Blogging Continues to Advance As a Proven Business Strategy

The evidence continues to pile up proving that blogging is a strong, effective business strategy.  Thanks to the Search Engine Guide blog, I was directed to a study conducted by eMarketer.com.  Needless to say, but the numbers are staggering – on both sides of the blog.  The projected increase in blog writers and more importantly readers, adds to the validity of blogging as a business marketing strategy.

If your customers are going to be increasingly reading blogs and writing blogs themselves, how much longer can your business afford to not take part in online conversations that are happening around your company and your industry?

I most certainly echo Mack’s opinion here (from SEGuide).  If the number of readers and writers is only going to increase – no business owner can afford to idly stand by!  Here’s a break down of eMarketer’s stats:

Source: eMarketer, April 2009

Source: eMarketer, April 2009

96.6 million blog readers in 2009.  That’s a compelling stat – coming in just shy of HALF of all internet users in the United States!  Every business owner should consider the implications of not blogging.  Missed conversational opportunities (reputation management).  Missed customer opportunities.  Missed SEO rankings/traffic opportunities.

Blogging activity presents new opportunities for marketers to monitor and influence conversations relevant to their businesses…

Of course, no business should blindly jump into the “blogging game.”  To find success with business blogging, care needs to be taken in assessing the competitive landscape, types of content currently being written (as to set yourself apart) and how to integrate your blog with SEO, social media initiatives and your overall marketing objectives.  But when implemented properly, a business blog can quickly become one of your biggest online marketing assetts (and will continue to grow into the future!).