Blogs take on a very important role in brands’ social strategies. Each brand secretly (or not) hopes to benefit from blogs that are relevant to their target market. Bloggers have a privileged status: they are very often perceived as friends thanks to the close relationship that they maintain with their readers and they therefore have an undeniable power of recommendation.
However, do you know who they truly are? Make sure you understand them well before thinking that your idea is amazing and running towards your co-workers to explain it all. So… who are the bloggers? To us, the answer to this question is pretty obvious but it seems to be very often forgotten.
Illustration – Garance Doré
Dear brands, here are five things that you have to know about bloggers:
Bloggers have a receptive audience. This is probably why you got up one morning thinking ‘We’re gonna work with bloggers!’ (and this is probably why you’re currently reading this post). But have you ever thought about how precious this audience is for bloggers? To the way each single comment is so important to them? To how much time it has taken them to build their trusting relationship with their dear readers?
The basic rule is the following: offer bloggers the opportunity to benefit from relevant content. How? Be creative!
Each morning, after having reached his hand for his Iphone, the blogger discovers at least ten new emails in his inbox as he wakes up. Another 10 other emails come up during the day. Conclusion: your email has a low chance of survival in this jungle. A few basic tips for your email not to be lost forever:
– Keep it short and simple (let’s also avoid put sole image as an attachment);
– Structured (I’ve never understood why some people write in one single paragraph so much information that it would make it impossible to decipher their message)
– Personalized (“Dear blogger” isn’t considered personal and seeing your name on the preview on Gmail is always nice)
– Interesting for the blogger, his blog AND his readers (SO you must do your research/homework beforehand so you don’t just barge in without knowing what you’re talking about)
It’s rare to come across bloggers that make enough money with their blog that they can live from it. The majority of bloggers have started writing and still write today because they’re passionate, for the pleasure of sharing, communicating and exchanging with their community. Think about the simple equation time investment/incentive. Is what you’re suggesting enough?
And remember; bloggers are not obliged to write a post on your brand/product/event if they feel that it doesn’t bring enough value for their readers.
Bloggers are very active on social networks and they probably have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, Pinterest, Foursquare and Instagram (and many others…). Not only they share an interesting quantity of information (about you maybe!) but they also enjoy these platforms to share and discuss more often with their readers. Go see it!
Discussions are not only on blogs and you’ll find many inspiring information on these platforms. Be sociable too!
Yes, we are in the section “Brands ♥ Bloggers” but the opposite is also true! Brands have a special place in everyone’s life and so in bloggers’ lives too. Blogs have this capacity to bring this particular taste to the brand’s story: the blogger’s own personal story with the brand. Enhance the importance of these stories, this is how you create the brand’s value.
And please I’m begging you not to call your legal department because there’s a ® missing at the end of your name (real-life experience, I swear!).
And now, let the adventure begin!
