If you think that social networks free you from needing to use blogs to get your message out, think again said Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra during his 2011 Blogging Success Summit keynote address. Technorati’s annual State of the Blogosphere report finds that consumers trust blogs more than ever. A few of the survey’s findings:
- Blogs are in, traditional media is out. More than a third of consumers said that blogs are becoming a more valued source of information. In addition, 39% predict that in the next five years, blogs will be a major source of news and entertainment over traditional media.
- In blogs we trust. Blogs ranked about the same as traditional media when consumers were asked which sources they trusted for brand and product recommendations. These groups were only secondary to friends and family. Twitter and Facebook didn’t even come close.
That trust creates a powerful avenue for brands looking to share their story. A majority of bloggers write about brands and say they’ve been approached by a company pitching a story. Influential bloggers are a gold mine for marketers, but bloggers won’t write about a brand just because you tell them to.
- Brand reputation matters. Nearly 70% of bloggers say they only write about a brand when they approve of its reputation. Almost 90% say their sites’ advertisements must align with their values. A blog is an inseparable part of the blogger’s personal brand, so anything they write about is a reflection of their own ideals.
- Bloggers want to be treated professionally. Almost 65% of bloggers say they’re treated less professionally than the traditional media. Nearly a third of bloggers come from a traditional media company, indicating an awareness of how they should be treated.
- Bloggers are influenced by other blogs. One advantage of the blogosphere is the intense viral effect that can take hold if you can connect with the right blogger — as their network picks up on the story and your message spreads. Do your homework and find the most influential blogs in your industry. Reaching out to them is effectively reaching out to everyone else.
So what are you doing to get your message into this conversation?
To learn more key tips and actionable steps for blogging effectively from social media leaders Scott Monty, Jay Baer, Brian Clark, and major brands such as Cisco, McDonald’s, Procter and Gamble, and Sony, sign up for the monthlong online Blogging Success Summit today! (SmartBrief is a partner in this event.)
Image credit: AndrewJohnson, iStockphoto
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Great post,
Here's the real answer;
When some of the PR agencies decide to stop "pitching" bloggers with 5 paragraph ramblings about G-D knows what, that would be a welcome change. Talk to us.
And, (this should be popular) PR agencies need to stop asking bloggers to do their work, for free.
The last time I checked, most bloggers aren't on a payroll.
Figure out a way to make us feel loved. Then freaking pay us.
(And, make sure that the bloggers you pay are willing to put a disclosure up saying that they are being paid.)
Easy stuff. Problem solved. get more $$ from your clients, and pay bloggers some of it. It's just business 101.
The Franchise King®
My recent post Are You Buying Twitter Followers
Joel, while I agree with you to a large extent, it's not ethical to pay a blogger to write a review. According to FTC guidelines, we can give away stuff – free cars, trips, and services – but we can't pay you (speaking with my PR hat on, not my blogger hat). Just like we can't pay a New York Times reporter to write a review (we can't even send them a thank you gift), the same policy follows.
It ate the rest of my comment!
Joel, while I agree with you to a large extent, it's not ethical to pay a blogger to write a review. According to FTC guidelines, we can give away stuff – free cars, trips, and services – but we can't pay you (speaking with my PR hat on, not my blogger hat). Just like we can't pay a New York Times reporter to write a review (we can't even send them a thank you gift), the same policy follows.
What we CAN do, however, is stop sending mass emails to bloggers that aren't personalized and show I have no idea what you do. THAT kind of crap bugs me (and I get them too, as a blogger). Blogger relations is even more relationship management and that is what PR people do. If they can't figure out how to pitch you in a way that is compelling for you to write about their client (or company), they should be black listed.
As a side note: I'm pretty sure we'd be laughed out of the client's office if we asked for a budget to pay bloggers. Not to say it can't, or won't, eventually happen (if the guidelines are loosened), but that's where it stands right now.
Hi Gini,
However….There are paid reviews. right? Heck there are websites that specialize in paid reviews.
I can write about whoever I want to; a franchise business, a product, a service. If I'm paid do do it, I disclose it.
That's how it should be. "To stay compliant with the new FTC paid blogging regulations, bloggers should disclose each time they get paid to blog about a specific item as well as keeping their paid post in compliance with product advertising laws. This should include a small disclaimer somewhere within the blog post. Some bloggers are also creating special pages within the site disclosing that the blogger does occasionally get paid to blog about certain items."
Read more at Suite101: FTC Regulating Paid Blogging Reviews: Blogging for Profit Regulated by New Guidelines http://www.suite101.com/content/ftc-regulating-pa…
it's ok to do.
Joel
My recent post Are You Buying Twitter Followers
OK. I'll revise my statement. *We* would never pay a blogger for a review because we think it's unethical and like to follow the FTC guidelines. And I'd really, really, really have a hard time telling a client we needed to pay a blogger. It's the whole church and state thing. We behave in the same manner when traditional media asks us to advertise for a story. Nope.
Gini,
Here's a perfect example of how I disclose a paid post;
http://www.thefranchisekingblog.com/2011/01/milit…
Pretty clear, huh? The FTC won't have a problem with it either.
It's all about doing the right thing. That's how I roll.
(Isn't that one of the reasons you feel comfortable with me?)
The Franchise King®
My recent post Are You Buying Twitter Followers
Forget ethics (not permanently) but it's bad business.
