Working with Brands Part 2 of 3

Working with Brands 2 of 3

Written by: Anyonita Green on 6/13/2013

Before we get to the meat and potatoes of the course, I've got a sweet bloggy snack for y'all: free social media icons! 

I've just learned how to make these little guys and immediately wanted to share my spoils with you, my fellow bloggers! I've had fun coming up with loads of new colors, but I'll be releasing them bit by bit. First up, is my Sweet Candy Shop Set. Just click the image to start the download. Use them however you'd like--all as one color or mix and match ... and if you love it; pin it so others can enjoy it too!

It's time for the fourth installment of the Blogging Crash Course, helping you develop and grow your blog into the powerhouse you know it can be! :) 

This week, we'll delve a little deeper into working with brands and discuss what you can expect, whether you should be looking to receive cash or perks and more ways to find brands to work with.

Update: This freebie is no longer available for download.

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Working with Brands Part 2 of 3

Last week, a few of you left comments or emailed me stating that there was a lot of information in part one of this installment. I apologize; I tried to condense it as much as possible without losing the point of the post. I'll try to do the same again this week, but if you feel like it's too much to take in at once, then, by all means, pin & read later! 

This post will always be here, so feel free to come back at your leisure. :) Or, you can now print out each of my posts using the handy, green "print friendly" button at the very bottom. (Each post will be printed with only the content and the comments, none of the ads or other information from the sidebars will be included.)

So, last week we talked about attracting brands, what brands look for and why you should consider working them. If you missed that post, go catch up here before continuing. This week, I want to talk a bit about what you can expect, whether you should receive payment in cash or perks and discuss some of the companies out there who dedicate time to connecting bloggers with brands.
What to Expect from Brands? 
In 2013, I have been fortunate to work with an increasing number of brands such as Heinz, John Lewis, Actimel, Great British Chefs, My Secret Kitchen, HarperCollins, Tilda and Baking Mad. Each brand that I have worked with has presented a different brief and my involvement has been as lackadaisical as simply inserting a follow link into one of my posts to as hands-on as receiving products through the post and developing my own recipes for them. 

Although the briefs vary, the end result is generally the same: when you work with a brand, they're going to want you to:

1. Provide quality content or work.
2. Make good on your promises and post when you say you will.
3. Assist them in reaching potential customers by amplifying their sponsored post.
4. Display their logo or insert a link to their webpage on the post and/or on your blog's sidebar.
5. Communicate with them. If you have questions about the brief, ask them. If you're going to be late with the post, let them know as soon as possible. Once you've posted, send them an email with the link and invite them to give you feedback on the post so you know that they've read it and what their reaction is. You can also gauge how likely they'd be to work with you again based on this.

From the brand's point of view, you can expect them to be willing to provide you with samples for your own use or even products for giveaways. Most brands won't just volunteer this information, you'll have to ask for it. There's nothing wrong with asking, by the way, just make sure you do it tactfully. And it doesn't hurt if you already have a relationship with the company before you ask.

You can also expect them to want to cultivate a professional relationship with you. If you present yourself and your blog well, honor your commitments and provide them with quality posts and can demonstrate that your blog performs as well as you say it does in terms of social media and unique visitors etc., you will most likely find that PR reps will make no qualms about contacting you in the future when suitable campaigns arise.  Just remember, you only get one shot. Make it a good one and you'll reap the benefits for a while.

Cash or Perks? 
Often, the choice won't be up to you. Usually, the PR rep will tell you how they will be willing to compensate you, but if you do get to choose, there are a few things to consider:

1. Perks such as getting to keep a product or make use of a service are invaluable to you as a blogger. They will enrich your post and they will help to bulk out your media package. By being able to display the perks you have received, you are essentially inviting other brands to have confidence in you, too.  
2. Perks often make great props for photos and the basis of great posts! What's better, is with some perks, the whole family can benefit! When I did my campaign with Actimel, I received a bumper package of perks: free products, free fresh fruit and even a free rocket smoothie maker! That smoothie maker has come in useful countless times since I received it. I've made smoothies for the whole family and even used the attachments to grind nuts and spices! I also work with a company who happily reimburses me for the money I spend on groceries when I review recipes for them.
3. But, who can resist the allure of cold, hard cash? Sometimes, as a blogger, it's just nice to get a bit of cash to splash! Brands will pay out for simple things: a logo on every post or even a well-placed do-follow link. A couple of those a post can easily land you a three-figure check.
4. Ask yourself: what's more economical in terms of filing taxes: putting a valuation on perks or actual cash? For most of us, we get to keep more by opting for products over cash.

Blog & Brand Networks 
You know that saying, it's not what you know, it's who you know? Well, in the world of brands and bloggers, that's not necessarily true anymore. Now, it's who and what you know:

1. What you should know: there are hundreds, if not thousands, of blog and brand networks that do nothing more than contact brands about campaigns and match them with suitable bloggers. These guys are like the elves of the blogging world, working hard day in and day out to play matchmaker with blogs and brands! All you have to do is sign up: register your blog, input your number of Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest followers, your number of email signups and your unique visitors per month as well as your average daily and monthly visitors. They'll do the rest.
2. Who you should know: as I mentioned, there's too many of these companies around to promote each of them specifically. Plus, some have location requirements and industry requirements that you have to make sure you're eligible for in order to use. I will share with you, my favorite three networks, though: 

• Actimel Family Wellbeing Index
• Bloggers Required 
• Blogdash  and you get a bonus:
• your favorite shop's blogger network (many department stores, grocery stores and even banks here in the UK have blogger networks!)

Alright, that's it for this week! That's plenty up there for you to think about and mull over. I hope you've found this to be a helpful post and that you are looking forward to the final installment, where we'll be discussing the etiquette of working with brands and what to do when it all goes right and what to do when it all goes wrong!

Don't forget to get those social media buttons & prettify your blog, while you're here, too!