PR practitioners: What bloggers want

The survey of 465 bloggers from 22 countries shows that the global blogosphere becoming an increasingly mainstream channel with many bloggers reporting increased contact from PR professionals or corporate communicators.

It also highlights that some of the worst practices from media relations have been exported to global blogger relations practices. Importantly for companies wanting to engage with bloggers, the survey indicates that there is significant opportunity for deeper relationships with this increasingly influential community.

Contact with PR People

• More than 90% of the 465 bloggers surveyed welcome contact by PR people - and SA is no exception;
  
• Most report a high level of regular contact from PR people, with more than 96% of bloggers in the US being contacted once a week or more (versus 30% in SA, 36% in Asia Pacific [APAC] and 65% in Europe); SA seems to be still low in terms of frequency of contact;
  
• Email is the preferred form of contact, no matter which part of the globe bloggers reside; and SMS and IM universally are the least preferred forms;
  
• Around half of all bloggers in APAC and Europe indicate their preferred form of contact on their blogs, and as a result of this survey, a number were planning to add their preferred form of contact if they weren't already showing this;
  
• Over 90% of bloggers in SA and APAC prefer an introduction before receiving information from PR people and corporations and many of APAC bloggers also wanted a face-to-face meeting;
  
• Bloggers are united in their desire for distinctive content, particularly around new product developments and reviews, feedback on content posted on their blog, market trends and interviews with key people.

Content from PR people

• Photographs are the most frequently used form of supplied content, followed by charts, graphs, and video streaming;
  
• Almost two thirds of bloggers in APAC and Europe intend to use more elements from SMRs (social media press releases/social media releases) in the coming 12 months; SA bloggers seem less interested, as long as they are provided with links to look at relevant information, including images.

Blogging Habits

Bloggers in the US spend the most time blogging, with 63% spending nine or more hours a week; in SA, much like in APAC and Europe, time spent blogging is much less (only 30% of SA bloggers spend more than 9 hours blogging, 36% in APAC and 44% in Europe);

• Micro-blogging is used by more than 75% of all bloggers: but over 90% in SA, although our bloggers don't particularly believe they are blogging more often because of micro-blogging, unlike in Europe and APAC.

Sources

• Sources of information about corporations are mainly “other bloggers”, social bookmarking sites, social networks and micro-blogging sites like Twitter and Facebook; TV, magazines and newspapers are deemed the least reliable;
  
• The majority of surveyed bloggers use a micro-blogging site (such as Twitter) and about a third of these bloggers indicated that it has encouraged them to blog more;
  
• All of the SA bloggers say they are ready to honour embargos, if given previews by a company.

Bad habits from PROs

• PR people continue to blindly send corporate press releases to bloggers;
  
• PR professionals are failing to read the blogs and truly understand their target bloggers' communities;
  
• They seem to expect bloggers to post corporate material, demonstrating a lack of understanding of the medium and the very reason why bloggers blog;
  
• They treat bloggers as they would journalists and not as influencers which are more appropriate.

Key lessons

Text 100 Johannesburg has analysed the results and suggests five key lessons for PR and communications professionals. These slightly differ from the global, although they are generally in line with results.

1. Corporations are increasingly recognising the influence of bloggers. Contact with PR people or corporate communicators around the globe is increasing, and it is welcome by SA bloggers too, although still less frequent here than in any other continent. This points to the “mainstreaming” of blogging as a communications channel, and the recognition by corporations that bloggers have increasing influence over their desired audiences. Bloggers in South Africa, like in Europe and Asia Pacific, are increasingly being held in the same esteem as their counterparts in North America. Regional or local business cultures still play a role in blogging preferences.

2. Corporate news releases are out. Social media releases are known in SA, but not held in the same importance as in APAC. Will they be used more in the future - yet to be seen. Social media releases are by nature deconstructed, allowing bloggers (and media) access to information and content to support an angle unique or particular to their audiences' interests. Note - podcasts and vodcasts are not deemed as valuable resources for bloggers, despite having value for internal and other stakeholder communications.

3. Consistency and continuity are KEY. PR firms seem to be understanding bloggers slightly better than they did a few years back, although they are reported to still make the same mistakes they did with journalists (eg sending a press release without even knowing the interests of the blogger/journalist). However, only few PR practitioners are dedicated and dynamic enough to serve bloggers in the optimum fashion. It is really a 24/7 sort-of-job, not the type of job which can work with one or two enquiries a month; some bloggers welcome contact after hours.

4. The majority of bloggers are still part-timers - adjust your strategies accordingly. Outside of the US, the majority of bloggers surveyed blog for less than 9 hours per week. This makes it even more critical to understand their schedules, contact preferences and be prepared to engage on their terms.

5. Despite being global, there are still cultural differences to be respected. Globally, more than 80% of bloggers say that they would acknowledge sponsorships of blog postings. SA bloggers are no exception. Asian bloggers across the board are less likely or willing to acknowledge forms of sponsorship. The cultural precedent for gift giving in Asia as a part of business practice, and not having to acknowledge this, is likely to contribute significantly to this difference.