Working with Bloggers
Did you know that twenty to fifty percent of all purchases made are from word of mouth? Buying products today, people want to know from a reliable source how it really performs. Consumers are tired of the editing and trickery of TV Commercials. The best word of mouth is going to come from a blogger or vlogger.
We have cultivated and sowed a social media following that doesn't happen in a day. Several online friendships that can easily transcend into real life ones. The ripple effect we have can last for weeks with just one tweet.
Social Media, Tweets, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube they are just a few vehicles on how we as bloggers and vloggers can get our opinions and feelings out to the world. We have taken networking to the next level!
If I get an email that lists what they want, what the budget is and the timeline in the first email? I have been known to put my cell phone down and log onto my laptop to look up the email and the company to answer it immediately.
Also, any good blogger has read Google's TOS or terms of service and knows how to avoid the black hat tricks for SEO. Sometimes, we are asked after trading 5 emails back and forth to use black hat tricks on enslosed links in an article. So we just wasted time on a company who doesn't care if we get dinged or downgraded by google for one article.
Bloggers build relationships with their readers and use their skill set of social media to reach people. Not even to mention their humor and the time it took to gain their audience. Forbes wrote a really great article a while back, called Ten Tips for working with Bloggers sharing how SEO can be influenced by one blogger and their reach in the community. I still remember reading that to this day. Now when Companies or Brands pass or fail, people can find out a lot quicker then 40 years ago.
I have listed a few keep tips below that will help when working with bloggers.
Social Media, Tweets, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube they are just a few vehicles on how we as bloggers and vloggers can get our opinions and feelings out to the world. We have taken networking to the next level!
How to work with bloggers
Typically bloggers can receive several emails a day asking for a link in a post, or a new blogger wants to submit an article and neither one of them want to pay for it. 80% of emails we get, are from companies or people who want something for nothing unfortunately. They offer me the chance to share the article with their followers.If I get an email that lists what they want, what the budget is and the timeline in the first email? I have been known to put my cell phone down and log onto my laptop to look up the email and the company to answer it immediately.
Also, any good blogger has read Google's TOS or terms of service and knows how to avoid the black hat tricks for SEO. Sometimes, we are asked after trading 5 emails back and forth to use black hat tricks on enslosed links in an article. So we just wasted time on a company who doesn't care if we get dinged or downgraded by google for one article.
Work with bloggers
Bloggers build relationships with their readers and use their skill set of social media to reach people. Not even to mention their humor and the time it took to gain their audience. Forbes wrote a really great article a while back, called Ten Tips for working with Bloggers sharing how SEO can be influenced by one blogger and their reach in the community. I still remember reading that to this day. Now when Companies or Brands pass or fail, people can find out a lot quicker then 40 years ago.
I have listed a few keep tips below that will help when working with bloggers.
- The amount of tweets, comments, messages, emails we field every day can make even the nicest person stressed. So be patient if you don't hear from a blogger in 12 hours. Also, one follow up email 2 days later is enough. When you send 4, you're already in the spam folder.
- Know who your blogger and what their blog is about. 90% of bloggers have 1 to 4 categories they write about consistently. Example - I write about Home Decor, Gardening, DIY, and the occasional Blogger Tip. I am not going to write a sponsored post about a child rearing because that's not my blog niche. Pick the right blog for the right company.
- Proof read your email. If you call me by my email address or worse, call me sir, I won't take time to respond back or I'll quote you so high you will remember not to email me ever again. You have not even seen the picture on my sidebar let alone taken one minute to read anything I wrote.
- I don't need people to kiss my ass, but I do need them to respect me. So don't waste my time. Hit the high points in your first email and be specific. Do you need a paid link, sponsored post? If I have to email you back and forth 7 times and you won't tell me what you pay, you're wasting my time and also sending me the signal that you probably can't pay much.
- Tell me how you found me. I want to know what I did that worked. We thrive on Social Media, Marketing, Networking and want to know where we should spend our money wisely for our blog. Was it a specific tweet, pinterest pin or a google search?
- Telling me you have an article that would benefit my readers is one of the first signs you don't have any money to pay me. If you need your business promoted, then let's talk business. Please don't insult people by letting them think sharing your article on my site to your followers is going to benefit me financially in the long run. What truly benefits a working woman is to pay her money so she can feed her family.
- If you want me to share on the various social media platforms, be specific. Which ones and how many times.
- Keep track of who you have emailed and for what company. I know I do and if your name or company sounds familiar I am checking my personal list.
- The days of asking for "no follow" links is long gone. We not only use social media to share our articles, we use it to communicate with other tech savvy bloggers. One thing bloggers like to do is nurture relationships with newbie bloggers. They sometimes become subscribers as well.
- Give feedback after the job is done if possible. Let them know if the client is happy and if any improvements can be made next time.
I hope you found these tips useful and if so please leave a comment below!
