Don't get me wrong, I'm not against blog advertising or paid advertorials. In fact, working with bloggers to get the news out can be a great way to boost visibility and exposure for your new product or service among the consumers. However, it recently came to my attention that more and more businesses or brands are turning away from blog advertising with a simple reason: "It does not work anymore".

How true is that? Does that signify the end of blog advertising in Malaysia? Is blog advertising really losing its power or is there a problem with the advertiser?

I would suggest the latter.

4 Reasons Why Businesses Today Are Killing Blog Advertising

#1: Businesses Are Blinded
And you're not alone! Many businesses fall into the numbers trap – the number of unique visitors, impressions, click-throughs and etc. Remember the quality over quantity rule of social media. Forget the numbers for a second; eliminate those (blogs) that are irrelevant to your business or industry. Put together a list of bloggers that can bring value to you – because their readers are your prospects.

#2: Businesses Don't Care
Let's be real – you don't really care for the bloggers, let alone know them personally. You probably see them as journalists and channels to disseminate your news to the consumers.. and that's where you're wrong. Take some time to understand them, talk to them and perhaps even hang out with them. Even simple gestures such as greeting them by name and remembering their blog can go a long, long way. Personalization still matters.

#3: Businesses Dictate
Sad, but true. I can't help but to notice how businesses actually prepare a script to 'assist' bloggers in writing a post. I understand the need for keywords, but a what-should-you-write list is a big no-no. Sure, the end product looks good but today's consumers aren't as naïve as before especially if they are loyal readers. They are able to tell whether those are the words of the blogger by just reading.

#4: Businesses Are Busy
Blogs are usually just one of the many promotional channels businesses invest in which also means that they are unlikely to keep track of the individual performance of each channel. Having that said, they go by the mass message approach – put up an announcement / advertisement and point readers to an external site. Imagine what the impact would be if they were to use the opportunity to communicate individually to the readers of each blog by having a targeted message. It definitely takes more time but the ROI may just be worth the trouble.

So, are you thinking of hiring bloggers to promote your business? Don't kill blog advertising any longer. Start looking beyond the numbers, build relationships, provide guidelines but not answers and personalize your message whenever possible. These 4 simple areas may just revolutionize your future blog advertising campaigns.

My name is Jan Wong, 24, an online strategist, youth advocate and entrepreneur with a master's degree in technology management. I am also a consultant specializing in online marketing, writes at www.janwong.my, and the founder and director of 3 growing businesses since 2006 that has spent zero on advertising since their inception. Twitter: @jwongjk