Courtesy Printing Wiki

Blogging has lead the paradigm shift and evolution in communications away from an environment dominated by the print and electronic medias, of newspapers-magazines-radio-television, to an open “architecture of participation” online.  Businesses and companies that ignore this shift should consider the following 10 Reasons Businesses Must Blog:

10 Reasons Businesses Must Blog

1. Publishing Platform: a blog is the writing platform to begin creating content about your products, services, business, and business culture
2. Control: blogging allows businesses the opportunity to control their own information about their expertise, experience, and brand
3. Delivery: blogs are delivery systems for a company’s content. The url for articles can be delivered to prospective consumers, clients, or strategically targeted audiences within a social network
4. Networking: a blog allows key employees to meet other industry professionals or consumers, it allows networking through the comment section, and it provides a forum to recognize industry association partnerships
5. New Skills: by adopting blogging, key company employees  begin to learn about Web 2.0, social networks, blog software, delivering links, and how the new paradigm shift of information is being formulated everyday
6. Perception: businesses that blog are perceived as being more savvy, as more progressive due to the perception that social media-blogging is a cutting edge progressive activity, and more relevant to their audience of consumers for providing a direct channel of communication and participation
7. Visibility: blogging provides businesses with more visibility as a blog is “open” 24 hours a day, 7 days per week
8. Reputation Management: blogging provides a tool for companies to deliver messages that can correct or challenge erroneous information about them online
9. Due Diligence: when consumers or clients perform due diligence on a business, the first place they begin is with a Google search of that company. The fact remains that consumers searching for any bad behavior or information that might signal the company is unfit as a service provider
10. Research: blogging requires research. Research requires skills in searching and finding information online which is a new skill for many employees. Research opens the door to finding and understanding the conversations and buzz that surrounds a company or brand. This is a vital piece to a business connecting with their audience online