Blogging is the latest innovation to take the web by storm. Business Week estimates there are currently nine million blogs with 40,000 more added every day. And currently, 27% of internet users are blog readers. In short, a lot of people are reading and writing blogs.

Yet despite their popularity, you may be one of those who doesn't really know what a blog is or what relevance blogging has to your business. This article will cover the basics of using blogging to deliver business results. First, we will define blogging and give real-world examples of successful business blogging. Then, we will look at the tools you need to develop your own blog.

What's a Blog and Why Should I Care?

There are almost as many definitions of "blog" as there are blogs themselves, but basically, blog is short for "web log," a frequently updated web-based journal that is intended for general public consumption. It looks similar to a regular website and is accessed in the same way, by typing the blog's URL into your web browser.

So what do people write about? Anything from personal stories (from the mundane to bizarre) to theme-centered creations (finance, politics, parenthood) to businesses (philosophies; updates; human interest) to...you name it!

While writing a personal blog can be fun, business blogging can be a powerful tool, allowing you to communicate with a significant number of consumers and achieve many of your business objectives. And best of all, these results can be delivered in a very cost-effective manner.

Scobleizer (http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/) is a blog written by Microsoft middle manager Robert Scoble. Scoble's openness and responsiveness to comments-both good and bad-have helped put a personal touch on a company that many previously saw as an evil empire. Not that the blog has changed everyone's perceptions, but it is giving a human face to Microsoft and softening its image a bit, something that will ultimately impact business results.

Here are some additional advantages for businesses that blog:

* Word-of-mouse. Because everything is electronic, it's easy for information to spread quickly. If you have a great new product, innovative idea, or exciting marketing effort, you can be sure that your readers will pass it along via email to others who will pass it along too. Soon, your marketing message has reached hundreds if not thousands or millions of people.

* Speed. If something goes wrong or if you have quick-breaking news, a blog can get the word (or your response) out immediately, quicker than any other form of media

* Awareness and loyalty. Purchasers of your product can read about it, post comments, and engage in discussion. You can respond. Others can comment. This personal communication and can create an open, honest, trust-building dialog that will make consumers more aware, willing to try, and loyal to your products.

* Feedback. Businesses can find out immediately what people think of their company, products, and ideas. This takes a thick skin as all feedback is not positive, but if a company is really willing to listen, this information can be invaluable. Better yet, feedback can happen quickly, over days if not hours. As such, a blog can be a never-ending focus group that gives a company great insights into consumers thoughts, likes, and actions.

* Community halo-effect. Overall, most bloggers are friendly, helpful (by linking to each other's sites), and are cooperative to make the blogosphere (i.e. the collective group of blogs) a better place. By simply being an active part of the culture, you get the benefit of the doubt, and your product becomes one that bloggers will consider purchasing.

How Blogs Can Deliver Business Results: A Case Study

Denali Flavors' (my employer) Moose Tracks ice cream is a top-seller and very popular with consumers who have tried it. Yet there is still a large percentage of the population that has never heard of the product. As such, one of Denali's business objectives is to generate awareness of Moose Tracks which would then lead to trial. Once tried, our experience showed that the product's taste would drive repeat business.

The company decided to accomplish this objective by creating a series of blogs aimed at different consumer groups. The blogs would link to the Moose Tracks website at www.moosetracks.com and be designed to funnel visitors to the site. This way, awareness of the product would happen naturally. In addition, the advertising/promotion costs would be low compared to a traditional media effort.

Denali developed the following four blogs to address various consumer interests:

* Moosetopia (www.moosetopia.com)-A fun "entertainment" blog written by the Moose Tracks moose. The blog reinforces the fun nature of the product and every post is an awareness-generating effort for the brand because of the author. (He doesn't even need to talk about the product!)

* Free Money Finance (www .free moneyfinance.com)-This blog deals with personal finance with a tagline of "free and simple advice on money and finance designed to maximize your net worth." As Denali's top-rated blog because of the popularity of the subject matter, this site is "sponsored by" Moose Tracks ice cream (which is positioned prominently in the top right-hand corner).

* Team Moose Tracks (www. teammoosetracks.com)-This blog details the efforts of Denali's cycling team to raise money for an orphanage in Latvia. It contains biking tips as well as details on the fundraising. This blog serves several purposes: 1) It gains brand exposure for Moose Tracks and links back to the main site; 2) It reflects positively on the company's (and the brand's) efforts to help a charity; and 3) It is raising a significant sum of money to help the orphanage (over $39,000 as of late May).

* Denali Flavors (www.denali-flavors.com)-Denali's most recent blog, it gives an inside glimpse at what goes on in the company. In the future, this site will serve to get comments and feedback directly from consumers on a wide range of topics.

As each site was developed, it was then marketed using guerrilla marketing tactics such as posting comments on other blogs (with links back to the original blog), trading links with other sites, asking other sites for referrals, and writing articles on sites that would link back to the blog. All of these drove traffic to the blogs which, in turn, drove traffic to the Moose Tracks site.

