Do Women Bloggers Want to Workwith Your Brand?MAY 16, 2011

Marketers must be aware of blogger expectations tofoster good relationships

Blog community provider BlogFrog surveyed female bloggers in the US todiscover what kinds of partnerships with brands were more desirable and howwomen bloggers thought brand relationships should work. About three-quarters of those surveyed were moms; eMarketer estimates 4 million mothersin the US will write a blog at least monthly this year.

According to the bloggers surveyed, long-term relationships with brands werekey. Nearly six in 10 preferred to work over a long period with just a fewfavored brands, while 23% would follow a more casual model with manybrands. Relationships with tech, health and beauty, and food and beveragemarketers were the most sought-after.

Less than half of all female bloggers had ever been approached by a brand,but many receive dozens of pitches each year to work on projects ranging fromaffiliate programs and direct advertising to guest posts and Twitter parties.

Overall, however, BlogFrog found that about two-thirds of women bloggersreject at least half of the pitches they receive. Bloggers most often acceptedbrand campaigns that involved posting a product review on their blog, andcampaigns for food and beverage and health and beauty companies weremost common.

Brands typically reach out to bloggers via word-of-mouth and social media,with email and online communities also popular. The report suggested that in-person relationships could be leveraged further to create blog campaignopportunities.

The takeaway for marketers that want to get involved with blogs is to knowtheir potential campaign partner. The product categories and types of brandsfavored by a blogger are typically a personal choice, and can often bedetermined by a familiarity with the blog’s content. Ultimately, bloggers simplydemand respect for the time and effort they put into their publication. Long-term relationships that involve fair compensation and editorial freedom will bethe most fruitful.

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