The Business of Blogging 

This week, the LA-based Revolve team visited our sunny island with five popular bloggers in tow for the latest stop in their #revolvearoundtheworld tour. Revolve, an e-commerce website has hosted popular bloggers worldwide for lavish trips featuring the latest outfits from some of the most popular brands on their website. Some of the previous locations have included Hawaii, Palm Springs - California , Mexico and  Austin -Texas. But this really got us thinking about the business of blogging.

Revolve Clothing is a power player that has grown to a $440 million dollar company since it was founded in 2003. The company like many others has implemented a marketing strategy that relies on the influence of social media mavens and bloggers to reach customers. What is a better way to sell your products than having some of the most stylish and influential personalities with thousands (or even millions) of followers wearing your clothes in exotic locations. Have you ever tried to find the hottest shoe you saw featured on your favourite website and even when you search high and low, it is nowhere to be found? 

Creating a ‘halo effect’ for your brand is essentially using someone else’s fame and influence to benefit your own brand. These bloggers essentially are seen as an authority in their respective field whether it is fashion, motherhood, food etc. The beauty of blogging is the manner of their influence where they are seen more as trusted friends and authorities (in their area) rather than that of celebs who are seen as famous and out of reach.

Back to the bloggers that are being hosted by Revolve Clothing at Round Hill Hotel, the trip is more than how Revolve is reaching the excess of 9 million followers of those bloggers but it is also how brand Jamaica is reaching that audience. This initiative validates Jamaica as a destination and Round Hill Hotel as a top notch provider in the island. It showcases some of the amazing amenities the island has to offer that can rival that of any other tropical destination around the world. So the true tell will be how Round Hill capitalises on this partnership or what key performance indicators they will use to really determine the value in their participation in the initiative. 

The business of blogging is real and by taking a look at the online landscape, it is easy to see how these individuals are influencing buying patterns, current styles and helping to validate brands.