Laura Burgess Marketing recently attended the National Shooting Sports Foundation Marketing Symposium in Dallas, Texas. Our client, GunUp‘s CEO Dan Hall, attended the event and spoke to the group about engaging bloggers. It is interesting to note that within our industry, there is still some reticence about engaging bloggers. The normal response is that a blogger does not answer to an editor or an advertiser. That means the blogger is free to write whatever they want about your product. And that, my friends, is a good thing. Consider a blogger our industry’s version of Consumer Reports. Most people between the ages of 18 and 35 say their biggest purchasing influencers are family and friends – in other words, peer marketing. Bloggers provide that link between you, the manufacturer, and your customers as that “peer” advisor.
How to engage bloggers? First of all, they don’t bite, or live in the dark, or have it out for you. Most bloggers are young, technically savvy and passionate about their firearms and accessories. Many are veterans or currently work in law enforcement, security, or have a passion for hunting. In fact, there is a good chance they might even know more about your products than you do. Engaging bloggers is not really all that different from engaging print writers. In fact, more and more traditional print writers are extending their reach with blogs. Reach out through email or give them a call. Read their blogs and follow them. Ask them for their site statistics. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that many of the top bloggers will have more unique viewers on their blogs than your corporate site! You’ll find that almost all the bloggers in our industry want to work with you and they will provide you with the ability to get your news out immediately. I know. We have counted on the many bloggers we work with to help us extend our clients’ messages quickly and effectively. Literally, just as quick as it takes to send the message!
Still not sure? Dan Hall has been developing a program for you, free of charge, to help you qualify which bloggers might be right for you and your company. Check out GunUp’s Gun Blogger Network and feel free to reach out to any of these great web writers. You won’t regret it!
Bloggers are an important resource for many product manufatures and distribtors. I am a pro fishing blogger who fishes weekly, I use all sorts of fishing lures and know which ones work and which do not. I also know the best way to use them all. I am a voice for the tackle manufactures, an extension and a valuable resource.
I have the freedom to express my honest opinion about a product without censorship or a sticky editor. This is a more honest review of a product with less restrictions, after all if I was the manufacturer I would want to hear the truth about how my product performs in the field, and then improve on that product if nessary.
Trust and relationships factor into a person’s decision to purchace a product (peer purchases). I cannot tell you how many times a person turned to me for advice about a product. Should they waste their money on junk or is this product really worth the money? Smart manufactures find bloggers to affliate with and then they place their link on that bloggers site, after all this is the new way of doing business. Who better to sell their products then the guy using them everyday and having great success.
So as you stated, don’t be afraid of the blogger. The blogger will help you and you can help the blogger. That to me is what blogging is all about.
http://www.bowriverblog.com
http://www.youronthehook.com
Cheers,
~Mike Robertson.