You must have been living under a rock for the past couple of years if you haven’t heard of bloggers. Bloggers, or ‘influencers’ as they’re often called, are a whole new group of people who are utilizing social media and the internet to build careers, brands, and, most importantly for you, a following.
Often with a large and engaged audience, influencers are the latest marketing strategy that brands worldwide are utilizing to get their products in front of as many eyes as possible. In the digital age, 2019 has seen many brands step away from traditional advertising models, and instead of blowing their budget on ads in glossy magazines, they’re spending their money on online superstars instead.
A recent study found that influencer marketing can produce up to 11 times the ROI than traditional marketing and with 94% of marketers finding the strategy effective. If you haven’t already added it to your marketing plan then maybe it’s time.
If you’re thinking about dipping your toe into the world of blogger outreach and influencer marketing then there are various ways that you can do it depending on what results it is you’re after.
If your main concern is improving the SEO of your website and upping your Google rankings, then a link-building campaign would be best. This is where you work with bloggers who have a website with strong domain authority to produce a relevant blog post that features a follow link to your website. After all, the first lesson in SEO school is the importance of link building!
If it’s brand awareness you’re after and you simply want as many people as possible to see your products in the hopes of upping sales, then gifting campaigns and collaborations are the option for you. This is where a company will work with a blogger, often allowing them to try out their product in return for exposure on their channels. This is a great way to get your brand in front of potential customers without coming across as a ‘hard sell’.
One of the main things that bloggers have going for them is the fact that they’ve built up a large, engaged audience that, most importantly, trusts what they say. Much like the friend that you turn to for fashion advice or the pal whose opinion on the best local restaurants is the only one you’ll listen to, influencers have become the first port of call for many consumers when they need advice or recommendations. It’s no surprise, then, that brands are keen to utilize the unique relationship that bloggers have nurtured with their audiences.
From beauty and fashion bloggers to those who document food reviews, family life or even the latest motors on the road; you’re likely to find a blogger who fits your brand narrative perfectly. For example, if they’re talking about craft beer, then their audience will likely be interested in craft beer too. After all; you’re unlikely to follow someone if you aren’t interested in their content.
This level of carved-out niche-ness and engaged audiences is exactly what makes blogger outreach and influencer marketing such a successful strategy.
But finding the right bloggers for your campaign can be tricky.
If you’re looking to grow trust in your brand then a micro influencer campaign may be better. These are bloggers and influencers who have a slightly smaller following (although their follower count is by no means low!) whose audience truly trust every word they say.
A macro influencer campaign however is the best option if you just want your brand and products to be seen by as many people as possible. Think celebrities and reality TV stars who’ve built up millions of followers; their audience may not necessarily trust their opinion as they would a friends but you can be assured that your products will be seen by the masses.
If you’re still not convinced that influencer marketing and blogger outreach is the best option for you then there are some epic success stories that should help to convince you. Luxury watch retailer Daniel Wellington were going a little under the radar before they decided to put all of their marketing budget on influencer outreach, completely avoiding all other, more traditional advertising options.
By selecting a group of influencers to receive some of their watches and then post about them, the brand relied on the age-old ‘word of mouth’ technique, albeit with a social media edge. And it worked. The bloggers produced their sponsored content alongside a discount code for their followers that allowed them to feel like they, too, were in on a new luxury secret. Over the course of the campaign, users uploaded photos of their own Daniel Wellington purchases, with the hashtag #DanielWellington featured on over 1.5 million Instagram images. In case you were wondering just how much awareness of the brand grew throughout the campaign, they gained 3.2 million followers from start to finish.
Meanwhile camera brand Nikon took a slightly different approach when they worked with a group of bloggers in conjunction with the Warner Sound Festival. Instead of getting bloggers to rave about their cameras, they sent them one to use themselves at the festival. This meant that when they uploaded their festival images their followers were desperate to know how they’d created such great imagery and how they too could emulate this on their own feeds.
In terms of influencer marketing this was a pretty epic team up as not only did it get music fans interested in the Nikon cameras, it allowed bloggers to promote the Warner Sounds Festival to a whole new audience. This approach highlights how seeing something in action, whether that be a camera, lipstick or even a car; can really help to push consumer interest.
With the internet and social media only set to grow, now’s the time to make use of the vast array of bloggers and influencers available to you and your brand.
The online world is ever-changing. With that comes a whole new way to connect with your target market. Bloggers and online platforms continue to grow, while traditional print publications face a noticeable decline in sales. Blogger outreach should be a high priority within your marketing strategy, no matter what your goals are.
I’m Sam Crawford, Squarespace expert and founder of by Crawford, a multi award-winning Squarespace web design studio.
I have built over 400 Squarespace websites for clients across every industry all around the world. I am also an official Squarespace partner, approved Squarespace expert, Squarespace educator and Squarespace Enterprise member, meaning you get an unrivalled experience – and a flawless website.
