HOW TO WORK WITH BLOGGERS

B Y B R E N N A H O L E M A NT H I S B AT T E R E D S U I T C A S E . C O M

THE POWER OF INFLUENCER MARKETING AND HOW IT CAN HELP YOUR COMPANY

HOW DO BLOGGERS MAKE MONEY?•Advertising•Affiliate Links• Sponsored Posts• Paid Press Trips• Brand Ambassadorship• Product and App Reviews• E-books and e-commerce• Social Media Campaigns Image and data via Alex in Wanderland

WHAT VALUE CAN BLOGGERS BRING TO YOUR COMPANY?• Exposure to your target

audience• Endorsement from a trusted

individual• Evergreen content / online

permanence• Long-lasting partnerships

Image via Be My Travel Muse

HOW TO FIND THE APPROPRIATE BLOGGER FOR YOUR NEEDS• Google search for bloggers in your niche

• Investigate blog and their social media

– How do they work with brands?

– Do they have a media kit?

– What is their target audience and does it match yours?

– Are their rates within your budget?

– Do they have real, organic followers?

– Do they have engagement on their posts?Image via Adventurous Kate

HOW TO APPROACH BLOGGERS• Use their name (and spell it right)

• Show that you know something about their work –reference something on the blog

• Introduce yourself and your company

• Explain why you think your company is a good fit for their blog, and what exactly you want from working with them

• Explain that you would like to create an ongoing relationship with them

• Allow them complete creative control

• Ask for their rates – if you don’t have the budget to work with bloggers yet, wait

Image via HeckticTravels

HOW NOT TO APPROACH BLOGGERS

EXAMPLE OF A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN (WITH ONE BLOGGER)

• Visit Denmark campaign in 2015 results

– Over 10,000 blog visits

– Over 2,000 interactions on Facebook, with an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 impressions

– Over 3,500 interactions on Instagram, with an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 impressions

– “Brenna contributed to one of our most successful campaigns ever, including extensive and high-quality blog and social media coverage. We saw an increase in bookings to Copenhagen and Aarhus, and continue to receive traffic from her campaign over one year later.”

EXAMPLE OF A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN (WITH MULTIPLE BLOGGERS)• Hecktic Media Inc. worked with over 50

bloggers on a campaign for Trover• “We were able to target a specific type of audience when

we looked at the following of the influencers. We were able to bring bloggers to the table who already had communities engaged around this topic or engaged and fired up about travel, and it was a great way to get them moving on to the platform. There was trust already built, they were able to endorse this product that really meant something to them and delivered a particular value that they were able to articulate via their own stories.”

• Trover’s engagement on their platform went up by ten times

Image via Hecktic Media Inc.

FINAL TIPS• No budget? You can still introduce yourself… but don’t expect anything in return

• Events can be a good way to get social media exposure

• One-off sponsored/guest posts are never a good idea; think of brand ambassadorship instead

• Consider contracts, even for small collaborations

• Always make sure their work with you is disclosed

• A mid-sized blogger receives 10-20 emails a day asking for collaborations; make yours stand out by being friendly, open-minded, and transparent

• Never offer “exposure” as motivation or think that bloggers are desperate for collaboration

AND FINALLY…thisbatteredsuitcase.com

brenna@thisbatteredsuitcase.comFacebook: ThisBatteredSuitcaseInstagram: thisbatteredsuitcaseTwitter: SuitcaseBrenna

Image via The Oatmeal