The web log, or blog, was popularized by individuals who wanted to share their personal thoughts with a wider audience. It was a sort of online diary, that became popular in the 1990s. Today, more and more businesses are are blogging; they are tapping into the power of the New Internet, sometimes called Web 2.0.

A good customer recently asked me what would a blog-o-site do for us? I had recently suggested it to her as a nice compliment to her existing, well-prepared traditionally printed newsletters. Here’s how I answered her question:

There are many benefits to a blog-o-site:

For one, no further need to send a copy of your latest newsletter via e-mail with attachments, which are becoming more and more of a taboo. But over and above that:

A blog-o-site can be updated at will, so the content is fresh. You and your marketing team can easily add stylish content in a timely fashion.

A blog-o-site is a different paradigm than a traditional website; it’s more of an online community, a place to exchange ideas and interact.

Business blogs are a separate marketing tool, which will increase your exposure to a larger audience. Well constructed blog-o-sites are optimized to be highly compatible with Google and other major search engines.

The newest and freshest articles are visible right on the home page, archived articles are also searchable and accessible. Readers are motivated to visit your blog-o-site more often than on a traditional site.

Business blog-o-sites can come with tools that gives you a lot of information about who is reading your site, even the specific articles they are reading. In fact you can even see the words they type into a search engine to reach your site. This is a great way of understanding your customers’ and prospects’ behavior.

Finally, blogs are a very cost-effective solution. They are relatively simple to construct and maintain at a lower cost than a traditional web presence.

As you can probably tell, I’m enthusiastic about using blogs for business and organizations. I think it’s the direction that marketing is headed; I want our clients to have access to its benefits. I’m currently hosting almost a dozen different blogs for clients ranging from a massage therapist to a children’s theater workshop.

Do you have a business related blog? Please write to tell us about it! Whether you’re a plumber or a psychotherapist, I’d be willing to bet there’s a blog somewhere in your future too!