Erlene LeBorgne, owner of Rosemont Floral in Portland, Maine, wanted to find a less formal  way to communicate to customers about what's new at her shop and in the industry, so in February 2006, she started a blog, or a Web journal.

"It humanizes you," LeBorgne explains.

After receiving feedback from customers as far away as Florida, LeBorgne started another blog on her site dedicated specifically to weddings.

Though LeBorgne says it's hard to gauge specifically how many new customers she has gained since starting the two blogs, she is certain that it has driven more people to her Web site and thus increased her customer base.

LeBorgne isn't alone. The Wall Street Journal reported in August, that small business owners are increasingly turning to blogs as a marketing tool to drive more people to their Web site, post information and solicit customer feedback.

For example, Allison Nazarian, founder and president of Get It In Writing Inc., a small marketing copywriting firm in Boca Raton, Fla., told the Wall Street Journal, the company draws as many as 150,000 unique visitors a month to its site, as compared to the 100 they received before starting a blog in 2006.

"A blog can help you ... establish your credibility and expertise, and that is what encourages people to click and buy," says Debbie Weil, an author and corporate blogging consultant in Washington, D.C., in the Wall Street Journal article.

However, Weil also warns that it can take time before you start seeing results and "it's a fallacy to think you blog, and you sell."

To learn more about keeping tabs of the blogosphere, setting one up, ideas for content and tips for maintaining a blog presence, check out the Plugged In column in the upcoming October issue of Floral Management.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

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