Quite a few companies seem to be blogging without knowing why. My educated guess is that they thought a blog format slapped onto a marketing program would help their marketing messages fly in under the radar. Those that understand how people use social media also understand why they’re blogging: Markets are conversations, and blogs are one of the things that allow us to connect directly with the market.

Sometimes companies lose sight of that. Blogging is a lot of fun and it’s invigorating to see people reacting to a just-published post. What you’re really doing is cultivating conversation by encouraging both reader and blogger to listen to one another and engage in meaningful dialogue.

Never lose sight of this and you’ll keep your blogging program on track for success.