How do we define success for a business blog?

One of the chestnuts of the advertising industry is the saying, “half of my advertising money is going to waste—I just don’t know which half!” The same can be said of the effort most business people put into websites. Commercial websites at least have measures they can turn to, the number of orders accepted by the site and the revenue dollars associated with those orders.

For those getting started or already established in a professional practice, or employed in a professional capacity within a larger organization such as a hospital or academic health center, reasons for blogging vary, but given that blogging is a communications medium, it seems logical to ask three questions first: Who is my audience? What am I trying to say to them? What action do I want them to take in response to my communication?

You need to decide who your audience is, and it will vary considerably from one professional to another. Find your audience and the message will usually follow naturally, and once the message is defined the best metrics for it are generally easy to determine.

• You may be doing this for your clientele, to provide them with information and advice about the ailments your specialty treats when you can’t be available to help them personally. The action you want them to take is to keep reading, so number of page views and visit length will be valuable metrics for you.
• You may be addressing your professional colleagues and peers. The action you want them to take is to engage in a professional dialogue with you, so you and they can learn from each other. A longer-term purpose may be networking that will lead to an enhanced and wider reputation, leading in turn to career advancement.
• You may have products or services you want to sell. Typically they will be like other things sold over the Web: either electronic goods or products you will ship to customers, or services that can be conducted via email, chat, or some other interactive medium. Your message is the benefit they will derive from ordering your products or services. The action you want them to take is to visit your "store" and buy things.

Comments

[Credit Holder]

Yes, it really should have results... For me as a customer who holds his credit card ready to pay for your services,it is very important to know whether you are professional that helps or not.

[Hunscher]

Thanks for the comment, Toby! It's great to get validation from someone who actually does marketing for a living.

I think there is one subtle difference between marketing healthcare services and more commercial marketing campaigns. Because healthcare providers are dealing with humans who are suffering to one degree or another, compassion needs to be an important component of the marketing plan. 'Caveat emptor' should not be a requirement in a provider/client relationship, and the marketing should reflect that.

Then again, all marketing is about relieving pain of one kind or another. Maybe there's less difference than meets the eye.

[Toby]

Yes to all of the above! If organizations view blogs/social media as a credible marketing strategy then the the answer to your question should fall back into their comfort zone: Develop goals and objectives and match success to that. No different than putting together an interactive or traditional campaign. Granted the measures may vary but the process is the same.