Interview With BL Ochman Of What’s Next

whatsnextblog is BL Ochman’s blog about Internet strategy, marketing, public relations, politics with news and commentary; and part of whatsnextonline.com, BL’s Internet marketing strategy and business blog consultancy that helps companies like IBM and Ford drive more traffic to their websites.

Hello BL. Tell me about yourself and what you blog is about.

I do internet strategy consulting – that includes blogging. I’ve been doing this since 95. Basically, I show clients how to make money online.

And before that?

I used to work in PR, I ran an agency for 15 years. Then in the 90s I got seduced by the internet, took time off and retooled myself.

So, what’s your site about?

The b l og is about internet marketing mixed with a little politics and trends. My website is about my Internet marketing business and has a library of my articles over the past 10 years.

I sometimes get the impression What’s Next is a PR blog…

The blog is not about PR. I”m a recovering publicist. I cover PR as part of marketing, but I don’t focus on PR. It’s about internet marketing. There are bloggers with greater PR focus such as Steve Rubel.

What drives you to write a blog?

It’s the community that has been created amongst bloggers. I have created new relationships with new friends that have refreshing ideas that are ahead of the curve. In fact, it’s the first time in my career that I feel I am truly a journalist.

I also do get a good number of sales for my reports through the web. And , because people get to know you through your content, they get to like you and then they hire you.

My recent experience with Business Week was a remarkable example of the power of blogging. I was misquoted in a story and I used my blog and theirs to complain about it. WIthin a matter of hours the reporter posted an apology, changed the story online, and promised to include a correction in the next print edition.

You get quite a few readers. Why do people visit your site?

People use it for news and information. They also use it for my commentary – there’s something to be said about having 30 years experience and the perspective that comes with it.

Soon, I’m going to launch daily newsletters – it’s important to give people information in the way they want it – in RSS, on the blog or via email.

So what do you advise your clients about blogging?

I tell them that blogs are a wonderful tool – but they’re no the be all and end all. Blog software has changed the scene – we now have these wonderful tools that give people with no tehcnical skills or html knowledge 100% control over Internet publishing. You can update anything in an instant, you can control the look and feel of the blog with templates or style sheets .

Can you tell me some great examples of brands that use blogs?

Stonyfield Farms http://www.stonyfield.com/weblog/ – you get a sense of their company, learn about the cows, see that they’re listening to customer’s worries, ideas for kids lunches. Also Jones Soda – current, community, kids have their own blog. And the Nokia lifeblog is simply brilliant.

Blogs allow brands to join the conversation with their customers. There is a lot of vigilante journalism out there. Brands must get involved and understand the roots behind the classic “your product sucks.”

So how do your fellow PR professionals retool? Is there a course?

No. You have to go on line and ask the questions. You have to understand where your brand fits in.

If there’s one point they should remember: the same old bullshit brands have been generating for years isn’t going to be accepted anymore.