Why Bloggers are becoming an intrinsic part of modern Consumer PR

web log, blog(verb): a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies

The PR sector is constantly evolving to suit modern living. With factors such as technology, declining numbers of magazine and newspaper subscribers and diminishing attention spans of consumers, getting coverage for clients by way of traditional PR can prove difficult.

We are living in the age of tech where most people own a tablet, laptop and smartphone, and in order to reach out to the vast majority of our audience, we must cater to the demands of the average consumer. Whilst a vast majority of Irish adults (84%) still read a newspaper daily, the younger generation rely on social media and the internet to get their news. 96% of Irish 15-35 year olds own a smart phone.

The concept of blogging is still a relatively new one, introduced in the late 90s by a series of websites such as OpenDiary, Slashdot and LiveJournal which encouraged online diaries, but blogging was only catapulted into the mainstream when Google acquired Blogger.com in 2003 and WordPress, the web’s most popular blogging system, was also launched in 2003. Around this time bloggers published their own thoughts on topical news stories such as the Iraq War, conspiracy theories and politics. Nowadays blogging can also be categorised under the social media umbrella via posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat which are in fact mini-blogging platforms albeit not in the traditional sense.

Consumer confidence is somewhat decreasing with cloudy advertising, media spin and clever marketing but statistics have proven that the modern consumer trusts the word of bloggers who have been praised for their frankness and honesty when it comes to reviewing products. “Recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising”, according to the latest Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries. This “no frills” form of publicity is cost effective for the client. Lifestyle bloggers are generally happy to review products for free or a low fee, depending on their reach, and the message is delivered in a non- invasive way whereby the viewer doesn’t feel they are being given the “hard sell”.

The potential for a brand to go viral via a blogging platform is a huge draw for consumer PR clients. The blogging community prides itself on its support for one another, meaning sharing posts and praising creative content is likely and thus the potential reach is vast, increasing brand awareness- just look at the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge which started via a Facebook post and proceeded to raise $100 million in 2014.

The blogging community is social media savvy. For consumer PR this means your brand can be fast-tracked into the public psyche with an online presence – no waiting around for bimonthly publications, and no uncertainty of pick-up in the press. Traditional media such as print and broadcast remain important, but with so many different social media channels being in regular use and constantly growing, clients are able to reach a broader spectrum of people as bloggers tell the world about your product.

All of this is not to say traditional media channels are on the way out. People will always love the feel of a paper in their hand, and the enjoyment of taking time out to read a magazine or watch television, but as the internet continues its world dominance, companies and their PR advisors must be open minded when sharing out their clients’ information.