Blogger Outreach is a marketing strategy every business should do. Today, we’ll let you know why it will be very beneficial to your business, and how to do it so you don’t get ignored by influential bloggers in your field. This is particularly important because they get lots of requests!
Why is Blogger Outreach Important?
Some marketers say blogger outreach is a waste of time, while there are also some who can testify to its benefits. Here at Milk it, we rely on hard data and no guesswork, so we tried blogger outreach for ourselves, and some of our clients and here are our thoughts:
It’s the quickest way to put your business in front of a new qualified and wide audience.
It gets you quality leads.
It’s affordable compared to other advertising mediums. Sometimes, it won’t even cost you anything at all.
It enables you to further position your business as leaders in your industry.
Some data to back these up?
“Blogs were found to be the third-most influential digital resource (31%) when making overall purchases, only behind retail sites(56%) and brand sites(34%). In fact, blogs were found to be the fifth-most trustworthy source overall for information on the internet.” – Technorati Media & Digital Influence report 2013
“70% of people learn about a company from articles instead of ads.” – Social Marketing Writing
“77% of Internet users read blogs.” – The West Program
Convinced yet?! If yes, let’s now learn how to do blogger outreach the right way.
When done right… Blogging is NOT easy! Blog authors put so much time and effort into building a reputable blog, so it’s only understandable why they are so careful in doing collaborations with third parties. This is why it is very important to not rush things. Follow our 5 pro tips in doing blogger outreach and getting noticed in their inbox:
Get to know the blogger. It isn’t enough to just glance at a blogger’s website, and when you see that he/she has a huge following with your target market, contact them a for a collaboration. You must first get to know your blogger, so you can see if your business will be beneficial to his/her audience.
If your business DOES fit their niche, make sure to connect with the blogger on all platform and be active in their work. This is a good way to be recognised by the blogger quickly!
Personalise your introductory email. If you want to build a relationship with a blogger, at least have the time to get to know his/her name. Nothing irks bloggers more than getting collaboration request emails that start with “Dear Blog Author”, “Dear Blogger”, “Dear Ma’am”, etc.
Get to know your blogger, say your thoughts about their blog and why you chose them among the many blogs in the interwebs. It’s easy really…
Write your email the way you would want third party representatives to contact YOU.
What’s in it for them? Blogging may be someone’s hobby, or someone’s source of income. It’s as much of a business as yours, so always present want the blog owners will get from you. Explain what their audience will gain from your post and why it will be relevant. Focus on things that you can offer them, and the people that reads their content.
Solve a problem. This item is like an extension of the tip above, but I believe this needs more emphasis.
The best way to provide value to bloggers is to offer a solution to a problem they or their readers are encountering. If they are in need of help or suggestions, and this is something you can do, go for it!
Offer an opportunity to collaborate on your side. Bloggers love exposure. After all, this is what keeps their blog alive! So give some of your website space to them, so they can share some of theirs too! You will both benefit from each other, only adding to your SEO and credibility.
There are many ways blogger outreach can help a business find leads and get more sales. Truth is, it doesn’t even stop when the post is up… when done right, bloggers can be your best and most genuine marketing partner for years. And you can be the same for them, too. So get crackin’ on making a list of blog sites that is related to your business, engage with them, and start your blogger outreach success!
Now it’s your turn. Have you tried doing blogger outreach? How have bloggers helped your business? Join the conversation by commenting below.
