By: Jeff Wuorio | Source: microsoft.com

No, blogs aren’t for everyone. But see how they can accomplish these five basic business objectives.

1. Expose a new or little-known product or idea.

For Grant Smith, blogging makes a world of sense on a number of levels. Smith operates FirstStream, a Santa Cruz, Calif., provider of streaming video e-mail and related video communications products. Since many prospective clients might know precious little about video e-mail, Smith says his blog is a natural way to lay out specifics.

“I began blogging to get established in the technology,” Smith says. “It can have a positive impact for business. Readers are always looking for more ways to find out information about companies and for ways to interact.”

That, in turn, can lead to a more informed customer and a more time-effective sales process. Rather than your taking the time to pitch your product or service to a client who may not need it, a blog supplants you as an information source. If a prospect contacts you with an urge to do business, great. If not, you’ve wasted no time in explaining something that generates nothing in return.

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