CORPORATE AND CONSUMER BLOGSCorporate and Consumer

Running head: CORPORATE AND CONSUMER BLOGSCorporate and Consumer- Based BlogsNameInstitutional Affiliation1CORPORATE AND CONSUMER BLOGS2Blogging, being the popular activity it is has far reaching impacts on companies whichproduce consumer goods and services used by the public. Consumer blogs are at the heart ofaffecting the perception of a society regarding the products of these companies. Consumer blogscan affect the companies in both positive and negative ways. The blogs often center on productsand services from these companies, which they once consumed, currently consume or plan toconsume some day. The blogs can serve to publicize the products and services which companiesdeal in. Potential consumers may have not got information regarding the existence of theproducts or their uses. For this reason, the blogs serve to promote the products to the advantageof the companies. For instance, a consumer blog, “The Truth about Cars” has a bloggerpromoting a Cadillac TS5 and how cheap it could cost as soon as the year 2017. On the otherhand the consumer blogs can adversely affect companies when those with negative experiencewith products air their grievances about the products. Essentially, the consumer blogs has thetwin opposite effects on the prosperity of companies.A company supported blog would serve a number of marketing communication purposes.The first of such purposes is the information purpose (Shafron & Davis, 2013). Some of theblogs inform the public about new product releases and services provision for consumers’consideration. An example is the company supported Garmin blog which informs the public ofthe varieties of services in aviation, outdoor, fitness and marine technologies which it specializesin, and which are ideal for the members of the public during the holidays. Persuasion is anotherpurpose which a company supported blog aims to achieve. Once the existence of a particularcompany product or service is in the company domain, the blogs are also useful in convincingthe public of the comparative advantage of the product of such companies, with the aim ofincreasing the sales. The blogs eventually markets the products and services. For example, theCORPORATE AND CONSUMER BLOGS3Virgin Airlines company supported blog by Serenity Moris on the 24th November 2015 seem tobe purposed for persuading travelers to be using the Airline for their journeys. He has talked ofthe efficiency, convenience and the pleasure one he personally experienced during his maidenflight with the airline.Companies can use content of the blogs to help accomplish their objectives in a numberof ways. Blogs provide a very suitable platform for interaction with the members of the publicwho are the potential customers (Shafron & Davis, 2013). Because of the interactive nature ofthe blogs, the companies can use it to gauge the feelings of the society about intended actionplans, mid and long term goals it aims to reach. This is particularly important because the societyprovide the social sanction to the existence of the corporate bodies besides being the client of itsproducts and services. Through the use its marketing strategies, it can successfully convince thepublic to welcome its development agenda and goals. Again, concerning the achievement of agiven sales goal by a particular time, it can use the some of the powerful features and tools ofblogs such as sharing of the pictures of items they stock or service they offer. They employservices of renowned bloggers who have curved for themselves niches in the society, and arealmost regarded as opinion leaders.Being a platform which allows interaction, blogging by employees can at times adverselyaffect the company and even the employee. During exchanges with outsiders, it is possible to getemotional and personal about a given issue concerning the company. The on employees caneasily assume the employees’ sentiments as being the position of the company, and this canadversely affect the company. Again, different employees of the same company are likely to takevarying positions about the company- affecting both the company and the employees.CORPORATE AND CONSUMER BLOGSReferenceShafron, R. & Davis, E. (2013). The Art of Blogging. Retrieved from:www.problogger.net/archives/2013/024