Deep inside some of America’s largest, most well-known companies is an army of hundreds, perhaps thousands of influential blogging believers.
They read weblogs, monitor them, analyze them and fully buy into their marketing potential. They come from different professions – some are PR professionals/marketers, others are webmasters or IT gurus, while even more are corporate executives. What they all share in common, however, is silence.
As much as this silent majority believes in the power of open communication, they are either too timid or not quite ready to fully evangelize blogging’s potential to others in their organization. Nevertheless, despite their silence, it is this particular group of individuals that perhaps holds the greatest power in the emerging micro sphere of influence. They are the ones who will help blogging move further mainstream in 2005 – if we help them.
I am certain this silent majority exists. I have traded emails with dozens of individuals who work at well-known Fortune 500 corporations and have met even more face-to-face through events and one-on-one lunches. They all believe in blogging, yet have questions. They all want their companies to dive head-first into the blogosphere, yet feel insecure that they can sell it internally. This group is the five-ton boulder that sits up on top of blogosphere hill. You can feel its potential kinetic energy, yet it just sits there inactive, just waiting for some force of nature to give it a good shove. Our challenge in 2005 is to be that force. Let’s befriend these folks, answer their questions, calm their concerns and give them the tools they need to sell blogging up the food chain. Why? The rising tide lifts all boats.
I urge each of my blogging readers to publicly invite your non-blogging readers to email you with their questions and concerns. (To my non-blogging readers, my door is already open to you. Email me anytime. I may not respond immediately, but I will promise to get back to you.) I believe in the power of many. If many of us evangelize blogging to those who we know are interested, yet sit on the sidelines, it can have a tremendous impact.
Steve Rubel is a PR strategist with nearly 16 years of public relations, marketing, journalism and communications experience. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President with Edelman, the largest independent global PR firm.
He authors the Micro Persuasion weblog, which tracks how blogs and participatory journalism are changing the public relations practice.
