State of the Blogosphere 2011

The State of the Blogosphere 2011 Presented To: BLOGWORLD AND NEW MEDIA EXPO Presented By: Shani Higgins 11.4.2011

Techno- from Gk. tekhno-, art, skill, craft, method, system, shape, make -rati suffix. Indicates the intelligentsia or the elite of a particular group. (bloggers & independent publishers AND their audiences)WHERE IDEAS BEGIN,AND OPINIONS ARE FORMED 2

Who is Technorati Media+ Social media company reaching over 64 million US consumers every month+ 26th largest ad network on Comscore, 5th largest Social Media Network and 4th largest blog property with over 12 billion ad impressions under management each month+ Create, execute and optimize social rich media solutions for advertisers to be incorporated on and off our network of premium social media sites+ Conduct blogger outreach programs on behalf of brands and bloggers by utlilizing our authority, categorical insights and blogger community to provide the best mutual fits+ Offer insight, rank and relevance both topically and holistically for the blogosphere+ We monitor and report on trends and changes happening within new media from the blogger, consumer and brand perspective+ Evangelists about the importance of blogs as an incredible source of influence for 3 readers, marketers and other bloggers

2011: Our Report and what we’re looking at now + The relationship between brands & bloggers + The convergence of blogging and other social media + Consumers’ trust & attitudes toward blogs & other media + Brands’ opinions of & strategies for social media + Blogger survey • 4,114 bloggers, conducted by Penn Schoen Berland + Consumer survey • 1,231 consumers, conducted by Crowd Science + Brand survey • For the first time, we surveyed 111 senior level agency and brand marketers and interviewed top social media strategists at Ebay, Intel, HP, Sony, and top agencies, with more interviews to come + Technorati index data 4

Who are the bloggers?+ Hobbyists (61%) • Blog for fun • Success metric: personal satisfaction+ Professional Part-Timers (13%) • Independent • Blog to supplement their income+ Professional Full-Timers (5%) • Independent • 37% say their primary income is from blogging • For the rest, blogging is not their primary source of income… yet+ Corporate (8%) • Blog for their company or organization • Primary topics are business and technology • Success metric: visibility and professional recognition+ Entrepreneurs (13%) • Blog for their own company or organization 6 • Success metric: recognition and clients

Who are the bloggers?+ 59% male down from 64%+ 65% 18-44 3% US 1% 2% 8% North America 1% Europe+ Educated and affluent 4% Latin America Middle East • 79% have college degrees 51% Africa 25% East Asia • 44% have graduate degrees South Asia 5% Oceania • 1/3 have a household income of 75K+ Global Breakout • 1/4 have a household income of 100K+ 7

Who are the bloggers? Posted In Blogger Activity The Last…+ 80% have been blogging 2+ years+ 50% have been blogging 4+ years+ Have 3 blogs on average+ 44% blog 2-3 times per week or more, with pro segments blogging daily+ 1/3 work in mainstream media as a writer, reporter, producer or on-air personality and blog separately 8

Why blog?+ Why? • To share my expertise and experiences with others 70% • To become more involved with my passion areas 58% • To meet and connect with like-minded people 50% • To gain professional recognition 42%+ Success metrics • Personal satisfaction 61% • Number of unique visitors 55% • Number of comments 46% • Backlinks from other bloggers 36% • Social media shares 36% 10

HOW 11

Social media use 12

Social media use+ Twitter • Average # of followers • 847 for all bloggers • 1,674 for pros • Primarily used to promote their blogs • 71% of all bloggers • 90% of pros • 40% automatically syndicate, but also tweet other content 13

Social media use+ Facebook • Have a separate account for their blog • 50% of all bloggers • 75% for pros • Primarily used to promote their blogs • 50% of all bloggers • 82% for pros • Link their Twitter & Facebook accounts • 37% of all bloggers • 52% for pros • 34% automatically syndicate, but also post other content 14

Social media use+ Google+ • Have a separate account for their blog • 10% of all bloggers • 27% for pros • Primarily used to promote their blogs • 27% of all bloggers • 45% for pros • Only 13% syndicate 15

Other social media use 90 2010 80 Respondents All 70 60 Hobbyist 50 Professional Part Time 40 Professional 30 Full Time 20 Corporate 10 Entrepreneur 0 16

Driving traffic Social media traffic drivers Overall traffic drivers Twitter Facebook Facebook Twitter Tag your blog posts LinkedIn Comment for reciprocity YouTube Listing blog on GoogleStumble Upon Claiming blog on Technorati Google+ Corporate SEO Entrepreneur Tumblr Linking to other blogs Flickr Professional Full Corporate Listings on blog directories Yelp Time LinkedIn Professional Full Vimeo Professional Part Time Google+ Time Plaxo Professional Part Hobbyist Produce or syndicate content Picasa Time StumbleUpon Hobbyist Orkut All YouTube Myspace All Blogging platform services Friendster Attending conferences Foursquare Digg Del.icio.us Paying for advertising Digg Other (Please specify) Other 0 10 20 30 40 0 50 100

