JMPR Communication

Before you jump into the online conversation: Listen.  Listening IS participating, and a necessary step in building online relationships.

Why should I listen?

Are you listening before participating in social media? Image by: passitonfromthemill

Let’s be honest, bloggers spend a lot of time researching for and writing blog posts.  Many take offense to under-researched comments. (Don’t believe me?  Send one.  You might get a nasty-gram, or worse, blacklisted.) Bloggers most appreciate those who can contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.

Social media benefit:  The old rules of traditional PR don’t stand in the blogosphere. Old tactics that are no longer appropriate include: pre-written pitches, blasts (targeted or not), picking up the phone (for some), e-mailing (for others.)  When you listening to a blog for a period of time, you familiarize yourself with that bloggers’ personality. Commenting, sharing news, interacting- it can be a bit different from blog to blog, and you want to be educated.

The result? Better relationships, more coverage.

How do I listen to bloggers?

• Research and read a handful of relevant blogs.
  
  • To find these blogs, utilize free tools  including Google blog search, Technorati, and even blogrolls from your favorite industry-blogs.  You can see how well read a blog is by checking it’s Alexa Ranking.
  • Create a tiered matrix, and include “dream blogs,” mid-range blogs and enthusiast blogs. It’s a good idea to read what both relevant professional bloggers and hobby-bloggers are saying about your industry to form a whole picture.
• Sign up for these blogs on your RSS feeder.  I use Bloglines, but may prefer Google Reader.  This will make it simple to read updates on a daily basis, with all of your blogs on one Web- page.
• Read. Really, just read.  Do this for one month.  Do not comment.  Get to know your bloggers, their subject areas and their readers. If you want to comment, don’t yet.
• Check out their Twitter accounts.  Do you want to really get to know a blogger?  Twitter is a great place to do that.  Read what they say in-between posts.  What excites them?  Why do you respect them?
• Sign up for alerts. Your list of relevant bloggers will change, and should change.  One way to find bloggers in your industry that are writing day to day is to sign up for services like Google Alerts and TweetBeep.  Perhaps there are bloggers who aren’t in your industry, but write one relevant post.  Perhaps there are people on Twitter discussing your technology/business who don’t blog who should be on your radar.

Participation

The rules of participation have changed.  Once you have familiarized yourself with your industry bloggers, you SHOULD participate.

Never participate if:

• Your objective in participating  is to push information about you/your company.  You should participate to build relationships, period. (Even as a side effect you get to share about your product.)
  • If you are pitching a blogger, the thought process should be:  How can I help this blogger write a great story?  (Not: How can I get this blogger to print my story?)
• You plan on asking for a favor on first contact.
  • This includes Direct Messages on Twitter. (Hey!  Thanks for the follow.  Go to http://www.mywebsite and sign up for our great product! )
• You’re in it for the in-link.
  • Only post meaningful comments on blog posts that further the conversation.  The best comments spark additional discussion, and as a great side-effect, draw the blogger’s attention toward your comment.

Definitely participate if:

You want to build relationships.

• If you are participating because you want to learn from others, share your best practices, discuss trends and add to your industry one thought at a time- participate.  Otherwise, maybe social media isn’t for you.

What are your listening best practices?