Peter Korchnak and I met online after he invited me to post on his blog last week. Peter is new to blogging and is doing a great job himself of Planting Seeds to make new relationships. His presence here is proof of that. Here’s his post:

One of the most frequent questions people have been asking me since I started my Sustainable Marketing Blog is, “Do I need a blog?” Usually what follows is variations of, “Everybody tells me I need to do it, so should I?”

Reports abound about social media becoming mainstream. It seems only customers have reached the tipping point. Many nonprofits and businesses, particularly small ones, remain in the dark. I’ve been to social media workshops where the expert presenter’s points go right over audience members’ heads, leaving them with more questions than they came with. Yet I’m already hearing social media enthusiasts pronounce the death of LinkedIn and blogs.

My standard answer to questions about blogging is, “It depends.” The answer disappoints, and I follow up with questions of my own: “Does building a community around your brand fit your marketing strategy?” and “What are your marketing objectives?”

What I often get is even more bewilderment. Leaving aside the peculiar fact that many organizations don’t have a marketing strategy to begin with, social media seems to be regarded as the new cure-all, rather than a range of tactics. True to its nature, social media has created an awesome buzz about itself.

Venturing on the social media path without a marketing strategy is like putting the proverbial cart before the horse, and riding without a map and without knowing the destination. There is a difference between following the herd just for the sake of doing what everyone else is doing, and doing something that is strategically used and brings good returns.

A truly widespread adoption of social media will require a cultural change among businesses and nonprofits. Metaphorically speaking, it will be a shift from immediate gratification of packaged foods to long-term sustainability of growing our own food. That’s why I think conceptualizing it in terms of Planting Seeds is so helpful.

Under right conditions, a seed germinates, grows into a plant, then flowers and produces seeds, which can then be planted and yield even more seeds. The seeds require long-term, patient attention to thrive and yield their bounty, but they eventually take a life of their own and reward our care with flowers and fruits and new seeds.

The same goes for social media, indeed total online presence. Know what you want - a field cultivated with your brand and tended to by your brand community. Listen to conversations out there to figure out the right places to plant and the right tools to use. Participate in communities, consistently and with perseverance, and watch the seeds of engagement blossom and bear fruit. Replant the new seeds and repeat.

Presented this way, blogs and other social media tools may no longer be thought of as a quick marketing fix, but rather as a sustainable marketing lifestyle.

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To learn more about Peter, connect with him here:

• Sustainable Marketing Blog
• Semiosis Communications
• Blog Catalog
• Delicious
• Flickr
• LinkedIn
• Slideshare
• Upcoming

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As you may know, there’s an open invitation to write your own guest post over on PlantingSeeds.ca. Just visit the site, look for the “Be My Guest” section along the top navigation menu and enter your post. As long as it’s on topic in your own way - that’s just short of saying, “Anything goes” really - I’ll post it. Also, if you add your networks along the bottom of your post (with links), I’ll happily point people in your direction.

Remember, I may own the URL, but I’m striving to make this site yours as much as it is mine. If you want to see any content highlighted here - videos, slide presentations, links or, your thoughts - please feel free to let me know and we’ll make sure you can easily plant seeds right here. The floor is yours!

Tags: Be My Guest, Blog, Blogging, Guest Post, Mark Goren, Peter Korchnak, Planting Seeds, Planting Seeds online, PlantingSeeds.ca, Semiosis Communications, Social Media, Sustainable Marketing Blog