There are many benefits to reaching out to bloggers - like magazine editors or celebrities, sending free products to review can get you some positive attention. Paid review services like ReviewMe or PayPerPost programs, however, are not trust-worthy as true, natural editorial coverage.
Zappos has been very successful in creating positive blog-word-of-mouth by delivering excellent customer service.
Other etailers are slammed by bloggers for poor customer service. There's a reputation management side to social media marketing, for sure.
Affiliates often blog and can send you traffic, but you likely won't get any search engine benefits. If it is true that people trust bloggers for purchase decisions, including bloggers in your affiliate profile is a good thing to experiment with, and treat them very well. Don't give them the brushoff because they are not "super affiliates."
Widget development is still in its infancy but it can also encourage content sharing by "bloggers" and people who are bloggers but don't realize it (Facebook accounts, etc).
There's also guest posting that you can arrange with bloggers - you offer content that will benefit their audience, is informative, and not overly self-promotional.
Just a few ideas...
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