Digital Marketing Strategy Report: Blog's Role and Influencer Impact

This report delves into the evolving landscape of digital marketing, emphasizing the significant influence of blogging and social media influencers. It highlights how blogging has connected individuals with shared interests, surpassing traditional advertising methods. The report examines how companies leverage blogs and influencers across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to build customer trust and drive sales, often exceeding the impact of celebrity endorsements. Citing reports, it emphasizes the trust consumers place in family, friends, and bloggers, showcasing the power of personal connections. The analysis further discusses the strategies employed by companies, including tracking content engagement and generating customer interactions, with examples like KFC's successful print ad. Overall, the report provides a comprehensive overview of digital marketing strategies and the crucial role of blogs and influencers in shaping consumer behavior and brand perception.

Blog: Digital marketing strategy
In the twenty-first century, the social media has enabled people to share their opinions all around
the world. Until now, there were sections of society with uncommon interests who were isolated
from each other. But through blogging, the people are able to connect with each other and share
their common and uncommon interests. The impact that blogging has put on the people and
society is huge!
Nowadays, the traditional commercials are losing reach. The companies are cutting spending on
magazine print advertisements and commercials and putting it in digital marketing. The people,
especially kids, used to get impressed by the celebrities and heroes who endorsed any brand and
followed them but today, the kids want to be a famous blogger or a famous you-tuber. People
have started blogging, and they follow ‘Instagram', and they buy whatever the influencers tell
them to buy. Blogging and digital marketing have gained enormous marketing power through
influencers. The influencers’ uses social media like Instagram, blogs, Facebook, YouTube and
Pinterest to influence people and consumers ("Blogging is More Important Today than Ever Before",
2013). The companies in beauty sector, airline, etc. uses blogs and influencers for gaining the
confidence of customer these days. The main reason due to which people follow them is that
they feel like ‘they are catching up with a friend.' In a report of Affilinet Trust Index, the
consumers were asked that whose opinion they trust the most, and it was found that consumers
trust family's opinion the most, then of friends, bloggers on number three and on the fourth
number they trust the social media contacts. The celebrities were on a much lower rank when
the trust was considered. Also, the top five followers on Instagram are not for brands, but for
influencers. Influencers these days have become very powerful, and they are the ones who are
setting new trends ("Blogging Impact on Society | Persuade Me!", 2012). A manager is appointed to
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manage the influencers who takes care of what they wear, how they look, what they talk etc.
Through blogging and influencers, the companies are generating more customers from less
budget. They are continuously keeping a track of who is reading their content when they are
reading, how frequently their link is getting clicked etc. Blogging helps in driving traffic to the
websites of companies, and it also helps in establishing authority by answering the questions that
customers have.
The influencers and blogging are not similar to advertisements. Ads talk at the customer, but
blogs help in talking with the customer. In ads, the people cannot share their opinions with the
company but by way of blogs or through influencers, the customer can easily share their opinions
about the product. Ads are considered as commercials, but influencers give a more personal
experience to the customers.
KFC published an ad in the print media in 2016 which was regarded as one of the best ads in
Australia ("Finger Lickin’ Good Cutlery, 1", 2016):
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This ad was based on a simple insight that the products of KFC are best eaten with hands. Hands
become cutlery when people eat KFC. By seeing this ad; the people viewed KFC as food that is
eaten to get relaxed and it helps a person to be themselves, no matter who he is or from where he
belongs. The hands in the picture showed different types of cutlery which depicted that people
can have their personality that may be distinct from others. People could get associated with this
ad as it gave them a personal experience rather than a commercial and they could get associated
with it.
References:
Blogging is More Important Today than Ever Before. (2013). Social Media Today. Retrieved 6 April 2016,
from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/blogging-more-important-today-ever
Blogging Impact on Society | Persuade Me!. (2012). Blogs.longwood.edu. Retrieved 6 April 2016, from
https://blogs.longwood.edu/persuasion1/2012/11/15/246/
Finger Lickin’ Good Cutlery, 1. (2016). Best Ads on TV. Retrieved 6 April 2016, from
http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/77864/KFC-Finger-Lickin-Good-Cutlery-1
Gifford, C. (2005). Advertising & marketing. Oxford: Heinemann Library.
Wainwright, C. (2016). Why Blog? The Benefits of Blogging for Business and Marketing.
Blog.hubspot.com. Retrieved 6 April 2016, from http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-benefits-of-
business-blogging-ht
3 Key Differences Between Endorsements and Advertisements. (2013). opendorse. Retrieved 6 April
2016, from http://opendorse.com/blog/3-key-differences-between-endorsements-and-advertisements/
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