Blogs can be an incredibly valuable marketing tool and should be incorporated into any brand’s content marketing strategy. The buzz word ‘blogger outreach’ has been used repeatedly in the past few years emphasising the importance blogs play as part of any brands marketing strategy. Below are some reasons why they are a top tool:
Blogs are seen as strong sources of trusts and recommendations
Working with the right blogger in your sector can add credibility to your brand. Popular blogs in a particular niche are seen as voices of authority in the space and command loyal readership that can be anywhere from the tens of thousands to the hundreds of thousands. Receiving an endorsement from one of these influential bloggers can help elevate your brand above that of competitors and cement your authority, thus allowing you to tap into a whole new pool of customers and build strong relationships with these followers. Results from a Technorati 2013 report support this statement, with results indicating that blogs are now the third most influential digital resource when it comes to aiding a consumer to making a purchase, and 31% of consumers using blogs as a resource point in their purchase decision.
Blogs can help with your site SEO
With all the Google updates over the past few years, the importance of having referral links from prominent and trusted web sources has increased. Having influential bloggers in your sector link through to your site can really help boost your sites Google credibility. With the majority of successful bloggers writing unique content on a daily basis. These endorsements can really help with your brand’s visibility in the search space, particularly if a blogger has published an informative and useful blog piece that can be used as a resource in the future, for example, how to guides or top product lists based on seasonality.
Brand awareness
For SMEs, blogs can help increase brand awareness and introduce your product or service to an engaged and potentially new customer base. Many loyal readers/followers specifically visit a blog for inspiration and insight into the latest products, offers or services in a particular sector. For brands new to the online space, blogs can help generate buzz amongst tight knit, loyal community. With many bloggers utilising key social media outlets to engage with their readers, your brand can potentially be seen by a vast social audience. They can also help convey your brand message and proposition in an engaging and creative way. Blogs typically having a more informal and friendly writing style that is arguably more effective at engaging the reader with the content and informing than traditional media outlets. People tend to trust a blogger as they feel relatable and knowledgeable about the topics they passionately write about.
It can therefore be seen that working with blogs will help with a brand reputation and credibility to help convert those vital browsers into buyers. It is important to note that in order to get the most out of working with bloggers, you need to ensure you are working with the right blogs for your brand. Consider whether the blogger complements your brand and how engaged their readers are– do they receive regular comments on their posts, what is the reader return rate, do they send out newsletters, do they track their blog traffic and keep a closer look at growth in unique visitors, etc. Also it is crucial to set clear targets and goals at the start of any blogger engagement initiative. By identifying your KPIs and sharing these with bloggers, you can work more effectively together to achieve goals, whether it be a target number of views of a sponsored blog post, creating a social media buzz around your brand or promoting a user competition.