#SummerBlogSocial : I need some help
When it comes to blogging, I think I’ve gotten a pretty decent grasp on things.
I interact on some of the most important social media platforms out there (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest). I make sure my posts go up on these networks when they’re published and I’m make certain to expose my writing to as many people as possible.
I reply to comments. I may not always get a chance to reply to every comment that very day, but I do reply, even if I am a few days late. Community is the number one most important aspect of blogging for me. I write for the community, for the relationships and the friendships formed through this little outlet I’ve got going on.
I spotlight other bloggers. I do a weekly list of posts I love highlighting new and different bloggers every week. I work to make sure that new and up-and-coming bloggers are exposed and introduced to wider audiences. I join memes, allow others to Guest Post for me and I guest post for others.
“Socialization” wise, I’m pretty good. I think.
But I struggle with the sponsorships. The advertisements. The getting someone to want to post their buttons and banners on my blog. It’s not even about the money. Really. I even went as far as to offer swaps and exchange sponsorship to highlight new businesses and bloggers.
But it just doesn’t WORK for me.
I see bloggers whose audience is the same size as mine, with the same general readership stats, and they have tons of sponsors. It just doesn’t seem to work for me at all.
What am I doing wrong? I’ve offered discounted prices, I do big write-ups and sponsor spotlight‘s.
Fill me in, blogging gurus. Cause this mama is lost!
Prompt: Advice for me – Tell us about something blog or social media-related that you see as a strength of yours, as well as an area that you could improve upon.
LOVE this post ans all the feedback!! Thanks! 🙂
You’re welcome, Kathryn! I hope you found lots of information through this post!
I’m going to be stalking this post b/c I have the same question! I’m hoping to have a big giveaway bash for my 30th bday in October and have gotten the courage to simply ask some sellers I like etsy if they would be interested. That may be something to do for advertising as well. Hoping you get some good advice that we can all learn from!
Thank you, Jamee. I think that would be the PERFECT solution for advertisers as well. I’m working on gathering all of the information I gained from here. There was a LOT of it!
I agree with Jessica. Check out esty, also FB. “like” some of the businesses you might want to advertise for, then ask them after you like them for a bit. I have never tried this as it is something down the road I will be doing, and I have quite a list of people I want to ask. I have a question though. When you place the ads, how do you track the click throughs? That is something I was curious about before I go about it myself.
Great question! I would love to see a post on everything you find out
I use Google Analytics and Stat Counter. It monitors where visitors come and go from. I’ll give the Facebook “like” a try!
I actually really like the ad swapping idea, and I even went so far as to create a little 100×100 ad for my honors thesis. And then I remembered that I don’t yet have a regular readership and I barely have any articles written, so it would be a very one-sided swap, and I didn’t think that was fair.
Maybe some other bloggers feel the same way? That their blogs are tiny and swapping almost doesn’t seem right?
That could be it. And I could understand how some people might feel that way, even with larger blogs. Bigger blogs and businesses might not want to sponsor your site because of your size. I think the best advice I received was to start small and work your way up. 🙂
No advice coming from this girl, but I have heard/read fantastic things about stalking Etsy shops. I keep saying I am going to do, but despite my increasing numbers……….my stats are about the same 🙁 Currently, just trying to work on my content. I look forward to reading more responses and reading your feedback.
Thanks Amber! It seems that Etsy Stalking is the way to go. Haha. And I’m right there with you on working on content. That’s been my primary focus as well, which is why I haven’t had as much time to devote to sponsor searching.