Quick piece of news from eMarketer a couple days ago: The number of companies using blogs for marketing purposes is on the rise. eMarketer says about 1/3rd of U.S. companies have blogs right now, but as many as 43% could be blogging in just two years. Continued

In addition to this blog, I also write regularly about local blogging at Hyperlocal Blogger. Every so often, I like to share links to some of the articles that I think SBSM readers might also find interesting over there. It’s been about six weeks since I’ve done a link roundup for HLB posts, so here’s what you’ve missed if you haven’t visited there lately. Continued

This is pretty cool, not to mention very clever. Hopefully I’ll explain it all well enough that it makes sense. Ready?

360SEE is an art/furniture gallery in Chicago. The owner’s dog, Homer, hangs out in the front window, plainly visible to passersby walking outside. Homer is little and pretty cute, and people tend to stop and shoot a picture of the French bulldog in the gallery window.

So, what did the gallery owner do? Continued

There’s been a burst of blog activity over on my other blog, Hyperlocal Blogger. Every so often, I like to share links to some of the articles that I think SBSM readers might also find interesting over there. Here’s that latest batch of such links. Continued

It’s been exactly a month since I last posted a roundup of what’s been happening over on my other blog, Hyperlocal Blogger. Trust me, that’s pure coincidence. I’m not that organized about these roundups! But, there are a few posts over there you may want to check out if you’re not already reading the blog regularly. Here you go… Continued

Marketing success is all about numbers. We measure what we do in terms of

• revenue (i.e., numbers)
• profit (more numbers)
• visits/pageviews (again, numbers)
• fans, followers, subscribers (more numbers)
• etc.

But different numbers matter to different businesses. The key is to know which numbers matter to your business in your situation. Continued

I know a very talented writer who has a blog, but admits to being afraid of blogging. I’ll be sharing these links with that person, and thought I’d post them here since there’s bound to be more people out there in the same boat.

At Remarkablogger, Michael Martine has finished a three-part series about overcoming blogging fears. Really, really good stuff. Here are your links: Continued

Some of you may know that Small Business Search Marketing is just one of several blogs I write. If you’re a small/local business owner who’s into blogging, or thinking about it, you may want to check out HyperlocalBlogger.com, another blog I write that’s very specific in its focus on local blogging ideas and discussion.

Here are some of the recent posts from HLB that may interest you:

• Go Hyperlocal Maps US & UK Blogs
• WordPress Users: What Theme Do You Use?
• Hyperlocal Sports: Tapping Into Hometown Passion (guest article)
• 6 Things I’m Struggling With as a Hyperlocal Blogger (guest article)
• Bing’s Hyperlocal Tool is Now Official
• Google Using Hyperlocal Blogs as Review Sources
• CouponMap: Easy Way to Add Coupons to Your Blog
• How Often Do You Post?
• Our Best Hyperlocal Content in 2009