Using Blog Marketing Successfully
Multamäki, Mari (2014)
Multamäki, Mari
Savonia-ammattikorkeakoulu
2014
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201401211570
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201401211570
Tiivistelmä
The objective of the thesis was to evaluate blog marketing as a marketing channel and whether it is a successful choice or not. The viewpoint of the thesis was the blogosphere in Finland and the Finnish fashion- and lifestyle blogs. This particular topic was chosen due to the personal interest of the author as well as the topic being very current and interesting. The concept of blog marketing is changing and improving all the time and it was interesting to do more research on that due to the fact that it is quite recent. The academic topics of the thesis are blogs in general, blog marketing and also social media marketing.
The thesis is divided into the theory part and the research part. The theory section of the thesis includes the academic overview of blogs and blogging, including an overview of the history and evolution of blogging. It also has a brief overview of social media marketing in general. The research part included a research conducted for blog readers to get an overview of their insights of blogs and blog marketing as well as a research conducted for selected bloggers to get an overview of their views on blogging and blog marketing from their point of view. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for these reasearches. Also a social media professional was interviewed to gain a deeper knowledge of the current state of blog marketing in the Finnish blogosphere.
The thesis research showed that blog marketing indeed is effective and it has many strengths and opportunities – but also its own challenges. Consumers (in this case, blog readers) have sometimes a hard time trusting the blogger and they cannot be 100% sure if what they are writing is positive because their own experiences or if they are getting paid for it. It is important for companies to select well the bloggers they choose to co-operate with, since the blog is the face of the product.
Blog marketing can be a great marketing tool for many companies and is definitely recommendable. It needs careful planning, but can for example be great for smaller companies, since costs are often relatively low. This thesis will give a great outline for companies who are looking into using blog marketing, as well as people who want to gain a deeper knowledge on this.
The thesis is divided into the theory part and the research part. The theory section of the thesis includes the academic overview of blogs and blogging, including an overview of the history and evolution of blogging. It also has a brief overview of social media marketing in general. The research part included a research conducted for blog readers to get an overview of their insights of blogs and blog marketing as well as a research conducted for selected bloggers to get an overview of their views on blogging and blog marketing from their point of view. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for these reasearches. Also a social media professional was interviewed to gain a deeper knowledge of the current state of blog marketing in the Finnish blogosphere.
The thesis research showed that blog marketing indeed is effective and it has many strengths and opportunities – but also its own challenges. Consumers (in this case, blog readers) have sometimes a hard time trusting the blogger and they cannot be 100% sure if what they are writing is positive because their own experiences or if they are getting paid for it. It is important for companies to select well the bloggers they choose to co-operate with, since the blog is the face of the product.
Blog marketing can be a great marketing tool for many companies and is definitely recommendable. It needs careful planning, but can for example be great for smaller companies, since costs are often relatively low. This thesis will give a great outline for companies who are looking into using blog marketing, as well as people who want to gain a deeper knowledge on this.