Blogger outreach: Your secret weapon in the struggle for influence

Bloggers link directly to the hearts and minds of your customers. Equipped with intimate industry knowledge and engaging content, successful bloggers skyrocket to front pages of the search engines with the help from their dedicated army of readers. According to 2009 survey, 77% of active Internet users read blogs, which makes blogger outreachan effective tool for any organization interested in marketing a product or a service online.

Benefits

People like people. Bloggers are not brands, but real individuals who cover topics they are passionate about. Readers who follow a specific blog develop a trust-based relationship and become part of an interactive community surrounding it. Trust allows bloggers to effectively communicate your message better than any form of ads because it is viewed as word of mouth.

Targeted exposure. The biggest benefit of blogger outreach is talking directly into the ears of your customers. Successful blogs are niche-centered, and attract readers who are interested in that specific topic. This is segmentation at its best; you are conveying your business messages to the right people, at the right time. By writing about your product or brand in their post, bloggers can introduce a new product, increase brand awareness and even make your content go viral.

SEO. In addition to speaking directly to your audience in an environment where they are more engaged, you will reap the benefits of moving up in the SEO world. Links provided by the blogger in the post will boost your rating on search engines.

Creating a target list

The first step in blogger outreach is creating a list of bloggers in your niche. Each blogger has their own voice and viewpoint; keep an eye on the ones that fit your brand. Before you can start reaching out to bloggers, you need to crank out your excel file list. Aim for at least 100 blogs. New tools come out every day, but I have found these to be a good starter kit.

1. Technorati.comis a database which ranks blogs based on authority and groups they belong to. The authority score and blog rank will help you sort through influencers and their runner-ups.

2. Alltop.com is a good place to start if you don’t know what niche categories you are looking for. Alltop’s categories are numerous and clearly defined. Trending industry stories and top bloggers are listed on the top of each category page.

3 Google.com/blogsearch is an advanced Google search function targeting only blogs. This function will cover everything Alltop and Technorati missed.

4. Blogroll. Once you found a blog you like, it would be a good idea to check what other blogs the author links to. This list can be found on a right hand side of the page or in one of the headings and contains similar blogs to the one you are on. Additionally, check out if the blog belongs to any community or organization which would be indicated by a button or a link.

5. Alexa.com will help you measure the numerous lists of blogs you have acquired by providing statistics on ranking, reach and page views.

Filled with unshaken confidence, gallons of coffee, and a room packed with interns you are sure to come out victorious. What are your thoughts on blogger outreach? What tool was your favorite? Comment below to feed your local bloggers.

Dmitri Pivtorak, newest member of the Yaffe social media team.