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Interesting report by Laura Ramos of Forrester Research – “Marketing’s Role in B2B Blogging”, where Ms. Ramos touts the potential of corporate blogging as a “promising communication medium” capable of

• Increasing influence. Last year, 57% of business and IT professionals responding to a blog impact study rated blogs equally or more credible than information found in news outlets, industry publications, vendor white papers, analyst reports, and industry or professional associations.1 B2B bloggers understand that blog readership — and their ability to influence decision-makers — is on the rise (see Figure 1). So they create company blogs to build thought leadership and influence press, analysts, and investors.
• Creating new customer connections. Darren Wesemann, CTO for SunGard Financial Systems, explained how blogging allows him to influence not only prospects but also new contacts for current customers. Mr. Wesemann’s blog opens up issues for shared discussion and helps him synchronize SunGard’s architecture with that of its customers and service their needs better. This work paid off when one of his readers recently asked SunGard via the blog to submit a bid on a new system the customer had out for tender.
• Paying off big on a relatively minor investment. Blogging is dirt cheap compared with the cost of advertising, PR, and other mainstream marketing tactics. Moreover, B2B bloggers report that blogs can build trust, fuel publicity and word of mouth, and improve corporate intelligence. While short-term results are insubstantial, bloggers feel that blogs will improve brand perception, create more sales opportunities, and propagate new ideas in the long run.

She goes on to note that very few corporations have made the commitment to business blogging – “only 29 of the Fortune 500 show clear evidence of public-facing, business-oriented blogs”. Among the few firms which have adopted business blogging, the majority are still in the earliest stages. In fact, of the 16 blogs Forrester evaluated not one passed their usability tests. Specifically Forrester’s evaluators felt that the blogs

• Lack visibility as a company communications channel
• Favor technology and technical subjects but lack organization
• Struggle to sustain the conversation
• Can’t provide conclusive evidence of blog value
• Want consumer intimacy but don’t often get it

Clearly the most fundamental reason that corporate blogs are so underdeveloped is that they are still in their infancy, and over time organizations will add the usability and design features necessary to make them a useful marketing tool.

However, in order for corporate blogs to reach their true potential they will need to provide functionality beyond good layout and usability. The real power of the blog is its ability to engage an audience in multi-way interactive conversations and create an engaged online community.

Quality content must be easy to find verses the more common, less interesting content, in order for new users to become regular readers and ultimately active contributors. Readers should be able to evaluate, track and influence content without having to necessarily create it.

Blog contributors should be incentivized and rewarded for quality contributions. They should be given the opportunity to build a portable community reputation which will carry with them wherever they choose across the entire web.