Communicating with customers
Blogs can be used to convey news, events, plans, and customer support information to your customers — and to engage them in dialogue that can be used to improve the way your company functions.
Fast Company, a business publication tracking new business practices, com-petition, and processes, started the FC Now blog (www.fascompany.com) in order to discuss ideas, business news, and resources with its readers. Shown in Figure 1-1, it encourages readers to suggest topics and to post comments. Several staff members contribute to the blog, each posting on a subject that interests them personally. FC Now is a way for Fast Company to respond quickly to breaking news and to let its readers know about resources and tools. Postings range from asking former customers why they aren’t still customers, a link to a Web site that covers technical horror stories, news about the company’s a cappella music groups, and articles from other publications pertinent to the Fast Company audience.
The effect of the blog is an open, informal interaction between Fast Company and its readers — achieving something that is more free-form, frequent, and organic than the rigid format of a print publication can deliver.
