How successful Bloggers can help your brand to succeed
As recently as a decade ago, to say you were a blogger was more of an embarrassing confession rather than a bona fide job. Bloggers used to be people who wrote their own personal opinions about things – most of which no one cared about – and put them online in a dark corner of the internet where they went largely unnoticed.
But then social media came along, and suddenly people had a platform to share their thoughts.
Not long after that, smartphones gave people access to the internet on-the-go, and along with their built-in high-definition cameras, suddenly a new world of Facebook likes, Instagram pics and YouTube videos were taking shape.
Fast Forward to today, and social media “influencers” are a big business, with the top bloggers literally making millions from brands who pay them to push their products.
Fashion Bloggers
It’s been over a decade since the fashion blogging phenomenon first kicked off, and after a great deal of having to prove themselves as successful writers, fashion bloggers are now a major part of the fashion scene.
The top main influencers in the fashion industry are launching their own clothing lines, landing magazine covers and running multimillion-dollar businesses – all stemming from their personal style blogs.
You will see them sitting in the front rows of all the major fashion shows, landing huge ad campaigns and splashed on magazine covers all over the world. Some have even launched multimillion-dollar businesses based on their blogs.
Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Twitter are all used to attract their audience’s attention and funnelling traffic to their personal websites.
Due to their popularity, these fashion bloggers are collaborating with major brands or getting offered their own lines with big high-end names.
Some of the top bloggers have launched successful shoe lines, cosmetic ranges, and clothing lines, raking in millions of dollars and gaining millions of followers.
How a Blogger can help your brand become successful
The difference between successful and unsuccessful Bloggers is one simple word; trust.
Every successful influencer has an audience that trusts them, their opinion, and their recommendations.
The really popular bloggers have influence over millions of people, and one single “thumbs up” from them can change a fledgeling enterprise into a serious business, practically overnight.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to get a top influencer to promote your business.
It’s not as simple as sending Chloe Kardashian a scarf and waiting for her to wear it in her next Instagram post.
Small brands will have to start with small bloggers, but even someone with only a few hundred followers can snowball into something enormous in a short space of time.
What to look for in a Blogger
The only way to work with an influencer is to straight up ask them to work with you.
This is a business arrangement, and both parties will be getting something from it. You can offer free products, access to your audience, or simply pay them for each post.
Finding a Blogger who might collaborate with your brand is only half the battle – the other half is finding a Blogger who is right for your brand.
You’ll want to find someone whose audience demographics match your target customers, and who has a large enough following to be of help, but not so large that they don’t need you.
If you sell clothes for teenage girls, then you don’t want an influencer whose audience is primarily middle-aged women, no matter how many followers they have.
The future of advertising?
It seems the craze of fashion blogging has no end in sight, and the growing popularity of influencers is here to stay.
Some bloggers are working as directors of merchandising and as personal stylists for big-name designers and celebrities. Others are opening their own high-end stores in Europe, Paris, Milan, France, NYC as well as high-end e-stores.
Not all Bloggers will want to work with you, and that’s okay.
The ones that do should be treated like a valued partner and not simply another marketing tool.
A good Blogger will help you reach your target audience, boost sales, and add value to your brand.
With the decline of traditional advertising, influencer marketing is becoming a highly successful and effective option to invest your marketing budget.
immago has been in the fashion and textile industry for decades, social media, online marketing and influencer blogging are all just the latest developments that we are successfully adapting to.
Contact us today if you would like to know more about how we can help your brand navigate today’s online world.