Working with bloggers

We all know how good blogging can be for your business.  Showing my expertise in my genre has enabled me to do things I never thought possible. I now use my blog to give away free information in order to upsell my services and book, which is what most businesses do.

Small, meduim and large businesses also work hand in hand with bloggers providing them with products to review, running competitions or paid collaborations.  Some brands will work with a blogger on a regular basis, you may have seen Butlins Ambassador or Toys R Us Toyologists badges on people’s blogs, meaning they work with a brand directly over a long period of time (around a year in most cases). Ambassador programmes help with longevity and gives the blogger a more opportunities to blog rather than a one off experience.

Have you considered working with bloggers to promote your business/products?

Research: As with anything research is key.  As a small business you can’t really afford to be sending free products out with little in return.

• What content/topics do they write about?
• Do you like their content – remember it’s your business.  If they swear or write in a tone you may not be comfortable with it doesn’t matter how influential they are YOU need to be comfortable.
• What social media promotion do they do for their blog?
• Comments – do they get many?  Not just on the blog itself but also via social media.
• If they only have 10 Facebook likes and a handful of twitter followers they probably aren’t going to open you up to a vast range of new customers.
• Do they run a lot of competitions and reviews? You don’t want to be one of many.
• Do they fit in with your target market?  If you sell sexy underwear someone who blogs about gluten free diets possibly isn’t the right audience.
• Have you heard about them? Or if you’re not a blog reader – do your friends/business peers know about them?

Where can I find bloggers??

• There is a fabulous list of influential bloggers on Tots100
• Tweet or ask on Facebook for recommendations
• Google search

Most importantly READ some blogs.  You won’t gain an insight into how the blogger writes whether it’s a style you like etc … without reading a few posts.

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