What can Bloggers do for me?

What are Bloggers, are they required, who are they, how do I work with them, what can they do for me? These are many of the questions so many businesses and people ask.

So lets start at the beginning, the basics. Bloggers are people who enjoy writing – full stop. Be warned, there are people who believe lots of money can be made but have zero talent for writing, these are the ones who ruin the reputation of those that really do have a natural talent for it.

Having a website and blogging about things is fun, if a blogger likes or uses a product or service they find amazing they probably want to write about it. The post goes live on their site, and this is the “gold” businesses are looking for. An on-line recommendation potentially with links and engaging content that will make readers want to buy and try the product/service for themselves.

Bloggers can be found to write about anything, you name it, there will be someone who wants to write about it. We like writing about all things Travel, Tech, Motoring, Health and Wellbeing, Clothing and Food & drink. This is not the same as the next blogger, some write about one thing, others do everything and some are a little weird (you know who you are!).

Good bloggers will have great content, a good mix of photos, descriptions and links. Other bloggers can use video, showing how to use and the results (these are called Vloggers). Depending on how much they invest in their site and how often they blog will make a huge difference to their income. Some bloggers accept payments to write reviews, others like sponsorship or donations and some just like to get free stuff, it really depends on their business model.

Please do not get too hung up on the number of followers or likes a blogger on social media, as most of their followers will not see the post (do your research on these numbers… google it and find out why not all accounts have ‘real’ followers…) The content is all about how it is shared, the correct use of hashtags (#) linking and tagging, this in itself is a skill, this is where all the work of spreading of the story really lays.

Costs and whats involved?

The cost to work with a blogger is minimal, compared to advertising costs or marketing agencies, so this needs to be kept in mind. Of course if businesses want to capitalise on the post, which is all about their product, they need to do some work themselves, not a lot but some. Once the post is live the page should be shared by them, even linked to business websites to drive traffic to an on line recommendation. The business should be sharing the post in their own social media – Try tweetdeck to make life easier – at least once a fortnight for 3-4 months (the more the better) to see a decent return.

Finding a blogger

Bloggers are a bit like trolls, living under bridges and are hard to find (not the internet’s nasty ones but the shy, hiding in plain sight ones…) They are friendly people and are always on the look out to write a great piece for their site. Their dream is create a text about an experience that others will enjoy reading and it goes ‘viral’. Numbers are a big thing, each blogger keeps a careful eye on the number of website hits and comments made, so if you enjoy something a comment or a ‘love it’ really makes their day.

If you want to work with bloggers they can be found on Twitter, by doing a search for #blogger or even better write a tweet with #BloggersRequired and get them to come to you.

Choosing a blogger needs a little bit of work. Not all bloggers work the same. Make sure you check out their website/blog. Read the content. If you want them to represent your product or service make sure they match your ethics and standards. Poor grammar and/or spelling can turn off readers and will be a waste of your time.

For example, my blog (this one www.cavemanreviews.co.uk) is very light, tries to keep things interesting and in the right places tries to be funny. We love readers to get to the end and feel good about the post. The brands and companies that we write for, like what we do and ask us to work with them, which we really enjoy doing. We also make sure that we fit with the product or service, we would be rubbish at writing a blog about serious matters, such as new medical devices or things that need in-depth content, as this is not what we do.

What to do next.

If you want to experiment with the use of bloggers, give it a go. Regardless of your product, service or business status (start up or established) there will be something a blogger can do for you. Pick wisely and make contact. Speak to loads of them, email them and offer them a chance to try write about your business. If you do all these things right, you will not be disappointed.

If you have a query, you can contact us  at new@cavemanreviews.co.uk

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