This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission when you make a purchase at NO additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our site in this way!
I blogged for years before I knew there could ever be a business component to blogs.
As someone with a Masters Degree in Communication Studies and a marketing background, I’ve always dreamed of having a job that would allow me the flexibility of working on the go, yet still have the ability to partner with brands to create something greater than I could on my own.
And VOILA! The world of blogs was born 🙂
But doing what I do has its down-sides too: there is a lot of uncharted territory, you never get to turn ‘off’ your business and to be honest, most brands don’t know what the heck to do with us bloggers, much less use our platform to its fullest potential while still making us feel valued.
In fact, I can’t tell you how many emails I get each day that start off with, “Dear _____” (Yes, there is actually a line left in their intro that was obviously meant to be filled in/deleted that no one bothered to take the time to look into!).
However, there are some companies that understand the influence and ingenuity that some bloggers possess.
One of those is Blog Frog.
When I first learned about Blog Frog just over a year ago, I couldn’t believe there was a company devoted to helping brands and blogs partner together! It was a blogger’s dream come true! Not only did someone understand what we did as bloggers, but could rally on our behalf with other organizations. Genius.
But even though a company like Blog Frog exists, we are still a long way from a balanced playing field when it comes to brands partnering with bloggers.
So if you’re a company, looking to partner with a blogger, LISTEN UP! I’m about to give you the best 3 pieces of advice you’ll ever hear and that you need to pay attention to before even thinking about sending out another form letter to one of us:
1. Take a little time to actually read my blog
If you took 5 minutes to scan my homepage, menu bar and most recent posts, you’d know I’m not interested in handgun demos, soda pop or flameless cigarettes. You would however, get enough of an insight into me to know I love my family, love going on adventures with them and don’t care much for blinking advertisements on my site. That kind of information will go far in our initial conversation and will demonstrate that you care more about my voice and how your company can benefit my readers than simply caring about my reach and how it can benefit your brand.
2. Value me
Everything I talk about on my blog now, even if I get compensated to do so, are things that I spoke about long before I knew I could get paid for blogging about it. Likewise, I am much more likely to naturally share about your brand on my site if I feel like you value what I do & why I do it than if you simply tossed out money to pay for a post. Relationships still rule, people.
3. Keep in Touch with me
I can’t tell you how many brands ‘court’ us bloggers, whether through extensive conversations or trips, only to leave us high and dry as soon as they ‘get what they need’. If I’m taking the time to get to know about your product or service and actually believe in it, then I’d like to think that you’d care enough to continue that relationship for longer than just 3 months. Believe me, you’d do a lot better by making sure I’m a happy long-term customer offline than simply worrying about how you treat me for 3 months online.
So there you have it. I’ll jump off my soap box and turn it over to you now.
If you’re a brand looking to work with online influencers, learn more about BlogFrog’s Brand Solutions here.
As a part of the BlogFrog Influencer Circle, I have the chance to create meaningful, authentic content for brands I love. If you’re a blogger interested in new opportunities, join BlogFrog’s Influencer Circle and check out some of the top brands already working with BlogFrog.
Now, I’m curious. What do you love most about blogs and blogging?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BlogFrog. The opinions and text are all mine.
