Listen in on a group of bloggers speaking and you may hear them questioning how to bridge the gap between themselves and advertisers. Bloggers are loyal to brands. They may only wear Crocs, fly on Jet Blue, use HP computers and eat Hershey’s chocolate. But when it comes to getting an advertiser to notice them, what do they do?

If you don’t get thousands of page views, have sponsors and connections already and have the media watching your every move it is often difficult to stand out from the millions of bloggers especially those who already do product reviews.

Here are some tips to connect with advertisers:

1) Write about the brands you use on your blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, etc.
2) Be authentic. Only write about the brands you truly use. Don’t write reviews on similar brands.
3) Post photos of you with the brand. For example if you are wearing a pair of True Religion jeans, take a photograph and add it your blog. Be sure to use the “alt” tag with the brand name.
4) Connect with the Twitter and Facebook accounts of the brands you are interested with. Tweet and write about them, ask questions, but don’t over do it.
5) Write product reviews about the brands you like. These need not be compensated posts. You can do this often.
6) Connect with other bloggers and public relation companies and employees. Maintain these connections by sharing posts, making comments on blog posts, retweeting, etc. You’ll never know where these connections may bring you.
7) If you have a direct contact with an advertiser, send a personal email. Tell them about your brand loyalty and ask them how you can help them promote their brand.
8 ) Network at events with advertisers. Again, be real and personable.
9) Become a brand expert. Be the go to person if someone has a question about a particular brand. For example, many people know how much I enjoy Disney World and will ask me about going there for a vacation.
10) Make it easy for advertisers to contact you. Create a “contact page” or button on your blog that stands out.

Bloggers can bridge the gap between themselves and advertisers by making use of social media including their own blogs. It won’t happen overnight but continue to work at it. Be sure to enlist the assistance of fellow bloggers and forums.

– Connie Roberts