Five Reasons to Blog in the Age of Social Media

Blogs have become noteworthy. The popularity of blogs like The Huffington Post, Mashable, and even Perez Hilton's entertainment site are arguably accounting for the steady decline in newspaper circulation. Also, with the discontinuation of book review sections in newspapers, readers are turning to blogs like Dear Author and SciFi Guy for updates on favorite genres and authors. Lately when social network users check friends' feeds, ultimately one will find links to news from the blogs.

Blogs are more accessible. Because of the evergreen nature of the blog - fresh content arriving daily, sometimes several times a day - the search engines take notice. More points are awarded to blogs as opposed to static sites in terms of relevancy and content. SEO remains an important element of an online entrepreneur's success, and the key to that success is content. Blogging the content increases your chances of being found by customers and clients.

Blogs can be integrated. With RSS functionality, your blog can be aggregated into feed readers and social network profiles, and with special tools one can arrange to blog and have the information parsed to Twitter, Facebook, and other sites. Online marketing has never been easier.

Blogs are mobile. With the increase of smart phone usage there comes an increase of website views. These days people can check blogs on the go for updates on travel, politics, and dining.

Blogs build trust. The more you write on the topics you know, the more you add to your reputation. The more articles you post, the more your blog is apt to show in search, and the more readers are likely to find you.

So if you have considered chucking the blog in favor of Twitter, you may wish to rethink your strategy. While Twitter usage is hot right now, blogs are solid and built to last. What you post now will stay for years to come and help new customers discover you and your business.