The Business of Blogging

Aren't blogs part of this "social networking" fad for younger people, simply journaling to each other online about what's going on in their lives? As a professional who has been employed in the business sector for over twenty years that is exactly what I thought social networking was all about. Boy was I wrong.

This January I had the privilege of attending the Internet Retailer Conference in Miami, Florida. Read more about how it changed my perspective on social networking, and blogs in particular, after the break.

At the Internet Retailer Conference, I attended a session presented by Dayna Bateman, Senior Strategic Analyst, for Fry Inc. and Adam Silverman, Director of E-Commerce at Wet Seal. The title of their workshop was “Leveraging Social Technologies Strategically in Your Site Design.” It was an epiphany for me! Retailers are using social networking tools to build communities of customers that reach beyond immediate sales. Customers talking to each other online about why they like a certain lawn mower, how easy it is to find just the right toy at FatBrainToys.com, etc. Businesses are using social networking to build customer loyalty, brand awareness, repeat business…old concepts just being presented in a different fashion.

On the trip back from Miami I pulled out the January 2009 issue of the airline magazine “World Traveler,” and sure enough there on the table of contents in big bold black letters was an article written by Michael Copeland titled “Taking Care of Business - Social Networking Sites Aren’t For Kids Anymore.” The article discussed that the fastest growing audience of Facebook is people over the age of 25. Socializing is just part of what happens on these sites. Increasingly, professionals have found they can conduct business through these resources as well.

After I returned work and spoke with Sitepro customers about blogging I came to realize that part of the hesitation business people have when being approached to add a blog to their website is the term “social networking.” They have the same reaction to the term that I once did, that social networking is something younger generations use to talk about their social lives, not something businesses can use to communicate with their market base. The truth is, blogging and social networking are powerful tools businesses can use to have conversations with their customers, and allow those customers to talk to each other, strengthening their connections to and feelings about the company and its products.

Now, we’re talking business!