The Ultimate Blogger Guide for Working With Brands

May 4, 2018 by

I’ve been blogging a long time. Back when I first started over eight years ago, I had no idea it was something you could make money doing. Working with influencers was still a new term, and brands were hesitant to open their wallets to pay a blogger to advertise for them. My my how times have changed, and it’s so exciting to see most brands embracing online influencers and acknowledging that they are an integral part of making sales. We already have an audience that knows and trusts us right? Plus it’s way cheaper to have bloggers post for you than pay millions of dollars for a print or television ad!

The Ultimate Blogger Guide for Working With Brands

So we “know” that money is being exchanged and floating around out there, but so many people are still at a bit of a loss on how THEY can get a piece of that pie. It can be downright frustrating to see huge bloggers get massive contracts, but don’t worry, you can make money too! You may not get a 20K contract to start out like the big guys do, but there is a way for you to make money via your blog or social media profiles as a full time career, or just a side hustle to help out your family, and I can show you how to do it.

After seeing the plight of so many bloggers, and getting tons of emails on the topic, I decided to create my own guide specifically for frustrated bloggers who were ready to take it to the next level. Maybe you have already worked with brands before but in exchange for product only, or maybe you want to work with brands but just don’t know where to start, or how to get your blog “ready” for such a thing. (I mean after all, the brands are going to LOOK at your stuff before they hire you, right?) Maybe you are a stay at home mom who has been blogging as a creative outlet but would love to also make some money from it to contribute to the grocery bill or mortgage payment, or for that summer vacation to the beach.

That’s why I created the Ultimate Blogger Guide for Working with Brands. It’s concise, it’s no frills, and it has no pretty fonts or extra printables. It’s all text, ready for you to absorb so you can put it into action ASAP.

See, I feel there is a mix of issues going on here. One is lack of self confidence, and one is fear of putting yourself out there/not knowing where to start. Well, if you have been following me for any length of time you should know how I feel about fear. Punch it in the face! Be afraid, but then DO IT ANYWAY. Sometimes we just need a little nudge, and I hope my guide is the nudge you need to feel confident when it comes to:

-creating a media kit

-approaching brands

-pitching brands

-writing your posts

-making sure the brand wants to work with you again

PR people talk my friends, so you want to make sure you have a good reputation of doing good work. Your blog and social profiles are kind of their own “resume”, and you have to decide what story you want them to tell.

Ultimate blogger guide for working with brands

My guide is priced very fair, starting at only $15 (price going up in a week!) because I know you may be short on cash since you are looking to make money, right? I feel ya, trust me I do. I have been there, and I want to help pull you out of the black hole as quickly as possible, so you can do things like I did this morning, like draft a Facebook post where I am making over $100 just for that one post, or replying to a shipping email on the $250 worth of product I am getting to review and will make $800 total for. Y’all this is REAL money and it’s REALLY possible, I promise!

So head on over to my sales page and grab your copy. It could make for some great weekend reading, and then come Monday, implement, implement, implement! You can do this my friend! Holler if you have any questions, I’m happy to help.

Filed Under: blogging, social media Tagged: , , ,

Common Social Media Manager Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

November 6, 2017 by

When I first started in the social media world, I made a lot of mistakes. I came on the scene as social media was first blossoming, so I had to learn and grow along with it, and so much has changed since I first started out! I honestly look back in shame at some of my social posts, because they are so bad and not the way you attract customers, make money, or deal with clients.

This is one of the reasons I created my course. I don’t want you to waste your time making the same mistakes I did. It took me many years of trial and error to make any real money in social media, and I want you to avoid that long waiting period, jump right in, and start making money.

Social media manager mistakes

Here are three of the most common mistakes people make on social media, and how my course will make sure this doesn’t happen to you:

    1. Telling the client “I will post whatever you want/tell me to post” when working on a proposal or deal. Wrong. If the client knew what they wanted posted, they wouldn’t need you! They are wanting you to help guide them and post what you think would be valuable in the marketplace because you are the expert. Create a plan for them, give them a proposal, and make it work for their business. My course will show you exactly how to do this with package pricing, proposal outlines, and how to approach potential clients the right way and convince them they need you.

 

  1.  2. Not charging enough: Some people are so afraid of offending anyone that they don’t charge enough to make the job worth their time. Then they are stuck in a contract where when it’s all said and done, they are making $5 an hour. Listen, I have given my pricing to a lot of people, and I have had WAY more people turn me down and say it’s too much for them than I have people agree and then start working with me. It’s just part of the business. Now, in the beginning to get that first client you may have to work for less than you want, but once you have that one client on your resume and get some experience under your belt, it’s probably time to up your prices. In my course, I show you exactly what I charge for each platform and why, how to figure out your pricing, and I also discuss how to get that first client so you can start making money quickly.

 

  1. 3.  Not paying attention to their analytics: A lot of people will make the same mistakes month after month on social media  because they aren’t paying attention to their analytics. There is so much to learn by looking at your numbers that can help show you what to change. For instance, if your Instagram insights tell you that the least amount of people are liking your posts at 5:00 in the morning, then stop posting at 5:00 in the morning! If you aren’t paying attention to your followers, demographics, age, and reading habits of your followers, you are doing a disservice to yourself and your client. In my course, I show you how to look at the analytics and use them as a tool to help you know when and what to post, and who to target for ads. No more guessing! I go into detail about my favorite tools for tracking, automation, and just making my life all around easier when it comes to social media.

