Ready to start a business blog? How connected are you to your online target market? Do you know who might be having online conversations about your business or industry? I know what you are thinking. People are actually talking about me? Thanks to social media and Web 2.0, ordinary citizens like you and me now have a direct and powerful way of being heard and known. Think Epinions, YouTube, and Wikipedia, not to mention hundreds of social networking sites and communities like Digg, Stumble Upon and Delicious. As you read this post, there might be thousands of online conversations taking place about your industry and perhaps your business via social media outlets. Are you in on those conversations?

Not having your finger on the pulse of citizen marketing is equivalent to being separated from the heart of your target market. Making a connection with citizen marketers is a must-do before launching a business blog.

Here are a few quick tips for becoming an integral part of the new citizen-driven, crucial conversations:

Break out the compass. Find out where crucial conversations are taking place online. By using relevant keywords, use a major search engine to find blogs, forums and social networking sites that discuss your business or your services. You might begin by simply Googling your business name or industry to see what comes up.

Take out the stethoscope. Once you have found the conversations, hone in on what is being said. What is the overall impression of your business? What is the average customer perception? Is there a consensus about your products or services? What community needs have been met or not been met? How are you being compared to your competitors?

Determine the key players. Every business and industry has key players, or top influencers, who have the powerful ability to spread a positive or negative word. Many times key players know more about your business than you do. Who are these key players? What is their perception about your business or industry and how are they communicating information to others?

Be an integral part of the community. Contribute to the online communities that influence your market. If you are following a few influential blogs and forums, listen to the conversations, understand the needs of the community and then add to the conversation. Simply dropping a comment on a blog with a link to your site will not fly after just a few visits. Take the time to cultivate relationships by listening, understanding, and then contributing.

Add value. When it is time to speak, bring value to community members by speaking directly to their needs and offering solutions to their challenges. Forget about elevator speeches, sales-pitch messages and marketing speak. Humanize your approach by directing your attention to the infrastructure of the community. What information does the community need to stay alive and vibrant? How can your business feed the needs of the community members? How can you contribute to the community and keep it growing, learning and evolving?

Citizen-driven, crucial conversations will take place with or without you. Technology may change, but citizen marketing is here to stay. As a Certified Professional Life and Business Coach, I clearly see the value of becoming a viable part of influential online communities before launching a business blog. There is no better way to connect with your target market and cultivate long, loyal and lucrative relationships.