Since Denali's main objective is to drive people to the Moose Tracks website, we measure the impact of the blogs by the effects on the main site. To date, the blogs have helped Denali achieve the following results:

* Site visits up 18.1%

* Hits up 10.7%

* Total time on site up 26.5%

These are preliminary numbers and there's still a lot of work to do (including potentially launching additional blogs), however, the initial results are very positive. In addition, the costs are very low. Other than the time of our blogger, the company has spent less than $500.

Want to get in on the action? Take a look through the accompanying sidebars above and to the left for pointers on getting started.

Getting Started

Before you start blogging, review your main business objectives and determine if blogging could help achieve one or more of these goals. If it can, then you're ready to jump into blogging by doing the following:

1. Start reading blogs that teach about blogging. As you might imagine, there are several blogs dedicated to teaching people the do's and don'ts of blogging. Here are ones I recommend:

* ProBlogger (http://www.problogger.net/)-One of the best resources out there on how to become a great blogger.

* The Blog Herald (http://www.blogherald.com/)-News about blogging. Often links to information or to-dos that any blogger would need to know.

* Radiant Marketing Group (http://www.radiantmarketinggroup.com/)-Expertise on how blogs can be used by businesses.

* BlogWrite for CEO's (http://blogwrite.blogs.com/blogwrite/-Designed for higher-level executives, but still contains a lot of good, basic information for someone just starting (after all, many high-level executives are beginning bloggers).

* Denali Flavors (www.denaliflavors.com)-In this blog, I regularly post articles on blogging that I think are among the best available. It's an easy way for you to get educated on blogging without having to sort through all the articles that aren't worth your time.

2. Get the book Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies by Susannah Gardner. Though the title talks about marketing, this is really a complete "how to blog successfully" manual. I've read several books on blogging, and this one is by far the best. It will give you more specific details on everything I've covered in this article.

3. Read blogs that are consumer-based too. You can get a list of all the top blogs at www.truthlaidbear.com. This site tracks traffic for blogs that make stats available to the public. Certainly you should visit these top sites, but since so many of them are political blogs, you need to branch out a bit. Some of my favorites:

* J-Walk Blog (http://j-walkblog .com/)-Hodge-podge of interesting things on the web. Tag line is "Stuff that may or may not interest you." It usually interests me.

* PostSecret (http://postsecret. blogspot.com/)-People write their secrets on a postcard and send them in. You won't believe what they say. Very eye-opening.

* Blog Maverick (http://www.blogmaverick.com/)-Written by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. On any given day, he could say anything.

* Feminist Mormon Housewives (http://www.feministmormonhouse-wives. org/)-I think the name speaks for itself. I'm not Mormon, but I check this out regularly because it often has very funny takes on everyday life as a parent.

* Denali Flavors' top two consumer sites (www.moosetopia.com-written by the Moose Tracks moose; www.freemoneyfinance.com-covers personal finance issues)-How could I not recommend my own sites? Besides, they are written by my favorite author.

* Or, if you want to find your own, search Google for blogs with the topic you have in mind. Poke around the results a bit and you'll be sure to find several you like.

4. Start several test blogs almost right away. Start blogs about whatever interests you; your rose-growing hobby, your son's soccer training, news in your town, pro football. It really doesn't matter. Just try several blog systems to see what works for you. My suggestions: Blogger, www.blogger.com: it's totally free but has limited functions; TypePad, www.Typepad. com: it's what I use; great features and service; and BlogHarbor, www. BlogHarbor.com: also a great choice. It was a close second to TypePad for me. Personal preferences apply, and the only way to determine what you like is to try them.

5. Study blog design. I know nothing about design. Fortunately, blog services come with pre-designed templates. Still, you'll need an eye for color, placement, and web design. If you don't have this, find someone who does.

6. Select a topic. Obviously, the topic needs to tie back to your business objective and be developed to drive results against that objective.

7. Select a blogger and set policies. Decide who's going to blog and what they can and can't say. Parameters should be few and limit the blogger(s) only when it could harm the company (i.e. releasing confidential information). It's okay to be honest about not being "up to par" in every area of your business as long as the blogger isn't vindictive or demoralizing. Scoble at Microsoft admitting "we stink in this area" has endeared the company to people who thought Microsoft was a "know-it-all."

8. Begin blogging. Complete 20 posts (entries) or so before marketing. This gives you time to work out the kinks, mess with the design a bit, and look like you've been around for more than two days when someone stops by.

9. Start marketing. If you've read Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies, you have a list a mile long of great things you can do to market your blog.

10. Measure results. Whether it's traffic to your main website, customer satisfaction, trial rates, or awareness, it's important that you get a pre-blogging benchmark. Then regularly get data updates to see how you're doing.

11. Adjust as needed. Cover different topics, market in different ways, switch design a bit here and there and see what the reaction is. You'll quickly learn what does and doesn't work for you.