Online Content Sponsorship: Finding the Right Balance
Posted on Tue, Apr 27, 2010
By Ben
Over the past year, “sponsored” has become a polarizing topic among social media. Twitter recently introduced its “#PromptedTweets” and others such as “#SponsoredTweets” and “#PayMeTweets” have become common. Enter “sponsored comments,” the newest addition to this wave of paid content. In addition to seeking out bloggers and Twitter influencers, companies are now paying to post advertisements under the reader-comment area of blogs and online publications.
There’s been a lot of discussion regarding the validity of sponsorship in these arenas. Ultimately, readers want to know the source of their information to ensure that they are not being misled, and much of this discussion has focused on the fear of backroom deals impacting the quality and scope of the sources on which readers rely. While objectivity is easier to disentangle than ever, the question now becomes relevancy.
At the same time, sponsorship offers an opportunity for industry leaders to monetize spaces which have been previously difficult to cash in on. We rely on the thoughtful posts of these leaders for our news, and disclosed compensation increases the possibility of infusing the space with more thought leaders while maintaining the content produced by those we already trust.
When a space -- be it Twitter, a blog or a comment area -- becomes infested with SPONSORED, SPONSORED, SPONSORED, it runs the risk of losing its readers. It’s all about finding the balance that keeps our content producers happy without overwhelming the reader.
I tend to see “sponsored” in this context similarly to graffiti. A tag here and there, while perhaps unsightly, still has interest and meaning and thus, value. However, when the wall becomes covered with this graffiti of sponsorship, the content merges, becoming unrecognizable. It’s all about targeting. Companies like Magpie, TweetROI and Sponsored Tweets reportedly analyze and rank influencers, connecting organizations with the right followers. Users have been quick to respond. Forty-two percent of users see the addition as equivalent to spam, but a majority, 69 percent, think it’s a good business model or are curious to see more. With new FTC regulations mandating full compensation disclosure, these users know who’s been paid and who has not, alleviating users’ fear of being mislead.
With the addition of these sponsored tags, we know where our information is coming from and thought leaders have an opportunity to monetize their otherwise free content. Larger brands and personalities like Kim Kardashian, who reportedly rakes in $10k per Tweet, are doing well. Since users know when a Tweet is solicited, they have the ability to determine how to interpret the message. The onus is then on the sponsoring company to limit the number of tweets they release. If you are searching for a term and see the same message repeated 20 times with a sponsored hashtag, you’re not going to pay it much attention. It will become irrelevant. However, if you see one, well-constructed tweet from a thought leader you trust, you’ll pay attention. Even with the tag of sponsorship, the tweet remains novel and thus relevant and interesting. Again, it’s about striking the right balance.
Sponsored comments are another interesting addition to the world of sponsored Web content. Companies like Talkahead help organizations track news and post targeted messages in the comment section of relevant articles. The Huffington Post is offering sponsored Tweets and comments for its advertisers. In many ways, such posts are more relevant as they provide no incentive to an influencer but simply target messages to the comment portion of a given site. As sponsored comments are so highly targeted, they offer an opportunity to connect a reader with a product or service that would genuinely interest them. Still, the proper balance must be found. If the comment area becomes too crowded and focuses entirely on sponsored comments, readers will no longer engage and contribute, rendering sponsored comments ineffective. It’s a careful negotiation between getting a message out there and crowding the space.
It’s safe to conclude that the demographic most likely to use Twitter as a news source and engage in discussions has a higher media literacy rate and seeks out more sources than the aggregate. These are individuals who are critical of the content they read and usually have a pretty good idea of its source. Sponsorship options offer companies one solid conduit to this demographic. Additionally, they allow sites and industry leaders to monetize what would otherwise be a totally free space.
However, it’s important to remember that sponsorship is one strategy, not the end of the story. Getting an influencer to pay attention to your product or service requires both quality of offerings and sustained relationships. While building relationships with reporters and other influencers takes time, effort and investment, it pays off. Thoughtful and strategic use of sponsorship of a comment or Tweet is a great first step, but it’s important to remember it’s one step among many.