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This has to be one of the most important modules of all in terms of maximizing the commerce potential of your web site.

Blogging makes sense from a marketing perspective. You’ll be leveraging the shift from outbound to inbound marketing and interacting with your customers in new ways.

A blog lets you meet your customers more directly than sending out brochures or an email campaign. It changes your website from a brochure that most people look at once to something that people interact with and come back to.

Most companies on the internet generate leads via trade shows, seminars, emails to rented lists, telemarketing and general advertising. This is what’s known as ‘outbound marketing’  where the message is ‘pushed’ to the market.

The problem now is that most of your market is flooded with this type of marketing technique and is becoming blind to it, and even blocking it out if possible. It’s also cheaper for the market to shop for products and services online rather than fly somewhere to a tradeshow or seminar. It’s estimated that 90% of marketing efforts are devoted to this type of marketing.

‘Inbound marketing’ on the other hand is where you increase your online visibility and are ‘found’ by people looking for you online. In order to do this you must have a blog either as your main web site, as a directory on your web site or attached to it. The remaining 10% of marketing efforts fall into this category.

Your main web site acts like a brochure however a blog acts like a hub or meeting place that attracts visitors through search engines, social media sites and other blogs. It allows your market to interact with you. It provides a platform for fresh content and news which both your visitor and the search engines love.

The 90/10 ratio mentioned previously should in fact be the reverse and one of the best ways to do this is via a blog.

You must have both a blog and a web site, either separate or combined, if you are to compete on the internet.