Why small business owners should operate a blog

2/27/2011

When it comes to connecting with consumers and generating awareness, many small business owners prefer to use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. However, as Stacie Tamaki, a writer for BlogHer, recently observed, blogs may be more effective for this goal.

This is because sites such as Facebook are closed off to non-members. Consumers have to sign up to Facebook to read a company's content on the social network. Blogs, however, are easily accessible to anyone on the internet, making them more effective for reaching a wide audience.

"My own experience tells me that Facebook offers a limited audience and Twitter is too limited in the amount of information I can post," Tamaki explains. "Which isn't to say you shouldn't have and use both - I have and use both. I'm just saying don't use them as your primary marketing medium. They play supportive roles to my blog."

As a recent report from eMarketer suggests, nearly half of American consumers don't currently own a Facebook account. This means that as many as half of prospective buyers are unable to see the content that businesses post to the social network.