The Power of the Blogosphere

Whilst developing my Instagram initiative for my digital marketing module at University, I strolled across some really interesting foodie blogs, and it got me thinking how powerful some of these bloggers are to the food industry. As the current population become even more internet savvy, and rely heavily on peer reviews, a positive blog from an influential 'foodie blogger' could seriously bump up your reputation. I came across a few influential London based ones, a few that travelled the world and blogged about it, and even some who create their own dishes and share the recipes.

source: scramblingeggs

When someone has built up a following after posting such tasteful images, and also a string of good and honest reviews, it's hard for those local to not pop in to the recommendations. One that really caught my eye was the Scrambling Eggs blog (link underneath the picture above), who made a recommendation of a pop up coffee shop by day/bar by night located in Camden. I couldn't help but feel like I wanted to visit! So I got reading around the topic of blogging, especially linked to food and restaurants. It's suggested (and probably quite well known) that blogging could be seen as just a hobby, however there's reports supporting the fact that many food bloggers have actually been successfully incorporated into the food industry. Not only this, but many PR companies now contact bloggers in order to promote food products (Cox & Blake, 2011).

I then went on to read an interesting post from the Social Media Examiner (direct link to the post, click it, it's worth a read) that states five reasons your business should be blogging. I'll just summarise the five points Marcus Sheridan makes, as I have to say, I pretty much agree with all of them.

1. The Power of the Team

Exploring the fact that humans like to be part of team, or essentially a movement. Creating content for your business, whether it be a team of 5 or 500 will have a positive effect on any company.

2. Blogging Sharpens Your Sword

I love the way he worded this, fits it pretty well. And it's true, blogging means that you have to stay up to date with the latest within your industry, Not only that, but you become better at explaining stuff to your consumers, and teamed with all that research, you're prepared for answering any customer queries!

3. You Become the Trust Agent

Quite simply: helpful content - trust, trust - leads, leads - SALES.

4. Content is the Great Qualifier

The more stuff a consumer can look at, and the more information they receive means that they're more likely to make a decision into buying. It's important to integrate blog content into every aspect of your company's sales approach.

5. The Power of the Blog Comment

FEEDBACK FEEDBACK FEEDBACK. Allowing for discussion of your products is essential if you want to stay up to date with your customers. This can allow you to target exactly what customers have expressed they WANT. Not only that, but he makes a great point about those customers who are passionate about your brand, who want to leave positive comments, and who want to share their appreciation for your products/services.

I'm pretty impressed with these points, as they do have relevance to all kinds of businesses, and they're easily applicable to the restaurant and food industry. Finally, I found a little gem of a quote to leave you thinking about the world of blogging for businesses:

"The blogosphere (the collective name applied to the global blogging community) is the home of internet buzz. If something is worth talking about online (and often even if it’s not) it will be written about, commented upon and propagated through the blogosphere" (Damien & Jones, 2009, p164)

REFERENCES:

Cox, A. & Blake, M. (2011) Information and food blogging as serious leisure. Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives. Vol. 63, Iss. 2/3, pp.204-220.

Damien, R. & Jones, C. (2009) Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. 1st Ed. London: Kogan Page.

Instagram means business

You're probably extremely aware of Instagram and it's functions, but mainly for personal use. I know I'm a keen 'Instagrammer', I love the accessibility of it, and I love sharing photo's with my friends and documenting all my memories in one place. If anything I feel like Facebook has become somewhat boring for photo sharing, I mean I pretty much use it solely for uploading my photo's (kind of like a back up without a hard drive), I rarely even post statuses anymore. However, I (and many others) use Instagram to showcase the best of the best - our top picks that we choose solely to share with our followers.

Now I'm sure we're all aware of brands using these social media platforms to share their products and services, but Instagram has gone just that little bit further. They have announced the release of 'The Instagram Handbook for Brands', a handbook specially aimed at marketers including tips, tools and examples for brands who are wanting to move into Instagram marketing. Sweet, right?

Source: Instagram Business Tumblr

Now unfortunately for smaller, more unheard of brands, this isn't readily available - meaning Instagram picks and chooses who it will distribute the little book to. The good news? Instagram will be releasing a few hints and tips on their Tumblr blog from the handbook, so marketers can get their hands on some selected content from the series of blog posts.

The even better news? I'm gonna summarise some of the points made from their first blog posting! Instagram have chosen 11 brands that they believe post 'incredibly engaging content' to feature as profiles in the handbook, including the likes of Disney Land, GoPro and Warby Parker.

Instagram's Tips for Brands

1. Be true to your brand

From what I can gather, this means reflecting the brand's true image through such postings. Brands should have a clear vision and voice of what they want to get through to their target market. Creativity is key, but defining your brand through trends within the Instagram community is crucial.

2. Share experiences

Kind of speaks for itself, but who doesn't love scrolling through a brand's Instagram and being inspired. The blog itself uses GoPro as an example, as their profile continues to get people thinking of how they can use a GoPro product and share it with their friends and followers. It's about giving people an insight into how your products can provide new experiences or lifestyles.

3. Find beauty anywhere

I love this tip, mostly due to the fact that if you can't find beauty anywhere you probably should reassess marketing through Instagram. It's about showing your followers how your company sees the world, and the more meaningful these images and messages are, the more effective this kind of posting will be.

4. Inspire action

Trends trends trends! The key to really getting consumer response - 'starting a movement around your brand'. It's something we see so commonly, yet so brilliant for generating a buzz around a brand. Instagram uses the example of Nike's #runfree campaign, which encourages people to capture personal photos linked to the trend, and tag them for the world to see.

5. Know your audience

Again, pretty self explanatory - create something that engages YOUR audience, that creatively captures their interest. You'll be reeling in the followers in no time.

So there we have it, Instagram's first five top tips on how to creatively manage your Instagram account as a marketing tool. The bottom line is, if you're creating something that's aesthetically pleasing to your consumers, they're gonna want to see more. The more a brand provides insight into the business, and the more they expose what consumers wouldn't normally see, creates a 'virtual brand friendship' (in my own words). 

The little handbook promises to gain brands followers, but don't be naive - there's nothing in the small print that guarantees sales will be generated, that's a different story. But we all know that an effective digital marketing presence is key in today's business world - it's how you apply it that counts. 

I've also added a short video that Instagram posted on their blog showing how some of the best brands on Instagram connect with their communities, enjoy!


Instagrams Business Tumblr
http://instagram-business.tumblr.com/post/76235731349/tools-and-tips-to-help-marketers-inspire-and