Building and evaluating a customer value blog.

Organizations often use blogs as a promotional vehicle to create superior value for their stakeholders. While blogs are one of the most utilized digital marketing tools, there has been limited academic research and in-depth applications on how to successfully design and execute such initiatives. This article fills that gap by providing a sound and systematic approach for implementing and improving this marketing communications priority. The case study explains how to launch, assess, and enhance a customer value blog to inform and engage readers. Using blogging and customer value literature as well as qualitative and quantitative metrics, research and strategic marketing insights are offered. Data are presented and analyzed from the Customer Value blog on viewership, comments, popular topics, categories of interest, and usage by geography, technology, and traffic sources. Recommendations to generate strong content, adapt and promote the blog, and teaching ideas are offered. Students, marketers, and businesspersons gain real world knowledge on the latest customer value topics from thought leaders. The process described in this article is readily adaptable by marketing educators and businesses interested in creating a blog to strengthen relationships with their target audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]