1. Look, blogs are becoming a legitimate part of corporate communications.

Blogging is easier, faster and more conversational than traditional web publishing.

Your blog becomes part of an emerging interactive tools kit that some people call WEB2.0. Do some searching on this topic—your efforts will be rewarded.

You’ll discover statistics like these: blog readers visit nearly twice as many web pages as the average Internet user, and they’re more likely to shop online. Write consistently interesting material for your blog, and this highly Internet-savvy readership will keep coming back daily to see what you have to say.

Blogs present a valued human face and voice to your (growing) public. They create a new informal communications channel to your board and investors. They’re a form of strategic PR that raises your brand’s or your company’s relevancy. And they allow you to take the valued role of the evangelist—a great position to hold.

As a “thought leader journalist”, you’ll be considered a peer by the professional press—and you’ll get broader ink. Interesting blogs that focus on specific topics get noticed and build loyal audiences!

You can sell product directly on your blog, if it’s got e-commerce capabilities.

Moreover, blog entries are short. They’re easy for you to write—and for your customers to read.

A "thought leader" is a person who is recognized among his or her peers for innovative ideas—and who demonstrates the confidence to promote those ideas. A distinguishing characteristic of a thought leader is the recognition from the outside world that the company he or she leads deeply understands its business, the needs of its customers, and the broader marketplace in which it operates.

Assuming the mantle of "thought leader" enhances your value—period, and blogging is the core tool to broadcast your status in this role. At What If What Next™, we’ve devised a proprietary ROI tool for our WIWNlog™ offering (see the left-hand column of this blog for details) to justify blog investment as a legitimate component of a marketing communications budget. Ask us about it.

Over the next week, I’ll be presenting my five reasons for blogging. Stay tuned!