Blogging for Business:
5 reasons why you should be
doing it
Roseanne Smith, Irish Internet
Association

Background
• Blogging since 2003
• Member of IIA Social Media
Working Group
• Blog for myself, IIA and other
group blogs
• Guest posts

Basics
• What is a blog?
• How big is blogging?
• Technorati tracking close to 4,000 blogs tagged
with “Ireland”
• 2007 ComReg, 14% of Internet users have created
or worked on their own blog.
• 15–24 year olds are the most frequent users of the
Internet as a creative community medium, and are
currently far more likely to actively engage
• 22% of Irish Internet users regularly read blogs
(Edelman, 2008).

• Published April 2008
• Surveyed Business Bloggers

Why do Irish Businesses
Blog?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
To present a more human face 79%
To build a community around a brand 75%
To provide expert advice in a sector 75%
To improve visibility in search engines 73%
To provide regular news & updates from
the business 64%
To manage reputation online 61%
Enable customers to provide feedback on
products and services 46%
To manage content 41%
Objectives of Business Blogging Activities

A more human face

Brand Community

Expert Advice
• EXPERT
• noun a person who
has special skill or
knowledge in some
particular field;
specialist;
authority:
• adjective
possessing special
skill or knowledge;
trained by
practice; skilful or
skilled (often fol.
by in or at):

Visibility

News & Updates

Measuring success
Measurements of the Success of
Businesses’ Blogging Activities
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Positive feedback from customers 73%
Positive comment in other media… 57%
Number of comments 52%
Number of links from other… 50%
Number of subscribers to our blog 50%
Unique visitors 48%
Ranking Google or Technorati etc. 43%
Number of discussions on other… 41%
Sales leads 39%
Sales revenue 21%

Thanks!
• Questions?
• roseanne@iia.ie
• www.iia.ie
• www.iia.ie/join
• Please rate my presentation:
– http://speakerrate.com/enormous