Since the Yahoo! Search Blog launched in 2004, blogosphere growth has exploded and Yahoo!'s participation has kept pace. In 2005, Yahoo!'s influencer marketing team was formed to cultivate the conversation and raise awareness at Yahoo! about the value of effective blogging.

As blog evangelists and strategists, we identify influential and up-and-coming industry bloggers; track what they're saying; and report back to our business leaders. We develop relationships with leading bloggers, some of whom have become as powerful and widely read as their mainstream media counterparts. Yahoo's influencer marketing team works closely with our influencer agency of record, Voce Communications, on blog monitoring and strategic recommendations. Together, we provide tactical advice on a range of relevant issues -- from comment policy to community management to blog outreach for specific product launches.

As more and more groups within Yahoo! expressed interest in starting their own business blogs, we saw the need for a thoughtful company-wide conversation about blogging best practices. We wanted standards to ensure the Yahoo! brand was represented accurately and consistently on our public-facing blogs -- in a voice that rang true to our corporate values. We wanted to develop audience, community, and a genuine, respectful dialogue with our readers.

This year the team produced an internal blog guidelines document, developed in collaboration with a variety of internal stakeholders (representing marketing, corporate communications, legal, policy, editorial, etc.). We organized and hosted a training session for prospective bloggers. A team of presenters shared real stories from the blogging trenches. We created an internal wiki site that serves as a permanent repository for the presentations and related documents, and an internal mailing list where Yahoo! bloggers can answer each other's questions, share news and insights, exchange ideas, kvetch, and cross-promote. There's never been a better time to be a Yahoo! blogger.

Credit Information
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Client: Yahoo!
Agency: N/A
Budget: N/A
Date of Campaign: 2006