Blogs offer huge marketing potential. They are highly strategic tools that can strengthen relationships, share knowledge, increase collaboration, and improve branding. Besides, blogs can represent the real voice of the website.

A weblog can take the form of a diary, a news service (or summaries of and links to current news items on a topic), a collection of links to other Web sites, a series of book reviews or products, reports of activity on a project, the journal of an expedition, and much more. Businesses can use this tool to effectively advertise their products or services.

One of the most interesting ways to use a weblog is by allowing it to function as a discussion forum for customers of your products or services. In this case, the webmaster can give posting rights to other people - visitors and customers, and their posts may or may not be reviewed before they are published to the Web page. Customers, in such a way can post favorable comments about the websites offerings. Some weblogs are set up in such a way that only the owner or the owner and certain other people have posting rights, but anyone else can add comments to the posts.

Weblogs when used with newsletters present immense marketing opportunities:

-Articles within newsletters can be linked to a blog, extending life and creating a massive conversation.

-You can offer a bidirectional forum to customers to get true, personal opinions on your products and services.

-Company experts can start a blog and become industry experts, helping your company edge out competition and, through this interactive forum, draw customers into another exchange of information and thoughts.

-The beauty of this interplay is you can layer your blog with editorial controls.

Adapting Blog Concepts to Your Newsletters

Blogs as discussed earlier fit very well with newsletter strategies. A blog is not intended to replace your newsletter. Its purpose is to extend and complement a newsletter strategy, serving customers and prospects in a way that extends your expertise and leadership in the marketplace.

A blog communication is four or five sentences of direct, informative content about a specific issue or bit of news. Think of b-blog content as marketing to inform and educate. Besides, blogs are ongoing. The flow of communication builds a knowledge-sharing platform among a community of like-minded people. Soon, an extensive base of information will develop that becomes important not only to your company but also to the faithful readers who contribute to it.

Another advantage of blogs is that they can serve the purpose of FAQs through newsletters. Blogs can be automatically archived by age in days, weeks, or months. And they're searchable, allowing readers to easily retrieve the information they need, when they need it.

However, creating an effective blog requires careful planning. Blogs should present as much information as possible while representing the voice of your website. Here are a few guidelines on how to plan and create a blog to go along with your newsletter.

-Like all good communication vehicles, you want to establish goals and objectives. Define your audience, what its needs are, and how best to meet those needs.

-Find someone who can step into the role of pundit, who's willing to be the host. Keep in mind that over time, your blog will develop a personality. Look for a thought leader who's just waiting to be unleashed and empowered.

-Search thoroughly for the right kind of tool to develop the Blog. There are tools developed everyday. Look for ones that serve your purpose.

-Before you officially launch your blog, plan topics that will start the initial discussion. Your readers and customers may be shy about being first to share, so ensure that you or your publisher posts information as needed to get an exchange going. You'll want to include an easy way for readers to respond to the content on your blog.

-Use your newsletter to announce and promote the blog. Offer to email it to subscribers or provide the option, through an icon or link, to visit the blog directly.

-Blog functionality should have the same analytical capabilities as a newsletter. So as with your newsletter, make sure you know who reads what, when, and where.

-You'll want to periodically check in on discussions and see if they flow the way you anticipated and if they meet your goals. If not, as with any newsletter strategy, you may need to refine your approach, depending on the feedback and analysis you receive.