Small Business Blogging?

Ben McConnell from the well-read Church of the Customer marketing blog lists seven reasons a small business should blog. To summarize McConnell, blogs are beneficial because they:

1. Allow bloggers to "humanize" an organization
2. Function as an instant-feedback mechanism
3. Enable information sharing
4. Facilitate the spread of buzz
5. Enable simultaneous conversations
6. Offer any attractive online presence if existing web sites are lacking
7. Position the blogger/company as industry experts

These points all seem true, in general, but businesses must deal in specifics, and not all small businesses (and their markets) are built the same. First, because blogging requires time and writing skills, not all small businesses are well suited to the task. Plus, bloggers need a reason to blog. According to author Aliza Sherman Risdahl, "it can be challenging to find a legitimate reason for blogging unless the sector served has a steep learning curve (like wine), a lifestyle associated with certain products or service (like camping gear or pet products) or a social mission (like improving the environment or donating a portion of revenues to charity)."

Because of that, entrepreneur and blogger Guy Kawasaki says that not all small businesses need blogs: "If you’re a clothing manufacturer or a restaurant, blogging is probably not as high on your list as making good food or good clothes."

According to Risdahl, consultants are good candidates for blogs: “They are experts in their fields and are in the business of telling people what to do...As a consultant, blogging clearly helps you get hired. If you are selling a product, you have to be much more creative because people don’t want to read a commercial."