Bloggers are becoming sought-after partners for many fashion brands. Fashion bloggers have proven to be a valuable asset for increasing brand awareness by introducing brands to new audiences. When partnering with fashion bloggers, it is important to clearly define goals for the collaboration between the brand and the blogger. Examples of collaborations include posts featuring specific products, or a contest/giveaway for email acquisition. Let’s explore more on these collaborations so you know the benefits of them.
Additionally, many bloggers are using affiliate links to monetize their content. Because of this, promoting new collections or reviewing new products are perfect for collaborations. Bloggers will join affiliate programs directly or use program aggregators, becoming a sub-affiliate of a brand. Most brands prefer bloggers join their affiliate program directly.
To get started, it is important for brands to segment affiliates in the affiliate network so that each promotion or campaign can be pushed to the most appropriate group of bloggers. For example, if your brand has a new plus-size collection, you can create a segmented group of plus-size bloggers in your network and send details of your collaboration directly to them.
Most collaborations are between one brand and one exclusive blogger. Brands should create guidelines for the engagement including time duration of the collaboration, distribution (Website, email, social networks, etc.), and payment terms. This could include a flat fee or a commission increase through the affiliate network for the duration of the collaboration. The most common collaborations include:
Featured Post – A featured post is a great way to introduce a brand or specific products/items to a blog’s audience. Bloggers will include affiliate links to the brand throughout the post. Traffic and other key metrics can be tracked from these links.
Product Gifting – Often brands will provide products or items in exchange for a featured post, social tagging, or other promotions by the blogger.
Product Giveaway – Blogs will host contests or giveaways, asking their readers to enter by providing their email address to the brand for future messaging. The brand usually gives the contest or giveaway prize to the blogger.
Once the campaign has ended, the blogger should provide the brand with success metrics of the collaboration based on the initial goals. The affiliate network is also a great resource for analyzing the collaboration performance. When applicable, Blue Moon Digital recommends replacing affiliate links with direct links around four to six months after the engagement has ended for additional benefits in Organic search.
