Word of mouth is older than marketing itself. It has been informing purchase decisions long before the ‘Mad Men’ came to town. This week, Nielsen confirmed what we already knew: peer recommendations and online independent opinions are the most trusted forms of marketing today.
It’s common sense, really. If we as consumers have the perception that an individual has nothing to gain by recommending a brand, product or service we are much more likely to value their opinion and purchase. This is the main aim of any marketer, next of course to driving proven revenue.
So which brand wouldn’t want more advocacy? In a socially connected world, perhaps blogger outreach offers us the greatest opportunity. The challenge for brands and the agencies representing them is how to engage those bloggers effectively. In my experience, before embarking on a blogger outreach programme, it’s best to tear up the traditional marketing rulebook. Of course, there is a best practice to follow…
The most important thing to bear in mind is that blogger outreach is a relationship business. Content integrity with good bloggers comes first. Therefore if they don’t like your content, your brand (and sometimes even you!) they simply won’t cover your pitch and they normally won’t consider a financial incentive if it feels wrong for the blog. This shouldn’t be an issue if you are truly after authenticity.
“The challenge is how to engage bloggers effectively”
The second most important thing is to remember and respect the fact that, for many bloggers, what they do is also an actual business. This seems almost counterintuitive to my first point, but the best outreach programmes manage to strike an effective balance. Sure, you represent a great brand and you have a clever campaign you’re convinced every blogger is sure to want to engage with. However, more often than not the blogger will want compensation for their time - fair enough based on what you stand to gain. There is a world of difference between a clever and declared commissioned piece of writing and a cut and paste trashy advertorial. So paying to partner with a blogger isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as their pedigree as a writer is credible and your idea is innovative and appropriate.
Finally (and simply) - remember when dealing with bloggers to just be human. Be flexible in your brief, be helpful, be respectful and typically you will have this reciprocated.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but fail to heed this advice and you risk not only negative coverage for your customer but a worse reputation for your brand in blogger circles. This may end up costing more money and time to fix than the original campaign did.
John Barton is managing partner and co-founder of Testify Digital
No comments yet