Technorati: Blog marketing blogger relationship maintenance is important

Bloggers, from hobbies to professions, often write about brand-related content, and their growing influence has forced brands to weigh their relationships with these bloggers.

According to Technorati's State of the Blogosphere 2011 survey, 38% of bloggers have published blogs about brands they like or dislike, and 34% have written reviews of products or services. Full-time or part-time professional bloggers who see blogging as a source of income are more likely to publish articles related to brands.

The influence of blogs is increasing. Last year's survey showed that 29% of bloggers were influenced by other blogs they read, and this year the figure rose to 68%. With the increasing influence of bloggers and their preference for brand content, the relationship between brand representatives and bloggers is an issue that companies should pay attention to. Most bloggers have a good relationship with brand representatives. Nearly half of bloggers (49%) believe that this interaction with brand representatives is relatively or very good, and only 3% believe that their relationship is not good enough. However, 40% of bloggers said they don't know how to describe their relationship with brand representatives.

A large portion of respondents may have a vague sense of how brands communicate with brand representatives; among all bloggers, 17% said brand representatives have asked for things that could detract from the quality and credibility of their blog content; the same percentage felt that brand representatives understood their blog and content, were interested in suggesting connections (16%), and provided valuable content to readers (23%).

As bloggers continue to grow in influence, brand representatives must ensure their relationships remain relevant and growing.