Critical Mass PR

This post also appears as the July Digital Dialogue column in “Public Relations Tactics,” a publication of the Public Relations Society of America.

Can you, your clients or your spokespeople be considered thought leaders in the digital era without a blog?

Joe Pulizzi, author of “Get Content Get Customers,” founder of Junta42, a content marketing advisory, and creator of the Content Marketing Institute, posed this question in a recent blog post.

“You can’t be taken seriously by business audiences unless you have a blog in the mix,” Pulizzi explained during a phone discussion, also noting that blogs are simply delivery mechanisms. Sharing your insights consistently is the true yardstick, according to Pulizzi, regardless of format. And while it is certainly possible to do business without a blog, having one is a key ingredient for establishing and sustaining online presence.

On a World Wide Web full of Twitter following, Facebook friending and YouTube viewing, it is easy to lose sight of blogging’s benefits. Blogs remain the most flexible online format for professional communicators.

Technorati’s most recent State of the Blogosphere report, released in April, found that 70 percent of nearly 3,000 bloggers surveyed say they are better known in their industries because of their blogs.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn, a PR and social media consultant based in Washington, D.C., is a believer. She started her Mopwater PR + Media Notes blog in November 2008, and has since seen her client roster grow and has had more speaking and training opportunities.

“People remember the Mopwater name, which has become an excellent icebreaker during networking events,” she says. “Blogging helps me stand out in the competitive D.C. region. People may forget about a specific PR project I managed, but my blog is always there archiving my expertise and advice. When people read its quality, they are instant believers.”

Her sentiments echo a common theme: Traditional journalists often prioritize interviews with bloggers because they see proof of expertise through a blog. Well-written, tagged and search-optimized blogs are their directories.

Pulizzi concentrates on frequent blog posts rather than press releases to promote Junta42, and says he receives three or four solid interview requests per week.

He finds that the most charismatic bloggers do not merely regurgitate the latest stats or trends about their industries, they offer opinions and analysis. They also expand their content’s reach, sharing it across Twitter, Facebook and other networks.

Blogging, then, is not only their central self-publishing outlet and home base; it is their resume for attracting new opportunities.

In addition, lacking a blog can potentially be perceived as lacking relevance within an industry. Blogs are the fabric of online communication, serving as outright thought leadership vehicles and behind-the-scenes content management systems. They require a time commitment, plus mind-set and priority shifts for those who haven’t yet tried one. Blogs are inexpensive (often free) and fully at our disposal. As professional communicators, we ought to maximize their use.

Ryan Zuk, APR, is a media and analyst relations professional and Phoenix PRSA Chapter member. Zuk can be reached at ryanzuk at gmail dot com and @ryanzuk on Twitter. He also blogs at criticalmasspr.com