By MK intern and award winning blogger Lydia Abraham

As a blogger myself, I’ve seen how quickly bloggers have developed their worth in the world of PR.
In a matter of years, blogging has gone from a case of posting a few paragraphs and pictures to a wonderfully creative career for many aspiring writers. Not only has this benefited the world of writers, but it has also become a means to an ends for countless newly established companies.
I’ve seen company after company tapping into bloggers and their audience and using this modern medium as a method of quick and cost-effective advertising.

ASOS, established at the start of the online boom, has taken on well-established clothing giants to become one of the biggest online retailers in the UK and, of course, this is not down to bloggers alone, but developing their relationships with members of the blogging community has certainly helped.
This year, ASOS set up Access All ASOS; an exclusive club for bloggers from the UK. Their move to latch on to popular online outlets is one that hasn’t gone unnoticed, particularly on social media, with hundreds signed up creating an instant buzz of positivity on networking sites and particularly within the blogging community itself.

Today, it is seemingly no longer enough for clients to be featured in a simple news article and with the online media ever increasing, this is somewhat unsurprising. With so much scope for online content out there, companies are keen to make sure that all relevant options are incorporated.
Undoubtedly, utilising bloggers is not relevant for every client; whilst working at MK, I’ve seen a number of opportunities where it could well be beneficial and others where it would be of little relevance.

However, I do think that all clients can benefit from observing blogger relations as a PR strategy. The variety of promotional work involved in keeping a blogger happy is something that can provide inspiration for many PR schemes, whether it’s using social media well or organising an event. Bloggers are a key influencer in my areas and are certainly an audience not to be ignored!