Build. Blog. Brand. The Building Blocks for Successful Brand and Blogger Relationships

Ten years ago, the word “blog” was barely in our lexicon; five years ago we were all trying to figure out if “blogger” was a real career. And now, it’s a term that’s used and understood by nearly everyone. Bloggers are creating connections between people, sharing stories and sharing information with folks seeking it – and changing the ways business is done.

From food to parenting to technology to horseback riding, there is a blogger out there building an audience around their passion. Many people look for information from a knowledgeable blogger when making purchasing or parenting decisions. They turn to the internet’s community of experts for advice and information, knowing that the information they get is personal, based on experience and genuine.

For businesses, this presents an interesting opportunity. Working with bloggers in a specific area is a great way to get information in front of their target audience.  The relationship between bloggers and the companies they care about is a delicate space that requires respect and patience from both parties to be mutually beneficial.  The PR team works to make sure the brand and blogger have similar intentions in mind and team up on the right projects. It’s important for bloggers to maintain their authenticity and represent their true opinions and experiences to their readers; relationships between bloggers and brands work best when everyone involved understands and respects that. It (probably) doesn’t make sense for a horseback riding blogger to write about their experience with a food processor and it (probably) doesn’t make sense for an organic recipe blog to mention copy machines.

When seeking collaboration, some things for brands and businesses to keep in mind:

*Are our brand ideals aligned? A family-focused food blogger that encourage families to cook and eat together could share ideals with a packaged food brand that supports food education and promotes child-friendly meals.

*Is this valuable for our audience? Even if aligned on brand ideals, if it doesn’t make sense for a blog’s readership or a brand’s target demographic, the collaboration may not be a good fit. A NW locavore blog may share ideals with a Midwest dairy farm, but not have access to their products.

*Is it the right time? The business and the blog need to be aligned on timing expectations for the relationship kick-off, information sharing and wrap-up or transition. There are many timing factors that should be taken into consideration on both sides: will we be working with a product that’s readily available? Does this collaboration fit in with my current objectives?

As blogging continues to expand in popularity and importance, the relationships between blogs and brands is going to continue to evolve and grow. What an exciting time to be a food blogger – or a PR person!
 

About the author: Porter Novelli, IFBC’s PR agency, explores the importance of blogging to businesses. As a major PR firm, PN works with bloggers on behalf of clients (big and small).