It might seem old-fashioned but blogging is not to be overlooked as an effective affiliate marketing tool.
Facebook has more than 800 million users; Twitter and LinkedIn have more than 150 million each, but at last count, more than one billion people reportedly visit one or more blogs each month. In fact, as a demographic, moms are more likely to frequent blogs and make good use of the information they find there, than any other group.
Fleishman-Hillard and ModernMom.com recently surveyed more than 700 moms about their brand interaction and the results showed that blogs were their prime source of information. More than half of all moms who visit blogs reported the blog reviews they receive from other mommy bloggers are the most influential when it comes to the decisions they make about what brands they are going to buy.
Mommy bloggers, as a whole, wield more influence than Twitter or the variety of online communities devoted to reporting crucial information for other moms.
Brands trying to reach moms need to have a social presence, sure, but this should not be the end-all, be-all of their marketing tactics. With more than one billion people actively using blogs for their own consumer research purposes it seems likely you would have a much better chance of getting exposure for your product through a well-placed review at a popular blog.
Approaching a blogger for a product or site review is very simple. Every blogger worth contacting will have their email address in an obvious spot at their blog. Send them an introductory letter, offer them a sample of your product and ask that they write a review.
With the audience for blogs exceeding record levels, the time spent securing blog reviews is a valuable investment that just might score you the exposure and response you are looking for.
