1. The Venn of Blogger Relations
Relevant
Brands Blog Niche
Connection
Creating Relevance
One Niche at a Time
Conversational Media Group 10/18/2011

2. Agenda
• Context/Assumptions
• Review of Blogger Programs
• Types
• Common Features
• Current Situation
• Recommended Strategic Direction/Examples
• Conversational Media Group Process

3. Context
Definitions are evolving and lines can blur but broadly speaking...
• Blogger Outreach: “Influential” bloggers are identified in various ways and contacted by Brand/Brand
representatives and invited to an event, asked to participate in something, provided product or product samples,
or some combination (large or small) in exchange for an implicit agreement that they will write about their
experience (including disclosing what they received.) It is typically a one-off though sometimes bloggers receive
follow up products and invitations.
• Blogger Relations: Bloggers within a pre-defined niche are identified and contacted by Brands, Companies
or their representatives to engage in an ongoing relationship based upon a mutual connection...the connection
between the Brand, the bloggers and the bloggers’ community. Input and opinions is sought in addition to
content creation. The relative influence (readership size) of the bloggers is not always as important as their
involvement with /passion for the “connection” to the Brand or Companies “agenda.”
• Sponsored Content/Conversations: This can be a single blog post or an entire blog but it consists of
an explicit agreement that a blogger will write about/review a product (s), service (s), event (s), or on an agreed
upon topic in exchange for compensation (direct or through a blogger network). The sponsorship is disclosed.

4. 19% Say They Trust Paid Reviews
Mitigating Factors
•Relevance of the Brand to Blogger’s content
•Trustiness of the Blogger
•Disclosure
Fleishman-Hillard’s 2010 Digital Influence Index (pdf),

5. Review/Types
Also overlapping and evolving....
• Brand Ambassadors
• Blogging Communities
• Sponsored Content
• Blogger/Community Manager
• Blogging Events
• Promotion/Campaign Outreach

6. FISHERS BRAND AMBASSADORS
• Scrapbook evangelists
• Trained by Fiskars
• Set up Blog
• 2006-
6

7. FISHERS BRAND AMBASSADORS
• Scrapbook evangelists
• Trained by Fiskars
• Set up Blog
• 2006-
6

8. Sharpie Squad
•Started in 2009
•Mommy bloggers, employees, artists
users
•Non-exclusive
• Non-profit outreach

10. The Happiest Mom

11. Purina Cat Chow Correspondent

12. Kleenex Mums

13. BABBLE

14. WALMART MOMS

15. Sponsored Content
14

16. Ford, Kodak Blogger to Community Manager

17. P&G at BLOGHER

18. BLISSDOM
•The “other” blogger conference
• Started in 2008

26. Brands, Ingredients, Function, Blogs, Topics
Ketchup
Gluten Free
Diabetes
X
GMI
Recipes
Celiac
Low Calorie Brand
HFCS
Organic
Healthy Family
Food, Exercise,Sports Brand Pasta Sauce
Brand

27. The Venn of Blogger Relations
Relevant
Blog Niche
Brands Connection

28. Brands & Recipes
• Media Post study* indicated that of the top clicked and searched keywords across 16 CPG Brand
websites
• 58% of top 100 keywords were recipe specific
• 20% were Brand specific
• 18% were food specific
• 2% were related to coupons
*http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/134177/Text

29. 1% of Google searches are recipe related
1 billion searches a month

30. Gluten Free
Brands

31. Popular Searches
Google Search Results
Meatloaf recipes blogs 968K
Meatloaf Recipe/Ketchup blogs 42.8K
Meatloaf Recipes/Ketchup/gluten free blogs 39.9K
Heinz Gluten Free blogs 86.4K

32. Gluten Free Recipe Blogs
Gluten Free Recipe Blogs
Meatloaf w/ Ketchup
Gluten Free Mommy Recipe Blogs

34. The Gluten Free Ecosystem...
30mm People with
IBS
are Gluten
Intolerant

35. What’s the Relevant Connection?
Gluten Gluten Free
Free Brands Recipe
? Mommy
Bloggers

36. Celiac Disease?
Bloggers
Recipes
Celiac disease affects about 1 percent of the U.S. Population
Athletics
experts estimate that as many as 10 percent have a related
and poorly understood condition known as non-celiac gluten
intolerance (NCGI), or gluten sensitivity.

37. Relevant Connection
Brand Recipes
Brand Gluten Free
Gluten Recipes
Free Recipes for Athletes
Sports
Gluten Free
Brands Gluten Free
Gluten Free Recipe
Recipes Bloggers
for Athletes

38. Creating Relevant Connections
One Niche at a Time

39. Other Active Blogger Niches
• Diabetics
• Green/Sustainable
• Organic

40. 39

41. Topics

42. Relevant Connections
• Successful bloggers create content about topics that they care about, often
passionately care about, to share with their equally caring and passionate
community.
• Brands need to connect in a place that transcends the product attributes and even
the benefits; the connection should be defined by a shared interest or passion.

43. Common Feature For Success
• Call To Action
• Emotional Connection
• Shareable Content
• Add Visible, Unique Value
• If Part of a Campaign, a Mechanism for Ongoing Contact
• Metrics to Determine Success

44. Conversational Media Group Process
• Brand Inventory
• Strategy/Content Strategy
• Identify and Evaluate Matching Blog Niches
• Determine Relevant Connection
• Identify Bloggers
• Develop Pilot Program
• Contact Bloggers
• Launch Pilot
• Measure/Refine/Launch
• Measure/Report