CHAPTER 15Attracting and Nurturing Blog Contributors

AT&T, the technology and communications giant, had a problem. How would it move its venerable brand into the digital age and connect with customers on the social web? The answer, the company found, was through its passionate employees.

A key element of the company’s transformation has been deputizing employees to lead the charge. In 2011, AT&T introduced the idea of a “business network” of company bloggers writing about all the things that they loved best—technology, customers, service. This type of firsthand experience and expertise simply couldn’t come from an ad agency or PR department. It had to come from the people who were actually touching the customers every day.

The marketing department ...

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