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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Measuring Success for Corporate BlogsMaking status and progress of corporate blogging activities visible and comparable

Nils Koenig

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Basis

Corporate Blogs and Success Criteria: A model for explanation (German)

Matthias Schwenk

www.bwlzweinull.de

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Summary

The model by Matthias Schwenk• defines three dimensions of corporate blogs and their extremes:

• Message (central, peripheral)

• Opinion (critical, uncritical)

• Networking (high, low)

• displays corporate blogs (in dimensions) using scroll bars.

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Goal

Enhancement of the model in order to• display success of blogging in relation to the company‘s expectation (goals)

• make individual blogs comparable to other corporate blogs

Goals

Status

Success

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Approach

3 Steps

1. Definition of expectation values

2. Evaluation of the current status

3. Weighting of dimensions

Calculation of the „Success Value“

Expectation Status Weighting Success

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Expectation

The dimensions are displayed on scroll bars as set up by Schwenk. In addition a scale is introduced – here a scale from 0 to 10, where „0“ and „10“ display the both extremes (not a valuation).

Consequently, the expectation values for all three dimension are to be derived (estimated). External users may define an expectation value based on the blog type (marketing-blog, insider-blog, …).

Message central peripheral0 1098764321 5

Message central peripheral0 108

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Current Status

To make success visible, the current status needs to be evaluated. Transferred to the scroll bars, one receives the following picture for the Daimler-Blog:

Message central peripheral0 10

Expectation Current Status

98

Opinion critical uncritical0 1087

Networking high low0 1095

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Weighting

Depending on the type of blog, the dimensions may have varying effects on the blog‘s success. Therefore, a weighting mechanism is introduced.

For an insider-blog, one could base the evaluation on the following weights:

• Message 0,5

• Opinion 0,25

• Networking 0,25

For marketing-blogs the picture should look different, as e.g. the general opinion is more standardized while networking is the more important.

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Conclusion

If the derived values for expectation and current status are now set in relation and appropriately weighted, the picture for the Daimler-Blog looks as follows:

The weighted success value is 70.2%

Expectations have been met with 70.2%

Dimension Expectation Current Status

Success Factor

Weight Factor Success

Message 8 9 0.875 0.5 0.4375

Opinion 7 8 0.857 0.25 0.2143

Networking 5 9 0.2 0.25 0.05

Sum: 0.702

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Measuring Success for Corporate Blogs

Interpretation

Advantages• Because of the relative evaluation and the weighting all corporate

blogs (or their relative success) become comparable.

• Using defined standards for expectations and weighting (e.g. based on dimensions), the system may be used by outsiders.

Disadvantage• Subjectivity: the value definition is based on personal valuation.

• User opinion as ultimate indicator is not included (in addition to the concept-based approach a user-oriented approach is needed).