How To Court A Blogger

We get solicited by marketing companies all the time, trying to get ad space on our website. We have a blanket ban on banner advertising on the site since, for us, it would compromise the aesthetic value of our site, which is already compromised by the limited templates offered by Typepad, but also because we feel that ads, especially the flash variety, make load times infuriatingly slow. So we always say no thanks.

However, whilst our answer will always be the same, how you ask actually really matters. Only about 10% of these emails are marked for the attention of either myself or Queen Marie, whilst the rest are a genetic Dear Sir/Madam. The fact these companies/individuals haven't even taken the time to ascertain the sex of the author is simply BAD marketing.

Humble bloggers we may be, but marketing companies are still trying to make a buck off our backs, so if you do offer ad space then you should expect to be courted in the correct manner. Make them work for their money.  Don't be a cheap date.

So here's some advice for anyone thinking about targeting us bloggers for our valuable space, and for anyone thinking about accepting.

Hi, my name Is Queen Michelle
The first and most obvious rule when targeting bloggers for prospective ad space, is to at least know their name. This way, your email might at least stand a chance of blagging it's way into being read as opposed to going straight into the trash. If you are asking me to feature your ad, usually for a laughable amount-per click-deal, then I want you to say my name. Say. My. Name. I have don't want to think of myself as potentially just another notch on your marketing bed-post.

My Hobbies Are...
Once you know my name, get to know me. It's only good manners to actually familiarise yourself with what the blogger(s) you are approaching actually write about and the general tone of their site. If you haven't seen a post about nail extensions then chances are it's because we don't feel our readers, or us, would be interested in buying any. So take the time and read through the posts and very soon the personality of the author will shine through. Not only will you be armed with valuable information to show the blogger that you feel you have a mutual interest, but you will also prevent everyone's time being wasted if it's clear you have nothing in common.

Be up front about your partners
Chances are you are courting other bloggers at the same time. Well, I want to know about them. Let's get it all out in the open, especially if you are selling a specific product. I may feel less special if you've asked 20 other bloggers, who've all accepted, so don't let me find out second hand. It also means that any money to be made will be greatly reduced the more bloggers run the ad. Like I said, I'm no cheap date.

Nice legs, shame about the face
OK, so we are getting along alright. Your introduction has me quite interested. You seem to have a nice personality but lets be honest here, this is a fashion blog so looks count just as much. Look at my site. Does it look like your wee this-was-designed-by-my-mate advert matches my site? Do we look like a good couple? If the answer is a resounding no, then perhaps you need to smarten up a bit. When it comes to comes to generating genetic ads, the general rule of thumb is less is more. This is after all my site, and I want good looking banner candy. Call me shallow, but them's the breaks. So go the extra mile and alter your ad to fit in with the blog - the blogger will show their appreciation I'm sure.

Bill time
I'm no gold digger, but I do want to know how much I'm set to make. Explain, in detail, how you plan to pay for my space. Let's not be coy here - you know I can give you access to a worldwide audience, therefore your potential client base has increased without you having to do much at all, so don't insult me. No, I don't want 10p per sale generated by a click from my site. I want a decent percentage and I want to know exactly how you are tracking those sales. Also, how do you intend on paying me? I need details. In full.

I've let you enter my space, but it doesn't mean we're, like, married!
So I've agreed to give you access to my space, but let's not get all carried away. It's just for fun at the moment. We'll take it slow and see how it works out. If I feel it isn't working for me then don't pressure me into continuing the relationship. If I am owed money then just pay up and we'll part on good terms. If you mess me around I can blog about it - remember, that space you felt could make you money can just as easily be used to tell the world how much of a sleaze you are...

So there are my quick tips for good blogger/marketing relationships.

Queen Michelle

Comments

[Drusilla]

I don't really like featuring products on my blog (and, as a rule, I don't do it), but a couple of emails I received recently featured things I thought looked interesting- before that, all I got was emails with images of fugly clothing attached..

[selina]

great tips! it all seems so complicated though, i'm with the blanket no ads too!

[bluehammer]

I think some of the questions you raise are really, really interesting... but a bit off topic for the site so I'll try to stay brief (I'm always trying... and usually failing).

I think the questions you are posing are the ones that anyone should ask themselves before getting involved in a media or distribution relationship. Having said that, the amount of personalization you seem to expect is much more similar to a partnership than a transactional activity. In my mind, one of the things that influences that is the relative contribution of the partners. I don't know what level of marketing company is approaching you. I'm going to guess it's not LVMH, could be someone trying to start their business from their kitchen, maybe somewhere in between. I haven't seen any statistics on your site about hit rate or demographics (maybe they're there, I just didn't see them, and to be fair the demographics can be extrapolated from the material and comments) but realistically speaking how much difference does your audience make to any one potential partner? If your audience is large relative to their current presence then maybe you do have the leverage to play as a partner not as a provider. If not, well... you sound offended that they are not making the effort to "woo" you. Perhaps that's justified, perhaps not, I can't judge without knowing the scale of what you really offer, the other providers who compete, and what the parties mutually stand to gain. In my world, there are times when we go wooing and there are times when the impact of a specific deal just isn't worth the effort of that much individualization. Sometimes the first step is just to filter who may be interested, and then the wooing can commence.

Wanting to know how you will track the traffic and reward based on it is really fundamental, but again, I think the possibilities that the web provides for that type of tracking tend to make us demand rather a lot. I work for a large industrial, which is not at all the same thing, but when we buy press advertising space or trade show space or membership of groups like the Clinton Initiative the deals are never based on a percentage, and I'd be surprised if fashion magazines sold their advertising space on that basis. Of course we pay more for space in the better journals, etc etc. And the web is different. But for a startup the margins initially can be so minute there really isn't pie to share, so while they should be specific about how it will be measured and paid, I wouldn't expect much. Since your stated aim is not to make money out of it anyway, I will curtail my thoughts at that point, since I already went on for far too long.

[Queen Michelle]

I work for a creative agency and we do marketing and advertising so these tips, although few and straight to the point, are based on my experience from both sides of the fence.
Any relationship where money exchanges hands becomes a business partnership, no matter how small the financial contribution may be, and so I do think there should be a level of "wooing" from the start.
We get approached by companies large and small, of course none as big as LVMH!

[bluehammer]

Fair enough. Ultimately I think what makes the difference is the personalization of the space. E.g. if I owned a magazine with multiple contributors and advertisers, I wouldn't expect to be approached with "I think my product belongs in your magazine because blah blah and here's who else I'm advertising with blah blah" - I might do that if I was looking for a free promotion - but not if I was buying space. If I was buying space without any commendations from the magazine I would expect to be approached with "Here's what I want and what I'm offering"

On the other hand if you wanted to put a sign on the side of my house - different story - because it's a personal space.

In hindsight it's obvious that a blog is a personal space; however I can also say that I've never assumed that any advert appearing on a blog was recommended by the blogger. Or bought anything from them for that matter. Yours might have been the first!

[enc]

Nice one, stand up for yourselves!

One of the things I like about your blog is that I don't have to deal with aggro, flashing animated .gifs.