Brands that have been in the social media game for a few years understand how to best use the internet to showcase their brand and grow a fan base. But what about brands that are now scrambling to be part of the buzz and grab a share of the social marketing pie. Often they see bloggers as an easy and cost effective way to get incredible spread of information about their brand across the interwebs.

Is working with a blogger or a group of bloggers the right fit for your company, and if so, how best to engage with them? If your company follows a few simple guidelines, the rules for engagement are really not that hard.

1. Any blogger worth working with as part of your social media plan is not a hobbyist, and as such they do not want to be treated as one. Allocating enough funds and making them an integral part of your social media/marketing/PR team insures that they will put aside the time, energy and creativity to work towards your company’s success.
2. Respect bloggers. This is so easy, yet so many PR companies and marketing reps often do not. Sending out pitches to anyone and everyone that is on your mailing list hoping for a writeup is not the way to go. If you identify a blogger that you want to work with, the best respect you can show them is to get to know what they are about, get to know their voice online and then and only then send them pitches that you feel may interest them and their readers. From past experience I can tell you there is nothing worst than opening an email that is a press release with not even so much as a hello. Furthermore, the press release has absolutely nothing to do with what I write about over at Girlstoys Revue. In no other profession, do people get contacted for something that they are so unsuited for. When was the last time you heard of a doctor being contacted to complete someone’s income tax?

How can you work with Bloggers?

Product reviews are a simple first step, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Many bloggers are not only great communicators via written word, some use video as well as other imaginative ways to engage their readers. Respect the bloggers knowledge and insight into their readers and how best to get your message across. Armed with this information and a well thought out plan of action, you can be rest assured that you can monitor any campaign you enter into with a blogger for successful outcomes.

Bloggers have spent time creating a trusted network of readers as well as other bloggers and as such they will want to work with you to make sure they are providing quality information and resources to their readers. From my perspective, I will only work with organizations that I can stand behind – after all, it is my brand, my voice that is at stake. And for that same reason, you can expect only the most professional professional service from me and any other blogger that I put you in touch with.

If you are interested in working with one or several bloggers to launch a product/service or act as an ambassador for your company, feel free to contact me to direct your blogger outreach efforts as well as to design a campaign.

You can call them brand ambassadors, evangelists, endorsers – the title is not as important as what these people can actually do for your brand. Big business has long used the celebrity endorsement to get people to think “I want to be like Ms Hollywood Celeb, so if she uses it, I’m using it too”. The Foot Soldier is someone outside your company, that uses their influence to spread your brand message.

As social media continues to become a key part of the marketing and PR bag of tricks, many companies have come to appreciate (and use) the more grassroots approach to celebrity endorsement, or as I like to call them, the foot soldier. These soldiers are everyday people who are already doing all the legwork and talking about your brand. Foot soldiers have established their personal brand and use their chosen platform to influence others. Nowadays, these soldiers are as good as rockstars – they spread a brand message to their thousands of followers on Twitter or add their personal recommendation to your product via their well read blog. The Foot Soldiers who walk amongst us are our respected friends (for the most part), therefore we trust and respect what they endorse.

How to spot Accidental Foot Soldiers for your brand?

Sure someone may write or tweet about your product or service because they love it. But if you want this to be an ongoing gig that evolves and actually gets you more clients, fans or subscribers to your list, you really have to look at making the Accidental Foot Soldier a purposeful part of your team – a true Foot Soldier. Depending on the length of engagement of your Foot Soldier with promoting/endorsing your brand, you need to compensate them accordingly. Sometimes free product will do but remember, you get what you pay for. More and more companies are creating Ambassador (Foot Soldier) jobs that are paid “regular” jobs.

Some duties of the grassroots Foot Soldier include:

Of most importance is that your Foot Soldier is armed with all the necessary tools to promote your brand. If you are serious about enlisting someone as a face for your company, you want to make sure they are consistent with your brand culture. Remember, they are adding value to your brand’s message, so make sure they have the ability to do this properly. A proper Foot Soldier is a solid investment in your brand.