Confessions: Are bloggers still important?
I decided to write about this, because for the longest time, my startup, SushiVid has only been promoting YouTubers and Instagram-ers. We tried to brush of bloggers as so 1995 (I know… I’m sorry).
I’d be honest, I didn’t embrace bloggers sooner because I didn’t want to be compared to the old dogs of this world, the other influencer marketing networks that have existed since 2005. I wanted to have nothing to do with them because we’re different! Our medium is different, and our model is different!
But as time passed, and demand rises, I realised that a lot of our long-tailed influencers were great bloggers in transition to the newer, sexier platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. We found that these experienced bloggers were much more mature (hence easier to deal with) and their content, needless to say, better because they have been writing for years. They were in fact, the ideal long-tailed influencers that we dreamt to work with!
Let me tell you, after making over 700 branded contents for brands, the short answer is YES.
How can brands benefit from bloggers?
Three words:
long form content
Blogging is one of the main social media platforms where it’s normal to have a lot of information in one post. Even if the audience doesn’t read every single word, it’s very convenient for them toscroll through and spot main points that they were looking for. Sure a YouTube video is loaded with information, but people who skip here and there might miss out on vital information.
Another amazing perk is that blog posts improve SEO (search engine optimization)! Unlike Instagram posts, blog posts will appear when people search for your brand. There’ll be more exposure for your brand on search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. Your brand name will be more recognised by the public, leading them to find out more.
Lastly, if you have a tight marketing budget fret not. The “new kids on the BLOG”tend to have lower quotations. But of course, you’d have to manage expectations. With this near free promo, the blog’s ranking probably won’t be very high and there might be less edits made after the final blog post is up.
Will you fit bloggers?
I’m not going to sugar coat this, not all product or brand promotions will fit the blogging format. Allow me to tell you what does:
- Events. There will be many photos of your product or service with other influencers displayed in widescreen. There will be their opinions on the event as well as their hopes for the future. There will also be mention of event sponsors which will leave your sponsorscontent with the content. It’s a complete coverage!
- Confirming the purchase intent. If you have a product or service that comes with instructions and explanation in order to lure your customers, go for blogs!It also helps if you know the demographic of your blogger’s audience in order to match yours.
- When your products are directed to the workingcrowd. In a professional office setting, it is not the best to watch vidoes although they might be informational. Blog posts and articles are more socially acceptable in this context. Some might just prefer readinginstead of watching.
- FOOD! Everyone needs it! Food blogs have been around for so long and they have not died down. When people want to know if a restaurant or cafe is good, they just look it up and click the first blog review which pops up. If you have any food related promotion, it’s avery good bet to go with bloggers.
All in all, I’d say take a chance on bloggers! They have a lot to offer and they’ll definitely leave you CONTENT ;)
This article is originally posted on blog.sushivid.com. Check out more content there for influencer marketing in Southeast Asia or launch your own campaign today at sushivid.com
