The Missing Message

Have you ever had a word stuck in your head that you just can't get rid of? Or maybe you've had a tune in mind that you just can't shake. Well, that has happened to me with the word "blog." Everyone is talking about it and I am having trouble thinking about anything else.

Here's the problem. What people don't understand is blogs aren't the solution for everyone. There is no doubt, they are nifty and that they have become a valuable addition to the world of journalism, but that doesn't mean they are a perfect fit for everyone's communication problem.

Let me explain. Yesterday I attended an IABC meeting on blogging. Overall the session was uneventful. But after the meeting I got into a discussion with some of the attendees and one of them explained his situation like this:

I want to start a blog to communicate to my customers. I work in a specific regional area and have two small target audiences. The problem is each audience needs messages specifically crafted for them. Does it make sense to start a blog?

Whether or not the answer is yes is irrelevant to my point in this case. My point is simply that it is okay if the answer is no. As PR professional we may be too quick to suggest a fix simply because we want to try something new, without think about the impact on the strategic marketing/pr plan.

There is no harm in blogging, but it’s not always the answer. What do you think? Post your comments below.