The marketers still aren't pleasing Tom Coates. A couple of years ago, the influential UK blogger (former BBC developer, currently at Yahoo) got miffed when a callous PR acting for Cillit Bang
left dumb and out-of-context marketing comments all over a post about his relationship with his father.
Such approaches have kept coming by email, because Tom has now pledged to add a page to his blog stating...
The problem? Ever since
PRBlogger.com named Tom's plasticbag.org one of the most influential UK blogs, marketing folk have contacted him with requests for product reviews, mentions and other good PR.
Says Coates: "It really pisses me off that press people consider me an outlet to push their marketing messages. I'm not sure they understand how revolting I find the whole thing. I'mnot sure they get that I don't consider it part of my life's mission tocarry the messaging they want to distribute. I don't think theyunderstand that it's an insult to me for them to think that my voice isso apparently for sale. I find it degrading, patronising, cynical. Itmakes me want to hurl."
Still think marketing to bloggers is a good idea? Well it
can be, but it's as often likely to result in causing the same kind of offense felt by Tom. Press officers, before you pull that trigger your press release and send it to a blogger, stop. Then delete it and start again.
Do you know -
really know - who you're targeting? Do you know how they're likely to feel about receiving unsolicited communications in their inbox? Do you kn ow what they ate for breakfast last Tuesday? How they're feeling this week? Where they've been lately and what they feel about similar companies? Have you ever commented on the object of your commique's site? You would do if you
read their blog. Understand who they are and what makes them tick first, then consider, reconsider and investigate again whether you're likely to get any play from your effort.
And don't just send on another press release. If you're still going ahead with it, address your blogger personally. Some of them even like to feel their a human being, and not just the vehicle for your latest campaign. Because, while journalists are paid to sift through press release after press release every day, a blogger's website is a personal identity component, special to them.
Says Drew B: "Maybe us PR people need to tread increasingly carefully and realisethis is more like networking than 'distributing messages' via pressreleases. And maybe bloggers need to realise that if they publish andthey have an audience, they are vehicles conveying messages, andcompanies will always look to sign them up. A lot of the time the wrongway, but they will try."
Via
Jemima Kiss