Is your business or community using bloggers to promote your product, service or event?

The most successful promotion a business, community or event can create is a powerful word of mouth campaign. For us at Russell’s Adventures we will not work with just anyone. It must match with the core of our family’s values. If a companies products or services are not high quality, stand up to our families health, wear, tear and love of Jesus then we will not work with them. If I love your product, I am your best ally. I will literally tell everyone and their mother about the things we love.

Partnering with a blogger is an excellent, creative way to create a louder word of mouth. If my family is going to an event we will ask our friends and family to meet us at the event.

This last summer Albert Lea had several blogger meet ups. My favorite meet up event was The Pelican Breeze Pontoon cruise and strolling through the art and craft vendors at Wind Down Wednesday on Broadway. Visitor packs were created and handed out to each of the bloggers. They were each given a lanyard with a business card size badge. The Albert Lea Tourism and Convention Bureau along with the Wind Down Wednesday committee gave each of the bloggers a $10 voucher. This voucher could be spent at any of the vendors booths or any of the downtown businesses. Event organizers notified vendors and businesses about the bloggers presence and made them aware of the coupons. The lanyards allowed the vendors and businesses to easily identify the bloggers.

We had thirteen bloggers show up to this meet up. Some of the bloggers who came have followers into the 50k range or more. They have a huge following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest and a number of other platforms. They came from  all over North Iowa and Minnesota. Together we created a strong presence for not only the events going on that day in town, but created an over all awareness of Albert Lea that will continue to present on social media.

Bloggers want to share your story and often times working with them does not require a huge financial burden on the business or event. It can be as simple or complex as you want it to me. It could be admission to your event (if you want them to come then this is a must) and $5 to $10 to give them an incentive to taste, feel, touch and have a full event experience. I will tell you, the sweeter you make the incentive for bloggers to come, the more you will attract and the better articles you will get. You want to equip them to tell the story you want told.

Letting vendors know bloggers will be at your event in their registration information can help give them an added incentive to attend your event over another. Bloggers share not only your event and community story, they share your vendors stories as well. You could supply your bloggers with a list of vendors who would love to partner with the bloggers to promote their business. Bloggers add a unique, creative marketing outlet for your event.

If you are a business, organization or event wondering how you can contact bloggers to work with you, please contact me and I would be happy to connect you with myself and my blogger friends. After all a good story is too good to keep to yourself.