The marketplace is moving, speaking, and shifting in ways that small business owners could hardly have imagined just three or four short years ago. The rise of blogs has spawned a new desire for immediate news, information, and communication.

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project showed that blog readers were found to be young, well-educated, net-savvy men and women with good incomes and college educations. (Women and minorities actually had a greater than average growth in blog readership.)

That means the brightest and most technologically interactive are actively seeking valuable information that will improve their lives or better their businesses. With six million Americans now using RSS aggregators* and usage on a severe up swing the trend is likely to accelerate.

That’s good news for small business owners who are looking to create their own Click-and-Mortar Growth Strategy. The average entrepreneur can now become a syndicated author in a matter of hours. Using this new channel for communication properly can mean:

• A deeper relationship with prospects and clients
• More trust and rapport
• And with the right strategy — more profits!

The study showed that blog readership has shot up by 58% in the last year, with 32 million getting hooked in 2004.

• 5% use RSS aggregators to get news and other information
• 12% of online Americans have posted comments on blogs
• Only 38% of online Americans have heard about blogs

For small business owners who want a better way to communicate with prospects and build greater credibility, now is the time to act. Bloggers were selected as “People of the Year” by ABC News, and Merriam-Webster declared “blog” its “word of the year.”

And with the recent tragedy in India and the additional attention that’s focused on blogs and blogging — you can bet the rate of participation is going to accelerate.

Owners and entrepreneurs who move quickly, learn how to effectively blog for business, and gain valuable experience now can establish a solid foothold of credibility and respect before the “followers” and “doubters” begin to crowd the arena of blogging.

Take action now and learn how to use blogging as part of your Click-and-Mortar Growth Strategy. The first thing you can do is learn how to be on the recieving end of this powerful new technology. Start using an RSS aggregator now to learn how it all works.

*( RSS aggregators are downloaded to PCs and are programmed to subscribe to feeds from blogs, news sites and other websites. To learn how you can use an aggregator to get your information quickly delivered and organized to save you time and aggravation — watch the FREE videos in the side column.)

[Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4145191.stm]

Learn how business blogging can boost your web site traffic, build trust and
win you more clients, check out www.AdvancedBusinessBlogging.com.

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About the Author: John-Paul Micek and his partner Deborah Cole Micek are Business Growth Coaches. They help small business owners like you, achieve profit-doubling growth in one-third the time it would take to do on your own.

In just 12-months with your membership in the www.BusinessOwnersCoachingClub.com you can bridge the digital divide and transform your small business into a click-and-mortar powerhouse that delivers the profits, personal fulfillment, and free time you want.

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