Advice from Established Bloggers, a Marketing Research Study on Blogging

I recently was invited to participate in a marketing research study on blogging. The study was conducted by Nora Ganim Barnes, Ph.D., Chancellor Professor of Marketing and Director, Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Here is the text of the survey I was sent with my responses:

Inside Blogs Survey
Conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research

This is the first academic study of the behind the scene of blogs. I am hoping to be able to create a sense of what makes a blog work (or not work) and put together an inventory of great advice for new and perspective bloggers. I would be happy to cite you in my work if I use your answers. Please leave me your address so that I can mail you a gift of appreciation for helping me with this project. Thanks in advance.

1. Which of the following best describes your Blog?
A corporate blog for internal use only
A corporate blog both for internal and external use
A corporate sponsored blog
An independent blog (not affiliated with a corporation)
Other – My blog is a personal, independent blog, but I happen to be a business owner so of course content directly and indirectly related to my business makes its way onto the blog.

2. What is the name of your blog?
Don Loper / www.donloper.com

3. What category would your blog come under (key words)?
Utah, Search Engine Optimization, Blog, Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Advertising, Web Development, and Design

4. How long have you or your company had your blog?
1-2 years

5. Have posts on your blog increased, decreased or remained the same since you began?
Increased

6. How many comments do you get on an average day?
Less than 10

7. How often do you reply to comments on your blog?
Several times a day
Daily
Several times a week
Weekly
Other (please specify)

8. How much time does the blog require from you in the average day?
Less then an hour a day
1-3 hours a day
4-7 hours a day
8 hours a day or more
Other (please specify)

9. What originally motivated you or your company to start a blog?
At first it was because I wanted an outlet. I didn’t actually care if anyone read it. When I realized people were reading it I changed the focus of the blog to something quite different.

10. Who actually responds to those that post on your blog?
Top Management of the company
Rotating list of people
A hired Blog Master
Yourself (if yourself, what is your position on the Blog?) I administer the blog and write all the content for it.
Webmaster or IT people within the organization
Other (please specify)

11. Is there a requirement that your responses be reviewed by others prior to posting?
Yes (If yes, by what level, or what department____________________)
No

12. What is the primary purpose of your blog? (check all that apply)
To express your opinions on issues
To collect opinions from others
To gather information to create/change existing products or services
To encourage debate
To replace/supplement activities like focus groups or marketing research
To build upon existing information
To collect information that might further product innovation
To influence social or public policy
Other (please specify) – As a marketing tool for my business and as a means of finding potential employees.

13. How successful has your blog been on accomplishing your primary purpose?
Very successful
Somewhat successful
Somewhat unsuccessful
Very unsuccessful ( If not successful, what went wrong?____________________)

14. Is there a downside to having your blog?
It takes a lot of time
It has caused PR problems
It has caused legal problems
It is a competitive disadvantage given its transparency
Other (please specify)

[I didn’t mark this one on the survey because I truly couldn’t think of any downside other than that it takes some time, but not that much]

15. Do you have any public policy regulating conversation on your blog?
Yes If yes, where could we find that policy?________________________
No

16. Does your company web site home page direct visitors to your blog?
Yes
No, but another page on our company website does.
Not applicable

17. Does your packaging, labeling or promotion direct people to your blog?
Yes
No
Not Applicable

18. Can you share your practice for dealing with negative comments and criticism on your blog?
Posts appear exactly as they are sent in
We post as long as they don’t violate our blog policy
We review on a case by case basis – I generally publish comments as is unless there is profanity or they are very uninteresting in which case I might not publish them at all.
Other (please specify)

19. What is your best advice for someone/ a company thinking about starting a blog?
Have a purpose in mind and a method for measuring success. Don’t do it just because everyone else is. In my case, my blog helps my company make more money, and I have a variety of ways for tracking what money comes from the blog.

20. What changes are you planning to make in how your blog functions?
I’m not making changes to my blog, however, I am starting several other blogs as a result of my experiences with my first one.

To receive a copy of the results of this study and to receive a gift in appreciation for your help, please provide us with a mailing address.

For those of you who are curious what the gift was, it was a nice pen.