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Yep – I’m a Joiner!
Why Not Having A BlogHer Sponsor Is Okay
This will be my first time at BlogHer (let the virgin jokes commence!)
I hear there are parties, swag, and sponsors everywhere.
Over the past few months I’ve suggested people to companies as well as suggested to companies how many people or what kinds of events to sponsor with those magical marketing dollars.
Because it’s starting to look like everyone wants a sponsor.
Most of the people that are looking for a sponsor (not all, not you, just most people…don’t get defensive, now) can’t afford to go without one. I don’t know why companies aren’t looking at that and thinking, “Oh, hey, that’s a problem.”
I mean, when someone is hiring for a job they look at the resume and if they see you’ve never had a job before they inevitably say, you need experience, we need references…calls have to be made to see if you know what you’re doing…
But not with blogging. If you’re a Walmart Mom it’s assumed you are a successful social media blogger. If you have been sponsored once, you’re considered a horse worth betting on.
I guess I just don’t understand what the criteria are for sponsorships. Other than having a pretty blog with commenters and contests.
Maybe I’m just a little burned out right now – being tired makes me pessimistic.
That, and I’m hoping my days at BlogHer aren’t filled with people telling me about their sponsor instead of about themselves. I’m looking at this as a social event (which is why I’m not going to Business BlogHer) and hope it manages to be a social event even with all the sponsorships.
You know, I’m sure it will be. But it will be like trying to have a conversation in the middle of Akihabara in Tokyo. Very ad-heavy.
So I’m okay not having a sponsor. Mostly because I never looked for one and did not want one. I want to be able to go to this conference and enjoy myself, not be thinking about the ROI I can provide for my sponsor so they’ll keep working with me.
Of course, I don’t know if the sponsored individuals think about the ROI of what they are doing, so maybe I just shouldn’t have a sponsor because I wouldn’t be able to have a good time without constantly worrying about my performance and what the execs would think of my choices and approach.
It’s entirely possible I ruin things by overthinking them.
You know who has the right idea? Jessica Gottlieb. Really, she does. It would still ruin the fun for me, but she’s not seeing it as a vacation – she sees it as part of her work – I have to respect that. Even while I wonder how she doesn’t get burned out. Amy Lupold Bair (aka Resourceful Mommy) also makes me TIRED just watching her work her tail feathers off.
So, if you see me at BlogHer – I look forward to meeting you, hugging you, and talking to you. But trading sponsorship stories? Sorry…I just won’t have one to share. Maybe we can break the ice by asking what our majors were in college….or stories about getting to the event….or anything else.
If you are sponsored, it will be a nice break for you from everyone else asking you how much you’re being paid and what you had to do to score your sponsorship. So hey, I could be like the ad-free zone at BlogHer….I like the sound of that…
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Mommyblogging With No Content = A Giveaway/Review Blog?
Yet another post where I wonder if I could get fired for writing it…
Over on the Queen of Spain Blog (if you’re a conservative, the first few entries are probably safe, but don’t go too deep or your eyes will bleed) there is a phenomenal post calling out the blogging carpetbaggers.
The best part is that it isn’t just cool on the grounds of using old school words like carpetbagger. Which I happen to adore. But because it’s so true – the giveaway blogs that have no content are kind of sleazy.
For those of you that don’t know the definition (and I have to admit even though I think the word is cool I was not 100% on the exact definition):
Carpetbagger = Any opportunistic or exploitive outsider.
Basically, someone who only blogs to get junk and give stuff away and slap the mom label on themselves in order to niche more effectively.
I love my giveaway blog, really, I do. The chance to offer free stuff to people is really cool, and I don’t feel like I’m selling my soul when I do it. I try to post videos when possible so there’s at least an entertainment factor.
But lately I’ve been wondering if I should shuck the whole thing.
Mostly because I just don’t have the time and the return on investment for writing a review post is pretty much negative – I could always be doing something to make more money than the sticker price of an item I received for free. I’m happy I at least had the foresight to not merge all the giveaway stuff into this blog – my life/work/finance/everything blog. I was worried it would junk the place up.
