These days, corporate blogging is a great way to connect with your customers and participate in discussions about your products online, but do consumers trust them? Apparently not, according to a recent study conducted by Forrester Research.

The research indicates that only 16% of people who read corporate blogs trust them: the lowest percentage amongst various other mediums. The full breakdown can be seen below:

As you might expect, some of the most trusted sources are referrals from friends, and consumer product ratings/reviews.

So we know corporate blogs are important, but this research begs the question: How can you make your company blog more trustworthy?

• Blog to help your customers
  Instead of writing posts about the great new products your have to offer, give your readers some information that will help them. Some simple ways of doing this are posting free advice, DIY Tips and any other ways that will provide value to your customers without them having to buy anything.

• Blog about issues that impact your community
  If your users form a tight group that share a lot of interests, post updates on any news that may impact them, even if it’s not directly related to your business.
• Blog because you’re popular
  Corporate blogs are often more successful if written by popular business people or local celebrities. If you’re the well known face of a company, make a healthy contribution to the company blog because people will be more likely to listen.

Overall, the less pitchy, the more transparent and honest your blog is, the more people will trust it!

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 10:15 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

About the Author: Matt is a marketing professional at ineedhits.com, an international search marketing firm. Matt's passion for online marketing began at university and has proved invaluable in steering product development and marketing initiatives at the company. Matt is a regular contributor to the ineedhits search marketing blog.