Yesterday I wrote a thorough review of Google’s new blog specific search engine (http://blogsearch.google.com) and discussed it’s long-term impact on your marketing. I mentioned the impact this would have on the marketplace, but I didn’t have the room to expand on that.

Here’s why — if you’re a business owner serious about marketing with business blogs, podcasts, and RSS (and making them a permanent arm of your marketing plan) — you MUST appreciate the underlying market shift that this event shines a big fat spotlight on.

The launch of Google’s blog specific search engine is a long-anticipated development that’s expected to help propel blogging into the cultural mainstream. Over the past year or two blogs have gained more and more press. Initially noted for the ease at the average person with little/no technical knowledge could share opinions and information, the blogosphere now wields substantial power in the online world.

This is the same power that is allowing the blogosphere to break news before mainstream media. It’s the power that has allowed bloggers (highly educated people) to hold the mainstream media in check with something they sometimes conveniently forget — the facts. And it’s the same power small business owners can put to use in their marketing and relationship building with consumers.

Business blogging has now turned into a powerful marketing arm of small and large businesses alike. And podcasting along and RSS are not far behind in their ability to multiply your marketing efforts.

What we’ve been saying for over a year now here and on the Business Owner’s Blog is now just coming into reality. Business blogging allows the average small business owner to compete in the marketplace of the new millennium with corporate players on a level playing field. Mainly because business blogging allows marketers to put word-of-mouth on multi-media steroids.

There are a number of other indicators reinforcing what I’m laying out here, not the least of which is the documented growth and adoption curve proved out in every major technological and market advancement.

The five stages of market adoption

On the graph below you see the five stages of adoption and the related growth of a market related to that technology. It starts with the Innovators, moving to the Visionaries, then the Early Majority and Late Majority, and finally the Laggards. You can see how blogging is positioned to take off in the next 6-months or so, with podcasting and a full acceptance/integration of RSS into the daily lives of consumer not far behind.

As a proactive business owner interested in maximizing your marketing, you can’t afford to wait much longer.

You’re either going to make it easy on yourself and learn how to communicate with your target audience, market effectively with business blogs — or you’re going to be spending a lot of time, money, and effort trying to catch up to your competitors.

A few weeks ago Duncan Riley did an excellent job of analyzing the technology curve shown here in vivid and explanatory article over at Blog Herald. As Duncan lays out clearly in some cleverly crafted language — blogging is leaving the hands of “geeks” and “extroverts” (those who have a strong need to be heard) — and is now moving into mainstream.

And more recently respected business blogging expert Paul Chaney stated on his blog that the reason he was given for a Blogging For Dummies book not being released sooner was that it would be ahead of it’s time. Well that time has come. Paul states on his blog:

Wiley has now published Blogging for Dummies, authored by Brad Hill.

It was bound to happen. In fact, almost a year ago I asked Wiley why they had not done a blogging dummies book and was told it didn’t have enough audience appeal at that time. Now, it does.

Just two more examples to show that the marketplace is shifting and blogging is reaching more into the mainstream.

That means three important changes are going to take place in the next 6-9 months.

1. More “average” consumers will understand and be using blogs — to communicate, to get educated about options, and to find information.

2. More and more people will be searching specifically within the blogosphere for the most up to date info.

3. The mindset of the market will begin to shift once the first two changes get rolling. And that mindset shift will mean the average consumer will be looking for information, education, or exposure to your personality that you provide on YOUR business blog. And if it’s not there, your competitor who knows how to wield the full communication and marketing power of business blogs, podcasts, and RSS will hold a BIG advantage over you.

Business blogging is not a replacement for any other arm of your marketing plan. It’s only an extension and modification of those arms (as bionic as it may be.) Developing a solid business blogging strategy is quickly becoming less of a choice and more a requirement. Start generating some ideas for incorporating business blogging into your overall marketing strategy with the FREE e book “21 Ways To Boost Your Business With Business Blogs” which you can download from the upper left column of this blog.

Learn how to unleash the maximum marketing power of business blogs, podcasts, and RSS (in any industry, profession, or niche) with Marketing With Business Blogs.

John-Paul Micek is a published author and weekly columnist for the business section of the Honolulu Star Bulletin. He’s known as the “Click-and-Mortar Business Coach” by business owners around the world thanks to members of the Business Owners Coaching Club™.


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