Of course, had I meshed it all together I may be getting cooler offers and trips, but you know what, with the social anxiety I don’t even know that it would be worth it. Sure, I’d love to go on a trip, but having to listen to marketing people tell me stuff without being allowed to shoot it down and correct where they are making horrible mistakes just isn’t my bag.
Companies are still not very well versed in a crap blog vs. a quality blog. I know that I spend a lot of time helping people out and showing them what a “good” blog looks like. It’s not a perfect science, but eventually everyone is going to catch on and blogs that aren’t doing anything but shilling product are going to go out of business because they will be seen for what they are.
Carnival games.
And, much like carnival game prizes…the time and effort you put in to get them is never as much as the actual prize is worth.
This blog entry is recession-proof
Are you getting tired of every marketer on the planet latching on to “recession proof” like it was mana from heaven?
Me too.
The worst part is, they wouldn’t use it so abundantly if it didn’t work so darn well.
Fear sells, and no matter how much people want to remain ethical and above board, every good salesman (including me) is going to utter the refrain “fear sells.” They may follow that with “but there are more ethical ways to sell” but no one will argue that fear is probably the most effective motivator out there.
For those of you that want to know how you can make the recession work for you and not against you, here are a few quick suggestions:
- Write a press release talking about how your business is recession proof.
- Write an article that shows how your business helps others save money.
- Write a blog post with recession proof in the title. (I’m sorry, for all of you who thought I was a good person, I believe in linkbait now and then.)
- When you are out at a networking event, use the ideas from your recession proof business to saving money to helping others be recession proof through your business to start conversations. Educate others how your business or service saves money for others. Or makes them more money by giving them the time they need to sell more.
I see it this way – as much as I would rather use other methods to get people’s attention, if people are going to talk about the recession day and night, I’m going to have an angle to tie that into what I do for a living.
Because simplicity in advertising is something I’m very fond of. Sure I could spend a half hour explaining why my services will be a solid value for a business owner, but if they will understand the same concept in two minutes with the word recession thrown in, who am I to complain?
It’s not a lie. A recession is just when people have less money to spend. I talk to small business owners all day…they never had more money to spend.
Technorati Tags: recession, recession proof, selling value, closing the sale
The floodgates of consumerism – toddler style.
After getting all freaked out that my three year old wanted a build a bear based on the free t-shirt promotion they had going on for leap year day, I find that I can’t help but notice other trends that bother me.
Since marketing is what I do, I’m always on the lookout for great ads, solid branding, and messages that speak to the niche. But really, turning babies into consumers is not something I’m comfortable with.
Today’s transgression of taste (I love a good alliteration, don’t you?) is my daughter’s diaper.
Why is Blue on my kid’s diaper? This is actually making potty training darn-near impossible. I didn’t want to get her super-branded underoos so the potty training undies we did get were plain pastels. She doesn’t want any of it. She regularly points to the character and says “I love Blue!” (She has watched Blue’s Clues a little bit, but not as much as you would think if you knew her love of the little blue dog.) She wants Blue with her during the day.
Sure I could switch her to Pull-Ups..but those have Dora on them, an even more beloved character. Seriously, we tried Pull-Ups and she cried when we changed her, “No…Dora stay!” Like she was on a soap opera or something giving the performance of a lifetime.
We tried switching to the Wal-Mart diapers once, because they have plain little clouds on them (again, why do there need to be cartoons on diapers. I mean, it’s not like you can change what their purpose it.) But the quality was so bunk that I had to go back to Blue.
Did anyone out there have a toddler with a deep and seemingly undying love of the cartoon on their diapers? How did you get rid of them? We’ve tried stars, coloring, rewards, candy…she does not want to mess with that potty chair when she has Blue on her bloomers.
On the bright side my two year old is progressing nicely, blissfully unaware that her diapers are trying to give her a strong marketing message.
At this point my only hope is that when the two year old is fully potty trained, the evil jealousy of the three year old will be stronger than her love of Blue and she will do her thang on the potty chair just because she can’t handle her sister being a “bigger girl” than she is.
Technorati Tags: luvs, pampers, blue, blues-clues, consumerism, children-and-advertising, dora, pull-ups, potty-training, big-sister-jealousy
