What Do Blogging And Forum Posting Have In Common?
Monday, November 5th, 2007Not much really. But there are some similarities.
First, blogging is all about communicating with your audience. It is relationship building. So is forum posting. But the strategies are different.
With blogging, you are communicating to a mass audience from a platform. Yes, they can talk back, but you are always aware that there are lurkers listening in and so even if you are comment to one person who has commented on your blog post, you are still communicating to a mass audience.
Forum posting has lurkers to, but you have a tendency to forget about them. They aren’t as important as the lurkers on your blog, but they are significant. Forum posting is more about the conversation. Blogging is more about the reputation. Here’s the explanation:
Your company blog is your branding tool. It tells the world who you are and what you stand for. It is more like the corporate boardroom where you stand up and give a speech and all eyes are on you. After the speech is the question and answer period.
On the other hand, forum posting is like the company picnic or potluck lunch. You are there with a group of people from every department in the company. They all have different backgrounds, experiences, skills, and ideas. Everyone can join the conversation and anyone can contribute to it at any time. There is no designation Q&A period because the entire event is a question and answer with all the participants asking the questions and providing the answers. Can you use it for branding? Yes, but that’s not its sole, or primary, purpose. It’s primary purpose is relationship building. It’s secondary purpose is your definition of your company, just the reverse of blogging.
To make the best use of relationship marketing, I recommend starting your blog first. Get those definitions out there right up front. Then, after a month or so of real heavy daily blogging, jump into a few forums and make a splash. Build relationships and drive traffic to your blog. People will respond to you if you are courteous and respectful. That’s how relationship marketing is done.
