“Sponsored Conversations” is a new approach to direct marketing in which a professional copywriter or commentator writes a blog and/or a series of emails for you, which promote your product.   The posts can be posted under your name, or an invented name, as the writer takes on any persona which seems to fit.

Ideally both blog and email are used – the articles go up on the blog and an email is sent out to people on your mailing list.

For example the writer could take on the persona of a member of the company, a salesman, the chairman or anyone else – it is just that by using an outside writer you get the ability to write about your company and products from many different angels in a highly professional way that brings in results.

In one sense there’s nothing particularly new in this since the world of advertising has used actors, voice-overs and staged situations as a means of promoting since radio advertising first appeared in the US in the 1920s.

What’s interesting is that despite huge declines in advertising in America last year the there was a growth of over 20% in sponsored conversations as a form of advertising – and indeed it is from America that the phrase “sponsored conversation” comes.

While the total spending on “sponsored conversations” is still only around $10m in America, reports emerging are suggesting that it will become the next big form of advertising.  I find that rather nice since it means that we’ve been ahead of the game.

The key point in this form of advertising is that the writer must maintain his/her persona at all times.  Sponsored conversations tend to be a gentle form of advertising, where the commentator may say things such as, “of course there’s a lot of choice in this market, but here’s one that caught my eye,” rather than claiming that a product is the biggest in its field, and used by thousands of firms, is the cheapest, the best etc etc.

What is interesting is that this form of advertising really does appeal to people who otherwise rarely look at emails and blogs – appealing indeed where the more forceful approach is having less and less impact. .

If you would like to know more, or talk this through, give me a call on 01536 399 000, or email Tony@hamilton-house.com