For Urban Women - Best Women's Travel Blog Australia: blogging tips

Showing posts with label blogging tips. Show all posts

7 Signs you are a Social Media Aficionado

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Do you know there are signs you’re addicted to social media? The good news is that if you are addicted, there are things that you can do to deal with that. Social media is an awesome thing but it is something we also need to keep in proper perspective. Be on the lookout for signs you’re addicted to social media and if you think you might be, make some changes to help you deal with that

5 Unusual (& Essential) Social Media Tools for Bloggers

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blogging tips

What Makes You Proud to be a Fashion Blogger?

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fashion

One of my favorite perks as a blogger is getting to meet honest people who push you to see things in a different way. I met a fashion industry star at a media breakfast this summer, and our first encounter went something like this:

Introduce Yourself to a Fashion Publicist with this Handy Email Template

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blogging tips

5 Reasons to Be a Better Commenter in 2014

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blogging tips

Unless you’re a major news site, you may have noticed how hard it is to get comments on your blog. Even if you are part of a major news site, you may notice. Every year, I see the number of comments dwindle. Massive blogs that used to receive 600 comments a post now receive 50. Blogs that received 50 now receive 15. If you’ve got a small site like I do, then what may have one been 10-20 comments per post now rings in at less than a handful.

And yet… we all believe that comments have value in blogging. And they do! So maybe it’s time to put our best foot forward for 2014, and bring back comments. Why should we… ?

Comments are the basis of community.

As a blogger, you’re trying to build a community, right? An active, engaged community… it’s what we all fantasize about. Lots of traffic is great, but no one sees those numbers. They’re faceless, nameless persons who came, saw, and left our sites. But our readers… those who leave comments… they’re gold.

So how do you feel when you don’t receive comments? Without them, you don’t know whether your community is around. You can’t gauge what they’re responding to, or what they want to see. Realistically, comments are the foundation of a community, and community doesn’t just exist on your site. Being a part of community means taking your voice & thoughts to the blogs of others and sharing it! With a comment, of course.

Comments force you to slow down, read, & ENGAGE with content.

How easy is it to skim through blogs – via email, via your feed reader, and never actually absorb the content? Your eyes glaze over and it’s just about getting through the 300+ posts that have accumulated in the last day.

But really… what good is that doing you or the bloggers you follow?

Take the time to stop just endlessly consuming information and make time to INTERACT with it. If you think that’s impossible to do when you follow hundreds of blogs, cull your blog reader. Focus on certain sites each day of the week. Actually READ the post. Think about what the blogger said. Can you respond to it? (If it’s complicated or controversial, step away for 20 minutes.) Formulate thoughts, and share them.

You may find that you’re more inspired by what you’re reading… and who doesn’t love a good dose of inspiration!

Comments represent you, your content, & your site.

That thoughtful comment you just left? It represents your site. It represents YOU.

Every line we write online is a digital footprint back to us and our sites. Your thoughtful, engaged comment isn’t just seen by the author; it’s seen by all of their fans. If that’s the first comment you’ve left for a blog, this is your chance at a great first impression – for the blogger and their readers.

Make it count.

Relationships begin in the comments.

Relationships – that’s what blogging is about. If community is the foundation of a great blog, relationships are the glue that hold it together and keep it strong.

Building relationships with other bloggers, and comments are a natural way to build that relationship. A relationship isn’t built by leaving one comment, nor is a new fan found that way. It comes from continually reaching out and having something valid to say. It grows from there – to email, social media sites, and more.

But if you’re really looking to build your relationships with other bloggers, start with a comment.

Comments show you care.

There are a lot of bloggers who don’t respond to their comments. (I’m guilty of this – I went through a phase where where I couldn’t keep up with my comments because of my day job.)

Making the time to respond, even to a few readers? It shows you care about what your readers have to say. It tells your readers, “Hey! You’re golden. Thank you for responding, and I know you’re there. I can’t do this without you. Your support means everything.” And wow… isn’t that just amazing to think about? How much your readers care for you and what you have to say? It kind of blows my mind.

As you’re writing up goals & resolutions for 2014, put this one towards the top of your list. Be a better commenter. Rediscover the joy of connecting with your community. It’s an easy part of blogging for us to put by the wayside. It also becomes the part of blogging we miss most quickly.

Beyond the Sponsored Post: Brands Want Your Social Media, Too

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blogging tips

I know this is beating an obvious fact into the ground, but social media has firmly planted itself as a key form of communication in today’s society. As bloggers have evolved in their savviness around using social media to promote their blogs, so too have brands put time into learning how social media benefits them. Brands have turned a lot of their marketing department’s attention (and budget) to social media, and in working with bloggers active on Twitter and such. Brands are essentially paying to cultivate relationships with brand ambassadors. Influential ones, at that; those who aren’t just consuming social media, but turning around and sharing it with a sizable audience.

