Clicks 'n Conversions Blog

When you consider that Technorati already tracks nearly 11,000 technology blogs, you can’t help but wonder if there is room in the blogosphere for another blogger. Besides, Twitter is all the rage, so why not create a following by tweeting out a few 140-character messages?

The answer is simple: IT buyers don’t hang out on Twitter, at least that’s the message from 1,685 IT professionals surveyed for TechTarget’s 2009 Media Consumption Report.

Where do they turn for information when searching for an IT solution? Blogs.

Contrary to popular belief though, “WordPress or Blogger” isn’t the only decision a new blogger needs to make. To attract the desired audience and keep the blog going long-term, you’ll need to start thinking and acting like a publisher. Here are seven critical questions to help you assess whether your company is ready for the blogosphere.

Blogger readiness assessment question #1: Why do you want to start a blog?
If you’re feeling pressured into a blog because your competitor has one, or because you want more website traffic or higher SEO rankings, you’re not ready for a blog.

Of course, all of these are fine secondary motives -– especially when you consider that the average technology blog garners 41% of its page views from search engines –- but these reasons alone will not help you when you are staring at a blank screen at 11pm, or when there is “other business” that needs your attention. When forced to prioritize, you can be sure the blog will always lose.

While an individual blogger’s motivations may vary, the one thing that all corporate bloggers agree you need to be successful is passion. This alone will keep you personally interested and excited long after the newness of the blog wears off, and it is what will attract readers to you.

If you’re running a business, you most certainly have passion already. Your goal is to articulate that passion and channel it into your blog.

I’ll continue my readiness questionnaire on March 2nd, which should give you plenty of time to mull over this first question.

In the meantime, if you haven’t taken my grammar survey yet, please take one minute now to complete it. It’s just five questions long and your answers will provide valuable insight into how writing errors influence buyer behavior.

Follow this link to start the survey:
http://bit.ly/6yXttb.

Thanks in advance for your help and opinions!

Sue Anderson-Lenz
Marketing Lure, Inc.