Making Brand Connections

This week’s #Print4BlogHer @TheUPSstore Blogger Ambassador program lesson is about making brand connections. Read last week’s lesson to learn all of the ways you can hook up with brands. Find them on Google, Twitter, Facebook and start a conversation.

Week Four: Making Brand Connections

Now that you know how to contact brands you need to actually get out there and pound the pavement and meet them before BlogHer (or before going to any conference). Don’t wait for the next conference, if you have a brand you want to work with start the conversation now.

I would suggest you make a short list of brands you really want to work with and start with that. Don’t go to hundreds of brands because it will be overwhelming and hard to even build a relationship with that many. Pick 1 to 10 brands and focus on them.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What products or brands am I already using and could get behind?
• What products or brands do I want to learn more about?
• What products or brands am I not using and want to try?

Getting Conference Sponsors

Depending on the conference you are attending, you may be able to get sponsorship. What does sponsorship entail? When you are looking for sponsors you are asking brands to pay for your conference ticket, hotel, airfare and other expenses. You may get all of these expenses paid for or just one of these items covered.

What can you offer a sponsor?

The brand will want to know what you can do for them if they fork over their money. Explain that you have a special insider connection to share their brand because you are attending the conference. Be prepared to give them some of the following information:

• how you will promote the brand and/or products
• how many people will learn about the brand or see their product
• will you promote the brand on Twitter or Facebook?
• how will you promote the brand and product before and after the conference?
• will you promote the brand and product on your blog through a post or ad?

How Will Your Promote the Brand

When attending a conference like BlogHer there are restrictions on what and where you can give out merchandise and information about brands. You cannot hand out anything on the conference premises. You can arrange meetings in your hotel room or anywhere off-site. You may want to use Twitter and the #BlogHer hashtag to notify anyone reading the stream that you have freebies you will be giving out and arrange a time to meetup.

Depending on the item you are promoting you may want to wear a t-shirt to promote the brand. Start a conversation about the brand and their product using the t-shirt as a conversation starter.

Last year I promoted a purse brand. They did not cover any of my expenses but gave me a free purse to carry. I attached a button to the purse that read, Learn how to Win Me! I would hand out cards with information about the brand and how they could win the exact same purse by visiting my blog after the conference was over.

The brand may want to know how you will promote them on your blog. You may have to write posts about the brand or review their product before the conference. You may also want to give them the option to put an ad on your sidebar that would remain there until the conference is over. You may also want to work with the brand to setup a giveaway after the conference is over. Tell conference attendees about this giveaway to give them another reason to come back to your blog and learn about the brand once the conference is over.

What to say when contacting brands for sponsor

Go back to previous brands you have worked with in the past and explain how you can be of value to them. Give them some ideas for what you can do for them and how you can promote them to a larger audience.

Be proactive!

You can follow along through Sweeties Reviews or on the aggregate site, www.lovinlogistics.com

Take a look at the other 4 bloggers who have been hand-picked to be a part of this amazing campaign:

• Amy Lowe – Dealusional – www.dealusional.com
• Sara Blake – Super Saving Sense – www.supersavingsense.com
• Shelby Barone – Glitterful Felt Stories – www.feltstories.com
• Melissa Lockcuff – MamaBzz – www.mamabzz.com

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for #collectivebias. All opinions are my own.