Don’t be like me and make these mistakes. Learn how to be a social media manager the right way, and all in 21 days or less with my e-course HERE.

Filed Under: blogging, social media, technology Tagged: , , ,

Social Side Hustle: 21 Days to Becoming a Social Media Manager

October 20, 2017 by

It’s finally time you guys! What I have been promising for months now is finally done, and the doors will soon open for my e-course which is all about making money from home in social media. This course is for you if you want to work form home part time OR full time, learn how to automate work so that you are working SMARTER and not HARDER, and want a better life for you and your family.

I grew up in a very hard working family. It was instilled in me as a small child that you have to work hard to get what you want in life. While I still believe this to an extent, a lot of us have a tendency to take this a step too far. It hit me one day when I was complaining to my husband. I vividly remember saying to him: “It’s just not fair. I work SO HARD but don’t seem to be getting anywhere. I work way harder than XYZ, and they are doing so much better than me.”

Wow.

So much to digest in that simple sentence.

First I want to point out this isn’t a jealously thing, I am truly happy for those who are happy and successful, this was about me being really hard on myself and trying to “earn” my way to success. I thought that the more hours I put in, the more I focused, and the more sacrifices I made, it would all add up to success on my part. I mean, that’s the “rule” right?

Wrong.

While this is true for some people, what if I told you that you could be successful WITHOUT working more hours, without killing yourself and wearing yourself down, and without stressing about what to do next?

Work smarter, not harder.

As a social media manager, I have figured out a lot of ways, mostly by experience, research, and the knowledge of others, that have allowed me to work this way. I now spend way less time working than I did when I had a 9-5, but I am making more money, AND I get to work from home. How?

A lot of reasons. Not something I can share in one single blog post. Sure there is front in work, but once your processes are all set up, you can use tools and systems to your advantage and work smarter, not harder.

That’s why I created Social Side Hustle. Sure, you could spend years (like I did) spinning your wheels trying to crack the code, and sure, you would eventually figure it out because you are a smart cookie, OR, you could take my course, and learn everything you need to know to work for yourself from home, all in 21 days or less.

I will be sending out emails next week announcing my pre-sale, free webinar, and my launch, so you won’t want to miss it! Make sure you are on the list by signing up here, and you will also get a free social media manager checklist.

Get ready to work smarter and not harder!

 

Filed Under: blogging, motivation, social media, technology, tips Tagged: , , , , ,

Creating a Social Media Content Calendar + New E-Course News

June 12, 2017 by

I spend a lot of time on social media, talking about social media, and researching social media. A lot of people spend mindless hours each day copying and pasting, retweeting in real time, etc. Instead of doing this, I spend a larger chunk of time once a month (or week in some client cases) planning out a content calendar for my own blog and for my clients. That way I only have to do a little maintenance here and there throughout the month. Let’s take a look at my process:

content calendar

The first thing you need to do is get a calendar template. You can use a Google calendar, a free template in Microsoft word, whatever you like the most (heck, pen and paper is fine, too…well, I would use pencil because you will probably end up erasing things).

Once you have your template, it’s time to fill it out…But with what? This is where the researching comes in handy, but don’t worry, once you have done it a few times you will get a lot faster and will be able to skip most of this part. When I first started managing social for my clients, I had to learn about their niche or brand. So let’s say you are doing social media for a clothing boutique. You will need to research…

1.) The best hashtags to use (which periodically changes)

2.) Their competitors (see what is working for them and what’s not)

3.) The clothes they sell (who is the demographic? Are there certain brands or types that are selling better? What words and phrases would appeal to this demographic?)

4.) Which platforms you are using and what times of day perform better on each? (it may take a little trial and error for this one).

This front end research will make your scheduling and posting go much quicker later on down the road.

Ok, so you have your calendar and you have done your research, now you need to decide what types of posts you will be posting on your/your clients pages. These categories will help mix things up so your page isn’t just images or just text or just product information. For instance, some categories for a clothing store could be:

-product photos

-sale information

-videos

-question and answer

-FAQ

-news from the industry

-other people’s content you share/repost/retweet

-repurpose old content <—yes this is ok to do!

Be sure to mix things up! These categories will help you greatly when it comes to plugging in information into your scheduling tool. Like I said, you will get faster and faster each time!

DSC00616

The next piece is to actually come up with the content, which should be easy since you already have your categories and have done your research. This piece may involve creating graphics, finding relevant content to link to, coming up with news or product info, taking pictures or videos, etc. Once you have your content figured out (I personally like to create one long word document with all of my social posts for a client), it’s time to plug it into your scheduling tool.

I personally use Sprout Social. It’s not cheap, but it makes my life easier and my work more efficient so I don’t mind the price. Then it’s just a matter of copying and pasting my posts into the scheduler and picking the times. I then transfer everything into the calendar so I can send it to my client (**Some clients require the exact links and words I am using, others are fine with just knowing what topic I am posting about on what channel/what day.)

GUESS WHAT? I am working on an e-course for those looking into becoming a social media manager as a full time gig or side hustle. I’m SUPER excited to share all I have learned with you, and help you get your first clients and start making money from home! My course isn’t quite ready yet, but you can sign up here to be notified when it is, and also get a FREE printable, a social media manger checklist printable. Just go here to sign up and download!

QOTD: have you ever thought about making money from home with a side hustle?

Filed Under: blogging, tips Tagged: , , ,