How to look for & get the most from your bloggers.

Hiring bloggers is a really great way to let the public view your designs.
 It costs nothing and brings in the sales.
 Here I have outlined some of the benefits of having bloggers and how to go about working with them.

*These are just my thoughts and feelings as a blogger of 7 years.  
 Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me in SL as Ember Adored with any questions, comments or something I may have missed.

How to look for bloggers -
There are loads of ways to hunt down the perfect bloggers for you!
Here's a few.

• Your profile. Make a pick Title it  Bloggers! then put down the ways you want them to contact you. If by note card. Have them name it ' Blogger (THEIR NAME) , Your store name' Then what information do you want. Here's a few suggestions.. Blog link. Flickr Link. Ask why they want to blog for you.Then lastly, what  Feeds they are on. I say this last because let's be real, anyone with trackers on their sites KNOW that hits from feeds come in way below hits off social networking sites.
• Your Flickr page. Put out a texture say' STORE NAME is looking for bloggers!! Please send (whatever info you THE DESIGNER want) via note card to ( Your name) Or if you use a website for the app, direct them there by adding the link. All this goes into the description field. Other than the first line.
• Facebook. You can share this same info over your store FB page, personal one if you use it for SL, your group page, there are also special groups for designers looking for bloggers. Here's one to join.. https://www.facebook.com/groups/646890785353501/
• Your Store group. You own it, use it!

When looking for bloggers -
 Spend a bit of time researching those that apply and those you may approach to blog for you.

• Style. Is their blogging style something that appeals to you? Their look, format?
• Do they add links? Not all do and if not do they at least write the stores full name so customers can find you?
• Do they network? There are loads of Facebook groups for bloggers to join. Also Flickr and all the other above mentioned networking sites. These work just as well for bloggers to pimp your style to the masses as they do for the designers to get the word out.
• Are they nice? Remember they will be a reflection on your business.

How a blogger can help you! -

Bloggers can be a great source of information for the Designer. They can provide important feedback so make sure you have a way of communicating with them even if it's through a third party (Blog Manager)

• Bloggers will tell you if there are any issues, glitches with your product.They will let you know if the perms are set right too. Sometimes our eyes cross after working on the same thing for so long and mistakes happen. Bloggers catch these before they hit the stores and you have a pile of unhappy customers.
• Bloggers also become your walking billboards. They wear what they blog and SHOULD happily give info on the items to anyone who asks. This = Sales for you!

Now that you have bloggers -
There's a few basic things you need to do to get the ball rolling.

• Create a blogging group. This is the easiest way really. You can drop items to be blogged into the group and the bloggers pluck them out of notices  and blog them.
• A Suscribo.  The good ones try to send the item and if the recipient is off line it tries again . It's pretty neat and takes no group slots. Find one here. https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/ArtiZan-Postmaster-200-Online-Delivery-Mail-Server/2930075
• Edited Jan 15.
• *Be very clear when hiring a blogger as to how often and how much they must blog. Spend a few moments and make up a note card of rules and requirements.
• *Create a separate Flickr group for your bloggers to showcase their work. This is a nice way to show your thanks (also the simplest) by hitting the star on photos they have done for you.  I suggest you make the settings so the photos can not go to site without being moderated. This way you are sure to see what is being done by your group. It also helps weed out accidental posts that do not belong to your group (It does happen)
• *  Bloggers that do not belong to your blogging group could also send their photos wearing your items to this group, a great way to discover new talent! 
• ** Be sure to title the group with your proper store name so people can find it!**

When sending your items to a blogger -
If I'm going to be honest, this is one of the top reasons I started this post.

• Designers, please  This is important! - When sending bloggers your items in a group. Whether it be your own group or an event. Do not put all the important info in the notice body only. Put a note in the blog box. It will save you the headache of bloggers contacting you for info.
• Place a Note Card in the box along with the item you are sending with all the info you can possible think of. You want the blogger to do their best. Give them everything they need to do the best job they can! Below is a sample note card I made , you can word and format it however suits you best but remember.  The more info included the better for your business in the end.

(You should be able to click to enlarge this.)

Also when you send your items - If you want customers to know who you are, title your items with your FULL SHOP NAME.

If say your item is in an event and you condense your shop name to letters and some squiggles,some, not all will copy and paste just that as your store name!
 If you want credit for the item you worked so hard on, make it fool proof and do it right.

Now that you have gone through all this -
You might want to think about either hiring or having a good friend become a manager . A store manager will deal with bloggers, customers and anything you don't want to have to deal with. Just stick a note in your profile to direct all queries to (whoever the manager is) And you can keep on creating your prim magic with little interruption.