Is Advertising A Blog Appropriate? - Social Media Explorer
Is Advertising A Blog Appropriate?
Is Advertising A Blog Appropriate?
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Working at an advertising agency, I have the good fortune of seeing the work of incredibly creative people on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the vast majority of what I see is never viewed by the public, or even the client for that matter. A good bit of what advertising creatives do gets left in file 13. (“Creatives” is agency speak for art directors, designers and copywriters.) Only a handful of concepts and campaigns that meet the client’s needs and expectations, or do a particularly outstanding job of communicating on their behalf are taken to the client for review. The rest, some pretty damn good work, is discarded.

Social Media Explorer

A couple weeks back, I was invited into creative review meeting. One example of work displayed was an outdoor billboard advertising a new blog we are developing for a client. Because it is a new communications initiative, the request for creative examples of how we would market the blog was put into the pipeline. Neither the creative folks nor the account management people had reason to question whether or not advertising a blog was appropriate.

While my efforts to educate those in the building not in tune with social media standards and practices have begun and are ongoing, our blog billboards are a microcosm example of how far the marketing and advertising world still has to go in terms of developing communications and content relative to social media.

My reaction to the piece was that it was certainly well done, communicated the message and successfully promoted this new venture. But just the thought of an advertisement for a blog, especially one connected to a corporation, just seems wrong. It didn’t pass the smell test for me. Perhaps other social media strategists would disagree depending upon the client or cause.

As the weeks have passed since, I’ve mulled over the work in my head and still have no real definitive stance on whether or not advertising a blog is appropriate. Certainly, we in the social media space often discuss how to promote your blog. Many of us have small, personal blogs we hope to one day monetize, but aren’t in the position of being able to purchase banner ads or even traditional advertising to drive our traffic. Even if we were, though, would we? What about the big corporations that can afford the media buy?

I want to know what you think. Assuming the blog in question has some form of monetization as a goal, even if it’s not the primary one, is it appropriate to advertise, via online or traditional methods to promote it? Blogs that would fall into the category of my question include:

  • A corporate blog, like GM Fastlane
  • A CEO’s blog, like Bill Marriott’s
  • A news & views blog, like Read/Write Web
  • A personal blog for business, like Marobella’s Branding Soapbox
  • A personal blog for fun, like my dad’s Big Red Funnel Cake Trailer
  • An artistic outlet blog that might promote sales of the art, like Ashley Cecil’s
  • An artistic outlet blog that doesn’t necessarily promote any sort of sales like my friend Bill’s literary efforts on MySpace

When, if ever, is an advertisement for a blog appropriate?

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About the Author

Jason Falls
Jason Falls is the founder of Social Media Explorer and one of the most notable and outspoken voices in the social media marketing industry. He is a noted marketing keynote speaker, author of two books and unapologetic bourbon aficionado. He can also be found at JasonFalls.com.

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