If you don’t know what people are saying about your company, you may be at a disadvantage. What’s one way to find out? Blogs.

The blog is a phenomenon that has truly changed the way people communicate on the Internet. Some blogs, like this one, simply disseminate useful information. Some blogs are personal and include pictures from the last family picnic. But some blogs foster public opinion and can spread information about your company faster than the speed of light. And it’s quite difficult to change perceptions once the information is out there for the world to see.

Monitoring blogs and blog forums, therefore, is an essential marketing task. As well, participating in the right blogs can go a long way in creating the best customer experience.

Here are several steps you can take:
1) Determine your monitoring goals: Get started by staying focused on one area. When you become more adept, you can grow your monitoring objectives.
2) Pick two or three keywords from your web site: Determine the keywords and tags used on your web site. Ask your tech person if you don’t know, or go to www.iwebtool.com/metatags_extractor to find out what keywords your web site uses to position itself. Nothing there? That’s another problem you’ll need to fix.
3) Set up a daily Google Alert: This useful little tool will send you an email every time your product or brand name is mentioned.
4) Visit www.BlogPulse.com, offering a free conversation tracker and other cool components that lets you learn more about a particular blogger if that person is indexed.
5) Visit www.BoardTracker.com for a tool that allows you to search through discussion boards and forums for free.

Blog monitoring is only the first step in a series of moves designed to help you engage with your customers. By paying attention to what is being said about your company and participating in community discussions, you have the opportunity to create a positive atmosphere, and provide the kind of holistic customer experience today’s savvy customers seek.