When we think about Marketing Techniques the first things that come to mind are billboards, magazine ads, and commercials. However, in this digital age, consumers prefer a more authentic approach. They crave real reviews from trusted sources, education on the latest trends and helpful advice. So, what’s the solution? Blogging.

Blogging thoughtful insight, valuable content and becoming a go-to resource in your niche is proving to be one of the most effective Marketing techniques. We reached out to 19 bloggers and asked them why they think blogging is more authentic than traditional advertising.

Maura White, Happy Deal Happy Day, @HDealHDay

I believe that bloggers sharing their opinion on products is a more authentic marketing technique because we are average people using products. As Bloggers, we show our readers how we use products in our real lives. The pictures we take are our own and we don’t have a professional scripting or creating a “commercial.” We can tell our readers what we like and what we don’t like about a product. You’d never see anything negative on a traditional commercial, where bloggers can share real life user experience. Also, bloggers tend to get full inboxes of companies wanting their products to be featured on our sites. We can’t blog about them all, nor do we want to. So just knowing we have mentioned a product on our site means that it must have some value.

Genevieve Dubois, Gigi Eats Celebrities, @Dubagee

I trust blog “advertising” far more than the Traditional Marketing Techniques you might see on TV or on the sidebar of a website. Typically people who read specific bloggers, that are reviewing products, have been following them for a while and trust their judgement. Readers trust that bloggers aren’t just simply selling themselves out for a paycheck. That being said, there are a few bloggers out there that do in fact “sell out” and simply promote products because they are offering to pay them, but if bloggers do that, they will lose their credibility, lose their following, lose their traffic and then lose the money that they could have earned with future brands they actually like. You can truly tell when someone is writing a forced product review on their blog. Readers are perceptive.

Margaret Prezioso-Frye, Myas Writes, @Maggiamo

Blogging is more authentic than Traditional Marketing techniques because the author is within reach of his or her readers. Bloggers are connecting with their audience whether through a new story, an opinion, sharing an interest or responding to a question.

Brittany Stretchbery, Bottles and Banter, @BottlesBanter

I actually come from a marketing background, so I have some experience from both a blogging standpoint as well as traditional advertising. In my opinion, traditional advertising is outdated and sales driven. It can come off as pushy and untrustworthy. With blogging, there is more of an emotional connection. Bloggers provide real life experiences that are relatable and genuine. That’s the kind of feedback people want to hear. They are more likely to respect the opinion of an honest blogger than a business just looking to make a sale through more traditional marketing techniques.

Janeth Paez, Motherhood Full of Dreams, @MhdFullOfDreams

Blogging gives brands a different voice, that is genuine and real. People are no longer relying on commercials or other traditional marketing techniques, they are reading blogs and looking for true stories. Bloggers weave that into posts. Sharing a real life experience when writing about a product or event, helps consumers and readers see things from a point of view they may be able to relate to.

Kathleen Garber, Biannual Blogathon Bash, @Blogathon2

Bloggers who work with brands because they like to spread the word about their favorite products and services, not because they want to hoard stuff as some people may think. It’s often said that bloggers receive free stuff but that’s not true. The products we receive are payment or part of a payment for the work that we do in testing out the product, taking photos, writing copy, editing photos and words and finalizing the post. We expect to be compensated for our time just as others do.

Janine Hill, A Beautiful Whim, @BeautifulWhims

Blogging is more effective than traditional advertising because you get a glimpse into the lives of real people (not models or actresses/actors) who share their photos, opinions, and how they are using specific products. Bloggers have authentic voices delivering messages that are not tailored by the brand.

LaDonna Dennis, Mom Blog Society, @MomBlogSociety

The difference between blogging about a brand and traditional marketing techniques is pretty simple. Bloggers or, Marketing Influencers to be exact, actually try the brand out, thus creating a two-way conversation with our readers. Our readers really want to know if the brand is worth their money. Whereas traditional media advertising creates only a one-way conversation. Potential clients simply can’t ask questions and get immediate answers from an actual user. Moreover, it’s typically less expensive to advertise your brand using a Marketing Influencer platform. In addition, brands gain further exposure via the Marketing Influencer’s social media.

