Do Green Blogs Matter?
That's the important question for green building companies and pr professionals. What exactly is the impact that social media and blogs are having on traditional news delivery?
Well, according to a recent survey of US journalists by Brodeur, a unit of Omnicom group, blogs are not only having an impact on the speed and availability of news, but also influence the tone and editorial direction of reporting. The online survey was conducted among a random sample of North American reporters and editors, and was focused on understanding how social media and blogs influence their work. The study found that blogs are a regular source for journalists. Click here for a PDF summary of the survey findings.
In a (green) nutshell: "Over three quarters of reporters see blogs as helpful in giving them story ideas, story angles and insight into the tone of an issue. Nearly 70 percent of all reporters check a blog list on a regular basis. Over one in five (20.9%) reporters said they spend over an hour per day reading blogs. And a total of nearly three in five (57.1%) reporters said they read blogs at least two to three times a week."
What does this mean for you? Stay on top of the green blogosphere.
1. Track the green blogosphere for several weeks to better understand the individual bloggers (and commenters).
2. Add selective, and relevant comments, to existing posts. Avoid overly promotional comments.
3. Link back to your company (or personal) blog to begin developing a relationship with the blogger.
4. Pitch the blogger on a highly targeted story idea.
5. Continue the process all over again. Remember, it's a journey not a sprint.
For a list of relevant green blogs, check out The Best Green Blogs Directory. Good luck.
Great article. I use Google Reader to track sustainable marketing relevant items and you can see what I’m tracking on my google reader tag for sustainablemarketing.
Spread the “comment love” on other blogs by making relevant and useful comments.
I would say that blogs have helped Sustainable Websites marketing immensely.
by Ivan Storck
on 24. Jan, 2008
Jeff, this is a useful post for those engaged in green marketing via social networking and blogs. One of the things I have noticed over the past few months is that green and sustainable companies and products are starting to work the green blogosphere to their advantage. As the guy who runs the Best Green Blogs directory, I also see an increase of green sploggers and pay per post blogs which are nothing but attempts to greenwash the blogosphere.
Stay earnest when marketing green products and ideas, avoid green spam when commenting on the various green blogs and spend some advertising dollars on green blogs.
There are many dedicated bloggers out there working hard to spread the green gospel. You can follow many of them at http://www.bestgreenblogs.com/meta our revamped green Meta Blog.
by Timothy Latz
on 24. Jan, 2008
Which means it’s a good time to be a blogger!
I think you have some good points here, but I’m not sure I’ve ever been cited by print or big-time media. I bet they get the ideas and then do their fact checking to write stories.
I mean, bloggers are fast and they hit stuff quick. It’s fun. It’s great to have people forwarding cool stories, too. They use pictures and voice. It’s commentary.
Bloggers are interested in their field and probably have jobs in that area, too. They know their stuff.
People don’t know how to submit stories to the right person with traditional media. Traditional media publishes such a broad spectrum of content, that readers may not catch the stories that they’re interested in.
The whole blog model has tons of positives and the good bloggers keep editorial quality up (while still adding some color). It’s just going to get better.
by Preston
on 24. Jan, 2008