THINKing

A Question Of Trust

December 10, 2008 on 9:18 am | In Big Boy Marketing, Blogs, Consumer Behavior, Email Marketing, Marketing, Online, PR, Promotion, Public Relations | No Comments

Forrester Research has a new study indicating consumers don’t trust corporate blogs. In fact, only 16 percent of respondents say they trust corporate blogs. According to a story in Online Media Daily,

That makes them the lowest-rated source of reliable information among 18 categories Forrester asked about including Web portals, print newspapers, radio and personal blogs. “Email from people that you know” rated highest in trustworthiness, at 77%. So should companies simply give up on blogging? No, says Forrester. The lack of credibility stems from corporate blogs’ focus on self-promotion, pushing products and services at the expense of two-way communication with customers.

Typical old school corporate behavior: broadcasting not engaging in dialogue. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think corporations can use their blogs to tell their stories. Got a critic blasting you? Then, the corporation can use the blog to tell its side of the story. Want to tout what your employees are doing outside of the work environment? Excellent use of a blog. Need to air some corporate news. That’s OK, too. How about developing an online community for customers? Even better. Just stay away from blatant product promotion.

Corporate blogger, how are you using your blog?

What are others saying about this topic?

How Trusted Is Your Corporate Blog?

Are They Worth Doing?

People Don’t Trust Corporate Blogs