Fluent Simplicity

I raised the concept of blogging to a marketing manager a few months ago.  The response took me back a bit — “No, we’re not into guerilla marketing.” I forgot about this exchange until tonight: I had “Carrier” (PBS) on in the background while I did some work (school related). In this particular segment, various crew members were describing the role of the carrier group in fighting terrorism. The term “asymmetric warfare” was used frequently. In the midst of hacking out a paper on deprecition and cash flow (yes, it was rough), I remembered my conversation and had to blog on it.

The guerilla comment rubbed me the wrong way, so in this post I want to examine blogging in context of marketing as well as warfare.

From Wikipedia:

Asymmetric warfare originally referred to war between two or more actors or groups whose relative military power differs significantly.

Writers and analysts may use the words unconventional, guerilla and fourth-generation to describe asymmetric warfare. Fighting head on is never a smart move. One of my favorite twitter quotes comes from @brysonHolland: Always remember: if you find yourself in a fair fight your tactics suck.

In business, the struggle between companies and with customers is certainly competitive. While I wouldn’t use the word “war,” the field is dense with terms like tactics, strategy, analysis, intelligence, SWOT, personnel and heirarchies. Let’s look at guerilla warfare.

Again, from wikipedia:

Guerilla Warface: an unconventional system of promotions on a very low budget, by relying on time, energy and imagination instead of big marketing budgets.

Could this be used to describe blogging?

Levinson, who coined the term in 1984, describes several relationship elements in guerrilla marketing, including relationship building. However, his focus on “time, energy and imagination” seemingly goes in a different direction. The mention of the 2006 Aqua Teen Hunger Force blitz in Boston, where an electronic sign (of a character flipping people off) prompted a security response. Let’s remember in any conflict, including business, energy and time are typically in high demand. Are there efficient tactics that can be employed to generate relationships and increased profit? Yes: blogs.

There are many great blogs and articles that discuss the values of blogs, but the following summary works: blogging is about defining value for your customers while respecting their time and intelligence.

The asymmetric aspect of blogging involves the relationship between the author and the audience. Instead of sending glossy cards, posting video or flooding properties with banner ads, the blogger uses his or her voice and reason to share concepts and experience. It’s amazing that the use of authenticity should be considered unconventional. Can a blog be used in “guerrilla” fashion? Yes, I’m sure it can be to a certain extent, but unless I’m mistaken, it would miss the point.

Is the efficiency there? I believe so. My own time is limited and yet I still managed to throw down a few posts every week. While my blog is informational, there are many who blog in an effort to promote their practice or businesses. In reading Kevin O’Keefe’s blogand having a chance to talk to other legal bloggers, it’s clear that the time spent is not monumental, yet the results are impressive.

Is blogging limited to small businesses? No way! Let me toss out an example: Direct2Dell.com. As a massive retailer of computers and electronics, Dell has used a blog to better focus on the customer and improve operations. Within the legal industry, many large firms have setup blogs to better promote their practices and connect with clients.

Can a small, unknown author have an impact? Yes. As of early 2007, J. Robert Brown of The University of Denver indicated in Blogs, Law School Rankings, and TheRacetotheBottom.org the ability to generate influence outside of traditional channels. There is also great opportunity for organizations to leverage blogs to compete with larger, more powerful organizations.

So why the delay? I think organizations can’t quite fathom that people would read blogs, notably their customers. As evidence to the contrary, check out the technographics tool at groundswell (a free tool).