The notecard, a Blogger's best friend....
Let's talk about a Blogger's best tool for getting the word out about their Blogs....the note card. That's right everyone, after you did all that work you need to notify the Designers that you featured their items. I personally send a card to Designers every single time I feature their items, unless they request I stop. I'm like a little kid with a picture to show to my parents and not satisfied till I send a card. Nothing makes my day more then when I get a "Thxs" from a Designer... it feels so good.
Trust me sometimes I worry my more favorite Designers are going to scream "OMG STOP WITH THE CARDS, WOMAN!". I still have to experience that and they still send me their items with an occasional "Thank you, Tali". So it must be okay the way I do it. Though, I have read that other Bloggers send a card once a week to the Designers with just a few links.
So remember your card is your marketing tool, it represents you. If it is sloppy, it will reflect badly on you. This is your chance to put a little shine on your Blog to make Designers understand your vision for your Blog and get a taste of what you offer. I have been told my card is a bit wordy (by other Bloggers), so take time and personalize a card to match your style.
The main thing to remember...no matter what --- read the Designers Profile/Picks, if they say do not send a card...don't!
TITLE YOUR CARD:
The first thing you need to do is title your card so it is noticed and add the date so they know if they get multiple cards from you which is newest. I have several Designers who keep a note card full of mine as a history book. They really appreciate the dates in the title along with my blog name. I title mine "!UR Mentioned @MP Blog Sept 7"
CONTENT OF YOUR CARD:
Now we have to keep in mind Designers are busy. So we need to put the most pertinent information at the top of the card, where they can find it quickly at a glance.
Greeting The Designer:
Remember Designers are human too, they want to be treated with respect and want to know what your notecard is about in a short statement. So keep it short and sweet. (see my example below)
Post(s) Locations:
Provide the URLS to the post(s) you want them to take note of. This makes it easy for them to cut and paste to look at what you have done quickly and makes it easier to share with their groups and friends if they like it a lot. DO NOT just post the main url to your blog...That will make them dig for your post and cause frustration..and they definitely do not like to be frustrated by a Blogger. Plus remember they might not open your card right away (they are busy) and you may have posted a dozen more posts shuffling their items to the bottom or next page.
Flickr Link:
Post your Flickr link for them to connect to their Flickr group. If you do not have a Flickr account, I highly recommend you get one. It's a great way to bring traffic to your Blog.
How to Stop the Cards:
Have a few sentences telling the Designer to contact you if they do not want your cards and if one responds saying do not send them... then... don't send them any. Designers talk to each other, you do not want to be known as that annoying notecard spamming Blogger. I keep a list of Designers in my Blog folder who I do not send cards to, it's a whole one Designer long.
Closure to Card:
Just like a well crafted letter needs closure to let the person you are writing know they have reached the end, you need to close off your card at this point. This lets the Designer know that they have read the important stuff and if they have more important things to do, they can get back to it. To signify closure you sign your card and give them a means to reach you back.
After the Closure Section of my card, I have extra Information:
Blurb About My Blog
I have a very short and sweet statement, kind of my vision statement for my blog, what type of blog it is.
Blurb About Accepting Review Copies:
I have a single statement, letting Designers know if I am accepting review copies or not and provide a link to the my full review policy on my website.
Other Blurbs:
Just remember by now it's rare a Designer has read this far, so do not put anything important this far down the note that you feel they MUST know about you. This is for the Designers who love the extra details on Bloggers. I use this bottom part to tell them about special posts I do, offer them a URL giver for my Blog to put up in their store if they want, and offer to link to their Blog.
Example of my card:
Well, I hope this helps a little. Remember this works for me, but may not for you.. play with it, find your style.
If you would like more info on being a Blogger in SL, the following are great resources:
Trust me sometimes I worry my more favorite Designers are going to scream "OMG STOP WITH THE CARDS, WOMAN!". I still have to experience that and they still send me their items with an occasional "Thank you, Tali". So it must be okay the way I do it. Though, I have read that other Bloggers send a card once a week to the Designers with just a few links.
So remember your card is your marketing tool, it represents you. If it is sloppy, it will reflect badly on you. This is your chance to put a little shine on your Blog to make Designers understand your vision for your Blog and get a taste of what you offer. I have been told my card is a bit wordy (by other Bloggers), so take time and personalize a card to match your style.
The main thing to remember...no matter what --- read the Designers Profile/Picks, if they say do not send a card...don't!
TITLE YOUR CARD:
The first thing you need to do is title your card so it is noticed and add the date so they know if they get multiple cards from you which is newest. I have several Designers who keep a note card full of mine as a history book. They really appreciate the dates in the title along with my blog name. I title mine "!UR Mentioned @MP Blog Sept 7"
CONTENT OF YOUR CARD:
Now we have to keep in mind Designers are busy. So we need to put the most pertinent information at the top of the card, where they can find it quickly at a glance.
Greeting The Designer:
Remember Designers are human too, they want to be treated with respect and want to know what your notecard is about in a short statement. So keep it short and sweet. (see my example below)
Post(s) Locations:
Provide the URLS to the post(s) you want them to take note of. This makes it easy for them to cut and paste to look at what you have done quickly and makes it easier to share with their groups and friends if they like it a lot. DO NOT just post the main url to your blog...That will make them dig for your post and cause frustration..and they definitely do not like to be frustrated by a Blogger. Plus remember they might not open your card right away (they are busy) and you may have posted a dozen more posts shuffling their items to the bottom or next page.
Flickr Link:
Post your Flickr link for them to connect to their Flickr group. If you do not have a Flickr account, I highly recommend you get one. It's a great way to bring traffic to your Blog.
How to Stop the Cards:
Have a few sentences telling the Designer to contact you if they do not want your cards and if one responds saying do not send them... then... don't send them any. Designers talk to each other, you do not want to be known as that annoying notecard spamming Blogger. I keep a list of Designers in my Blog folder who I do not send cards to, it's a whole one Designer long.
Closure to Card:
Just like a well crafted letter needs closure to let the person you are writing know they have reached the end, you need to close off your card at this point. This lets the Designer know that they have read the important stuff and if they have more important things to do, they can get back to it. To signify closure you sign your card and give them a means to reach you back.
After the Closure Section of my card, I have extra Information:
Blurb About My Blog
I have a very short and sweet statement, kind of my vision statement for my blog, what type of blog it is.
Blurb About Accepting Review Copies:
I have a single statement, letting Designers know if I am accepting review copies or not and provide a link to the my full review policy on my website.
Other Blurbs:
Just remember by now it's rare a Designer has read this far, so do not put anything important this far down the note that you feel they MUST know about you. This is for the Designers who love the extra details on Bloggers. I use this bottom part to tell them about special posts I do, offer them a URL giver for my Blog to put up in their store if they want, and offer to link to their Blog.
Example of my card:
Well, I hope this helps a little. Remember this works for me, but may not for you.. play with it, find your style.
If you would like more info on being a Blogger in SL, the following are great resources:
- SL Blogger Support Marketing Tools For Bloggers -This is also an invaluable group to belong to in SL - secondlife:///app/group/e6fc1406-be58-3a27-fb70-7ac0a321996d/about
- Inventory Management for Bloggers
- Blogger Etiquette 101
.:::Hope You Enjoyed This Post! :::.
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So professional, and you are right. I guess as bloggers, we are the 'marketers' so it make sense to treat our blog as mini businesses. I actually hate reading NCs inworld and so I hardly ever write it, but I might rethink this one. I love your blogger series! <3
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