Shanghai, China,
26th June,
2009 
Today Text 100 announced the results of its
Global Blogger Survey Believed to be the first of its kind;
this survey examines the preferred communication techniques from
the point of view of technology, business and lifestyle bloggers
across the globe. The survey indicates a "mainstreaming' of
blogging in most markets, with many bloggers reporting increased
contact from PR professionals or corporate communicators. It also
highlights that some of the worst practices from media relations
have been exported directly to global blogger relations.
Importantly for companies wanting to engage, the survey indicates
there is significant opportunity for deeper relationships with this
increasingly influential community.
Of the global survey, 229 responses came from APAC bloggers, see
the complete APAC report
here. Text 100 has analysed the results and suggests FIVE key
lessons for the PR and communications professionals in APAC:
One - Corporations in Asia Pacific are
increasingly recognising the influence of bloggers
In the past 12 months, the number of bloggers welcoming
contact by PR people has increased by nearly 10% to 93%. Similarly,
the frequency of contact has increased year on year demonstrating
the influence many corporations believe bloggers have in key
constituent communities.
Two - Only one third of bloggers in APAC spend 9 or more
hours a week blogging
Bloggers in APAC continue to blog for passion (and for
the most part, in their own time). It is critical that PR
people wanting to work with bloggers respect their time pressures
and constraints. For example, events should be scheduled out of
business hours, and information should be provided in advance of
announcements to allow time for review (noting 97% of bloggers
surveyed said they would honour embargoes).
Three - In general, the more formal Asian business
practices of introductions and face to face meetings are echoed in
the blogger community
88% (up from 78% in 2008) of bloggers surveyed prefer an
introduction before receiving information. Bloggers in North
and South East Asia also prefer face to face meetings before
interacting with PR people or corporate representatives.
Given this, it is essential PR teams get to know their key bloggers
personally and develop a shared agenda understanding of them and
their communities.
Four - Acknowledging sponsorships or forms of
compensation for posts is an area which sees division amongst APAC
countries
While Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore are
mostly in agreement regarding acknowledging sponsored posts, other
markets - especially in North Asia -are less likely to do so. This
perhaps reflects cultures where lines between free and paid for
media are, in some cases, blurred. It also reinforces the point
that bloggers are not journalists and can't be expected to behave
in the same fashion.
Five - Bloggers like Social Media Releases and plan to
use them more
APAC bloggers - like their global counterparts - show
little interest in corporate news releases. However Social Media
News Releases are proving to be popular, allowing bloggers the
freedom to develop unique angles for their audiences using the
'deconstructed' format, quotes, links and visual
elements. This allows for more distinctive angle creation and
helps bloggers create posts that offer something other than what
can be found in traditional media. Non-English speaking countries
showed a particular preference for SMRs.
For more global insights please view Text 100's global
announcement
here
Additional findings specific to APAC:
Contact:
- The majority (93%) of the APAC bloggers in this survey welcome
contact from PR firms or corporations, up from 84% found in the
2008 survey. Bloggers in Japan and Greater China are slightly less
willing to be contacted;
- 70% have been contacted in the past 6 months, compared with 66%
in the 2008 survey;
- Across the region (except Japan) email is the preferred means
of contact. Contact via SMS is least preferred in half of the
countries surveyed. About half of APAC bloggers indicate their
contact preference on their blogs;
- Most (88%) of the APAC bloggers prefer to be introduced
before receiving information from a PR firm or
corporation with whom they have not had prior contact;
- Bloggers prefer opinioned responses to their blogs, new product
developments, news, products for review, and interviews with key
people. Corporate news announcements are of least interest to
surveyed bloggers.
Content:
- Half (48%) of APAC bloggers are aware of Social Media Releases
(SMRs), an increase of 8% over last year's study;
- Among the bloggers surveyed, computers / technology / internet
are the most popular blogged about subjects, followed to a much
lesser degree by gaming and science. Malaysian bloggers seem to be
more interested in entertainment/arts/music and culture/community,
while the latter is also most popular in Australia.
