Jeff,
Totally agree with your view – blog is your homebase where you anchor your great content and use social medias such as twitter as outposts. HubSpot, an Internet marketing company has recently released some data on the effectiveness of blogging for small and medium businesses. HubSpot’s data point suggests that blogging (vs. not blogging) offers 3 clear advantages for SMBs:
1. More visitors (+55%)
2. More inbound links (+97%)
3. More indexed pages (+434%)
My post on the topic of blog effectiveness: http://bit.ly/8G9n7n
Thank you for your insight.

Jeff -

While a blog is a great tool for businesses, I would not put that as the corner stone of your social media presence. Instead the hub should be your company’s home page and you also should spend the most time in the areas where your customers are.

For example if you have happy or angry customers talking on Twitter about you, what good does being a thought leader go for? Connecting with them at their favorite location. A great example of this is the Ford Motor Company who doesn’t use a blog at all but rather uses FB and Twitter as their communication platform. The same can be said about Facebook where there are countless opportunities to link and advertise to customers on their platform.

These two spots are effective tools to drive traffic back to your blog, but are worth considering using as additional tools to send content to your site.

Hi Jeff
Yes, Ford don’t have a blog but their Ford Story website allows for a similiar functionality by allowing stories and conversations.
I wrote recently on Fords and GM’s use of social media in 3 posts which generated some great comments form the Heads of social media both at Ford and GM. Check the posts and the comments out.
“The 7 Secrets to Ford’s Social Media Marketing Success” http://bit.ly/culpiL and
“Who Is Winning At Social Media Marketing: Ford or General Motors?” http://ow.ly/1fBZn
“General Motors Gets Into Gear With A Social Media Competition” http://ow.ly/1fEaF
GM’s approach has been very Blog centric but that appears to be changing into a similar approach to Ford ands it’s Fiesta Movement.

Thanks for the comment
Cheers

I’ve been spending a lot of time researching the art of storytelling online and I think that’s another one of those top reasons why blogging before Twitter works. You want to make sure that someone has a place to go to learn more about you. 140 characters can be so limited sometimes.

I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree.

I understand your point that the blog gives you something to reference in venues like Twitter, but microblogging is a great way to ease those fearful of full-on blogging into direct conversations with their customers. It quickly teaches them that social media is two-way, without forcing them to take a large amount of time away from their other duties try to write a full-length blog post.

Agree. It’s important to be out there, engaged in many conversations; it’s vital to have your own place where you set the agenda, articulate your vision in more than 140 characters, and give your brand a solid baseline to start building relationships on.

I don’t think there’s any point getting on Twitter unless you have a blog (or Facebook Page) where you can engage.

Microblogs are fabulous for brand-monitoring, quick responses, and customer care, but you would still want to direct tweeps to your blog.

E.g. say someone is critiquing your brand on Twitter, it’s good to help them. But even better to step in and direct them to a page on your blog where you have a FAQ with cogent support.

Twitter is fabulous but make it an integral part of your online content marketing strategy. Your blog should be your hub.

Blogging is a complicated topic. Not everyone should be a writer and this pressure to blog with the expectation that it’s going to turn your business into a goldmine is counterproductive. It is my opinion that if you are a decent to good writer, have something useful, amusing or important to say and know the basics of storytelling then a blog gives potential clients and customers a place to find out about you and what you have to offer them. Outside of nuts & bolts business owners, like plumbers, consumers regularly cyber-spy on us and create commonalities long before they make contact. A well-written blog facilitates that, yet a poorly written blog can have the opposite effect.
What I am seeing a lot of these days is an over-communication about either nothing or the same old stuff. Constant biz-spam touting the prowess of the social media guru with a feel-good quote thrown in every ten tweets. Your video took 3 minutes and said only one thing which could have been said in one sentence. Did I learn anything? No. Did I become engaged in your story? No because there was no story. I wish all of this “gotta blog/gotta tweet/ increase your online presence” hype would revisit Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. VIGOROUS WRITING IS CONCISE.

To me, blogging is about content, information, service, and connection.
Too many people write to sell and don’t engage into the reader’s demand.
If the headline reeks of “sales” people often won’t read past it, and if the information presented is poorly written, I don’t think that it helps to write more. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes, reading a blog is an adventure. I don’t often get that feeling but if I do, I remember why I started blogging in the first place.

I Tweet about my thoughts and suddenly inspiration hits me and I read something I must blog about and I won’t stop until it’s posted. I like when that happens.

