Just like the twinkie has a long shelf life, fresh bread has a short shelf life. Just like PR will have a long shelf life, blogging consultancies will have a short shelf life. Blogging consultancies are like twinkies - nice and airy and fun - but they have the shelf life of fresh bread.
Thoughts on "communications, marketing, public relations and social media."
An integrated approach will win the day.
ReplyDeleteI'm having trouble with the metaphor.
ReplyDeleteIf blog consultancies are Twinkies and Twinkies have long shelf lives, doesn't that mean blog consultancies have long shelf lives?
And is that white bread, whole wheat, or gluten-free bread? Inquiring minds want to know!
A twinkie can be pretty good with a diet coke while watching Oprah.
ReplyDeleteHi Eric - thanks for the catch. Early morning blogging while at IABC can lead to a dropped off sentence or half-thought.
ReplyDeleteI fixed it. :)
Oh, and I was thinking of the Challah I buy for French Toast that has an out of refrigerator shelf life of a week in Arizona, before it gets moldy and old.
ReplyDeletePlus, the primary objective of setting up a client's blog is to get the client started and involved ... so there's a "real voice" out there.
ReplyDeleteThus, the blogging consultancy provides set-up and initial coaching but probably doesn't have a long-term role in the blog itself.
An integrated approach is best, but how many firms have tried an 'in-house' web development group and failed?
ReplyDeleteYes blogs are nowhere near as complex as a traditional corporate web presence, but I don't know many PR firms in my market that are savvy enough to go beyond the standard templates and feeds that MT/Wordress/etc. offer.
Call me a Twinkie then, but blog consulting is not all that I do...so perhaps just call me the Hostess-Guy. For the past 10 years I have built a solid reputation within the Florida market as a web-tech go-to guy for PR and advertising firms.
If we are talking about PR/Ad firms that have a staff of 20+ then perhaps they can support an in-house consultant.
My niche is firms under 20 full-time staff. Any larger and things get too 'corporate' and the whole reason I work alone is so that I can avoid the typical corporate BS.
There are exceptions though, such as Jeremy, who blends both sides (blog/PR) very well. I can name those folks on two hands though.
As for John's comment about the long-term role...I agree. In most engagements I have there is quite a bit of upfront work/planning and development. Once the blog is launched then my role is somewhat diminished, but I still do provide consulting. I don't want to be involved in the day-to-day posting.
There is a bit of an oxymoron in Blog Consulting, if they need consulting should the really be blogging?
While I'm using blogs more and more with my clients lately, it's not even coming close to replacing other online marketing such as google adwords and the like. It's a tool for the arsenal.
ReplyDeleteHmmm... blogging is just a subset of online marketing and communications. So anyone who positions him/herself solely as a "blogging consultant" is probably, yes, going to have a relatively short shelf life, as you put it. But for now, the phrase rings a bell for some companies who want the phenomenon demystified.
ReplyDelete