tl;dr Engaging influencers and creating content is just the beginning when it comes to building your online marketing program.
Issue 31 - August 2015
Five Tips: Engaging
Blog and Content Sites By Christina Vickstrom
A
Christina Vickstrom
s marketers, it’s easy to get so excited about our products that we forget not everyone shares our enthusiasm immediately. While most advertisers want more blog and content traffic, due to its
extremely high quality and lifetime user value, not many know how to effectively engage these publishers. portunity with smaller blogs who are searching for fresh content to post on In order to effectively engage blog and content sites, brands need to
a daily basis. These bloggers are often looking for sample blog posts that
know what these publishers looking for in a partnership, and how to get
they can use as a template and then customize the message to suit their
them behind promoting your products.
audience. The same is true for product photography. While many bloggers have the ability to take their own professional photographs, others typical-
Here are five tips for building successful and lasting relationships with blog and content sites:
ly need photography provided by the brand. Brands should strive to create both content and photography that is natural and compelling, and will blend seamlessly into bloggers’ posts.
1). Offer a sample Bloggers and content sites are fiercely loyal to their brand, and need
4). Reserve budget for sponsored posts
a personal experience with a product. Offering a sample of your product,
Online marketing is a pay-to-play world. Many bloggers make their full-
whether it is a good or a trial of a service, is a critical step in building trust
time living off their blog, and do not have inventory for unpaid posts. Allo-
with bloggers. Once bloggers have had a positive interaction with your
cating a specific budget for content posts dramatically expands the reach
brand, they will then be willing and able to promote your product to their
available. It is common for bloggers to work on a paid-post model, rather
audience and convey what sets it apart from competitors.
than an affiliate CPA model. Brands should have the budget and tracking necessary. Paid posts are powerful for driving branding and awareness, in
2). Engage their audience
addition to sales.
Consumers are bombarded with online messages each day. While convincing a blog to promote your product is the first step, encouraging
5). Make a personal connection
readers to engage with your brand is the second. Offering a promotion, dis-
Bloggers prefer to work with partners who they have a connection
count, or giveaway is an effective way to increase consumer interest and
with. Do your research before reaching out to bloggers, and customize
engagement. History has shown that campaigns that offer specials have
your messaging to show that you’ve checked out their site and under-
significantly higher conversion rates than those that do not.
stand their audience. Engage with them through multiple communication channels, including email, phone, and social media. Listen to any
3). Provide sample blog posts and photography
special requests they have, and recognize that each blogger partnership
While most large blogs write their own content, there is also a great op-
will be unique. [FF]
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Christina is a digital compliance expert with an impressive track record of ensuring publisher conformity.