The True Power of Sponsored Blog Posts

Influencer marketing is blowing up: many brands and businesses are starting to talk about how they can incorporate bloggers into their marketing strategies. And inevitably, along the way, the following questions pop up: what’s the value of a sponsored post? Why do we need to work with bloggers? Won’t the blog’s readers know they were compensated to write it? Is this the best use of our marketing budget?

We’ve heard these questions multiple times and once we explain the power of a blog post, clients can’t wait to get started.

So why DO sponsored blog posts matter? First and foremost, you get an authentic review of your product that includes the key messaging you want to see. Here’s how it works: after identifying and securing bloggers that fit the specifications for your campaign, you provide them with a product sample as well as your key messaging. The blogger then tries the product and writes a review using their unique voice and point of view. This is important: the brands/businesses do NOT supply the blogger with copy or pre-approved text. Everything written in the post is 100 percent authentic and original. They’ll take your key messages and weave them seamlessly into their copy.

Every blogger has an audience. It can be 100 people a day or 100,000 a day. And that audience is usually very loyal and very engaged. Their readers know that they’re not just writing a review for money — they know the blogger must believe in the product or brand to agree to write about it in the first place. This is important to remember: if a blogger doesn’t like a product, she/he will mostly decline to participate in the program. This is actually good — you want your reviewers to be fans. Also, a blogger might find something they don’t like about your product. If this happens, she/he might mention it in the post. This only adds to the authenticity. It won’t be highlighted and it won’t be their lead, but it might be mentioned. It’s not a regular occurrence, but it might happen.

Once the blog post is published, most bloggers share across their social media. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube — whichever platforms make sense for the promotion. This greatly increases the reach of a brand’s message.

Many brands wonder about the number of eyeballs that will see the sponsored post — particularly since older posts move down a blogger’s homepage as new content is published. This is one of the best parts of influencer marketing: it’s content that lives forever. It’s true: the post won’t be on the front page for longer than a day or two, but it will be forever available via search. So when a potential customer searches your brand, these blog posts will surface alongside your brand page and your social media sites.

Given the amount of online research consumers are doing prior to making purchases, it’s imperative to include influencer marketing in your annual marketing strategy. Find the right influencers for your brand and product and empower them as your new brand ambassadors.