With the death of Heath Ledger last week celebrity blogs are becoming more and more the way that people are finding the latest news and speculations about their idols. TMZ had a running commentary of all the latest news on his death and other celebrity news and gossip blogs such as Perez Hilton and The Superficial continue to give their own unique opinions on celebrity happenings.

Quite a few good posts recently (last week and a half or so) I found worthwhile that I thought I’d mention:

Laura Ries wrote about Tiger Woods and his shrinking endorsement portfolio due to Tiger not being able to relate to brand’s target markets. Poor Tiger. Somebody get that man some food stamps!

Rob Frankel had an interesting post about how CEO’s get paid to fail and it’s happening right now at Chrysler.

Martin Lindstrom over at Branding Strategy Insider had an interesting experience at the supermarket where he was persuaded to buy a certain brand of toothpaste.

John Bell from Digital Influence Mapping Project found it interesting that brands are creating their own social networks.

That’s all folks. We’ll be back Monday with some more news, thoughts, and insights. Have a good weekend.

People often come to me and ask whether a blog would be right for their business.  While they are certainly not right for every online enterprise they are certainly transforming the way that many people are doing business. They have changed the ways that both internal and external communications are handled in corporations. They help to give your audience an insight into the true nature of your business by opening a window through which they can interact. It builds relationships and communicates your corporate values. If done with passion and creativity this can enhance all aspects of your business.

What does this growth in blogging mean for your business? It means that you should give serious consideration to adding a blog to your business. You should also consider whether a blog would fit in with your business objectives. Because of the different tactics that blogs can be used for, you may want to weigh up the options as to what benefits it can offer you and your business.

Increase your Web Presence
If you have an established online business you can add another vehicle to communicate your message and pass information on to your clients. Because blogs continually have new content they are indexed regularly by the search engines. It is another way to get your name and your products out into the search engine space.

Interact with Customers
Your blog can be used to build stronger ties with your customer base. The opportunity to exchange information and expertise is one of the main reasons that explain why corporate blogs have grown in popularity in recent years. Corporations have recognized their customers are using blogs to self publish their opinions about products and services. This has led to customers getting actively involved in business situations such as product development.

Branding Tool
Use your blog as a branding tool for your business. It’s an effective way to get your brand message out there. Your brand represents an exchange of ideas between you and your audience. It is a relationship. Brands exist in the mind of your customer therefore brands that aren’t in touch with their customers miss out on innovation opportunities.

Corporate Communications
You can use your blog to speak directly with the media. There has been an ongoing debate as to whether blogs should replace the press release as the main corporate communications vehicle.

Business Marketing
Blogs are being utilized more and more as a business marketing tool. And this is creeping into more and more business areas. Word of mouth advertising and independent testimonials are two major benefits of running a marketing focused blog. This is a great alternative to advertising. Blogs can also attract and develop a regular audience for your message and foster an atmosphere of trust.

A blog does require a commitment from you. Remember that writing and maintaining a blog takes time. You should really have an interest in writing and communicating with your readers. A blog also requires an injection of personality and passion.