Full disclosure: I’m a journalist by trade so math and numbers aren’t my forte. But I’m confident in my calculations that after the 305 posts and 130,000 words I’ve typed about everything relating to parenting in my blog, I’ve spilled my guts and divulged TMI at least a thousand times.
Knowing this has sparked my curiosity tenfold; I’ve often wondered who (besides my mother) reads, follows and has become engaged (in my not-so-fascinating life) over the past three years.
Is it important to know who’s reading? You bet it is. No matter what type of wordsmith you are, you write for a specific audience – be it for gardeners, car enthusiasts, political types, cigar aficionados, dog lovers, underwater basket-weaving hobbyists (the list obviously goes on) or, in my case, mamas. I know moms read my blog; now I want to know who else is reading and following along. Am I engaging the big brands?
It’s an easy argument to make that moms are, by far, the most influential group surfing the Internet today, so it makes sense that the big brands and major labels are keeping a close eye on what we’re saying, what we like, what we dislike and who we’re talking to. And with bloggers climbing up the media elite list quickly, writers with reach now find ourselves in a position to compete against mainstream media for marketing dollars that companies traditionally spent in print and broadcast.
If you’re a blogger – whether you’re a professional writer or a mama who sits in your jammies venting about your life – now’s the time to see the big picture. Here are three tips on how to get noticed by the companies who care about digital marketing, and possibly turn your passion for blogging into a career.
1. Know Your Exposure. You have a community of followers, a niche and reach. There’s a price tag attached to that. Companies would much prefer speaking to their consumers directly as opposed to constantly bombarding us with ads. You’ve garnered trust from your readers, and that’s valuable – as is your reach in social media. This is the kind of exposure that will make big brands take notice. According to Catherine Conners, author of the popular parenting blog, www.herbadmother.com and organizer of the conference BlissDom Canada, “once you’ve established a blog with a decent, loyal and regular following, companies will begin to find you interesting. This is when you can begin making money.”
2. Get Out There IRL (in real life). Step away from your computer screen and keyboard and start hobnobbing. Meet other bloggers who you can share ideas and strategies with. Attend events big and small – you never know who’s going to show up at a local Tweet-up. Sign up for industry conferences and seminars like BlissDom Canada, the biggest conference for women who blog and love social media in the country. Not only do some of the country’s finest, most successful bloggers participate, but the always-sold-out conference is sponsored and attended by industry-leading brands that “get” the importance of bloggers such as General Motors, Kellogg’s, CBC, Fisher-Price, Philips and Maple Leaf Foods.
3. Be Engaging And Influential – Always. Bloggers have an incredible advantage over TV, billboards, flyers, ads in magazines, etc.: We’re engaging. We talk to our audience; they listen and talk back to us. The more you post, Facebook, Tweet and interact with your community, the more trusted and influential companies will view you as.
Go write a new post. Then share it on Facebook and Twitter. And keep talking to your readers. Who knows; you could be the next big thing across the World Wide Web.
Image Credit: jscreationzs / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Printer-friendly version