Three years ago our agency operated six different blogs for various clients in a variety of markets. Blogs were the hot ticket in marketing then, and just the announcement that the client had begun a blog generated media coverage!
It was surprising even then how little actual participation most of technology- and engineering-related blogs created. While sports, food, religion and political blogs routinely spawned lively online debates, magazine and company blogs often were outposts of silence. Even well-known authors such as Seth Godin, the pioneer of permission-based marketing, saw relatively little online discussion on his blog.
Today, though, technology blogs have evolved in fascinating ways, according to a new study just released by Reed Publishing’s EDN Magazine. I won’t try to summarize the global study here (call/email me if you’d like a copy), but there are a few items that raised eyebrows in our shop:
- Engineers spend a fair amount of time participating in online groups, and we’re not talking about personal Facebook pages here – 39% of engineers use online networks to get answers to their job-related questions. Top of the list is LinkedIn, followed by Yahoo Groups. Remember, this question specifically asked about their use of online groups for BUSINESS purposes, not leisure/social.
- The big shocker: engineers actually want manufacturers to participate and provide information in these online communities, a complete reversal from a few years ago when companies were seen as intruders to online discussion groups. Today, engineers are so time pressed and place such a priority on getting quick answers to their questions, that they welcome applications advice and product knowledge, when the participant is properly identified.
- 26% use blogs for business, most often as a way to keep up on new technology and to get how-to information.
- 74% rely on webcasts (no surprise there). Most preferred length: 28 minutes
- 59% said they watch online video for work, particularly for online demos and product tutorials. Most preferred length: 11 minutes
