Executives Not Quite Hot to Blog

From eMarketer.com

MAY 23, 2006Blogosphere, smogosphere.

A recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive, and sponsored by Makovsky + Company, the "2006 State of Corporate Blogging" survey, found that Fortune 1000 business executives are reacting slowly to the idea of corporate blogs as a communications medium.

The study found that only a small minority of top executives are convinced that corporate blogging is growing in credibility either as a communications medium, brand-building technique or a sales or lead generation tool.

"Executives at top companies are slow to come to grips with recognizing [blogs'] importance in building a dialogue with customers and other stakeholders — including critics," said Robbin Goodman of Makovsky + Company.

Blogs have a long way to go before becoming widely accepted corporate marketing tools. According to the survey even though 12% of senior executives say their companies have taken legal or other action in response to a blog, only 20% report having a formal process in place for monitoring blogs written about their own company.

In fact, only 30% of senior executives report that they have a thorough understanding of the term "Internet blog."

Ms. Goodman believes this lag in corporate attitudes toward blogs should be addressed.

"Whether they are used to demonstrate expertise, share knowledge, improve customer satisfaction levels, support a product brand or burnish a company's reputation, blogs should be an essential element of every corporation's communications strategy," she said.