blogger collaboration 101: part one

at our birmingham bloggers coffee chat last weekend, we talked about our goals and resolutions for 2015. many people mentioned being interested in collaborating with businesses, events and other bloggers. this task can seem a little daunting if you haven't collaborated before. once you get into a good rhythm and begin to build relationships with the bloggers, creatives and businesses around you, you're going to feel like you're just talking to your friends. which is good, because these people should become your friends!

the first thing you need is a desire to get plugged in. in today's post, we're going to start with collaborating with other bloggers. 

• if you're a new blogger or a blogger looking to become more connected, this should be your first focus. the very, very first thing you should do is make sure you have an active account on the primary mediums bloggers use to connect - bloglovin', twitter, instagram and facebook.

• follow your favorite bloggers and bloggers in your area on all forms of social media. use blogging networks to locate nearby bloggers - start by googling "your area + blog" or "your area + blogging group". check out the southern blog society, the southwest blog society, blogher & more!

• twitter and instagram are my personal favorites for connecting with bloggers. on twitter, respond when they post links to their posts or articles. congratulate their successes. leave comments on their blog. these are the fundamental building blocks for creating relationships and partnerships in the blogging community.  

• but don't forget - maintain these relationships! there's nothing worse than someone leaving you in the dust, so to speak, after they've "gotten what they wanted", whether it be a social media shoutout or a guest post. it's obvious. it's shady. don't do it. you're either here to be a part of a community, or you're not.

• does your blog friend have a small business you'd be happy to support? did they write an awesome post on creating their own online book club, and you'd like to join? speak up! shoot them an email, reintroduce yourself if you haven't connected on twitter or instagram, and mention you'd like to find a way to work together. an easy way for bloggers to help each other out is to guest post. it starts with an email.

dear ____,

hi! my name is meredith davis and i blog over at www.meredithnoelle.com. as an avid reader of your blog, i truly feel like your content is something my readers would also enjoy. i really enjoyed your posts on ____ and _____, and would like to invite you to guest post on my blog. if you aren't available to guest post, i'd really like to find a way for us to work together. let's keep in touch!

looking forward to hearing from you!
meredith

that's it! if you like what they're doing, tell them so. be genuine. strive to create a connection as opposed to just a business transaction, and remaining transparent about your thoughts, intentions and stance are the best way to do that. you can even mention being a new blogger looking to get involved, and ask if they have any advice. bloggers love talking about blogging, let me tell you. chat them up! oh, and always attend local meetups! if you don't have a local community, click here to read a post on starting your own.

next week, i'll be discussing how bloggers can get started collaborating with both national and local businesses - how to pitch them, how to form relationships + more!