A successful blog can help any business to put an effective "spin" on their topic of choice. "Spin" can help to communicate key messages to numerous target audiences in a clear and direct way while instantaneously putting a positive slant on the story.
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| The Definition of Spin |
The use of spin aims to persuade as many people as possible to "support (or, at the very least, not object to the activities of)" an organisation and buy its products/services (Tench and Yeomans, 2009, p.543-544). Grunig et al. (2002) sees spin as a "mechanism for negotiating" with customers to attain a situation which benefits both parties, consequently creating a "win-win zone". It can also be used to support a company's "position and increasing its influence/power/profitability" (Tench and Yeomans, 2009, p.544).
The "win-win" zone of spin is created by incorporating each aspect of the triangle, as shown below. A spin needs to be put on key business messages to attract attention and encourage the target market/consumer to buy the product and/or service.
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| The Win-Win Zone/Spin Triangle |
Benefits - What is good about the product/service? How does it stand out from competitors?
Applications - How does the product/service work?
Issues & Topics - Stories about the product/service. For example, previous reviews, instructions etc.
Human Interest - Why is the product suitable for you?
One effective format of implementing successful "spin" can be achieved through blogging. A successful blog can make your business "appeal to potential new consumers, networking opportunities, potential new employees and companies that may want to do business with you in the future. By being cutting edge, you are attracting more opportunities". As a result, more doors can be opened to many potential new clients. This can help to increase the exposure your product/service and company receive. This where successful marketing and good PR comes in; the product/service will then be "associated with something positive and as a result, the company will earn an innovative reputation" withtin their respective industry (perfectionsquared, blogspot, 2009).
"When looking at implementing a company blog, you need see it from a consumer's point of view, look at what they are being hit with from many different mediums... you have to stand out and have a different message" says Mark Cheplowitz (President of Wizard of Ahs, a Corporate Event-Planning Company) (Vanden Bos, inc.com, 2010). In other words, your business need to ensure your key messages are put across in an effective manner to attract new customers, keep existing customers and potentially gain a wider share of the market. It is also important to clarify what makes your company different from other similar organisations/competitors already on the market and any USP's you have. Exclusive online sales promotions and giveaways can also create a killer offer that readers can't way no to whilst still building momentum for the product and growing the businesses client list. "If you want people to buy what you're selling, you need to have something worth buying"; this needs to be put across strategically and effectively through blogging (prolaunch.com, 2011).
The use of a company blog can be helpful for anyone that is unable to attend company events. Blog posts are able to contain a wide variety of valuable information regarding the company and its products. Unfortunately, in some cases, not everyone can attend launch events, press conferences etc. As a result, it may be useful to film these segments so it can then be placed onto the company’s blog so key message are still able to be received successfully by all audiences.
In addition to this, the use of blogging has increasingly risen within organisations in recent years. According to eMarketer (2010), blogs were once considered a type of "traditional journalism", but are now seen to be an essential ingredient in the marketing mix. Research studies show that companies which blog more, have more consistent sales than those who don’t. A HubSpot study (2010) showed that businesses which blog more, consistently acquire additional customers (as shown in the chart below).
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| Blog Post Frequency vs. Customer Acquisition |
It is also worthy to measure how successful blogging is received by a given audience. This can be identified by taking note of the number of viewers/followers, Google Analytics, Search Engine Optimization etc. After evaluating this, valuable lessons can be learned for help in the future. The results can then help "to see how the company is doing so that the overall public relations/digital marketing strategy can be revisited and, if necessary, revised" (Harrison, 2000, p.56).
References:
Harrison, S. (2000), Public Relations: An Introduction. 2nd ed. London, UK: Thomson Learning.
HubSpot, Roshni Mirchandani, (2010). “Companies That Blog More Have More Consistent Sales” [Online] Available from: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/5620/Companies-That-Blog-More-Have-More-Consistent-Sales.aspx [Accessed 01 October 2012]
INC, Peter Vanden Bos, (2010). “How to Plan a Product-Launch Event” [Online] Available at: <http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/06/planning-a-product-launch-event.html> [Accessed 01 October 2012]
PerfectionSquared, (2009). “What is the purpose of a Launch Party?” [Online] Available at: <http://perfectionsquared.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/what-is-purpose-of-launch-party.html> [Accessed 01 October 2012]
Prolaunch, (2011). “How To Plan A Slam Dunk Product Launch in 8 Easy Steps” [Online] Available at: <http://www.prolaunchmanager.com/productlaunchmarketing/product-launch-how-to-plan-a-slam-dunk-product-launch-in-8-easy-steps> [Accessed 01 October 2012]
Tench, R. and Yeomans, L. (2009). Exploring Public Relations. 2nd ed. Essex, England: Pearson Prentice Hall.
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