Blogging tools Media Formats Top Tools Social sharing widgets (i.e. for Twitter,100 Facebook, Reddit, etc) 90 Built-in syndication (e.g. RSS feeds) 80 70 60 Site search 50 40 Video hosting site (e.g. YouTube, Flickr, 30 Metacafe, Jumpcut) 20 Widgets from other sites 10 0 Photos Video Audio Audio Other None of TrackBack implementation (music) (spoken) the Photo hosting site (e.g. Flickr, above – Smugmug) just text Commenting system beyond what is offered by my blogging platform (e.g.,… All Facebook commenting system Hobbyist Ability for multiple authors to Professional Part Time contribute Professional Full Time None of the above Corporate Other Entrepreneur 0 20 40 60 80 100 18

WHAT DO CONSUMERS SAY? 19

What do consumers say about blogs?+ Outpace other media for inspiration, product information, and opinion+ Generate more trust, recommendations and purchases. Why do you visit the following media? For ideas and inspiration For news or information For entertainment News websites like CNN.com or NYTimes.com For product reviews Mainstream media websites or portals like Yahoo or AOL For product recommendations Blogs To hear an opinion Other (Please specify) 0 20 40 60 80 100 20

What do consumers say about blogs? Trust Recommend PurchaseConversations w/ friends & family Friend on Facebook Magazines Newspapers Blogs News websites like CNN.com or… News shows on TV or the radio Web portals like Yahoo or AOL Brands website News aggregators like Drudge… Someone I follow on TwitterFriend on another social network Brand on FacebookPersonal acquaintance on Twitter Brand I follow on Twitter 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 0 20 40 60 80 0 20 40 60 80

BRANDS AND THE BLOGOSPHERE 22

Bloggers’ #1 influence is other bloggers Influences Blogs Conversations with friends Social media accounts I follow Print media Conversations with family News websites like CNN.com or NYTimes.com Television shows I watch Brand social media or web sites Radio programs I listen toNews aggregators like Drudge Report or Huffington Post Podcasts I listen to Brand representatives Web portals like Yahoo! or AOL Other 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 + 68% of bloggers are influenced by other bloggers - a huge jump from 30% in 2010 23

Bloggers’ #1 influence is other bloggers Primary influence Blogs Conversations with friends Social media accounts I follow Print media News websites like CNN.com or NYTimes.com Brand social media or web sites Conversations with family Television shows I watchNews aggregators like Drudge Report or Huffington Post Brand representatives Radio programs I listen to Podcasts I listen to Web portals like Yahoo! or AOL Other 0 5 10 15 20 25 24

Bloggers and brands+ 2/3 blog about brands+ 1/3 post product or brand reviews+ 1/3 blog about everyday experiences in stores or with customer care+ 1/10 blog about company information or gossip+ 1/3 of pros publish product reviews once a week or more • 9% of hobbyists • 20% of part time professionals • 33% of full time professionals+ 65% follow brands on social media • 2/3 of hobbyists and 1/2 of pros blog about the brands they follow+ Frequently approached by brands • 1/3 of hobbyists are approached an average of twice a week • 2/3 of pros are approached an average of 8 times a week • Some are contacted 250 and even 1,000 times a week 25

Brand behavior is important How important is it that advertising on your site align with your values? 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Very important Somewhat important Somewhat unimportant Not important All Professional Part Time Professional Full Time Corporate Entrepreneur 26

Brand behavior is important Are you influenced by a brand or company’s behavior? I am not influenced by a brand or company’s overall behavior I only write about companies or products from companies whose… I boycott products I write about the fact that I boycott products or companies and why Entrepreneur I write about the fact that I boycott Corporate products or companies, and… Professional Full Time Professional Part Time Other Hobbyist All 0 10 20 30 40 50 27

Mixed reviews on brand interactions+ Professionalism • 60% of bloggers say they are treated less professionally by brand representatives than traditional media is treated • Down from 64% in 2010+ Interactions • 15% of bloggers characterize their interactions with brands as very favorable • 34% of bloggers characterize their interactions with brands as favorable • 51% as not very, not at all, or don’t know how they’d categorize their interactions+ Access • 51% want to work with brands directly, 49% through an intermediary or not at all 28

Mixed reviews on brand interactionsLess than 25% say brands provide value, or are knowledgeable about their blogsQUESTION: How would you describe the communications you receive from brands? They are knowledgeable about my blog, my content, and my blogging style They are genuinely interested in building a relationship What they are asking would compromise my credibility or content Entrepreneur standards Corporate Professional Full Time They provide information that has Professional Part Time valuable news content for my readers Hobbyist 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 All 29

Brand programs What types of brand programs have What brand programs did your you participated in? audience like best? None of the above Sponsored content Spokesblogger or brand Entrepreneur ambassador programs Industry news Corporate Focus groups Product or company news Professional Products or other items I can Full Time Sponsored posts give away to my audience ProfessionalTraditional public relations Part Time Advice or consultative content Hobbyist announcement coverage Product reviews Product reviews 0 20 40 60 80 0 20 40 60+ 86% of bloggers disclosed that a post was sponsored or paid+ 58% disclosed they had received a product they reviewed 30

