Eight out of ten b2b buyers find their suppliers instead of the other way around. This is the conclusion of a 2009 report from MarketingSherpa – an American research firm specializing in finding out what works, and what doesn’t work, in marketing.

Which is exactly why you should ask yourself the following questions: How easy/hard is it for prospects to find my company and my offering? What happens when they google my company name? Or services, products, business areas and key words that I want to be associated with?

But don’t stop there. What other ways are there for prospects – who might never have heard of me – to find out about me? As we continue to develop the way we search for information and form our opinions, social media is becoming increasingly important. In a recent poll 94% of business bloggers reported seeing measurable SEO benefits from blogging.

Which makes sense. An interesting blog increases traffic, which generates a higher search engine ranking. In addition, the content – even if it is niched – is broader than an informative corporate website. A blog features current events and more specialised subjects. The tone of voice, and thereby the language, is freer. All of this makes a blog ideal for long tail searches.

But even more importantly, a blog – and all other social media – enables dialog. Others can comment on your content and link to it. And you can post clever comments in already established and relevant forums creating an interest in your offering. Suddenly there’s a buzz. Word-of-mouth, digital style, makes you more visible and your offer easier for prospects to find. Spread the word

A well-written e-newsletter that is sent out periodically creates a positive impression of your business. It helps your customers understand your offering and makes them more inclined to buy from you. But, what happens when you post the same content as a blog?

For a start, it instantly becomes interactive and you can get direct feedback from your readers. Your content also becomes searchable and you can reach other readers than your e-newsletter recipients. Other bloggers and digital media can link to you, generating more traffic leading to to greater searchability, which leads to… well, you get the picture. You can also get followers by pushing out updates through Twitter, Bloggy or RSS.

But why choose just one channel when you can choose both. Combine your blog with an e-newsletter. Select posts from your blog that are relevant to your target audience and compile them in an e-newsletter that you send to your subscribers (that, of course, will link to your blog). So, don’t scrap your e-newsletter, redo it.