There is no doubt that the traditional media is undergoing rapid change. Not only are we demanding our news in new interactive digital formats, readers are consuming news from a variety of new sources, including social networks and blogs. At the same time advertisers are diluting their ad dollars across multiple channels, leaving traditional media to play catch up and rethink their business models.

As the media experiences the biggest technological changes since the invention of the printing press, we see the growth of a new form of media – bloggers.

Bloggers are rapidly growing in numbers. According to WordPress, more than five million Australians have set up blogs. That’s one in four of us. Australia, along with the United States, Spain, France, and Sweden is leading the way when it comes to blogging. But, Australian brands, marketers and PRs remain perplexed by how and why blogging can benefit them.

The Truth About Brands and Bloggers, is an in-depth study that decodes and demystifies bloggers and how brands can work with them.

The study was born out of IMPACT’s involvement in the blogging community and our sponsorship of the annual Eat.Drink.Blog conference.

Blogging is a relatively young art. Most bloggers have been blogging for just two years, with just 7% operating for five years or more.
But blogging is a platform that marketers cannot ignore, especially as bloggers’ influence grows. In fact, 51% of bloggers believe they are important to a niche market. Another 25% believe they are as influential as the mainstream media.

But, don’t be mistaken into believing that bloggers and traditional media have the same agenda. IMPACT’s survey reveals creativity and passion as the key drivers for bloggers. In fact, 75% listed having fun as the top issue for their blog.

In blogging, the author’s personality is as much a part of the story as the topic. Bloggers understand this, with 47% telling us that creating a clear and unique voice is the most important issue for their blog.

A personality-driven format brings a different approach to writing. Bloggers are open about the subjectivity of their writing and with this comes a new style of honesty. In fact, 94% of bloggers would refuse to write about a product or service they hadn’t experienced personally. It would be seen as unethical.

Bloggers represent the new guard of the media. They understand how to leverage multiple platforms and write for a dedicated and engaged community of readers, passionate about a topic.

While new forms of media offer new opportunities for brands and PRs, new techniques are required to ensure that the blogger and brand interaction is mutually beneficial. The Truth About Brands and Bloggers offers a best practice model to take the guesswork out of dealing with bloggers.

Request a copy of the ‘The Truth About Brands & Bloggers in 2012’.