Today Forrester released a new report covering the ROI of blogging for companies. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about the content of the report except for the executive summary and a few things that I’ve read on other blogs. According to Steve Rubel, “the most frequently mentioned benefits of corporate blogging were: greater brand visibility in mainstream media on the Web, word of mouth, improved brand perception, instantaneous consumer feedback, increased sales efficiency and fewer ‘customer service-driven PR blowups.’” The executive summary of the report states:

Many large companies stand on the brink of blogging, yet they are unwilling to take the plunge. Others, having dove in early, now face the challenge of managing existing blogs without the ability to show that they effectively support business goals. While blogging’s value can’t be measured precisely, marketers will find that calculating the ROI is easier than it looks. Following a three-step process, marketers can create a concrete picture of the key benefits, costs, and risks that blogging presents and understand how they are likely to impact business goals. This, in turn, enables marketers to answer the key questions, such as whether to blog or not to blog, or to make smart choices about an existing blog.
Great job Forrester, you have successfully whetted my appetite. Now all I need to pay is a mere $379. Damn. Just from the executive summary, I can predict an increased demand for blogs in the corporate world (as if there isn’t already). Get ready Movable Type and Wordpress masters, you are going to be in high demand!