The history of internet content creators, i.e. bloggers and tweeters has gone from an unknown to a mass market phenomenon. The use and behaviors of these social content creators have several important implications for marketers. (Roberts 113)
According to eMarketers, a key element that makes earned media trustworthy for many consumers is that it can’t be bought. It represents someone’s sincere opinion. Word-of-mouth has been scaled up by social media and other online tools, but it appears many social content publishers are willing to form relationships with marketers that would move their endorsements from the “earned” to the “paid” column. And this is changing the landscape big time!
The social media publishers surveyed valued their efforts at an average of $179 per blog post and $124 per tweet, and marketers that want to form relationships with these content creators should note that the bloggers and tweeters prefer cash. Social media advertising company IZEA surveyed Twitter users, blog writers, and other social media publishers about their openness to sponsorship of their social content. More than half said they had already monetized their activities, and almost a third more wanted to. Overall, 71.3% had been offered some kind of incentive, like cash, free products or coupons, for a blog post or tweet promoting a brand.
The bottom line is that everyone has his price. Too bad, because the trustworthiness of the social content is now eroding and I can no longer rely on what I read. I must factor in that the blogger or tweeter has been paid and therefore, may be biased and influenced in his/her observations.
