This post is the first in our ‘Briten Up’ series, written by our Event Evangelists (EE’s), who help organizers in their cities create more successful events. First up, Sara, our Boston EE, shares how and why to include bloggers in your event organization plan!
Bloggers: People who take to the internet to document a hobby or interest that they are passionate enough to write about on a weekly, even daily, basis. Running? Puppies? Knitting? Yup, there are blogs for that!
Bloggers are always looking for new ways to create content, and one of the most popular ways to get inspired is through events; attending, photographing, writing and publishing for all of the world to see!
When putting together your event organization plan, you may want to include blogger outreach in your initiatives. Here is why:
• Niche: Because bloggers often have niche interests, it may be easier to lure them to your event than traditional media.
• Word of Mouth: Bloggers take the relationship offline, as seen at the Blog Better Boston Conference and the Boston Bloggers Meet + Greet. One of the main purposes of these events is to increase awareness and readership of their blogs, so they spend much of the time talking about their blog and (other) recent events they have attended…perhaps yours!
• Personality: Bloggers aren’t adhering to any guidelines or standards…they write what (and how!) they want. Their unique tone, voice and perspective can lead to more authentic and ‘fun’ coverage than traditional media outlets.
• Organic: Blogs may be perceive as more ‘real’, in fact, 70% of bloggers say they blog about brands on their blog organically. Additionally 75% of bloggers describe themselves as ‘sincere’.
• Barrier to Entry: Many online news sites now require a paid submission or log-in. With blogs, there is rarely a fee to read, which means anyone with internet can read them!
Another wonderful way to get in front of bloggers is through sponsorship at blogger-specific events. While many blogger events may have standardized sponsorship packages, I encourage all organizations to think outside the box. Do something different; something that may not make or break an event, but make it memorable. Here are some examples of what we’ve done at Eventbrite:
• Branded food: Many bloggers are passionate about food. Take something as simple as a cupcake or even a tub of granola and brand it with your logo.
• Candy bags: Again, along the same lines as food… who doesn’t like candy?! Put together bags of candy (if you have a particular brand “color”, fill the bag filled with similar-colored sweets!) and attach a gift tag with a short blurb about your organization.
• Happy Hour: Many blogger meetups occour at bars or restaurants. Treat each attendee to a cocktail from your organization. Create a fun branded name for the drink and work with the bar to create a special recipe (at Eventbrite, we like to call them Britinis, which are often orange in color!
• Picture Booths and Photo Flip Books: Bloggers are always taking pics, so why not give them a (short) break and let someone else do the work? We love photobooths (especially those linked to social media) and flip books. There often the opportunity to brand the photo strip header, or cover of a flip book!
What are the best ways you’ve found to interact with bloggers? Share yours below!
