Last night I attended the Utah Blogger’s Summit. I was joined by my girls Brittany, Amy, Shelley, Michelle, Megan and Mandi.
I always find it so fun to meet and connect with other bloggers. There is so much we can learn from one another.
I was asked to speak on working with brands. There are about as many ways to work with brands as there are bloggers, but one recommendation that is universal? Work to extend the relationship.
Here are the top ten things you should consider before working with a brand:
- Know Your Brand – Know who you are, what you will (or wont) blog about. Work to develop a strong point of view and strive to be an expert.
- Know Your Reach – Understand the tangible (traffic, subscribers, demographics, comments) and the intangible (anecdotal stories of engagement) reach of your brand. Be clear on why your reach is more than the number of people who follow your story.
- Know What You’re Worth – Develop an understanding of what your time and the time of your readers is worth. This is going to be different for everyone, but consider how much time it takes to prepare an average sponsored post and determine how much that allotment of time is worth.
- Research – Be sure collaboration will promote the image you desire for your blog. Understand what the company represents. If you blog about tweens, is it worth that $200 you could make off of a baby goods or senior goods post? In the long run, you loose credibility which is worth far more than the small amount of money you made…
- Clarify Expectations – Clearly outline what each side hopes to gain from the partnership, i.e. authority, authenticity, engagement, traffic, SEO, financial gain and what package they expect it to come in, i.e. blog post, tweets, etc.
- Negotiate Compensation – It’s important that each side of the partnership receive benefit. Look for collaboration that will be win-win. Though your compensation should be tangible think value, not money.
- Be Flexible – Be open to creativity and to opportunity. Tailor your compensation to the brand.
- Get it in Writing – Once your expectations and compensation are set, make sure that all of the information is on paper for both parties to review and have on hand. Having the details will help ensure that both parties are clearly understood.
- Added Value – Utilize and document multiple platforms to provide added value to a company, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Chats, in-person events.
- Follow Up – If you do nothing else, document your work and share it with the company. Show them the value that you have provided beyond a simple blog post.
What questions do you have about working with brands? What do you like about working with brands and what do you think brands could handle better?
xoxo
Tauni
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Tauni is a former public relations executive who spent 12+ years handling communications and events for an array of clients, from the NBA and Olympics to numerous high ranking politicians. Today, she handles social media for a local agency and hosts SNAP!, an annual social media conference for bloggers focused on entertaining, craft and home DIY.
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Tauni- I am just so impressed with all that you know and do. I so appreciate your willingness to share your insights in marketing and social media with the rest of us. Thanks for a really informative article.
xoxo,
Amy
Amy,
Wow. Thanks so much for your kind words. I don’t KNOW that much, but of course I am willing to share what I have learned…It’s really the whole premise of social media, right?! The sharing.
xoxo
Great presentation last night Tauni! I need to realize the value of all I do and get fairly compensated for it. PS Who designed this blog?! Love it!
Nevermind about my question. Just saw it below
Nisha, thanks for the sweet comment about our blog design. I am so totally in love with Lara at Less Cake More Frosting who designed the logo and Amy at Designer Blogs. They came up with the site in like 24-hours and it fit my vision perfectly. Seriously? I am so very blessed to associate with so many wonderful girls.
I think that you are right. Do me a favor. Look through your blog, make a list of all the brands/organizations you really identify with and have blogged about. Once you’ve done that consider how you may be able to integrate your work more closely with yours. So often we think of compensation and thus wonder how a non-profit can give back, but they can! I’d love to hear what you come up with!
xoxo
Great info Tauni. You are a genius.
Bwahaha. You are a comic. Which is good, I frequently am in need of some serious comic relief.
Love your guts!
xoxo
Wish I could have been there! I learn so much listening to you! Thanks for sharing here!
Kendra, According to Shelley it was all harsh realities…I think I need to work on my softer side
xoxo
seriously Tauni you are ALWAYS full of the best most useful info! I loved your portion of the conf
Thanks Megan! It was sooo fun hanging out with you!
xoxo
Tauni you are a wealth of knowledge, thank you for sharing with us!!
Chrissy, thank you for being one of my biggest fans. You have no idea how much your comments mean!
xoxo
Thank you for sharing this fantastic list! You rock!
Oh. Thanks so much Shari! I really appreciate your sweet comment. I hope that you find the tips helpful!
xoxo
Tauni
Always great to get more info on working with brands. Helpful to know from the small to the big stuff being offered out there.
Thanks so much Debbie. It was really nice meeting you the other night, if only for a moment! Hope to continue to get to know you better!
xoxo
As usual, Tauni you give awesome advice! I am so excited to learn from you.
Thanks Jennifer. So sweet.
xoxo
I’m sad I missed the Summit. Thanks for sharing this info Tauni!
We missed you! What’s this I hear about you not going to BlogHer BTW. We need to chat! Email me!!!
xoxo
Great post Tauni! Thanks for sharing! It was exactly what I needed to read tonight.
Thank you!
Linda
I am so glad the article helped Linda!!!
xoxo
Tauni
Now if only I could borrow your brain for a few days to figure out how to get a brand to partner with me on my fundraisers. Turns out, it’s easier to get them to give you review items and such than it is to donate/match for non-profits! Corporate structures are complicated! Boo.
I’d be happy to chat with you for a bit. You’re right corporate structures are complex and blog marketing rarely comes out of the same budget as community relations and donations.
BTW, will you be in San Diego next month?
Yes! I’m actually hosting a canned food drive at the market!
Yay! I am so excited for you. Of course, between the two of us the girls other vendors may decide that they will let just about anyone in
haha.
Tauni,
I am incredibly behind on thanking you for your awesome session. I learned so much – and thanks vfor reposting the list here. This is an area I need to work on a lot. All of this is so helpful.
Someday I want to discuss with you the great ‘free vs. charge’ conundrum that is the craft blogging world. I would love your insights.
SO great to talk to you.
Amy
Amy,
Thanks for your sweet note…I hope that the list was a good reminder for you
As far as the free v. charge thing…I think I change my mind about it nearly everyday, but I think the bottom line is that there is a place for both. Would love to chat about it sometime 
xoxo
Tauni
What a great article Tauni! I wish I could have been there to hear you talk about all this. I get so lost when it comes to these types of things. You are always helping, inspiring, and teaching so many of us. Thank you. Wish I could wrap my head around so many social media things. I think I must be a slow learning
Awww. You’re so sweet Tasha. Thanks for your kind comments. I doubt that your slow at learning. I think it is more that social media is just so darn fast moving…
Hope the article was helpful!
xoxo
Good post. Makes me think…what are my goals? Right now, I blog to share fun ideas for others to try. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, just showing off what we have done and what has and has not worked for us. Occasionally, I do paid/sponsored posts and to be honest, I take them. We could use the funds right now and most traffic I get are to specific posts, not my homepage. I see the paid posts and a bonus for me. If an actual brand would want to work for me, I would be totally stoked! Until that day, I’ll take my gas money for the month. =)
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Glad you enjoyed the post Michelle. I think you blog for the same reasons a lot of people do…xoxo Tauni