Forrester Research report identifies blog strengths for marketers

by Alex Donohue Brand Republic 12-Feb-07, 08:00

LONDON - A report issued by Forrester Research has identified a three-step process that it says will help companies create successful corporate blogs that will increase brand visibility, customer insight and sales generation.

The study, which is called The ROI of Blogging: The Why and How of External Blogging Accountability, was developed by Forrester Research analysts Charlene Li and Chloe Stromberg, with the aim of outlining a three-step process for marketers wanting to create successful corporate blogs.

Forrester Research said that from the companies and individuals canvassed, the most common benefits identified for corporate blogs were increased brand visibility; savings from customer insights; reduced impact from negative user-generated content; and increased sales efficiency.

Li and Stromberg said in the report: "As blogging becomes more visible -- and expensive in terms of both time and money -- supporting blogging with informal budgets and borrowed resources just won't cut it.

"Instead, marketers need to understand how and why blogging will affect their particular business, and calculating the ROI of blogging is the process by which marketers can obtain this understanding."

Li has also included a separate analysis on corporate blogging on her own blog, which discusses the difficulties of quantifying a blog's success rate, and how following a three-step plan can increase a company blog's chances of generating a positive response.

The full report can be obtained direct from Forrester Research.