For anyone who questions the pervasiveness and business value of blogs in the marketplace today, the New York Times Small Business section has some stories worth reading. Marci Alboher describes some exciting successes several entrepreneurs have achieved as a result of their blogging ambitions in her article “Blogging Your Way into a Business.” From people who began writing and ended up with a profitable business to savvy entrepreneurs who saw blogging as a way to build a marketplace, the article describes another way the Internet is building communities of consumers. I believe the blogging lesson for established businesses is that new customers can be found and won through creative, true and valuable blog content.

In the U.S., more and more people are turning to their computers first when they need something—to get the weather, to get directions, to look for entertainment possibilities, to shop, to travel, to find medical information, to find love, to find friends. Businesses that can be reliable, creative, entertaining and honest providers of information through smart, regular blog content can build a readership (an audience) and eventually increase their consumer base.

One mistake many business blogs make today is that they are writing what they know, but they are not writing what potential consumers are interested in or hungry for. A successful, sticky blog requires careful content analysis. If you are looking to share valuable knowledge with consumers, make sure it’s knowledge they need right now. Does it speak to their current needs and challenges or are you speaking only to issues you/your business leaders find of greatest interest?

What is great about blogging is that success can be quickly analyzed. Readership numbers, whether they are growing or stagnating, will quickly tell you whether a blog is capturing an audience. Blog readers and Internet users are infamous for passing on information and article links when they find them of value. If your blog is striking chords, it will grow by reader-to-reader sharing and not just through your blog marketing efforts.

As a business works to develop its blogging capabilities, it’s important to pay attention to all the cues audience members send. If you are getting feedback from readers and the number of readers is growing, you are on to something. If you are writing into a void with little audience response, it’s time to analyze your content and what your audience wants.

Read some of today’s most successful business and marketplace blogs to gather ideas. To get you started here is a global ranking of the 50 Best Business Blogs from The Times. And be sure to take a lesson from successful blog entrepreneurs. Get to know your audience early and well. They will be your best gauge for how to write and develop blog content.

Sarah Schunk
Senior Writer
ClearEdge Marketing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Business & Marketing Strategy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.