5 Effective Ways for Maximizing Your Blogger Outreach Efforts
Are you searching for new ways to approach your blogger outreach efforts? Have you thought about working with various bloggers as ambassadors for your brand? Here you are going to learn five effective ways to promote your brand thanks to blogger outreach efforts.
Why Invest in Blogger Outreach?
Established bloggers have an obvious advantage when it comes to spreading a message. They have a direct channel to your target audience and are able to easily influence purchasing decisions thanks to good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth marketing efforts.
In fact, according to recent research, up to 81 percent of people online trust advice and information they receive from bloggers and a total of 61 percent of these individuals have wound up making a purchase based on a blogger’s recommendation.
If you are ready to tap into this source of sales, then use the tips found here. Try Guest Blogging Services Now!
Work to Create Long-Term Relationships and to Encourage On-Going Advocacy
A successful blogger strategy will exist outside of the campaign of a one-off mention or the “spray and pray” tactic. When true blogger outreach efforts are used, the success and the value is found with the strong and ongoing relationships that are developed.
A blogger who is willing to mention your brand and what you have to offer on a regular basis will not only offer an authentic and an organic content fit but also provide the type of recommendation that leads to action, rather than just awareness.
An example of this would be how Kenmore has developed a relationship with Amy Clark of Mom Advice. Her blog contains articles that are based on topics that both she and Kenmore have agreed on. However, she never writes sponsored posts that rehash stock information or press releases. In fact, the posts she creates are so organic, you may not even recognize that it is a sponsored post until the disclaimer at the end. These types of articles receive a response from the audience because she writes in a subtle, rather than salesy, manner.
Show Off what You’ve Got to Find Authentic Brand Ambassadors
One of the easiest ways to be found by a potential blogger is to begin to move toward an organic relationship with them. This can be done by sending over free stuff – no strings attached. Reach out and introduce who you are and what you have to offer. This can be a service, product or anything else. From there, the relationship will begin to unfold.
Try to learn if the blogger actually likes what you have before trying to initiate a relationship. This will help to produce more ongoing and sincere mentions.
You should remember that when you send something over with “no strings attached,” it may not result in a mention on social media or blog post. However, if it does, this is a completely authentic post that will be seen by the blogger’s fans, friends, and readers. This will make the response much more positive.
If you want to use this method, consider creating an email pitch that is nonabrasive. Introduce yourself and your brand. If you sell items online, consider giving them a link to what you offer and then allow them to pick out one item for free. Don’t even ask them to leave a remark or mention the product.
In most cases, if a blogger likes what they receive, they will write about their experience in a sincere post – which is the absolute best kind.
Customize Your Offer
It is essential to create a customized message for each blogger – to a reasonable extent. Even if this means you only address them by their first name, or include a line that mentions the name of the blog they run and why you think it will be a great opportunity, it is enough.
Also, be sure to answer as many questions as you can. Give the blogger you are targeting the information they need to move forward and participate in the program you offer. Be sure to include how they can reach you to ask any further questions they may have. This will help to make the decision of whether or not they want to partner with you easier. The more detailed, concise and straight forward you are the better chance you will have of creating a powerful team of bloggers who will be willing to develop an ongoing relationship with you and your brand.
Make it Simple for Bloggers to Help You Out
You need to make it simple for a blogger to post about what you have to offer. Send them something nice and that makes the experience fun and easy. If you offer a product that is not able to be shipped, include a voucher so they can go to a local store and pick the item up. The easier it is to use the product or sample you send, the more likely the blogger will be to mention it on their blog.
You can also ask the blogger if they would be interested in hosting a giveaway of your product to their readers. If their audience winds up loving your product, they may write about it, as well.Try Guest Blogging Service Now!
Host a Blogger Even to Expand Your Brand Visibility
Rather than sponsoring content, sending out a sample of your product or offering a giveaway item, think about hosting an on-site, exclusive event for bloggers where they will be able to learn about you and your brand first-hand. This type of face-to-face event will typically result in a much stronger and longer relationship with influential bloggers. This can add authenticity and depth to any post they write about your brand, as well.
One of the biggest mistakes made by a number of brands when investing in blogger outreach efforts is that they don’t remember that the blogger has an entire life outside of what they write. In fact, the majority of bloggers are not making a living off of the blog, which means they have other jobs, as well as families and other responsibilities.
This is why it is a good idea to remember to incorporate their lifestyles into the blogger outreach campaign created, rather than the other way around. If you plan on hosting an event for them, make it “family friendly,” or offer them a plus one. Also, be flexible with the schedule and offer to help out if needed.
Think Outside of the Outbound Box when Trying to Create a Unique Campaign
The very best blogger outreach campaign will be extremely creative. Don’t make it typical or expected. Taking some time to think creatively will help you create a blogger outreach that works and that gets results. Bloggers want to feel like they are getting something great and that there is no pressure. This is something that has to be remembered when trying to create your own blogger outreach efforts.Try Guest Blogging Service Now!
Anyone can send a free product with the expectation of a great review. If you take the time to offer something up – and let them choose what they get for free – this will help ensure they are interested in what you have to offer. It will also provide them more incentive to continue the partnership years down the road.
Final thoughts on Blogger Outreach Efforts
A blogger outreach campaign is a great way to add the one-to-one-to-many approach in your digital marketing efforts. They key is to provide value without being overly salesy. A creative campaign that allows bloggers to experience your service, product or location themselves will encourage the creation of authentic content and spur a long-term relationship.
In order to make the most of your new blogger relationships, it is important to remember that modern bloggers are quite busy and they may be receiving a number of pitches. You can grab their attention by making a real effort to personalize the outreach and be respectful of the time they have.
You have to think about what is going to highlight you and your brand in a positive way and then be willing to let people see this at no charge. This is one of the best ways to encourage an ongoing relationship that can last many years.
Taking the time to use the tips here will help you create a powerful blogger outreach program. The key is to find high authority bloggers who target the same audience you do. This will help ensure that you get the results that you want from the efforts you use. Keeping this in mind will help you maximize the exposure you have and the results that you are able to achieve from the efforts that you make when attempting to create a blogger outreach campaign.
Tools to Use for Your Blogger Outreach Efforts
When beginning a blogger outreach campaign, the first step to take is to identify the blogs or bloggers you want to target. You can no longer rely on outdated metrics such as PageRank. Some tools to consider using can be found here.
ClearVoice
This is a highly effective tool and is still running on beta at the moment. However, it can be extremely helpful. You can use the tool to find influential authors, by searching for topics, sites or authors. ClearVoice gives a score to every author based on a criteria that includes how much their content is shred, the number of sites they have contributed to, how often they publish new content and other factors.
InkyBee
When you invest in smarter outreach efforts, you will find more remarkable results. InkyBee helps you raise your game with powerful and effective tools. You will find everything you need here to reach out to blogs and give your audience what they want.
BuzzSumo
This is a powerful research tool that can help you find the top performing content and top influencers by searching for certain domains, topics or search terms. The tool now offers a pro version that provides users with content analysis reports and content alerts, which makes it a highly effective tool.
Other outreach tools that you may want to check out include:
- Traackr
- Little Bird
- Follow Up Then
- Globex Outreach
