Everything is always scary at first until you take the first step. From blank pages to a thousand posts. I have never been this proud to build my blog from zero to what it is now.
The humble beginnings
This blog started as a school project. In 2009, when I was in college it was the same year when blogging is on the rise. Our English Writing teacher required us to set up a blog. I remembered my first post was published on Xanga. Instead of sending the usual paper as output, we were told to submit the blog link for checking.
From then, I would publish random musings from day-to-day encounters. It was freestyle, full of spelling and grammatical errors, and obviously, the only reader was me.
After graduation, I landed a job in search engine optimization where my digital marketing skills were honed. I have dealt with Penguin and Panda updates, ran away from them, got penalized, recovered, and am a silent witness to how the black hat slowly changes its color.
The owning of own domain
For a long time, I stayed on a WordPress platform, and it was only in 2017 when I decided to buy and maintain my domain and hosting. For years, I was only on my own. I focused on the food niche. Whenever we go out for lunch or dinner, I would take a photo of the food, the menu, and the place until it improved and improved through the years.
In 2019, I joined the Iloilo Bloggers Society, a local blogging group in our city. From then, we would share ideas, we would have coffee sessions to discuss matters on both local and international strategies. I also learned about Intellifluence from them.
The pandemic
Similar to Influencer Jenny Jaucian, I also went through a transformation. It was probably the most challenging time for my blogging journey. Aside from the anxiety it gave me, it was the time when all my creative juices were tested. Since my focus was on food, and food was one of the industries hit, I could not write anything since restaurants are closed, and businesses are closing down their operations.
It was the time when I sorted more categories; the time when I must try writing and creating content more for other niches. So far, so good. My blog has varied categories compared to being a dominant food website.
The leverage of working with bloggers
It’s 2022 and not all brands are open to working with bloggers yet. Here are some of the checklists that might help the brands decide to partner with bloggers in their niches and areas.
Brings traffic to your website
The backlinks that you are getting from the bloggers’ content are not just mere links. They can translate into actual sales. Content brings traffic to your site and these visitors can be your potential buyers.
Content for your social media campaigns
Blogs are great sources for your daily social media updates. Share your stories and what you offer through the links you have. Pro tip: Evergreen content can be repurposed not just into reposting but also in other media like infographics, videos, or presentations.
Long term results
Blogs are perpetual as long as the owner keeps on maintaining its domain and host. It is synonymous with a one-time payment and keeping your brand intact and avoiding most social media mistakes.
How to tap bloggers?
If you are a brand owner and you are interested to tap the help of the blogging communities, the first question you might probably have is where to find one. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Check your local groups
If you sell your products and services to your local community only, it would be best to tap the micro-bloggers in your area. However, if you target more than your local place, you can expand your search to other places.
Google search
You can also create your list or repository by searching for the bloggers online. You can use keywords like “Bloggers in Iloilo” (replace Iloilo with your target place) or “fashion bloggers” (you can replace fashion with your niche). You can send individual pitches and check for their possible individual rates.
Join Intellifluence as brand
Probably, the easiest and most recommended way to reach bloggers and influencers is to join communities like Intellifluence. This is a site where you can easily tap bloggers and influencers, set your deliverables and rate, and definitely a lot of quality bloggers will come to you.
If you haven’t tried the blogger strategy and influence marketing yet, this could be the best day to start.
