The Internet and Social Media are part and parcel of our lives. As a business this presents opportunities and potential risks. How can a business keep up with it all? Facebook, Twitter, 100's of social networking sites, FriendFeed - you name it, everyone is saying you should be there, on it - or with it.

If you're not making use of social media, you're missing business opportunities. Because your potential customers are using social media and social networking. It's not about social media tools... it's about taking an active role in social media interaction. One of the best ways to do this is with a blog

But isn't blogging dead?

Hardly. Blogging is very much alive - regardless of predictions everyone would stop blogging and tweet instead. Maybe some have. However while tweets disappear into the 140-character ether, blogging endures. That, of course, can be a double-edged sword, but the good, in my opinion still outweighs the downside.

If you have a business you should consider business blogging.

Here are 9 reasons why.

Your business needs traffic, whether this is foot traffic in to your store or visitors to your site online. A great blog generates and retains traffic and keeps people coming back. You can also grow a loyal community.

2. Blogging helps you inform and educate your visitors

The currency of the Internet is simple. It's information. In a social media world the growth of information has exploded - because there are now more ways to generate and share that information. If you can play a part in informing and educating your visitors, you can position your company as the go-to resource for people who are researching before they buy. Make your blog unbiased (yes it is possible) and trusted resource and the rewards are great.

3. Blogging gives you insights into your customers' minds.

You can find out what they need, what their problems are, what challenges they are having. You can use polls, surveys and a whole host of tools to be more interactive about your market research. Make it worth their while and your customers and prospects will make it worth yours. If you are a savvy business you will steal a march on your non-blogging competition by shaping your offerings to what your customers are asking for. Can you do that with a website?

See the full article http://nickyjameson.com/2009/10/16/9-reasons-to-blog-for-business/

Nicky Jameson,
Member of ADVBOUCLE's Marketing Consultants Network