A few years ago, a brand sponsorship often only consisted of a sponsored post. Nowadays every brand is interested in far more than just a blog post or two. There’s social media content I’m asked to share across different platforms. At times there’s a “real-life” part to the contract which requires event duties – as simple as showing up or as big as a full speaking presentation on fashion and/or blogging. What does this all mean? It means brands are looking at more than just your blog – they’re looking at all the different places on the web you have an influential presence.

From my own experience with brand sponsorships, here are some ways in which brands might want to work with you on each of those sites – and what to tend to with each.

Twitter

Sharing tweets is one of the most common actions brand sponsorships will want you to take on social media. They’ll ask you to promote any blog posts you write. They will often include tweets crafted by the brand for you to send out through your Twitter handle, with specific hashtags related to this specific brand campaign. The tip here? Pay attention to your hashtags and use them every time! Hashtags are essential in keeping track of how well a Twitter campaign spread.

Facebook

The other most common social media ‘ask’ from a brand is Facebook sharing. Usually brands keep it pretty simple, requiring you to promote your sponsored blog posts to your FB page fans. Brands might also ask you to contribute to a Facebook live chat they host, or that you share some prepared status updates to your FB page. Make sure your blog’s Facebook page is fairly active, and make sure to appropriately tag them too! (How to tag pages on Facebook.)

Instagram

I’ve observed countless bloggers make some serious dough from Instagram campaigns alone. Brands will often ask bloggers for an Instagram photo/video set during a campaign they’re working together on. In it, the blogger captures anywhere from 10-15 Instagrams of various shots. Tag and hashtag correctly here, too, and do your best to create visually-appealing, evocative photos. Filters are your friend!

Sometimes brands will ask you to create and pin several images to Pinterest board on a specific topic, trend, or campaign keyword. I’ve also had brands request I embed one of their Pinterest boards into my sponsored posts. In either case, it’s a great way for brands to engage bloggers’ audiences and easily lead them back to their website.

YouTube

Brands might also request video content in your brand sponsorship, where you’re required to take footage of or share pre-recorded footage on your blog and other social media profiles. The bloggers who can bring some serious spunk and personality to their YouTube presence are often booked for brand campaign event host duties or other speaking presentations. You never know where that beauty haul video could take you!

What other unique ways might bloggers and brands work together on social media sponsorships?

How to Build Good Relationship Beyond Reviews and Giveaways

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blogging tips

One of the biggest challenges I've experienced as a blogger is building a more long-lasting relationship with my favorite brands. It’s been my experience that getting the review or getting the giveaway in the first place is a lot easier than turning that relationship into more than a one-post stand. But at the same time, who wants to turn their site into nothing more than regurgitated press releases?

What are you looking for in a relationship with a brand? Free swag and gifts for your readers can be great, but I think ultimately (like our real-life relationships) we’re looking for something mutually beneficial. Maybe you’re hoping to grow that relationship into a brand ambassadorship, paid sponsorship, or a full-time job with the company. Regardless of what your end goal is, getting from the point of making the contact to the point of a mutually beneficial relationship IS HARD. I've got brands I've worked with for years, who I still have to beg for a lookbook each season!

TIP NO. 01 - I suggest asking what some of their (the brand) objectives are. From there you can get a feeling of where they are even willing to go and grow…and if what you may want to do aligns with their goals! When you know, you’ll have a prime opening to pitch your idea, showing them how their objectives can be reached.

TIP No. 02 - You can also do the direct, but laid back approach - In order to move the relationship beyond the status quo, ask them, in a casual manner, if they may be interested in X (a paid opportunity) that would even more thoroughly spotlight the brand on your site, or casually send them your media kit, in case they might be interested in some sponsored opportunity in the coming months. Keeping it professional, but casual, should make it comfortable to approach.

When you've been blogging a long time, you inevitably come across some challenges when working with a brand for so long. One of the old one issue that several times happen is when "you've had one solid contact at a brand for a very long time, and that point-person leaves." It’s almost like starting from square one to build your relationship up again with a new person.

Another biggest struggle in taking the next step is that “we can either underestimate or overestimate ourselves.” I have found that I surprised myself when I pitched a major brand and they loved it. I had history with them and had an idea and went for it! Was I scared? You bet. But if I did not believe in myself or had the courage to go for it, I wouldn't be here.

TIP NO. 03 - When it comes to remaining memorable, we that you show some common courtesy: In any kind of relationship, being attentive, diligent, and making them a priority (i.e. attending the brand’s events, posting info about them as soon as it’s released) is much-appreciated…doing something courteous and considerate, that requires minimal effort, like sending a thank-you email or even hand written note after you've worked with them on something really can make a difference in distinguishing yourself from the rest.

TIP NO 04 - Believe in yourself, have a game plan, and be professional!

Have you been successful in moving your relationships with brands past giveaways, reviews, and press releases? What tips do you have for the rest of the class?