José Luis Orihuela, professor at the Faculty of Communication at the University of Navarra and expert in New Technologies applied to Journalism, assures that the great challenge for the communication industries is to change their corporate culture, the way it is understood and understood. manages information and relations with users.
Currently, tools such as the blog are taking on a fundamental role in companies, something in which most entrepreneurs converge. This system is not only a useful accessory to generate resources through advertising, but the company gains a presence on the network through fluid communication on the blog, in which the CEO and the employee who work can participate. part-time, because what it is about is, definitely, to give the corporation a real and close image.
Perhaps the creation of a blog will become a double-edged sword for emerging companies, because on the one hand they risk the presence of large competitors, but on the other they can evolve and increase their productivity thanks to this initiative. In addition, the company has to invest in the creation of this technological tool, which can further complicate undertaking the initiative.
In this sense, José Luis Orihuela contemplates a series of guidelines to take into account when creating a blog, whether it is carried out by an entity external to the entity or carried out by a person who belongs to it:
- Start reading blogTry various toolsChoose a topicCare qualityLink to your sourcesDon't worry about visitsWait to promote itParticipate in blogosphere activitiesRemember that it is a public mediumAnd, always, try to have fun
A clear and recent example: Monte Hotels
The corporate blog began its first steps in 1999, when the Internet was already a widely known, although little consolidated system. Currently, 15,000 blogs are created daily and it is estimated that 11 percent of Internet users visit this website every day (www.blogmundi.com).
Taking these data into account, more and more companies are improving their external and internal communication through the creation of a blog. This is the case of Hoteles Monte, which with a simple design, but very informative on its page, has managed to introduce interesting links for customers, who are allowed to book a room or who are aware of the activities that are carried out. held in the different delegations of the hotel, such as academic meetings or cultural cycles. Likewise, the company reinforces its position by offering a free service that, under the name of link "Link exchange", allows other companies to have a place on this website in exchange for Hoteles Monte appearing on theirs. A genuine advertising and promotional idea that expands communication boundaries.
However, and despite the fact that the corporate blog becomes almost guaranteed success, Julio Alonso, a member of Weblogs, SL, points out that companies are generally afraid to start using these new technologies because they are used to controlling the message with traditional advertising methods. What's more, employers claim that there are certain sectors, such as the scientific or telecommunications industry, that creating a blog would harm them substantially., since in this business area specifically a fast and immediate service for the client prevails. And it is that, effectively, and in the case of the scientific and telecommunications fields, its professionals look for a direct website where they find services without the need to read opinions and other external factors other than pure business. They are also determined customers who, when they enter the link of a certain company, know perfectly what they want and therefore, they despise any information that is not imprecise.
The blog has become in recent years a revolutionary tool for some, and an unthinkable system for others. However, and of what there is no doubt, is that technological bets for corporate communication are a way to maximize profitability, and those who take them have accelerated their performance.
