If your company is product-based, like one of our clients Image3D, there’s an enormous network out there of bloggers and influencers who love to review products, and it can be a great win-win situation. Image3D makes stereoscopic viewers—think ViewMaster—and allows customers to make their own 3D photo reels with their own photos. These are a fun, nostalgic toy, and a great out-of-the-box gift for holidays throughout the year. One of the ways we helped Image3D was through a year-round campaign for gift guides.
Lots of bloggers create gift guides for their audiences; it’s topical, the format is simple, and there are so many occasions throughout the year where people are looking for gift ideas — Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduation, Spring, Summer, Back to School, the list goes on… and they are constantly on the lookout for new products and ideas for their readers. Most of these bloggers and influencers are classified as “micro-influencers,” meaning they have fewer than 50,000 followers, but they have a more personal connection to their followers and readers who will listen to what they have to say. An endorsement from them carries more weight with their readers because they trust them more.
It is important to find bloggers and influencers who cover topics related to your product. A parenting blogger may not be interested in a car care product, although if their kids are anything like ours, the car always needs cleaning. But we have found most of them quick to respond to requests and easy to work with. Some do charge for posts and reviews, but many are willing to include products in exchange for a sample. The cost of your goods plus shipping is generally a good investment for being able to put your product in front of 5,000–50,000 engaged readers. There is an added bonus if you sell online: readers can click directly through to your website and purchase within seconds. You can also provide the bloggers with a unique link to track clicks through to your website, and even track sales that come from their gift guide. This can be a handy way to analyze the effectiveness of their work, but is not exactly precise. Some people may see your product, click on the link, and buy right away. Others may save it for later, or type the website in the browser without clicking, or open a new window, all of which are much harder to track than the direct click. Even if we can’t always draw a direct line between someone seeing your product, thinking it’s a good idea, and purchasing it, gift guides, blogs, and influencers can be a great way to get your product in front of the kinds of people who would enjoy it.
So remember, it’s not just during the holiday season, and it’s not just about the direct sales you can gain from gift guides, but also the new people who will learn about you and keep you in mind for the right occasion.
Thanks,
Aaron