WHAT DO THE BRANDS SAY? 31

What do the brands say?Tools used on behalf of company How results are measuredor client Number of followers, friends, or likes • Facebook 33% Sharing: linking, retweeting,… • Twitter 30% Articles and mentions Conversions • Blogging 19% Number of blog commenters Number of blog readers or RSS… • Blogger outreach 12% Free monitoring tool • Majority using social media Paid monitoring tool for only 1-2 years Other 0 10 20 30 • 34% have their own personal blogs 32

What do the brands say?+ Main themes of advice for other brands: • Encourage and enable sharing across platforms • Bloggers are trusted peers. Work with them to create or curate unfiltered, credible content and reviews, in order to create a conversation around your brand. Focus on building long term relationships with them • Use blogger outreach organically and encourage these social influencers to be honest and open about their opinions • Use social media not only to distribute content but to build active communities and interact and respond to your audiences • Leverage paid media on social channels 33

What do the brands say?+ The way brands and agencies use social today • “We see blogger outreach as the opportunity to leverage influencers and connect with a new audience. We recognize that there are conversations happening in the blogosphere that are applicable to the brands we represent and we believe its valuable for our brands to join the discussion.” • “Social media is the glue to the mass messages. We attempt to integrate all of our campaigns so the paid, owned and earned are all working together. We do this for all of our clients.” 34

What do the brands say?+ Biggest changes in 2011 • “I would have to say blogging and how it is being used has been the biggest development in social media. Individuals trust bloggers, especially those that are seen as influential. Blogging can either have a positive or negative effect on a campaign, brand or product. Individuals will make decisions based on comments made by their peers or by someone they feel confident in.” • “A trend towards more integrated advertising content, including sponsored posts. The subject material needs to suit the blog and be something the author would write about anyway. When the subject matter sounds forced or impersonal, it can actually turn an audience away from that blog and/or product.” • It’s about focusing “less on building these big brand temples and more about building small pieces of content that are customizable, portable and entertaining that can move through the social ecosystem really quickly.” • 35

What do the brands say?+ Biggest changes for the future: • Social media will act as a campaign leader, rather than a supporter. We will turn to social media first and support through other means. • There will not be a single corporation left on the planet that can deny the fact that social media is here to stay. We will stop having to do missionary work to educate corporate leaders. They will realize that there really is no such thing as message control. But then again, control was always an illusion. • As some audiences begin wandering from Facebook I anticipate that there will be greater fragmentation across which site specific audiences prefer to spend their time-Yet another hurdle for advertisers! 36

OK, NOW SHOW ME THE MONEY 37

Blog revenues+ 4% of all bloggers and 37% of full time pros say blogging is their primary income+ 14% receive a salary for blogging • Average $24K • Highest reported $140K+ Revenue management • Self serve (Adsense, Y!) 60% • Direct (sell themselves) 30% • Blog network 14% • Dedicated sales team 5% 38

Blog revenues+ Revenue streams • Display ads 34% • Affiliate ads 31% • Search ads 27% • Paid posts 14%+ Paid Posts Stats • Only 6% are paid to be spokesbloggers • Majority receive less than $50 per post • 6% of pros make $250+ per post • 13% of full time pros receive between $8,000 and $10,000 for sponsored posts per year 39

Blog revenues+ What is the fee you’ve been paid for a single instance of the following: (median) • Being a brand or product spokesman: $1,365 • Paid to give speeches on topics I blog about: $1,560 • Paid to attend events $1,018 • Paid for a broadcast media appearance $796 • Received an item of high value to review or endorse $409 • Print or other media contributor $935 Annual Revenue Sources $4,000 $3,500 $3,000 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0 All advertising Being a brand Affiliate Subscription Paid to give Paid to attend Paid for a Received an Print or other on your blog or product marketing links gated content speeches on events broadcast item of high media (search, spokesman on your site topics I blog media value to review contributor display, paid (e.g., Amazon, about appearance or endorse postings) Borders) 40

Key Takeaways+ Bloggers • Educated and affluent, with a large overlap with mainstream media • Only 1/4 are blogging weekly or more • Most can’t quit their day job…..yet • They are influenced the most by other bloggers+ Bloggers and brands • The majority of bloggers are blogging about brands • But bloggers reviews on brand interactions are decidedly mixed+ Consumers and blogs • Sweet spot is inspiration and product information • Trust levels are higher than for other social media+ Brands and Bloggers • Are interacting at unprecedented levels • Disclosure is still not complaint with FCC rules 41

Let us show you what we can do Thank you. Shani Higgins, CEO press@technoratimedia.com 42

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State of the Blogosphere 2011

by Courtney Brook on Nov 04, 2011

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State of the Blogosphere 2011 Presentation Transcript