Yet more evidence that blogs are becoming a trusted information source in consumer purchasing decisions, courtesy of an Ipsos MORI survey.
Ian Green and David Phillips have both posted good commentaries about this.
One part that caught my eye was:

Blogs, or weblogs, are a more trusted source of information (24 percent) than television advertising (17 percent) and email marketing (14 percent), the survey said. But they still lag behind newspapers (30 percent).

As the report and commentaries acknowledge, people have always trusted other people’s opinions, and social media gives them the tools to connect with more people than ever before.
This expansion of user networks created with social media means companies need to take more notice of user-driven movements than ever before.
Engaging in social media can help them participate in the conversations about their companies and move away from the command and control communications model.
It’s right to sound a note of caution though – just because blogs rank highly as trusted sources of information, and because they can be cheaper than other communications channels, doesn’t mean that they’re right for every situation.