The Wall Street Journal today devoted 2 pages to the importance of blogging and the internet for small businesses.  The article, entitled How to Get Attention in a New-Media World (subscription – find a print copy if you can get it) is a great example of what I’ve been telling the Vario community for years:  be the expert and you will be viewed as the expert.   

The essence of the article is that the Internet has (not will, not might, has) torn down the barrier for PR.  Small businesses can create their own buzz with effective online presentation, blogging, and by courting bloggers.  It can be done without huge pr firms, without million dollar budgets.

I’ve been watching lately, and now many companies are managing “blog-vegas” – post a problem with a branded product on your blog and you are fairly likely to hear from someone from that company rather shortly.  Look at Chris Murray’s post about PageFlakes last week. Companies are reaching out, and this is a style well suited to the small company.

David Churbuck posted today about Buzzlogic, tool for tracking blogs, specifically designed for online marketing.  David’s the VP of Global Web Marketing at Lenovo, and transitioned from publishing.  He made this point, quoting Sam Whitmore (a Vario customer):

A lot of former journalism colleagues were surprised to see me join a “vendor,” but most, like Sam Whitmore, saw the point that everyone is media in this day and age.

You might also be interested to see the AssistingYourSmallBusiness.com site, where we’ve put just this sort of marketing in place.  The blog is still in cloaking mode, but you’re get the idea.  We’re creating the resource for Central Massachusetts small businesses. 

Craft your image, do it online, and do it without spending a bundle. It’s never been easier for a small business to make a big splash.