The Wall Street Journal gives a good overview on the success that a variety of businesses have achieved via business blogging. And as expected, the assessments are all positive.

Blog Marketing Successes

A forensic accounting expert never had one case come her way via the company website. Her inclusion of blog marketing brought her the search engine visibility she had been lacking.

“Before the blog, Ms. Coenen says, “I don’t think I ever had a case that came to me because of my Web site.” She says she currently handles about 20 cases a year, and six have come from the blog since it launched. She adds that each case generates revenue ranging from $5,000 to $25,000.”

Ty’s Toy Box Inc used a slightly different tactic to gain traffic by exchanging links and debating industry topics with another toy industry expert blogger.

“Ms. Melberg says the links help boost a company’s search-engines ranking because blogs recommended by external sources rank higher than ones without link referrals.

According to Mr. Stolpe, Ty’s Toy Box pays a free-lance writer to maintain its blog and says the total cost for it is “a very minimal amount.” He says while he can’t quantify the blog’s role in the near-triple-digit average growth in sales every year since its start, he has no doubt it has played an important part.”

London tailor Thomas Mahon’s blog, English Cut, has abandoned a static website completely.

“Before launching his blog in late 2005, Mr. Mahon, who employs five subcontracted tailors, says he landed all client accounts through word-of-mouth — even though he had a Web site, which he has since abandoned. Now he gets twice as many referrals and has had to limit the number of suits he can produce a year to about 150. Previously, he made between 50 and 60 suits a year.”

Blog Marketing Give Small Businesses a Big Edge

These folks are not Proctor & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson. These are medium to small size businesses and entrepreneurs who have profited greatly by utilizing their specific approach to blog marketing. The effectiveness of the medium will continue to grow, bringing small businesses exposure they never could have obtained without a hefty budget prior to Web 2.0. A more even playing field is a very good thing.

(Source: Wall Street Journal)