"Don’t tell me you’re too busy. Alan Rusbridger, editor of the Guardian does it. Kai Keikmann, head of Bild does it. Arianna and Tina do it. It’s now a basic requirement of your job. When anyone with a keyboard can be a publisher, you can no longer afford to hide behind your (dwindling) staff.
Listen to your audience and just like your advertisers, they will tell you important things you didn’t know.
And, appoint a community manager if you don’t have one. It’s 2010 for God sake!"
So when I have one of my principal clients stating that he doesn't have enough time to develop some form of printable thought on a regular basis, I call bullsh*t.
You can't afford NOT to make the time these days, or at least empower someone to do it for you. If you want people talking about your brand, your business, you have to start the conversation yourself or be prepared to accept the consequences.
The world is changing. I'm not saying that you always have to change with it, but being stagnant isn't going to help your business. If you don't manage your message, someone will do it for you, and not necessarily in a manner you endorse.
A word of caution, however... do it intelligently. Sure, I've just announced that you have to blog, but now I'm saying don't blog badly ;) What do I mean by that? Start meaningful conversations. Create engaging content. Listen to what people are saying, and learn more about your audience (who are likely your customers/partners/people who can help your brand or your business). All of this is subjective, but the principals remain the same.
Who are you trying to reach, what story are you trying to tell and why are you telling it now? All standard questions in traditional PR and marketing. The same holds true in the social space. If your audience isn't there, fair enough, but odds are there are people/companies/other brands in that space that you want listening, and who you want to listen to.
More to come.
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