What I like about WordPress is that it synchs with FB & LinkedIn and Twitter. I just post on my blog and it automatically updates my social media accounts connected to it.

Saves a lot of time.

Now I just need to wrap my tech-goddess brain around the way in which I can get my new cam to talk to my laptop so I can Vlog.

Any thoughts?

Where to start. Twitter feed or blog? Been hearing people argue both cases recently http://bit.ly/7JNXa4 No one answer IMHO

Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter « Jeffbullas's Blog: http://bit.ly/7afeeG

Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter « Jeffbullas's Blog http://bit.ly/9C2gVp Blogging.alltop

Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter « Jeffbullas's Blog http://bit.ly/7afeeG

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RT @jeffbullas: Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4

RT @jeffbullas: Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4

RT @jeffbullas: Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4

RT @jeffbullas The corporate blog should be the cornerstone to your social media strategy http://bit.ly/7JNXa4

One day ill have a blog…RT @jeffbullas Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4

Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4 (via @jeffbullas)

RT @TDefren: Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4 (via @jeffbullas)

My blogging activity led to my use of Twitter RT @TDefren: Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4 (via @jeffbullas)

I was on Twitter before I blogged: RT @TDefren Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4 (via @jeffbullas cc @Mikinzie)

Interesting! RT @TDefren: Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4 (via @jeffbullas)

Sometimes you need to run before you walk. RT @TDefren – Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4 (via @jeffbullas)

Don't necessarily agree. RT @TDefren: Why You Should Blog Before you Twitter http://bit.ly/7JNXa4 (via @jeffbullas)

Should you blog before you twitter? http://bit.ly/d2ZC2S

I agree with Laura. For the uninitiated my advice is to jump into Twitter and start following people. Plenty of exposure to blogs this way and you get a good sense of what blogs are and how they work. And if you can summon the energy and time to write your own then you’ll have had good training!

I am afraid my experience is different Jeff

I started with Twitter to listen and learn and now have recently joined the conversation with my own blog to share and engage.

My Twitter friends have given me so much in terms of great content. I share that primarily as most of my tweeting is RTs of other peoples blogs and content.

I see my new blog as my contribution platform – where I can make my offer my knowledge and expertise in return to the community.

I could not have started with a blog. I needed Twitter to help me learn first.

Whilst I personally like Twitter there is as has been said above a limit to what one can say in 140 characters. I was recently trying to make a politic point to someone in 140 characters and it was difficult!

So if you are engaging in a complex subject then I believe a blog is the way to go.

I’ve got two blog’s, one personal for web design and another for a sports team I admire. I use twitter mainly for traffic, speaking to people that would be interested etc. There is nothing better then receiving comments on your blog in my opinion but then there is pressure on getting them on every post. Obviously not everyone will be interested in every article you write on your blog but if you come across blogs and leave a comment here and there they may even leave a few on yours. This has helped me a few times but my sports blog has got up a few ranks now so I may not have to do it as much but this proves the time you put in is worth it!

If 140 is difficult why not try Facebook? Tiny URL comes in handy for Twitter!

Couldn’t agree more with you John.

For my business broadcasting comes a distant second to engaging customers in real time. We have prioritised Twitter first, Facebook second and our Blog (soon to be rolled out) will form an anchor for content that tells the broader story of our business.

[...] plan. Decide what will be your “homebase”. I would recommend reading a blog by Jeff Bullas, Jeff’s Blog. He talks about the importance of a blog and how it should be your main message; it should tell [...]

As a new entrant into the social media waters, advice like this can help to keep a complicated strategy in perspective. I’m just getting our business blog off the ground and want to ensure that the strategy isn’t foggy. I want to avoid a situation like, “The matrix isn’t perfect Trevor”. Thanks

Jeff. Big thanks. I needed this advice. Cheers mate.

I’m convinced, already on Twitter but will be starting a blog soon Jeff. Will stay on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube as well because they are all different tools. But after Saul Fleischman in Osaka you are the second person who made clear what I am missing. Thanks!

I find myself surprised to say that my tweeting inspired my blog! I had thought it would be the opposite when I was thinking about my blog. The catalyst for me was getting a chance to use my skills writing on Twitter before my thoughts of my blog turned into the real thing.

Thanks ,Jeff for reminding that the Blog has to show to your potential customers your understanding of their needs.And that you can solve their problems on daily basis.

It might actually be up to the person/company/business/brand… 
From Twitter you can build up a network of followers and learn from others.Blogging vs Twitter it’s up to the individual but you need to have compelling interesting content in order to write a blog post. @theurbanmetro:twitter www.urbanmedia.co.uk