Beyond the Blog—The Thlog
Show you’re a thought leader in your industry with a thlog
In 2001 and 2002, ancient history in Internet time, savvy business owners who were looking to tap into current trends and build rapport with customers and prospects began to launch blogs. The world of blogging has since exploded—Blogcount recently reported that 547,157 blogs were updated in one month—and in that sea of navel-gazing, silly link swapping and armchair punditry it’s not easy to build brand awareness.
For 2007, marketing experts advise, it pays to rethink your approach. You’ll get a payback on the time and effort that goes into writing and updating a blog, they say, if it shows you off as a thought leader in your industry. There’s even a new term for it—the thlog--coined by Vicki Kunkel, CEO of Leader Brand Strategies, an executive brand management company based in Chicago, though many people still refer to them as thought leader blogs.
Thlogs work because they offer “more value-added information for busy business people or consumers,” Kunkel says. Think of them like the op-ed page in newspapers, where experts offer insight and explanations of recent developments. “It positions you as a leader,” says Kunkel. “You’re on top of trends and the market. You have an ability to analyze your market and come up with important conclusions,”
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Above all, you have to provide expertise that isn’t available everywhere else. That’s how Martin Schwimmer, an Intellectual Property attorney, used a blog to get his solo practice off the ground. When Schwimmer, formerly a partner at Fross Zelnick, a 40-lawyer New York firm, went out on his own in 2001, he had no budget for marketing. To generate buzz and interest, he launched The Trademark Blog (at www.schwimmerlegal.com), where he provided trademark news and commentary.
Thought leader blogs catch on mostly by word of mouth, not traditional marketing, Schwimmer says. His traffic grew after it was discovered by other bloggers and listed on other site. These days, The Trademark Blog is popular enough to rate a lisitng on the first Google page (at Number 10) if you type in “trademark.”
Schwimmer keeps the site lively and topical, posting videos from YouTube and treating readers to tidbits about the latest legal battles of celebrities and media companies who are trying to protect their trademarks. Recent posts included disputes regarding Mariah Carey, Star Trek and NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who is suing Yahoo Sports over an alleged copyright violation for using his photo to promote fantasy football. Traffic spiked recently when Schwimmer posted the cover of Perfect 10, a men’s magazine that was suing Google for trademark infringement for archiving the magazine’s covers and photographs.
But there are also plenty of serious posts, in which Schwimmer discusses the evolving field of patent and trademark law. It’s that expertise that generates new business--in 2006, he says, half of his referrals were generated by the blog. “It creates unsolicited contacts,” says Schwimmer. “I strike up email correspondence with readers, and sometimes they generate referrals,” he says.
Even if you don’t have a sought-after specialty like Schwimmer’s, there is probably something about your particular niche that has the makings of a thought-leader blog. For example, C.M.Russell, who owns All County Jobs, a network of job boards in the Northeast, has turned himself into a pundit on the regional economy. After launching secretsofthejobhunt.blogspot.com, in 2005, where he provides helpful and useful tips on job hunting and resume writing, newspaper reporters began to call him for comments about job trends, which drew more job hunters to his site. The blog, “helps raise my profile and in turn helps my overall business,” he says.
Russell is fastidious about keeping his blog current and writes daily updates of 250 to 350 words. Recent topics have included video resumes and using search aggregators like Indeed.com. The thlog has also includes podcasts, based on interviews with HR leaders and attracts about 200 visitors a day, mostly job seekers and career coaches.
You don’t have to do all the heavy lifting—you can still come off as a thought leader simply by sharing smart ideas that you came across. James Durbin started www.stlrecruiting.com, a blog about the St. Louis area employment market when he worked for Kforce Technology Staffing. He soon realized that he could help his readers—and enhance his own stature—by bringing in material from other sources to provide expertise he didn’t possess. Today, he posts material from 50 other recruitment blogs and from business publications.
Durbin also advises thloggers to give readers something to think about, something provocative. “Talking about issues online is how you generate readers,” he says. Kunkel agrees: “If you get your readers fired up, it can make your core audience more loyal and have a unifying effect,” she says.
Making the site interactive is critical, too. Kunkel recommends posting surveys to get readers involved. Ask them how they feel about a new regulation that affects your industry or how they plan to deal with a particular challenge, like higher fuel costs. Then, be ready with some answers of your own. Hiring a local freelance writer or journalism student can be a cost effective way to outsource the writing and developing a survey, Kunkel suggests.
It is also important to tie your thought-leader blog to other marketing efforts. “If you’re doing newspaper and radio ads, always mention your Web site and links to your thlog. Consider turning your thlog into an Internet radio show,” Kunkel advises.
While the mechanics of setting up a blog have become simple and inexpensive (see box), bear in mind that it does require a significant commitment on the part of the writer. Durbin’s advice to anyone considering starting a thlog: focus on something you’re passionate about and are an expert in. If you’re not writing on a subject you know and love—and have something to say about—a blog will be a tough slog. On the other hand, if you really enjoy the topic, a thlog can be a life-changer. Durbin got so excited about blogging that he now runs his own online marketing company, Durbin Media http://www.durbinmedia.com.
