• ClickZ, Tuesday, October 28, 2008 11 AM

Marketers of every stripe are asking themselves how to advertise on social networks these days. But a new study suggests they would be better off putting their efforts into blog ads, as blogs hold more influence over purchasing decisions than social networks.

According to Jupiter Research, 25% of blog readers say they trust ads on a blog, compared to 19% who trust ads on social networking sites. Forty percent of people reading blogs have taken action as a result of viewing an ad on a blog; of that 40%, 16% have sought out more information on a product or service; and 16% have visited a manufacturer or retailer Web site.

The authors of the study said that blogs hold an advantage over social networks because they are frequently dedicated to a single topic and speak with an authoritative voice. "One of the things that's so great about them is the personal, specific information," said Valerie Combs, VP of corporate communications at BuzzLogic, which sponsored the survey. "Thorough, useful, honest creation, create a level of trust with the reader."

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