Managing Relations with
Tech-fluential Bloggers
December, 2005
Who are E-fluentials?
E-fluentials frequently:
Send e-mails to companies
Send e-mails to politicians
Send e-mails to well-known news and media
companies
Make friends online
Make business contacts online
Provide feedback to Web sites
Forward news and Web site information to others
Participate in chat rooms
Post to bulletin boards
Post to newsgroups
Post to listservs
Note: Cluster analysis--RoperASW/Burson-Marsteller surveys, 1999, 2001
Also analyzed in Burson-Marsteller 2003 surveys
Who are Tech-fluentials?
They are e-fluentials who are also: This in turn makes them:
Product purchase influencers 1. Chief opinion leaders
Technology explorers and 2. Information spreaders
enthusiasts 3. Highly active and engaged
Peer advisors Internet users
Seamless work and family 4. Knowledge hunters and
connectors gatherers
Information transmitters 5. Futurists
Trend-setters
6. Fast and mobile
Heavy Internet users
7. Accessible online and
Super-connected home offline
owners
Home-entertainment 8. Design-conscious
enthusiasts 9. Function- and quality-
Bloggers focused shoppers
10. Community-oriented
citizens
Tech-fluentials Use New Technologies
To Spread Messages
• Tech-fluentials express
themselves online and solicit
feedback from others.
• 33% of tech-fluentials have blogs.
“Between 2 and 7% of U.S. Internet users
have their own blogs.” (Source: Pew Internet
& American Life Project, 2004)
Tech-fluential Bloggers
Tech-fluential Bloggers
Publish Online and Offline
• Tech-fluential bloggers are more likely to feel they make a difference by sharing information.
They are also more inclined to share their expertise by publishing.
Tech-fluential bloggers Tech-fluential non-bloggers
I feel I make a
85%
difference by
sharing
71%
information
Wrote an article 39%
or a book in the
past year 29%
Tech-fluential Bloggers Tell A Positive
Experience Through…
• Tech-fluential bloggers are more likely than their counterparts to spread positive word of mouth
through IM and discussion boards.
Tech-fluential Bloggers Tech-fluential Non-bloggers
E-mail or forward information 84%
83%
Tell someone in-person or on the phone 76%
83%
IM 54%
37%
Post a message to a discussion board 51%
34%
Contribute to a company's Web site 47%
40%
Contribute to an opinion Web site 37%
33%
Tell people in a chat room 21%
19%
Write a note or a letter 15%
12%
Tech-fluential Bloggers Tell A Negative
Experience Through…
• Tech-fluential bloggers are more likely than their counterparts to spread negative word of mouth
through IM, discussion boards and opinion Web sites.
Tech-fluential Bloggers Tech-fluential Non-bloggers
E-mail or forward information 79%
79%
Tell someone in-person or on the phone 77%
83%
Contribute to a company's Web site 63%
58%
Post a message to a discussion board 58%
48%
Contribute to an opinion Web site 53%
39%
IM 46%
35%
Tell people in a chat room 20%
22%
Write a note or a letter 22%
25%
Tech-fluential Bloggers Will Pay
Premium Price for Quality & Function
Tech-fluential Bloggers Tech-fluential Non-bloggers
Quality 99%
96%
Function 98%
98%
Price 76%
73%
Style/Design 65%
60%
Brand 55%
56%
Uniqueness 43%
42%
Popularity 17%
17%
*Most important when buying technology products.
Tech-fluential Bloggers Note
Corporate Social Responsibility
Tech-fluential bloggers Tech-fluential non-bloggers
Inform friends, family and colleagues about 57%
CSR efforts 48%
46%
Purchase company's products/services
40%
Recommend purchasing company's 50%
products/services to friends and family 41%
16%
Buy company's stock
19%
Recommend purchasing company’s stock to 20%
friends and family 18%
Tech-fluential Bloggers Are
Politically Aware
• Tech-fluential bloggers are more than twice as likely as their counterparts to e-mail politicians.
Tech-fluential bloggers Tech-fluential non-bloggers
19%
8%
E-mail politicians
Why Communicate with
Tech-fluential Bloggers?
• They are perceived as credible sources.
• They fuel word-of-mouth organically.
• They are conscientious citizens who set the political/social
agenda for others.
• They will write about your new products and comment on your
brand.
• They will visit your company Web site to get more information.
How To Identify Tech-fluential Bloggers
• Review your stakeholder groups:
– Who are your key audiences internally, externally?
– How do you communicate with them?
– Do you have contact information for them? Opt-in lists?
– Who visits your Web site? Links to your company blog?
• Research your audience:
– Consider surveying those stakeholders who receive your newsletters, read your
brochures or attend your conferences. Invite them to focus groups. Interview
them in-person.
– Develop questions that capture social influence.
– Probe respondents on their use of technology and reliance on word-of-mouth.
– Ask them about their communication habits: Do they write/read blogs?
• Use multiple blog search engines:
– Create smart search terms and use Technorati, Google Blogsearch, Blogpulse to
see who is already talking about your company.
• Listen to those who click on “contact-us” sections:
– Follow up with personal, detailed responses
– Do not delay your response
Communicating with
Tech-fluential Bloggers
• Monitor blogging and other user- • Admit mistakes and correct
generated media activity. misstatements.
• Contact bloggers individually. • Respect those that do not agree
with your point of view.
• Avoid being cast as blog spam. E-
mail bloggers, rather than posting
comments to their entries. • If the topic cannot be fully
Understand that they may post the addressed in an e-mail or a post,
information in your e-mail. then devote a special section on
company Web site and refer
• Be candid. audiences to this area.
• Note your corporate affiliation. • State what you cannot disclose
publicly.
• Provide clear and well-founded
facts. Refer to independent, third- • For employee blogs, devise a policy
party sources.
defining the rules of
communication.
Check List for
Tech-fluential Communications
______ Identify
______ Monitor
______ Solicit feedback
______ Feed information
______ Maintain relationships online/offline
Thank You!
Idil Cakim
Director, Knowledge Development
idil_cakim@nyc.bm.com