Why Tap Bloggers and Ask Them to Cover Special Events?

I don’t know if there is a fall-out between bloggers and traditional media. However, what I do know is that they can be good allies– thinking aboout the old and the new media and the possible complementary benefits in bringing out the news to more people.

One time when I and a fellow Cebuana blogger visited a radio media station, we had a chitchat with a friend DJ and a radiocaster who is also a blogger. The friend DJ suddenly commented about bloggers flocking an event as if the whole village was invited. I was a bit surpise about the query. However, my blogger friend was the most offended. We can’t really blame my friend asking about it and I think she has a point. I could have answered it directly but perhaps, it might sound rude.

Because of the nonchalant reply, I pondered for the best anwer to that and this can be summed up to this:

Bloggers own blogs. Each blogger may have two to five blogs, and perhaps, even more. But, I believe, there is one that will serve as the pilot blog for a blogger. I can’t really say the statistics for certain, but this is what I observed and somehow hypothesized. Well from this observation, it might lead for an extensive research with questions, forms and all.

Now, when there are more bloggers covering for an event, a considerable portion of netizens and web surfers in the social media realm will know about it– talking about Facebook, Twitter and even Plurk and of course blogs in which headlines of new posts are automatically sent to Twitter and Facebook or even at Google Buzz. ( The automatic configuration is possible but that will be for another topic)

When a news is covered by a blogger with, of course, a brand tagged to it, search engines may index posts where a brand is included. For example, if SM Cinema is searched, the SERP or Search Engine Result Page 1 may display links of the posts with SM Cinema in the titles of those links. When those posts are all good posts, they could be positive publicities about the brand. Now, think about what other brands can benefit from it.

• There will be raves on reviews
• People from all over the world could check what this brand delivers based on a bloggers’ review and perspective
• The brand could have a prominent presence online
• Think about brand-building and web surfers using search engines to check on the brand

Before the Internet, there were the the phone directories people had been using to search, contact and communicate businesses aside from people and their residences. People rely on the directories to seek the names of those who own phones. I remember using the directories to check my relatives and how many we were in my place.

For businesses, advertising on directories became among the least expensive methods for promotion compared to TV and radio advertising.

Now comes the Internet in which the search engine has the power to be able to take users and seekers to what they’ve been searching for with just a few clicks here and there. Directories can still be found online but who wants to browse a huge directory book or search over a long list of directories when there is a search engine.

In the world of search engine, Google rules. It has over 65% of the search engine market as of February 2010 based on Nielsen rating.

SERP has also become the most competitive destination for businesses, websites and blogs who want to have prominence online and be found more easily on search engine. With this trend, SEO has been among the most rising in demand jobs for those who have websites. In Cebu, there are bloggers who also provide SEO service.

It may seem that I digress from the main topic, but this is just to give a few specifics on the importance of bloggers in covering events for businesses with online presence as well as for SEO aspect.

Now, to really sum up:

1. Bloggers can cover events and they write their experiences of those events on their blogs.

2. Google loves updates. Blogs with constant updates are those in the category that Google likes to index.

3. Blog posts of those events could appear on search engines such as Google.

4. For businesses who organized those events for their brands, products or services, they can benefit from the search engines when the posts of bloggers covering their events have been indexed and appeared on the first SERP’s. This is when the brand or product or service is used as a keyword and when a web surfer uses the search engine to learn about the brand, product or service.

5. Businesses that can be found more easily on search engine results have the great probability to gain more response from target markets, consumers and prospects.

6. Search Engine surpasses the efficacy of telephone directories in finding contact information of businesses more easily. Perhaps, with this trend, it is high time for local Cebu businesses to put their money to Google Adsense or to the advertising spaces of Cebu blogs.

7. Bloggers practice SEO, but not all. I suggest businesses get to know which bloggers they can tap in helping them promote their sites. However, for bloggers, there could be an issue in journalistic independence. But the big factor to take into mind is that not all bloggers are journalists.

The influence of bloggers has increased tremendously and their prominence has been recognized relevantly– in the social media, business and even in politics. Tapping them can have an advantage but controlling them, that is when a blogger has to question where he can draw the line.