10 reasons why companies must blog

Blogging for communications with customers :

1. Blogs are interactive: In many cases, marketing is a monologue
2. Blogs are humanizing: It can be honest and credible, most blogs are written in one strong, opinionated voice
3. Blogs are inexpensive: In most cases, a blog's only cost is for the value of the time and talent required to create and maintain it.
4. Blogs are immediate: A blog lets you draw out invaluable feedback.
5. Blogs are infectious: Like any good viral marketing campaign — even offline, traditional publications — won't hesitate to pick up an interesting post and republish it.
6. Blogs are empowering: Gallup survey that people in advertising was very low rank for their honesty and ethics.
7. Blogs are enjoyable: A pleasure for both author and audience.
8. Blogs are authoritative: Ideally, your blog will provide readers with plenty of fresh, premium content they can't find anywhere else.
9. Blogs are valuable: A blog is tailor-made for storing and managing intellectual capital.
10. Blogs are popular: Last year, “blog� topped Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 most looked-up words. And blogs received wide acclaim in The New York Times Magazine's recent “Year in Ideas� issue. From this evidence, it would seem that blogs are here to stay.

Bob Cargill is an independent creative director and copywriter.