Blogs Outrank Social Networks

Blogs Outrank Social Networks

I love my blog. I really do. I swear. And when I can focus, I can really make a go at it. However, I seem to have taken a premature sabbatical the past few months. That is until I saw the headline “Blogs Outrank Social Networks for Consumer Influence…”.

Not that I want to use my blog to influence decisions of consumers but it is always a nice way to bond and share stories and experiences. Either I haven’t had much to share in terms of experiences recently or I have been keeping my life close to the chest. Nothing wrong with that except that I did opt to have a blog. So, here I go…

I am glad I came across this article because it is true in many ways. As wonderful as social networks are, and they are, they only give a bit of information in comparison to the real nitty-gritty details. And those details really need to come from key influencers who spend most of their time writing blogs. Hence, why blogs are more influential.

So, we find ourselves back to the same old digital marketing concept…spend time where your audience is…however in this case, you want to spend time where your influencer is so that you can gain insight from a respected and trustworthy “friend”. So, the question is…will brands need to spend more time on these key blogs and less time strategizing blindly in the social networks? My opinion…they probably need to spend a bit of time in both locations before making a transition (which likely will not happen or how would the social networks monetize as they have been?).

Brands tend to look at increased numbers in the social networks as influence. Indirectly it is but in reality, it is simply more audience numbers. If their audience consists of big names however, it could be influential. But to bank on that alone would be simply naive.

“If you’re a brand marketer trying to connect with influencers, remember that having a large social media following doesn’t give you influence, it simply gives you an audience. Try looking for influencers who have very close ties to their communities, or bloggers who are relevant to your brand even if they don’t have worldwide fame.”

So from what I can see, there is much more work for the brand to do…spend time knowing your audience-you know…those potential key influencers those who “like”, “retweet”, “comment or share”, “pin” your information. Figure out who is important and influential to your product and brand and get to know them!

I know…more research and work to do. Don’t worry…in time, there will be a tool that can identify who is a key influencer depending on your brand/product. But for now, we have google!

For article, click here.