Blogs have existed for more than 10 years and have become respectable news outlets, vehicles of change within organizations and communications tools for product announcements and updates. They also provide an opportunity to humanize a company to its market.
Every year the powerful blog search engine Technorati publishes a “State of the Blogosphere” that surveys bloggers of all backgrounds for information and trends about the state of the blogging affairs. The latest report has compelling data on the growing impact of business blogging. In fact, Technorati has tracked more than 133 million blogs, an indication by itself that blogging’s impact is not about to diminish anytime soon.
In the State of the Blogosphere, Technorati found that:
- 71% of bloggers are blogging to speak their minds
- 72% of bloggers want to share their expertise
- 61% of bloggers do so to make money or for business purposes
- 53% of professional bloggers aim to attract new clients
Almost all bloggers have found that blogs have made them better known in their industry as a result of maintaining and updating their blogs.The argument for blogging is all around us. We may know a blogger or two. We may know a dozen or a hundred bloggers. And among those we know, we find that many are doing so for business purposes. Whether it is the hobbyist who just wants to make a few cents off Google AdSense or the enterprise social media company that has elected to launch a blog to showcase its expertise in expansive applications, blogging is an affordable way for individuals and companies alike to become a respected voice in an increasingly competitive online environment.
What do blogs do for your business? Like all other means of social media promotion, blogs can:
- Establish thought leadership, which is especially evident by the findings of the Technorati State of the Blogosphere report.
- Increase traffic to websites, since bloggers can optimize for keywords using search engine optimization techniques that will help customers find the business or product that they need.
- Help build links to corporate web sites, which will help people find your business in online searches.
- Build brand awareness, which gets your business known globally or wherever you are looking to be found.
Blogs have done something else too. In the last few years, we’ve seen companies take blogs to make businesses human again. Giving blogs a human face – which should almost be a prerequisite for blogs (an avatar and personal stories are highly encouraged!) – allows readers know that they’re doing business with someone they trust: people like them.
With the right content and approach toward your readership, businesses can develop strong links that will help them build a solid reputation and foundation online. As content is consistently produced and comments are consistently reviewed and/or responded to, businesses are bound to find new readers who will check the site frequently for updates, get new search traffic, and establish visibility in their industry.
