Drilling Down - Blogs Find Favor as Buying Guides

Not a huge surprise, but there is data now demonstrating the huge influence bloggers have to influence shopping decisions. I read a blogger I like and trust; she recommends a product or service and I'm likely to trust that recommendation. It's the old-fashioned word-of-mouth method that marketers consider the holy grail of marketing (and soooo tough to accomplish), only amplified with more "ears" to hear what one is saying.

This has huge implications for marketers who are always trying to get in front of the influencers and generate that buzz. Here at NTM, we are finding more and more clients who are interested in reaching out to bloggers and we continue to develop models to make that happen (and track the response).

Read the NY Times Article: Drilling Down - Blogs Find Favor as Buying Guides

Bet You'll Never Guess The 3rd Largest Blogging Country

It's Iran. It's a country of 70 million people, about half of whom are under 25 and eager to share their thoughts and general displeasure with their government. The Internet allows them to voice their opinions and they are doing it en masse: Iran currently has about 100,000 active bloggers.

I'm half-Iranian. The lovely young woman you see pictured here is my dear aunt when she was young. She lives in Connecticut now, but I still have family in Iran. They are big fans of instant messenger services and we often connect that way. And while Iran can't police the entire Internet, they do restrict some sites. I have not found an easy way to share photos, for example, as sites like Shutterfly are banned.

Marketing is, at its core, about communication. How we communicate ideas and to whom we communicate them. So I've always found that marketing and politics are close cousins but I've generally resisted blogging about that intersection. (Oh boy, was it tempting this year!) Still, I couldn't resist this time because I was floored to find out how many bloggers there are over there. Imagine the social network they are developing. Now think about how much influence bloggers are having here in the States. Who knows where this could lead?

Iran: A Nation of Bloggers - ViralBlog

Look what we found: an online baby journal

I was just telling a friend how I wish there was an easy way to create a digital baby book. I've grown so accustomed to creating digital photo books that I can't quite grasp the notion of printing photos and writing in an old-fashioned baby book. Well, I can grasp the notion and like the idea of being a part of such a cool tradition, but it does seem to me that I could do so much more online, like store videos and share pictures and stories with our relatives. I had contemplated setting up my own secure social network on Ning but this site, Kidmondo, looks like a much better tool. It's an online baby journal. Secure and password-protected, of course, so only those you invite can see all the precious moments of your little one.

As far as marketing trends go, the social networks are a buzz with all things mommy and baby. As we have blogged about before, women love to pass out referrals; in fact, we feel compelled to help businesses grow. As a marketer, if you can tap into that innate desire women have, then you hit the marketing jackpot. Mommy blogs are a great place to start. And I'll bet the mommy bloggers are talking up tools like Kidmondo.

Read more here: Kidmondo: an online baby Journal

Comcast takes its whacks on service - USATODAY.com

Comcast has a reputation. Probably not the one they were hoping for, either. Among other social organizing functions that the web serves, the Internet allows consumers to pool their voices. One person shouting? Maybe Comcast can ignore that. Try thousands shouting all at once, loudly enough to get the attention of the press.

One blogger took the matter of Comcast's poor service into his own hands and gave people an outlet to publish their own stories. I shared this article with my husband; to say that we have had issues with Comcast is a gross, gross, gross understatement. I lost count of service calls around Trip # 15. (The folks on the phone are very pleasant and as helpful as they can be but Comcast's system does not allow them to do much.)

Good customer service has always mattered. Bad service can spread like a wildfire with today's technology. Read more:

Comcast takes its whacks on service - USATODAY.com