December, 2005

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Managing Relations withTech-fluential Bloggers

• December, 2005

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Who are E-fluentials?
E-fluentials frequently

• Send e-mails to companies
• Send e-mails to politicians
• Send e-mails to well-known news and media
  companies
• Make friends online
• Make business contacts online
• Provide feedback to Web sites
• Forward news and Web site information to others
• Participate in chat rooms
• Post to bulletin boards
• Post to newsgroups
• Post to listservs

Note Cluster analysis--RoperASW/Burson-Marstell
er surveys, 1999, 2001 Also analyzed in
Burson-Marsteller 2003 surveys
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Who are Tech-fluentials?

• They are e-fluentials who are also
• Product purchase influencers
• Technology explorers and enthusiasts
• Peer advisors
• Seamless work and family connectors
• Information transmitters
• Trend-setters
• Heavy Internet users
• Super-connected home owners
• Home-entertainment enthusiasts
• Bloggers

• This in turn makes them
• Chief opinion leaders
• Information spreaders
• Highly active and engaged Internet users
• Knowledge hunters and gatherers
• Futurists
• Fast and mobile
• Accessible online and offline
• Design-conscious
• Function- and quality-focused shoppers
• Community-oriented citizens

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Tech-fluentials Use New Technologies To Spread
Messages

• Tech-fluentials express themselves online and
  solicit feedback from others.
• 33 of tech-fluentials have blogs.
• Between 2 and 7 of U.S. Internet users
  have their own blogs. (Source Pew Internet
  American Life Project, 2004)

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Tech-fluential Bloggers
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Tech-fluential Bloggers Publish Online and
Offline

• Tech-fluential bloggers are more likely to feel
  they make a difference by sharing information.
• They are also more inclined to share their
  expertise by publishing.

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Tech-fluential Bloggers Tell A Positive
Experience Through

• Tech-fluential bloggers are more likely than
  their counterparts to spread positive word of
  mouth
• through IM and discussion boards.

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Tech-fluential Bloggers Tell A Negative
Experience Through

• Tech-fluential bloggers are more likely than
  their counterparts to spread negative word of
  mouth
• through IM, discussion boards and opinion Web
  sites.

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Tech-fluential Bloggers Will Pay Premium Price
for Quality Function
Most important when buying technology products.
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Tech-fluential Bloggers NoteCorporate Social
Responsibility
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Tech-fluential Bloggers Are Politically Aware

• Tech-fluential bloggers are more than twice as
  likely as their counterparts to e-mail
  politicians.

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Why Communicate with Tech-fluential Bloggers?

• They are perceived as credible sources.
• They fuel word-of-mouth organically.
• They are conscientious citizens who set the
  political/social agenda for others.
• They will write about your new products and
  comment on your brand.
• They will visit your company Web site to get more
  information.

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How To Identify Tech-fluential Bloggers

• Review your stakeholder groups
• Who are your key audiences internally,
  externally?
• How do you communicate with them?
• Do you have contact information for them? Opt-in
  lists?
• Who visits your Web site? Links to your company
  blog?
• Research your audience
• Consider surveying those stakeholders who receive
  your newsletters, read your brochures or attend
  your conferences. Invite them to focus groups.
  Interview them in-person.
• Develop questions that capture social influence.
• Probe respondents on their use of technology and
  reliance on word-of-mouth.
• Ask them about their communication habits Do
  they write/read blogs?
• Use multiple blog search engines
• Create smart search terms and use Technorati,
  Google Blogsearch, Blogpulse to see who is
  already talking about your company.
• Listen to those who click on contact-us
  sections
• Follow up with personal, detailed responses
• Do not delay your response

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Communicating with Tech-fluential Bloggers

• Monitor blogging and other user-generated media
  activity.
• Contact bloggers individually.
• Avoid being cast as blog spam. E-mail bloggers,
  rather than posting comments to their entries.
  Understand that they may post the information in
  your e-mail.
• Be candid.
• Note your corporate affiliation.
• Provide clear and well-founded facts. Refer to
  independent, third-party sources.

• Admit mistakes and correct misstatements.
• Respect those that do not agree with your point
  of view.
• If the topic cannot be fully addressed in an
  e-mail or a post, then devote a special section
  on company Web site and refer audiences to this
  area.
• State what you cannot disclose publicly.
• For employee blogs, devise a policy defining the
  rules of communication.

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Check List for Tech-fluential Communications

• ______ Identify
• ______ Monitor
• ______ Solicit feedback
• ______ Feed information
• ______ Maintain relationships online/offline

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Thank You!

• Idil Cakim
• Director, Knowledge Development
• idil_cakim_at_nyc.bm.com