Show Bloggers the Love!

According to the National Retail Federation, consumers will spend an average of $130.97 per person this year on candy, cards, gifts and more – a total of $18.6 billion. Despite what you hear about Valentine’s Day boycotts and those saying it’s a Hallmark holiday, it’s clear there is opportunity for retailers to share (and feel) the love.

Over the past few years, the blogosphere has been ignited with holiday contests and campaigns. Valentine’s day is one of the big ones. From Valentine’s day coupons, DIY projects to “ideas that will make her fall in love” – how does your company break through the clutter and reach consumers with V-day campaigns?

When developing a blogger relations campaign for the holidays…

• Plan in advance. Get to your most valuable bloggers first before anyone else does. Lock in those reviews so you know they will post during the V-day hoopla. Otherwise, you could be sidelined and promoted after the big day – and what good is your coupon or contest then?
• Creativity is key. Give a campaign legs. Now, more than ever, we have to be thinking about ways to make a campaign stand out and translate across other social platforms. Keep in mind photo and video content creates a buzz and tends to be shared more often. Holiday ties are simple, but really go above and beyond the traditional holiday pushes to make a campaign that stands out above the rest.
• Develop blogger relationships. Remember how important your relationships with media are? Guess what, relationships are important with bloggers too. Think long-term about how you can develop relationships with key bloggers. This will help you in the long run when submitting ideas to bloggers for reviews, promotions, etc. – especially helping your company/product stand out among the holiday pitches that load up their inboxes.

Keep in mind bloggers can hit system overload. They can only handle so many reviews, posts, etc. per month. Make those connections sooner rather than later to make the biggest bang during your holiday promotion!