They’re the hottest thing on the Internet and everyone in the information world is talking about them.  Over 9 million blogs reside on the Internet, according to Business Week, and 40,000 new ones pop up every day.  Should you add blogs to your marketing tool kit? Let’s take a look at some blog basics to help you decide.

What is a blog?  Short for web log, a blog is a website where users – known as bloggers – can post entries. Blogs are popular for political opinion, news commentary and for airing opinions on any subject the blogger chooses.  The website NJ.com, for example, links to a variety of blogs including “Jersey HS Boys Hoops”, “Pittstown Front Porch” and others such as the “Bad Hair Blog”, “Parkway Rest Stop” and “Shorechick”.

Bloggers read postings and comment by adding their own entries, creating online conversations. While some blogs can read like monologues with just a sprinkling of comments, others often spark discussions and lively online arguments amongst many bloggers.

Why are businesses using blogs?  Although only 4 percent of major US corporations now employ blogs for marketing, communications or advertising, use of this technology is growing. Corporations including General Motors, Google, and Starbucks have recently created blogs to listen, learn and respond to interactions created among participants.

Small businesses are getting in on the act too. From NJ.com, I linked to “Freakgirl”, a quirky blog for “Making the world safe for cocktails, television and hello kitty”.

Roaming around the site, I clicked on a “Hire me” link and landed at a site for Somerset, NJ, based House of Mud Enterprises. This website and Internet consulting firm uses Freakgirl to drive traffic to their business site.

What does it take to create a blog?  Many of the blogs I visited were created and maintained in Google’s Blogger. A free service, Blogger allows a user to create an account and blog name, choose a template and start blogging almost right away with no technical expertise. Once you’re set up, posting content can take just a few minutes a day. Other blog hosts include BlogSpot, eBloggy, LiveJournal, and Xanga.

How can blogs help (or hurt) your business? Bloggers read posts, comment and link from one page to another, and in doing so they engage in a global conversation, according to Business Week.  Monitor the right blogs and they can help you track what people are saying in your industry about your company, products, and rivals. 

Create your own blog, link to others, and you become a more authoritative voice in the conversation.  In either case, you are gaining crucial and timely intelligence to shape your marketing program.

Though there are millions of sites in the blogosphere, it is possible to monitor in real-time only the blogs that interest you. Web-based services such as Technorati.com track over 10 million web logs and let you create free, customized watch lists to track blogs.  In addition to blog monitoring, PubSub.com allows you to receive press releases from leading wire services based on keywords you select. This allows you to track key suppliers, competitors and customers in your industry.

Should you blog? Blogging is evolving as a marketing tool, and now is the time for you to start learning more about it. It can help you create a sense of community among your clients, gain valuable marketing intelligence, and stay in front of industry trends.

Industries are adopting blogging at differing rates based on how techno-savvy they tend to be.  If your industry tends to be an early adopter of technology, then you’ll want to be in the lead by starting your own blog now.

This column originally appeared in the June 2005 edition of Union County Voice Magazine.

Ms. Kasprzak, principal of Advantage Marketing & Associates, is a certified management consultant who specializes in helping B2B clients connect with their customers to achieve greater sales revenues. She can be reached at LKasprzak@advantage-marketing.com or 908.233.6265.

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