How blogging can help brands and their campaigns

Most digital campaigns these days are either on Instagram or around a TVC and they run in silos with respect to the larger marketing or PR objectives. They are sudden burst campaigns typically running for two to three days, where a bunch of influencers post a video or an image with a caption. They’re usually missing a call to action (CTA), and even if there is one, it is mostly placed in the influencers’ bios. 

In an attention span of an Instagram timeline, where liking a post is a novelty, how many consumers do you imagine check influencer profiles for the link? How many consumers do you believe are getting influenced by that one Instagram post?

The need of the industry is to pivot, in order to cater to a more mature and nuanced consumer. A consumer who doesn’t have an impulsive buying journey and who is consuming information related to the product category on multiple platforms, starting from Google and often ending in well-researched long-form content.

In short, a brand campaign should be presented as breadcrumbs on every single platform and push for multiple content interaction cycles, which eventually shift the needle of consideration for a consumer. 

But how does a brand with limited resources and maximum KPI (key performance indicators) needs achieve this? This can be done by replacing influencer outreach programmes with blogger outreach programmes. Bloggers are nothing but influencers who have their websites as well as a strong social media influence. 

Basically: All bloggers are influencers but all influencers are not bloggers.

With the help of bloggers, a brand can target SEO and hence organic Google search results. With an added layer of well-researched, unique content that is sprinkled with anecdotal storytelling, bloggers lend nuance and credibility to the conversation.

Given that the bloggers own their websites, i.e., these websites are self-hosted, they are not at the mercy of social media algorithms and don’t get drowned in the digital noise. Additionally, the easy inclusion of CTAs not only works towards directing user traffic to relevant brand assets but also serves as backlinks.

And the best part is that a blogger outreach programme doesn’t stop here. Armed with a strong social media presence, a brand even gets access to the blogger’s following on multiple platforms through social posts, unique videos, and constant chatter online.

Given these diverse activations, most blogger outreach programmes, when well sketched, have a longer shelf life. Each blogger is contributing a substantial number of hours and online space to the campaign, allowing the consumer to be involved in multiple places and allowing the brand to build relationships and push for advocacy. 

Therefore, with a blogger outreach programme, a brand stands to gain more with every activated profile and activity set. 

By following the consumer from Google search, keeping them engaged on social media, and allowing them due diligence through long-form content, brands can ensure that they do not miss a touch point—both in terms of speech and platform—to influence consumer decisions.