Business Blogging

Even after spending twelve years as a journalist, I still get a warm tingly feeling when I see my name in print – especially as it doesn’t happen so much now that I’m working for the dark side. I’ve just learned that I’m quoted in the latest edition of Revolution/Brand Republic for a story they’ve run on the work we’re currently doing with Yell Group:

Lance Concannon, director of social media at Prompt Communications, added: “Businesses cannot afford to ignore online channels. This is where brand reputations and customers’ buying decisions are played out. Savvy consumer-facing brands such as Yell understand that social media must be included in communications strategies.”

The problem with all this blogging and social media stuff is that while plenty of companies are interested in this area, few are willing to go on record and discuss what they’re actually doing. This is understandable, but of course makes it difficult to get customer references and generate the press coverage we need to let people know what sort of services we offer and what kind of organisations are using them.

To have a client like Yell Group, which is happy to stand up and say they’re working with us in this area, is great for us. I just hope that as we move forward more companies will be willing to discuss their social media activities, because that would be good news for everybody. Social media is still perceived by many as a very woolly discipline, but if there’s a bit more visibility in terms of what ‘real’ companies are doing in this area, that will help demystify the subject and demonstrate some of the tangible benefits.