Kimberly Vetrano, She Scribes, @She_Scribes

I feel that blogging is more authentic than other marketing techniques because often the blogger is not being monetarily compensated for posting about a brand or product. Some bloggers do make money from such posts but other bloggers do it simply because it’s a brand or product they actually use and really enjoy. Their opinions are authentic, unlike with traditional advertising where someone is being paid to “fluff” up a brand or product and make it seem like it’s the best thing ever. Most of the time these advertisers never even use the product. A blogger is a real person who uses the brand’s products in real life situations. That is why I value a blogger’s opinion a million times more than an advertisement I see online, on television or in print.

Michela Fantinel, Rocky Travel, @RockyTravel

Blogging reflects a real authentic experience and is not about sugarcoated communication, which is often the case with traditional marketing techniques. Blogging is about showcasing a place through the eyes of a real person. It is about experiencing and sharing an adventure as it is, by seeing the good, the bad and the ugly. Readers want to learn about new products and be inspired by experts.

Scarlet Paolicchi, Family Focus Blog, @FamilyFocusBlog

As a consumer, I enjoy reading a blog review over seeing a traditional ad because it speaks to me on two levels. It says that the blogger endorses the product and I know that is something that as a blogger I only do when the product appeals to me and works well for my family. A blog review also tells me more about how the product fits into the bloggers life and how they use it. For example, bloggers often share fun recipes for food products that are inspiring or how a cleaning product fits their cleaning routine. An additional reason I enjoy bloggers over traditional advertising is that you get to know the blogger and their family a bit as you read their thoughts. Interacting with the same blog over times build a relationship that you don’t build with a static printed advertisement.

Ashley Drewes, Closet of Free Samples, @ClosetSamples

I think blogging is the most authentic marketing technique because, while bloggers are paid to write certain blog posts, many are written straight from the heart and that brain of the author. As a blogger, if I feel passionate about something or a product, I share it – whether I’m passionately upset or happy with it.

Erinn Sluka, Parenting Healthy, @3SonsHavei
Blogging can be more authentic than traditional advertising because we have the ability to gain and keep followers. These followers come to rely on us for stories and organized posts. Our readers are kept engaged with events like giveaways or printables. Blogs provide authenticity unlike that which they gain from a traditional ad or short appearance. Traditional advertising has limits such as time and space constraints. Ads and commercials can only be so long and sometimes there’s not enough time to tell a story or help a consumer truly relate to the message. When you blog with a passion and tell a story or offer education around a brand (not just an image for a review) then you allow consumers to feel connected to that product. We have the ability to help consumers truly connect with a brand.

Kelly Stillwell, Virtually Yours, @KellyStilwell

Blogging is one of the best marketing techniques because my readers know me. They know my life; what I do, where I go, who I spend time with.​ It’s not like a magazine where you see an ad and just turn the page. It’s almost as if we’re friends.

Sherryl Wilson, Simply Sherryl, @SimplySherryl

I believe that bloggers have the opportunity to share a true story versus just a promotion. Being a storyteller allows us to weave products into our lives and that has more potential than just an advertisement.

Alison Blackman, Advice Sisters, @AdviceSisters

Traditional marketing techniques don’t speak directly to our readers. Consumers make their final choices based on the first-person experiences I post on my blog because they trust. They trust me because they’ve come to know me and they know I have their best interests at heart, not that of a sponsor. This is particularly important when they’re putting money on something pricey, or something they might have questions about (e.g. cosmetics procedures, tech gadgets, exotic travel).

Samantha Carraro, That Lifestyle, @SamanthaCarraro

Blogging is a way to express yourself in an authentic and natural way. You can share your true opinions, thoughts and experiences. The images used in the traditional marketing techniques are created just for the consumer and built on a psychological aspect, to directly impress the reader or viewer. They are artificial. That doesn’t mean they’re untrue for everyone but only that it’s not an authentic method for advertising. Blogging on the other hand is way more personal so for me it’s a better way to promote products and ideas.

Kerian King, Caring for My Chaos, @MrsBuzz8196

I believe blogging is more authentic than traditional advertising because when you read a review on someone’s blog, it is their experience. When you see a commercial or magazine ad, of course, they are going to tell you how awesome this product is. But, with a blog review, they are telling you how they used it, what happened when they used it and if it worked. I find it to be more trustworthy than traditional advertising.

Beth Giusti, Partys2Playdates, @BethGiusti77

I believe blogging is more authentic than other marketing techniques because I only choose to blog/review about things that are truly relevant to my (and my children’s) life, therefore it gives the reader a true sense of what another mom may think. Also many other people including bloggers, are searching out what people “like them” are saying about the products/places/goods.

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What are some of your favorite marketing techniques? Tell us your thoughts below!

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