Every company needs to think of new media like “working a room”.  A company wants to engage in as many conversations as possible, learn who might be helpful, and circle around to those people later.

It’s not easy changing from a company that has done all the talking to one that now has to do more listening.

Let’s start with a YouTube video that captures the frustration that many consumers feel when trying to talk with a brand or its ad agency.

So, let’s start with what makes up a solid strategy for “working the room”.

1. Company Goals. Companies need an endgame for all the talk. A strategy drives new media conversations toward those goals. Possible company goals would be to set up a network of influencers to:

• test product and write about it
• provide opinions on prototypes 
• provide new perspectives for customer service 
• measure a brand’s marketing and sales messaging
• neutralize negative bloggers with solid communication

There are many others; however, achieving any of these goals starts with developing relationships. 

2. Building Relationships. This has got to be a two way street. Influential bloggers want traffic. And that is helped by developing relationships with strong brands. That brings them authenticity and fresh interesting information for their blogs.  More traffic means more viral growth and a larger loyal following. On the other side of the coin: companies who develop relationships with bloggers want the same things: more traffic to the blog, more influence, and powerful third party messaging that spurs growth. Symbiotic stuff here. 

3. Capturing and Filtering Incoming New Media. How will you find the influencers in the blogsphere? A company must efficiently capture and filter new media. Hiring people to sit in front of computer screens and review the blogs is one option. Another is to employ a software based front-end communication tool that captures and prioritizes the posts. (Saves time and money, although these tools need to be closely managed.) Or, have your public relations firm handle it, if you employ one that is big enough for the job. 

Who will be in charge of the new media initiative and how much power should they have? My suggestion: put a very talented person in charge and give them power. H/she will need it to prioritize the blog posts, stamp certain posts for immediate action, and begin the process of getting the answers out of the company’s departments. 

4. Outgoing Communication.  Finding the blog posts is one thing. Responding to them is another. So, besides giving the new media person the power to engage departments, make sure the departments understand there is urgency in getting answers back to either the media person or into the blogsphere. (The strategy needs to address who will answer the blogs, the media person or the departments.)  The marketing, sales, customer service, and product development departments will all be touched by criticism, praise, and everything in between.  Everyone needs to understand that speed and clarity of response are critical. Letting a bad blog post fester, could mean trouble. Big trouble. 

Next Up: Motrin’s Big Headache