Blogging is the new journalism and offers a liberated and self-publishing medium for individuals and companies alike. However, the B2B world has been slow to catch on especially in the dog-eat-dog world of the SME. Blogs also have phenomenal influence on the search engines and can provide a quick method for bolstering site position, traffic levels and site awareness.

Many Impress clients seem reluctant to embrace blogging. Perhaps it is just due to ignorance of a medium that can have profound benefits for their company sites. Clients are rightly obsessed by search engine optimisation and seem to be willing to spend a small fortune on adding keywords, links and new content in a forlorn hope of getting a first page listing on Google. The SEO freaks will no doubt be throwing their arms in the air with rage when I state that, in my experience, adding a Blog to a company site has far more instant benefits than any of the established SEO techniques.

Justification for this statement is only borne out of experience. Impress manage countless websites and all our clients want a primary position on key terms. By their very nature, the most popular terms are inevitably the most generic and this is where a reality check is needed. With the volume of sites competing for front page position, not every company can achieve this goal no matter how much effort or money is spent on keywords or links. I Wish this were not true as I could make many of my clients very happy if adding a few keywords and links could put them near the top of the natural listings.

Switch back to the power of the blog. My last entry featured Kevin Roberts 'Lovemarks' phenomena and I was contacted by Kevin's PR within 24 hours of posting the blog. Remember that Kevin is the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi and probably one of the most controversial marketing figures on the planet. No marketing  medium in the world enables me to establish direct contact with such an individual in such a short timescale; I would never get through to him by phone, but the Blog prompted an instant response. The complimentary copy of his latest book duly arrived from the US a few weeks later and an email interview has been agreed once I have finished reading the book.

Cut to an Impress pitch for a new website on behalf of Bodyline Books, the world's leading supplier of Wisden's. Those who know me will be aware that I love cricket with a passion so I really do want to win this pitch more than most. On a visit to Bodyline's premises in Farnham, I was like a child in a sweet shop confronted by literally hundreds of Wisden's including a copy of the very first edition. The guys that run Bodyline Books are looking to rebuild their site and secure a front page listing on Google for the niche areas they specialise in. Without doubt, these guys are the worldwide authorities on Wisden's, cricket books and other areas of sports memorabilia. They have expert knowledge and information unique to their company and clientele. I have strongly advocated the introduction of a Blog to their new website and hope to the cricketing gods in the sky that I win this pitch.

The case is the same for many Impress clients who possess unique and inspirational information that will find resonance with key target markets. At no point am I suggesting that established SEO techniques should not be embraced, but if you really want to communicate online, join the Blogging revolution that represents yet another level in the evolution of the Internet.