Blogs, Chats and Forums - What's the Difference?

Establishing effective two-way communications with customers is one of the hardest things that any business can do. This is especially true of small companies that cannot afford to dedicate personnel to managing those communications. Blogs, chats, and forums can be some of the most effective ways of establishing communications from your web site, but they also have their own "dangers" that can cause them to backfire if not used.

So what are blogs, chats and forums? And what is the difference between them?

Blogs:
Blogs are one of the most useful ways of getting information out to customers. However, blogs are not limited to spreading information on just the current products or services. Effective blogs also give customers ideas of how they can use your products. Think about a paint company that is trying to market hundreds of different colors of paint. A blog might explain how a customer can choose the color that is right for them, or how to mix different colors to get the exact shade they need. Blog visitors often make comments (both positive and negative) about what you say.

One of the biggest dangers about hosting your own blog is if you do not have the time to make consistent updates to the articles in those blogs. It is almost better to have no blog at all then to have a blog where the last entry in it was three months ago. The second biggest danger of having your blog is monitoring the comments that others make on your blog. We will discuss more about this in a later article.

In short, a blog is a way for you to send out a message to your customers, and solicit their opinions on the topics that you yourself have chosen. It is also the most efficient method of establishing basic two-way communications with your clients.

Forums:
Forums are very similar to blogs in that you can disseminate information to customers, and in turn, they can provide their input. The major difference between a blog and a forum is that while the blog owner controls the discussions in a blog, nearly anyone can start a new topic in a forum. The dangers of forums are similar to those of a blog, but over time, forums can be a much more effective tool for communicating with customers and potential clients.

The hardest part of starting a forum is just that... starting the forum. As the forum creator, you need to be very active in starting new topics, eliciting the help of some of your customers in answering those same topics, and trying to establish a community of posters that will keep your forums active and dynamic.

Chats:
When you embed chat into your web site, you are providing a quick and convenient method for customers to contact you. There are many types of instant chat software available ranging from Skype, MS Messenger, Yahoo, et al. Chat normally takes place through typing messages back and forth in a shared dialog box; however, some companies are taking this to the next level by enabling instant voice and/or video chat.

While implementing chat is not that difficult, it can also be the most burdensome form of communications for a small company. The two largest problems that you can face with implementing chat are first, if a customer attempts to contact your business and nobody is available; and second, if you have too many people attempting to contact you at the same time.

The first problem is self-explanatory. A customer calls, and nobody answers. The second is almost counter intuitive. Too many customers call, and there are not enough people to intelligently handle all the communications. While getting too many calls is a very good indication that your company is growing, not being able to efficiently handle those calls can leave a very bad impression on these customers (or potential customers). These clients may then put your company into that dreaded classification of "Poor customer response".

Summary:
These three forms of two-way communication can all benefit your small business in establishing your place on the internet. However, they also have their own hidden dangers that could make them an albatross around your neck if poorly planned or implemented. It is best to consider carefully how you can manage these tools before you open them up to public scrutiny.