TechBiz Connection put together a great panel on Wednesday evening in Orange County titled eMarketing - which path to take? The two hour session covered all aspects and possibilties. Most speakers were focused on online advertising in some way. I was the lone panelist talking about online press releases, blogs and RSS feeds. Judging by the audience response the event was a real success. 2004 may have been labeled The Year of the Blog, but this summer has seen a proliferation of corporate blog and internet marketing events. And according to keyword research tools, searches on blog and related phrases have spiked sharply since April. Perhaps blogging is finally crossing that 'too new and scary' barrier and is becoming a serious contender for inclusion in a marketing plan. One of the speakers brought to light the fact that in the last year marketing dollars have been funneled into online branding efforts. This is the place a blog shines best. It's is a long term brand builder - not an immediate gratification lead generator. Blogs are good for - building relationships and community
- getting into the conversation
- Putting a human face on the company, making it more real to your public
- building thought leadership
- increasing your online visibility and search presence
All of this will increase your brand awareness and value and drive traffic to your website. If that website is built to convert the traffic ,it will bring you leads. But it is a two-step process. | 
