottom of every email received from a Hotmail account.
Promoting or explaining a process as being easy also reduces a reader’s anxiety and increases the appeal of participation. Clear guides or images of a step-by-step process would be a good way to portray this sort of information.
Watch out for!
A careful balancing act between making the product/service available against being too pushy and boastful about the product/service is required. As Scott (2015) said:
“Nobody cares about your product (or service) except you”
With this in mind, be sure to show how to use your product/service and how exactly it will solve a problem that the reader needs solving.
How to… Target your message
Targeting the message to the wider audience is a must as, naturally, you will want to engage and reach as many customers as possible. The key to increasing the customer engagement with a blog and increasing the chance of a customer adding their own value is to target a particular niche of people within the target market who will increase the reach and appeal of the message with their own enthusiasm.
The film AI did this by hiding clues throughout their advertisement releases which built a core group of engaged customers who interacted and spread the word about the running advertisement. All the while the film was receiving great exposure and drawing additional people into the marketing as people wanted to find out what the fuss was about.
Figure 2 – Advertisement for AI, Source: imdb.com (2000)
Watch out for!
An engaged customer base will need to be regularly communicated to. Losing their interest or attention could cost the company more than expected, especially if the company wished to regain their attention at a later date. Furthermore, letting down the customers who are most loyal to the firm may have far larger implications than letting down a first-time customer.
How to… Gain credibility
Utilising trusted speakers within a community is a powerful way of swaying a large number of opinions. People gain trust from their audiences in a variety of ways but it is largely based upon common ground that they all share. This means that selecting the correct influential speaker will expose your message to a potentially vast number of likeminded people. So, if your message hits the right note for one then there is a high chance that it will resound positively with the masses within the same community.
It is recommended that firms use ready-made influencers as it can take a long time to gain credibility within certain circles.
Watch out for!
Part of having credibility comes from being honest and companies should be careful when using influencers and being sure not to hoodwink their audience. If influencers are deliberately being employed to promote a product, the potential customers should be made aware so as to avoid negative backlash from readers who may feel cheated.
How to… Use technology to deliver your message
Reaching your audience in the digital world is now imperative. Utilising technology efficiently no longer just means that the company brand is being exposed it now means that audiences are now able to interact with and engage with companies like never before.
Firms should aim to use technology to create associations between events or actions and their brand. For example, Audi used the wrestled with their audience’s attention during the 2014 Superbowl by releasing a long string of images via Snapchat throughout the event. The amusing content attracted the interest and the Audi brand name was associated to the highjacking of ‘The biggest show on earth’.
Figure 3 – Audi’s Superbowl Snapchat adverts, Source: Read (2014)
With blogs being easily updated and posted, firms could utilise a similar plan to capture their audience’s attention. Regular (amusing) posts, would keep the audience watching and getting the timing right, for instance during a popular event, will have your brand associated with memorable occasion in the audience’s minds.
Watch out for!
Not catching your audience’s attention at all is the obvious risk here. Understanding your audience’s behaviour during certain events will enable you to select the most appropriate technology to capture their attention.
References
Aggarwal, R., Gopal, T., Gupta, A., & Singh, H. (2012). Putting Money Where the Mouths Are: The Relation between Venture Financing and eWOM, Information Systems Research, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 976-992.
Dobele, A., Toleman, D., & Beverland, M. (2005). Controlled infection! Spreading the brand message through viral marketing, Business Horizons, Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 143-149.
Doyle, J. D., Heslop, L. A., Ramirez, A. & Cray, D. (2012). Trust intentions in readers of blogs, Management Research Review, Vol. 35, No. 9, pp. 837-856.
IMDb.com (2000). A.I. Artificial Intelligence [Online]. Available at: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212720/>. [Accessed 16 February 2018].
Mendez, S. (2017). 17 Facts About “The Blair Witch Project” That Will Blow Your Mind [Online]. Available at: <https://www.buzzfeed.com/sandramendez1/blair-witch-project-trivia?utm_term=.axbEYzLle#.shb7mylOA>. [Accessed 16 February 2018].
Read, R. (2014). Audi’s Super Bowl Snapchat: Awesome or Awkward? [Online]. Available at: <https://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1090090_audis-super-bowl-snapchat-awesome-or-awkward>. [Accessed 19 February 2018].
Scott, D. M. (2015). The new rules of marketing and PR: how to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly, (5th Edition). Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.
Technorati Media. (2013). 2013 Digital Influence Report. San Francisco, Technorati Media.
Zichermann, G. & Cunningham, C. (2011). Gamification by design: implementing game machanics in web and mobile apps. Cambridge, MA: Oreilly & Assoc. Inc.