The question I ask is who is your customer (audience). If it's your readers, and you are creating real value for them, then you should be able to find a way to monetize your blogging through them. (And if a blogger can't monetize that way, then you are probably not creating real value and I'd question the logic behind paying that blogger, but that's a whole other story.)
If a company is paying you, then the company is de facto the customer. The blogger is, in essence, merely prostituting their audience. I am not naive enough to believe that bloggers aren't paid, nor do I think that it won't one day be mainstream. I'm willing to bet, and give odds, that the day it does become mainstream is the day that the trust in bloggers evaporates – just as it has with traditional media.
Hi Doug,
Thanks for joining in.
I totally disagree. By me stating at the top of a post that it's part of a paid marketing program, I've provided total transparency to my readers. It's a promise that I've made to them.(Maybe that's why I keep getting more traffic, more links, and more enewsletter readers.) Less than 1% of my readers unsubscribe, every month.)
Now, I could (if I chose) be like lots of other blogs, and not disclose anything. That's sneaky, and it's wrong.
With over 1,000 posts on franchising and small business (just on The Franchise King Blog) since 2007, the folks that subscribe to my blog know me really well. I have never had any one email or call me to complain about paid content being part of what a do. (And it's a small part.)
Actually, I get thank you notes from readers who appreciate my straightforward advice. and the transparent and ethical way I write, and do business.
JL
My recent post Franchise Due Diligence The Franchise Agreement And The Franchise Disclosure Document
Please don't misunderstand – I completely agree that if you are going to get paid disclosure is key. And, in fairness, I have not read your blog (but will check it out), so maybe you are balancing that better than others.
I've just learned that the incentives drive behaviors over time.
Why is traditional media basically useless? Because they never treated their readers like they were their customers – they treated their advertisers that way. Over time, as readers got more choices – they left those media sources.
The same thing is what is pervasive in the financial services industry. It's the investment funds who pay the advisors (most often), and as a result the advisory firms aided and abetted those firms rather than protecting their real customers.
If paying bloggers becomes mainstream – it's just one more form of advertising.
Hi Doug,
Thanks. However, this is just how I look at things;
If I subscribe to a blog, and really like and trust the blogger-writer, I will take a more serious look at a post that's part of a marketing program. Maybe they're kind of a brand ambassador. I'm cool with it. If he or she is writing about a product or service that I want or need, I take the fact that they've agreed to write about it and get paid to do so, seriously. (In a good way.)
As a matter of fact, I'll do 'some" research before I lay my credit card down, but not as much, because of where I learned of it from.
More and more brands are engaging bloggers and paying them to help them spread their message. That's because of what you said; traditional media just doesn't get it.
I understand what you're saying. For sure.
But, loyalty and trust win out, even when money changes hands.
JL
My recent post Franchise Due Diligence The Franchise Agreement And The Franchise Disclosure Document
Joel,
Thank you as well. I'll take your word that you manage the conflicts. Also, I agree that more and more brands are engaging bloggers and paying them. I'm saying that as this becomes mainstream, my bet is that trust in bloggers will diminish.
I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Enjoyed the conversation.
I have to say I agree with you @ginidietrich. Never mix love and money. It makes everyone look scuzzy.
Doubly so about stupid PR list pitches. I feel bad for the people who write these things — it's such a waste of time. And then everyone so often you get a pitch from someone who actually knows what they're doing and it really just puts the sorry state of the rest of the industry in perspective. A great PR pitch can be a beautiful thing. I really wish more people took the time to do it right.
My recent post The ABCs of pitching to influencers
I think your most recent post is PERFECT for this conversation!
This one?
http://www.thefranchisekingblog.com/2011/02/franc…
I think this is the classiest, and best way to do this. usually, I put a disclosure at the top. In this case, this is going to be a long-term strategic partnership. So, it's a bit different.
What do you think, G?
My recent post Are You Buying Twitter Followers
Gini,
Great rapping with you about this. I'm not really talking about reviews, though.
Example; a franchisor's PR firm emails me with an announcement about how "Green" the franchise they're representing has just become. Fantastic.
But, they want me to spend an hour or so crafting a post based on what they sent me. Why would I do that? For free? (Would they do it?)
Now, if it's an amazing human interest story, I may do a quick post. But 95% of the time, I won't spend my valuable time on a free post that ends up making the PR firm look great, and takes me off the ball.
Now, if they'd like to engage my franchise content and social media services, I'd be happy to spend the time needed to help their client tell their story. Then, I'll spread it around. (Because, I really can.)
Also, when a paid engagement like that happens, I disclose it. (At the beginning of the post.)
It's the right way to do things for all parties involved. And, it's not a "review.":
I do happen to think that PR firms need to change how they approach influential bloggers. After all, if they didn't think we could help them, (and their clients) they wouldn't be contacting us in the first place.
Charge your clients more, PR folks. Then, you can pay us what's fair.
And, an amazing thing may happen; you'll actually be creating relationships.
And, maybe even some loyal friends who can help you more than you ever thought.
That's because we won't feel that we're being "used" anymore.
The Franchise King®
My recent post Are You Buying Twitter Followers
It all goes back to that old discussion that has been raging for years if blogs are dead or not. There is no way they are and the good ones (Techcrunch, Huffington post etc) are becoming more mainstream if anything. There is no doubt that some more casual bloggers have moved over to social media for a quick fix but with so many good blogs out there and more than you can even keep up with is that actually a bad thing?
My recent post Top Tips for creating an engaging space on Twitter and Facebook
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