Should a Small Business have a Blog?

Blogs are becoming more popular on the internet

EMarketer is forecasting that by 2013, 58% of the U.S. internet population will be reading blogs (a 20% increase from today).  Additionally, EMarketer also forecasted that 17% of the U.S. Internet population will be blogging by 2013 which is almost 30% more than the current number.

The US News & World Report quotes a study of 1,210 small businesses with fewer than 100 employees:

“While celebrities and the under 25-year-old population are flocking to Twitter, small business owners are just realizing the full potential of blogging. Use of blogs for specific business purposes more than doubled in the last 12 months, and 40% of small business owners now use this medium in their business.”

Many business owners read blogs and maybe some even participate by commenting, but even less have active blogs that they maintain on a regular basis.  When it comes to blogging, Jakob Neilson’s 1-9-90 rule applies.  90% of online users are referred to as “lurkers” because they visit online communities such as blogs, but they don’t contribute anything.  9% are individuals who contribute from time to time, and only 1% are active contributors.

This gives any small business owner a great advantage to get ahead competition.  If only 1% of online users actively post on a blog, but 90% will read a blog, this gives the 1% a lot of influence and power.

Imprezzio Marketing has worked with small business owners to help them maintain blogs.  For the businesses we’ve worked with, we know that maintaining a blog can result in very qualified leads from customers who are interested in the product that you write about.  For more information on Small Business blogs, please contact one of our representatives at 1-866-430-0457.