How I want to be Engaged With

As a blogger I write about the things which I enjoy – I also occasionally get sent information by companies regarding the latest products they have to offer. Most of the time I thankful for the thought that they have made by sending me an e-mail or leaving a comment.

However.

When it comes to engaging with people there is nothing worse than receiving an ‘out of the blue’ email which looks and (you know) has been sent to loads and loads of people. It turns my stomach as it probably does yours.

Its a hot topic in the marketing world about how to harness the readership of an influential blog. I thought it best to compile a few reasons why I personally would ‘get involved’ and write something about a company.

• They treat me like a person – this means actually making more effort then just changing the header and footer of an e-mail. I like it when they have taken the time to reference bits and bobs of my blog – pointing out areas they agree with and providing a decent argument if they’re against my ideas.

• They have something to offer me. When it comes to blogging the name of the game is creating a high profile for the blog you run. If they are prepared to reference me or something I have done in my writing, it’s more then likely that I’ll be prepared to talk about the topic. Of course this all depends on the vertical that you or I write in.

• Added incentives – I like free things, I like trials. I also like feeling like I’m better than my ‘online friends’ because YOU have chosen ME to test a product. Highlights for me have included plush hotel suites in Mayfair, London and meals out with members of the companies staff who can actually make a difference to any newer products.

• I like it when you reference my arguments on Social Networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. It makes me feel good.

• Frequently I get sent vague e-mails asking me to link or place a banner advert on my site. Yes, I might do this, name your price, if its worth my while I probably will. Just telling me you would be interested makes me feel like I’m part of a big mailing list of ‘influential – small to medium large blogs’. This will probably result in a case of me clicking ‘junk’. Notice a theme running here?

• Understand that I am a valuable asset to any other marketing campaign you may be running. If I have enjoyed working with you before the chances are I’ll be that little bit more interested the next time.

• Create lots of advocates for your brand/product. Allow them to speak as they see fit about your stuff. Even go as far as publishing articles in which your blogger has not had the best experience – open it to questions and comments – you’re bound to find that for every 1 person who has had a negative experience there are going to be several who will have had a good experience.

Being open is key to success in dealing with bloggers.

The majority of the time, it appears that companies treat bloggers with a small amount of contempt – but imagine this. You treating them well, could be the opportunity that you need to increase your sales or whatever. Plus as I mentioned earlier the chances are that the blogger in question will be more than likely to work with you again - on whatever level.

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