First things first, I highly recommend Naked Conversations for this topic, although - as I previously mentioned - there are a host of other books on the subject (24,000 + and counting at amazon, keyword blog)…

So what do I mean by ‘enabling a conversation?’ In a general sense, we can use technology to move beyond simply ‘marketing at‘ an audience – with static and overly orchestrated messages - to enabling dialogue between business and customer. This gives both parties an opportunity to establish rapport, build trust, and maintain ongoing communication in a relatively personal, open, and transparent manner. As these conversations scale, we see the emergence of communities of practice, where parties who share common interests (from  experts to people needing experts) can connect and communicate through a number of different methods.

So why is a blog useful? while only one part of the technology equation, it provides a great starting point for any business because it gives you a platform from which to begin participating.  A blog provides the means to share and engage – and more importantly to be engaged. The public nature of a blog also lends itself to peer accountability and, subsequently if done well, credibility and authority. Consider text, audio, video, or a combination of all three to enhance how you share information and enhance the audience’s experience. There is no right way, however, so go with your comfort level. With a blog in place, you can develop your voice, hone your focus, and begin building out other channels of communication to reach your community.

To give you some ideas, here is one great example of a business blog…Winelibrary.com.  First, visit http://winelibrary.com which, for wine fans, is a solid e-commerce site. Browse around, take it in, and get a sense for what they sell. Now take a look at http://tv.winelibrary.com/ and reconsider the site as a whole.  Through Wine Library TV, Gary Vaynerchuck has dramatically enhanced his vistors’ experience by sharing his passion, and knowledge, of the wine world.

If you’re just now thinking about starting a blog, check out the following forbes.com page which rates a number of blogging services:
 http://www.forbes.com/bow/b2c/category.jhtml?id=311

For the next post, I’ll continue with a few thoughts on how to develop an audience-centric voice…