Blog Post: The Blogosphere: Leveraging the Power of Blogs

By Tom Trush - Impact Magazine, April 2007

With tens of millions of individual blogs online, how do you know if this latest form of online communication is beneficial for your business?

If you desire an honest and open dialog with your customers (and potential customers), but don’t have the time to do it conversationally, a blog just might be your ideal solution.

For proof, look no further than corporate giants such as Marriott International Hotels, General Motors and General Electric to see how blogs are viewed by leaders at some of the nation’s largest companies.

“Executives of major corporations are writing little stories every few days about what’s going on in the company and what kind of projects they’re working on, which provides a level of corporate transparency that we’ve never seen before,” said Jason Baer, founder and senior director of Mighty Interactive, an Internet marketing agency in Tempe.

While many people are used to getting information from outlets such as television, radio or newspapers, blogs are quickly gaining popularity as a source for insider knowledge and opinions. Also, instead of writing press releases and sending them to media outlets with hopes of getting picked up, that information can be posted unfiltered and directly to the public via a blog.

From a promotional perspective, a blog also allows any business executive to take a leading position as a thought leader within an industry segment. According to Baer, this reason is why Mighty Interactive created a blog highlighting the trends that are transforming the marketing and advertising industries.

The blog averages 5,000-7,000 monthly views.

“In the grand scheme of things, that’s not a huge number … but I can’t make 7,000 phone calls and I can’t even send 7,000 e-mails,” Baer said.

One blog bonus, Baer added, is higher search engine ranking. The more times readers create a link back to your blog, the better chance that site will see higher search engine placement.

“If you’re a company that relies significantly on search engine traffic to generate sales or add revenue, that shouldn’t be overlooked as a reason to do this,” Baer remarked.

Before worrying about the technical details of starting a blog, Baer recommends first deciding what information of value you want to disseminate. Once determined, the technical aspect of creating a blog is as simple as visiting a publishing service such as Blogspot. (You can also purchase software that allows you to post a blog on your Web site.)

Once your blog template is designed, you simply visit a Web page, login in as the author, write your material and press a button.

“It requires literally no technical knowledge, unlike most things online,” Baer added. “If you can send an e-mail, you can start a blog.”

In addition to registering with a blog search engine such as Technorati, Baer recommends promoting your blog at every “touch point” with the general population, including your e-mail signature, Web site, product packaging, signs and on-hold messages.

Link now: Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce

Get Connected: Mighty Interactive