For companies with a big budget, getting recommendations, link backs, and traffic from established website owners and bloggers is very tempting. That's why sponsored posts have become highly popular and controversial in recent years. Sponsored posts are different from traditional marketing in the sense that the writer creates the content himself as opposed to being given the message by the marketer.
There are some companies that require sponsored posts to be positive while others let you write what you wish. Negative things are very seldom said in a sponsored posting though. But in either case, there are risks involved in accepting cash in exchange for your recommendations.
The Search Engines Are Watching You
Using do follow links is risky. Matt Cutts of Google has said that paid posting should not affect search engine results. There are many that are now using the no follow link attribute to get round this situation. However, the risk is that many bloggers don't even have an idea what no-follow is and may not meet this requirement. As a result, the sponsor may suffer. Even if you do use the no follow link attributes it could still be punished by search engines.
Bloggers May Expect Cash Next Time
Given that your initial launch was successful and that readers were impressed with your ideas, brand, and offer, the problem may lie in blogger expectation. If you've given them monetary incentive to write about your company in the past, they will want the same in the future. This will keep you out of organic and natural conversations around the web.
Readers May See the Post as Inauthentic
This is a risk not only to the company but also to the blogger. According to FCC rules, transparency must be practiced by disclosing sponsored content. Once readers become aware that cash exchanged hands, they will be wary of trusting both the blogger and the product or service he's promoting.
Conclusion
There are other risks associated with sponsored posting. But for many, the benefits it can potentially bring outweigh the risks. A lot of companies were able to leverage on this tactic so sponsored posts should not be ruled out entirely. In the same way, a lot of organisations have fallen victim to it. Consider the individual case of your company before you engage in this tactic.
These are the pros and cons of the sponsored posting. It could be negative and we just wanted to bring it to your attention.
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