More on Blogging for Business

George Dixon of the Minneapolis-based virtual marketing agency KC Associates recently put together a concise but helpful summary of the pros and cons of business blogging titled To Blog, or Not to Blog. The conclusion is "yes," despite the fact that, as George points out, "there’s no real business model for turning corporate blogging into a tangible return on investment."

The article points out that business blogs can help build your brand, drive traffic to your Web site, and establish your company as a thought leader. Blogs may show up well in search engines, though I remain unconvinced at this point. (For a quick and easy check of how well your blog shows up on all of the most popular search engines, try a few key key phrases from your blog in this handy search position check tool from Mike's Marketing Tools.)

George also provides a number of sensible recommendations for business blogging success, including having a plan before you start; promoting your blog; establishing metrics; and, most helpfully, "Don’t expect miracles." Blogs can be a productive supplement to other marketing activities, but are not a replacement for PR, newsletters, and other communications.

The VantagePoint article library on the KCA site also contains a number of other practical postings, such as 5 Tips for Selling at Trade Shows, 7 Tips for Online Media Buys, and Top 10 Biggest PR Mistakes.

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Terms: virtual marketing agency, business blogging, corporate blogging, blog search position

The Internet marketing strategy portal: WebMarketCentral.com

Contact Tom Pick: tomATwebmarketcentral.com

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