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.