5 reasons why Singapore firms must incorporate blogger marketing in their campaign

1. The moving trend towards digital media.

This is even more palpable in Singapore which is one of the most wired nations in the world. More and more advertisers are starting to realise the trend moving away from traditional media to the digital media space.

For example SPH recently posted declining advertising and circulation figures in their newspaper and magazine business. (Source: https://www.todayonline.com/business/sph-q3-profit-81)

To strengthen their online offerings, they recently acquired local online portal sgCarMart for USD 48 million.

Companies have started to allocate resources and position themselves to build up powerful online presences. Blogger marketing is another very cost effective way to do this.

2. Permanence in the online space.

Unlike advertising in print where your buyout is limited to just that particular issue or worse, a single day - blog posts typically last forever. Most people underestimate how big of a difference this is.

Not only is the impact felt at the start through the bloggers social media channels, it remains on the internet forever.

Five years from now somebody could be doing a search for your business and come across a positive review, from a blogger you engaged 5 years ago at close to no cost. Which brings me to my next point.

3. Bloggers are extremely cost effective

Many people in the industry underestimate the value of blogger marketing. Even bloggers themselves tend to undercharge. Bloggers with decent followers are usually content with media invitations without monetary compensation and bloggers with bigger followings don't charge much - if you know who to approach.

When marketers talk about Singapore bloggers, your always hear the same three names. Such that the value of these bloggers have become inflated over time since everyone keeps approaching them with offers.

Because they don't know anyone else, sometimes marketers even resort to picking unknown bloggers with no readership just so they can feel they 'engaged a blogger'. This is terrible because you don't look too smart to people in the know and its a complete waste of your time and money.

There is actually a large tier of bloggers just under the top few, which the smarter marketers have been engaging all this while and not overpaying. Engaging 3-4 of them instead of just 1 "Top Blogger" is a far more cost effective approach. They have good followings, are experienced working with media and usually work harder.

The bottom line is, blogger marketing can be very cost effective if you know who to approach.

4. You make consumers seek out your advertisements.

Advertisements in print media are shoved in your face. Its an unavoidable fact which has conditioned consumers to quickly turn the page at the sight of any advertisements.

It's very different in the online world. When people want information they search for it. And where do you want them to end up after searching for key terms? That's right, on a blog post from your high ranking google blogger endorsing your business. It is way more relatable to them too as consumers see this as a third party endorsement and not your 'advertising'. These information packed posts contain all the 'right' information you want them to read about.

This results in consumers basically seeking out your advertising and gettting the information they want at the same time. This is another reason why you need to pay close attention to find a blogger with good search engine visibility.

5. The value of endorsement

Bloggers serve as influencers and experts in the field that their blog covers. Food bloggers for example are followed by foodies looking for the next good recommendation. These bloggers make suitable targets for restaurants to engage.

Because they are regarded as experts in their field, having them cover your business effectively results in endorsement from a public figure. Not only are you getting good coverage and advertising, you're also getting their stamp of approval, without any additional endorsement fees!

In summary, blogging is an extremely cost effective way to supplement your advertising campaign. It is definitely the cheapest way of online advertising and if done well can bring tremendous value to your campaign. Paying them decently and maintaining a long term relationship can do wonders for your business and campaigns.

Finally, it isn't just enough to follow these tips and succeed in blogger marketing. The most important part is knowing who to engage.

Bloggers with no search engine visibility or weak spheres of influence are not worth the time. Bloggers who have little experience with media and low readership will end up more trouble then they are worth. Don't make the mistake of engaging bloggers no one reads.

In the next article, I will be showing you the exact steps on how to pick the right bloggers for your business.