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Blogger, influencer, content creator, no matter which way you slice it these gurus have changed the content marketing landscape as we know it today. In the natural hair care industry alone, bloggers have skyrocketed business popularity, launched entrepreneurial careers, and completely impacted how women shop for hair care products. According to a study by Tomoson, influencer marketing was rated as the fastest-growing online customer-acquisition channel, beating organic search, paid search, and email marketing. As a result, the use of natural hair bloggers does not seem to be slowing down. Here’s a few reasons why I think our role in this community is needed and here to stay.

Authenticity

Although several bloggers are compensated to provide product reviews, our role still provides a genuine, authentic, and fresh voice. Followers trust natural hair bloggers as the subject matter experts, as they have probably watched their transition and natural hair care journey for years. Often, you will receive detailed explanation of a product or style, more than what you can find the typical company website. Bloggers invite you it to their world, divulge their likes and dislikes while also providing other suggestions or alternatives. It’s personable. It’s relatable and just down right fun to watch.  In a world where traditional ads are becoming less convincing, people look to bloggers to provide real insight. The beauty of bloggers is that most started their platform as a way to help others. As a result, engaging with followers on social media sometimes provides quicker answers than researching. Most bloggers share their experiences with strangers and hope to reach as many people as they can with the hope to help someone along their natural hair care journey.

Diversity

In addition, natural hair bloggers are needed to bring diversity into the space. How many times have you seen a cover model on product packaging and wondered if the product would indeed work for you hair texture? Bloggers take on the role of endless product marketing and showcasing how styling creams and conditioners work on a variety of textures. Just a couple of YouTube searches and you are bound to find varying lengths and ethnicities of women using some of your favorite brands. This type of round the clock marketing benefits the brands and natural hair community as a whole. Through the bloggers’ constant content creation and promotion, the popularity of natural hair continues to grow as well.  

Endorsement

Brands look for natural hair bloggers for creative engagement on their social media channels and video production as an opportunity to expand their reach and long lasting advertising for endless use. One of the largest debates surrounding the natural hair blogger is compensation. To pay or not to pay is the question. While some bloggers are content with receiving free product in exchange for a review, blogging is a full-time lucrative career for some. There is no set pay rate for social media influencers (in any industry”> and often bloggers are left to guesstimate or “pitch and pray”, hoping for a reasonable rate. The service bloggers provide is essentially marketing at the core, therefore, the thought of payment seems like a no-brainer. Companies pay research firms, accountants, etc. for their business needs, so hiring a blogger for advertising should treated with the same caliber – as a business expense. The study by Tomoson further adds that 59% of marketers are planning to increase their influencer marketing budgets over the next 12 months. Bloggers, old and new, continue to be the driving force in the natural hair community and can quickly move the needle, spreading the word about a new product launch or the latest protective style.

The blogger voice is valuable, as it converts sales and is looked upon as a trusted resource. As the beauty industry remains extremely saturated, brands will be looking for more effective ways to stand out among their competitors. If there was ever a time where the natural hair blogger was needed, the time is definitely now.

Charlene Walton

Charlene Walton, known on social media as @TexturedTalk, is a Dallas based blogger and lover of all things hair. After years of styling her and several friends' hair as a hobby, offering healthy maintenance tips, she decided to combine two of her favorite things...writing and talking about natural hair!

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