About a week ago, I saw a tweet from Michael Krigsman (@mkrigsman) who blogs for ZDNet about IT Failures that said:
Software vendors need to learn to engage bloggers in a relationship that is straightforward and uncomplicated.
In an earlier tweet Michael had singled out SAP as a company that really understands how to build this type of relationship. In my never-ending quest to capture and execute best practices in communications for all of our clients, I contacted Michael to learn more about what he means by a straightforward and uncomplicated relationship with a blogger like himself. We had a great chat last Friday and he was very helpful in outlining some specific tips for any company that wants to engage with a blogger like himself who is extremely deep and knowledgeable in a particular segment of the marketplace, but who essentially is not earning a living by blogging and describes his own blog as a "labor of love."
Krigsman was careful to distinguish himself from broader bloggers who may cover a new product one day or Brittany Spears' Twitter feed another day. "I blog in a narrow space that's completely focused on enterprise issues," he explains, adding, "IT failure is a touchy subject. A lot of effort goes into trying to take an approach that is balanced and reasonable"
In many ways, bloggers like Krigsman are like a special category of industry analysts who concentrate on a specific segment of technology or piece of the overall industry. Like those analysts, he needs to stay abreast of industry developments, products and trends and the key players in the market. He admitted, "I am probably the most demanding type of blogger. I expect a high level of attention. I want to meet with high level executives."
So what tips can he offer the rest of us that companies like SAP have learned?
- Make an occasional phone call to say "hello" and check in.
- Make your executives available for regular meetings and calls.
- Make customers available to meet and talk.
- Invite the blogger to key events and pave the way entirely -- financially and logistically -- to get him or her there. This includes putting their hotel reservations on a corporate card rather than forcing them to bill back their costs and wait for reimbursement. They don't have a staff to manage these things for them any more than they have a travel budget for events like yours.
Having hosted many journalists and analysts from around the world on behalf of many clients over the years, I know that the work our teams have done on this end to manage and streamline logistics like this for the media and analysts have always been greatly appreciated. The most influential bloggers deserve the same treatment.
Does this guarantee you positive coverage from the blogger? Krigsman is very careful to set clear expectations with the companies he covers, especially if they are funding his attendance at a conference. He attends conferences purely because the topic or the conference itself is relevant to what he covers. He is a prolific blogger and Twitter user, so it's likely he will write something when he spends time at a conference. Whether or not it is positive, however, depends on the content you present him. The key benefit of working closely with a blogger like himself is the greater degree of mind-share you will get from them about your own company and the issues you are facing. Another benefit is feedback on the industry. That blogger is closely watching all the players and can be a great sanity check for you. It is fair game to ask them what they think of what you are announcing.
Many companies have what Krigsman describes as an "identity crisis" regarding bloggers. They want bloggers to cover them and attend their events, but they don't really know how to treat the bloggers. They aren't sure they want to spend the time it will really take to properly engage with that blogger as they would engage with a key analyst or technology reporter covering their space. Krigsman believes companies must make a conscious decision regarding how much they want to invest in a relationship with him. In return, they will receive his mind-share, ongoing attention, and a more nuanced understanding of them and presentation of the issues they face that will flavor his writing when he does choose to blog about them.
Our own social media expert, Ted Weismann, always counsels our clients about the need to look at social media in a strategic and planned way. At the end of the day, that's what Michael Krigsman is saying that SAP is doing well and others should be copying.
