Forrester Research is predicting that by 2014, interactive will make up approximately 1/5 of all advertising spending. That sounds like a conservative estimate, especially as traditional media outlets continue to fight for existence and in certain cases, are folding (Ann Arbor News and Seattle Post-Intelligencer being a couple recent print victims).  At the center of this interactive advertising growth is search. The Forrester reports predicts around a 100% growth within the next five years in search marketing ad spending.  In an increasingly crowded search world, an influx of ad dollars like this will make it critical for businesses that rely heavily on their online visibility to have a polished and proactive search strategy.  No more blackhat SEO.  No more poorly optimized PPC campaigns.  No more "set it and forget it" SEO techniques.  And with Yahoo and MSN recently demonstrating their continued commitment (innovation?) to the search game, look for an exciting 12-24 months ahead. 

We get a lot of organizations asking us about blogging.  Specifically, why they need to be blogging, who is going to own it, how much time is it going to involve (or, waste, as some would say), how will comments and conversations be handled, why not just Tweet instead of blog, etc.  In essence, there is some growing skepticism around the value of the corporate blog as organizations struggle to see the true business value a well-crafted and managed blog can provide.

Michael Estrin wrote a good article for iMedia today in which he outlines some keys to corporate blogging success.  An overarching theme?  Use your blog to build a personality for your organization.  Have fun, create posts of value, create a voice for your brand, and use your blog to personify your company and what you are all about.  If you do only that, you will be well on your way to mastering the art of the corporate blog.