Nearly half of small and medium-sized firms understand the business benefits of corporate blogs, but only three percent have plans to start one, according to new research released today by web hosting firm Fasthosts.

The survey of over 2,000 SMBs found that firms understood that a good blog can drive traffic, attract customers to their goods and services, and provide a platform for interaction with business partners and other third parties. But many were put off by the practicalities of knowing what to say and how to say it, according to Fasthost's Steve Holford.

"Companies have to think seriously about what they are going to say – you will never get a blog that is of interest to all but if they think about it right it will be of interest to a certain group of people," he explained. "We suggest to you focus on embracing the wider aspects of the area your company works in, rather than just pushing products."