Why is Blogging Important?

To Blog or not to Blog?

That seems to be the question I am getting a lot these day from executives that are trying to allocate budgets and people resources. Face it, a blog takes time, time that is hard to find when you are wearing several different hats. Believe me, I know. I struggle to find extra time in my schedule to blog.

But a recent study conducted by George Washington University and Cision suggests that a corporate blog is becoming as important as a corporate web site.

The study found that nearly nine out of ten journalists (89%) say they use blogs for online research. Only corporate websites (96%) are cited by more journalists as a source of online information. WOW!

However, the study also showed that 84% of journalists believe that news and information delivered by social media, including blogs, is less reliable than information delivered by traditional media. Lack of fact-checking, verification, or reporting standards was cited as the number one reason for their skepticism. No surprise here!

As a result, according to the survey, most journalists turn to public relations professionals for assistance in their primary research. Editors and reporters surveyed said they depend on PR professionals for “interviews and access to sources and experts”, “answers to questions and targeted information”, and “perspective, information in context, and background information”.

So here are the top reasons why you should blog:

• Blogs give you a platform to convey information that may not be newsworthy to the industry at the moment, but may be important and/or relevant at another time.
• Corporate web sites and blogs are the top two online destinations that journalists use to gather information.
• Blogs provide a platform for your opinions and unique perspective. It provides a medium for thought leadership without external filtering.
• Blogs help with search engine optimization.

So, if you are not blogging, you really should reconsider your communications strategy. It is becoming as important as your website.