Ted Murphy, PayPerPost founder, responds to my last column on his blog, and he even gave me the Golden Donkey award in return (I posted this entry via Digg, where I also ‘dugg’ Ted’s response). To give Ted a fair shake, I’m glad to link back to him so you can not just read his take on it, but also review what the comments on his blog say (unanimously in favor of PPP, not surprisingly).
He takes particular umbrage with me advocating blogger relations over PPP, which he says dollar for dollar is far more effective. As for me though, for any brand I’m promoting or running, I see blogger relations as part of a long-term brand-building strategy with greater returns over the course of the integrated campaign, rather than just a fast-converting direct response vehicle. Additionally, I’d never entrust any brand with PPP; the risks, at least for me (and anyone I’d advise) far outweigh the potential immediate returns. As far as those immediate returns go, I think most of Ted’s clients are undervaluing what they pay for each post, based on offers I’ve browsed on their site. That doesn’t mean it’s a good deal.
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Show comments Hide commentsI think that there is actually some middle ground. I am not advocating that brands drop traditional outreach all together, rather I think that they should have an integrated approach. If you combine PPP with a traditional outreach program it can be incredibly effective, massive in in scale and cost efficient.
I’m not much of a proponent of PPP as you could probably guess being more of a purist at Bloggers For Hire. I do see the value in what they do from the blogger side, but I have to agree, we have advised all of our clients that this is not a great way to brand their company. PPP does provide a quick fix, and an almost “to good to be true” type of results up front, and of course the old saw about something being too good to be true could come back later to haunt you. I would love to have a discussion with the SEO people, the professional bloggers, Ted and the others at Review Me and have a panel discussion on the issues facing this part of the industry. Not necessarily a debate on the issue but perhaps just a way of getting everyone in a discussion about what is happening in online marketing.
Congrats on the Donkey nomination!
As Ted said and I’m guessing David would agree, the answer is somehwere in the middle, brands win with agencies who understand the value of integrated CGM outreach/marketplace efforts. My PPP investment diligence confirmed that and it’s even more true today.
Same story as always, different tools for different jobs, but you need the whole toolbox. An agency who doesn’t leverage PPP for your brand is like a carpenter building you a deck without a nail gun — slow, exhausting, various hammer dents and more expensive than it needs to be. I’m sure some carpenters resisted nail guns too, until they tried them…and they still keep a hammer around for smaller jobs and hard-to-reach spots. 😉
Good, balanced discussion — keep up the great blogging David!
Thanks for all the comments here. However, I don’t think there has to be any middle ground when it comes to something that can damage a brand.
“However, I don’t think there has to be any middle ground when it comes to something that can damage a brand.
Posted by: David Berkowitz”
David, this is a ridiculous statement. Are you suggesting that traditional blogger relations doesn’t have the potential to damage a brand. Are you kidding??
Everheard of a little company called Edelman? Those guys have screwed up a ton of blogger relation efforts, at a hell of a lot higher price than PayPerPost.
Consumer Generated Media in general has the potential to damage a brand, you either embrace it or not. No matter what you do you will never have full control.
If you “don’t see any middle ground when something can damage a brand” I think you need to reevaluate your thinking. Successful marketers take risks.