Everyone knows by now that a message from any given company about how great they are may or may not have any validity. Nobody believes what they see on TV or in a magazine – it’s all just marketing, right? If you see a billboard for Some Store You Haven’t Heard Of, you may drive right past without a second thought. But, if your best friend, whose fashion sense you have always envied, tells you she got a great pair of jeans at Some Store You Haven’t Heard Of, then that is powerful enough to make you want to check it out.

That seems to be the way blogs work for me. I have happened upon a couple email opt-in blogs, the kind where you get a handy tip in your inbox each day about home improvement, online sales, green living, or whatever niche you may be interested in. Those emails become to me just like a quick note from a trusted friend. “Hey – just thought you might be interested in this…” Since it’s a third party, and most of them disclose whether or not their mention of a particular product is paid for by the company, I see their opinions as more real than the company’s marketing message, because really - I work at an agency, I know how it all works!

Sarah

Labels: blog marketing, word-of-mouth marketing