Blogging Habits
- Slightly more than a third (36%) of the bloggers surveyed spent
more than 9 hours per week blogging, compared with 33% in the 2008
survey. 18% spend more than 16 hours blogging per week. The amount
of blogging time is highest in Australia, Taiwan and Korea, and
lowest in Singapore and New Zealand;
- 76% use a micro-blogging site (such as Twitter) and opinions on
its effect on their normal blogging vary. About a third (30%) said
their blogging increased due to micro-blogging (especially in
Taiwan), a third (31%) said it decreased (especially in Hong Kong),
while 39% said it had no effect on their blogging. Micro blogging
is least used by bloggers in China and Korea;
- 75% agree that bloggers should always clearly state their
employer or association if blogging on issues or topics that relate
to their businesses. 100% of New Zealand bloggers support this
philosophy while less than half (46%) of surveyed Chinese bloggers
felt compelled to do so.
Continued bad Habits from PRs
- PR people continue to blindly send corporate press releases to
bloggers
- PR professionals are failing to read the blogs and truly
understand their target bloggers' communities.
- They seem to expect bloggers to post corporate material,
demonstrating a lack of understanding of the medium and the very
reason why bloggers blog.
- They treat bloggers as they would journalists - not as
influencers which is more appropriate.
About the Study
Global public relations consultancy Text 100 surveyed 449
bloggers from 21 countries between April 6 and May 18, 2009. The
web-survey was designed to clarify bloggers' relationships with PR
people and corporations. The bloggers were approached based on
pre-existing relationships with Text 100 employees or through
referrals from such relationships.
Building on a similar study of APAC bloggers in 2008, Text 100
hopes the 2009 study's findings will help the PR industry and
businesses around the world understand more about how bloggers
prefer to engage, where local and regional variances might exist
and how to keep improving relations in the future.
YouTube:
Jeremy Woolf, presents an overview of Text 100's Global
Blogger Survey 2009 here
Jeremy Woolf outlines the lessons learned from Text 100's Global
Survey 2009 here
Quotes:
"Blogging in Asia Pacific has come of age. The
influence bloggers have within their communities is finally being
recognized by corporations and we're seeing more and more attempts
to work with Asia Pacific bloggers. However, some of the PR efforts
demonstrate a lack of understanding of how blogging works - and why
people blog.
"This survey will hopefully dispel the myths that have
sprung up and also help PR practitioners better work with bloggers
on their clients' behalf. Understanding that each blogger is unique
is a good place to start. From there, build a genuine relationship
and develop a shared agenda. With a platform of trust - and a
commitment to playing an active role in the community - blogs can
become a very successful part of a company's communication
program." Jeremy Woolf, Global Social
Media Lead - Text 100
"This is probably the most extensive global survey ever
conducted among B2B bloggers to understand their relationship with
PR professionals. The response in this first-round global
survey was very encouraging and the high quality of feedback from
these bloggers is evident of their desire to further strengthen
their relationship with the PR industry" Peter
Steyn, Director-Aha
Research
"We generally know less about Asian bloggers than
bloggers in other parts of the world, and this is especially true
in less-researched markets like Singapore, Malaysia, and
Taiwan. For the second year running, Text 100 gives us
data-supported insights which cannot be found anywhere
else.
"I am struck by how important relationships remain in the
on-line world. APAC bloggers clearly want an introduction
before receiving information from a PR firm or corporation.
The slight increase in importance placed on face-to-face meetings
before receiving information, and also the reliance on other
bloggers for information, remind us just how tight-knit
Asia's social communities can be. Link love
is not enough; first-world relationships are extremely important to
blogger outreach in APAC.
"The Text 100 results raise important questions about what
is stated common knowledge about blogging in Asia. Often we
hear that Asia's bloggers are more likely to
discuss safe subjects such as entertainment, gadgets, and community
while generally avoiding more controversial subjects such as
politics. The findings here suggest something
different. Perhaps APAC bloggers discuss more frequently a
greater range of subjects than do their counterparts in
USA. Potentially, such a finding could require us to
step back and reconsider our preconceptions about Asia's
blogosphere." Prof.
Michael Netzley, PhD, Singapore Management University,
Assistant Professor of Corporate Communication Practice
"Bloggers have become increasingly influential in shaping
discussions around Lenovo's products and services and we're
actively working with them across the globe. Our focus is on
creating and contributing to authentic discussions that are of
interest to our customers and the wider public through social media
channels. Survey findings such as these are invaluable in helping
us better meet the needs of increasingly influential bloggers while
adding value to their communities." Cecilia
Chan, Regional Marketing
Manager, Lenovo HK, Macau, Taiwan & Korea