Check out the tweet below from the brand I’m going to talk a little about. As I’ve shared in the past I wasn’t always the shoe giveaway queen as  many call me or a top tier product reviewer. It is always a major effort to get some brands to take you serious or perceive you as more than just a “BLOG” that they think of as a page with random posts. The way they say it sometimes makes you cringe. I’ve been blogging since 2004, appeared on The Today Show, write for Sheckys.com and have written for several other popular magazines including Modern Bride, MORE Magazine, Honey Magazine, Pynk Magazine and the list goes on, but still I got this tweet while trying to network with a start up brand online. Little do they know our readership is 20,000. So the simple “BLOG’ they thought we were reaches further than some start up magazines out there that have been in existence for years.

As you can see my tweet was telling the brand that I wanted to network with them (and admittedly a bit agitated) however, this was their reply to me. So that means they’ve seen my requests for a review but IGNORED someone who could possibly help them and assist their brand. That annoyed the heck out of me. That is the WRONG thing to do whether you’re just starting out or have been in existence for years.

Here’s a great tweet from USA Today that I share a lot on Twitter because it rings home what I’m saying about Tweets being valuable and that includes tweets from Bloggers or those that some brands still think are insignificant.

“Tweets are becoming as good as gold for marketers looking to embellish their brands…”
- USA TODAY

Kitty Bradshaw said it best in the follow tweets she shared on Twitter:

Kitty always gives great advice and yes once I’m put off by a brand I move on. There are too many other brands out there that want and are seeking exposure. Here is my favorite tweet that I share with businesses to let them know that it’s not about getting a FREE product with all bloggers because honestly we get so much stuff here at PrincessDominique.com that we are constantly giving away goodie boxes filled with them on Twitter and Facebook, but it’s moreso about the buzz we’ll create if we really love a product–and as a brand that’s what you want.

Honestly, brands both large and small budget for promotion, so a tee shirt, a candle or some lip gloss that you have to send to a blog host isn’t going to break the bank–or it shouldn’t.

Here are some of the great testimonials I’ve gotten about product reviews, my affordable banner ads and The Weekly Shoe Giveaway we host here:

“PrincessDominique.com did a product review for us. The results: 75% conversion, and this is just the first week since rated. Our hits have increased dramatically and customer sign up is UP! BEST yet!” – EgoSoleil.com

“Advertising on PrincessDominique.com was the perfect fit for my business! We started seeing traffic immediately and it’s still going strong!  Most importantly it’s qualified, quality traffic which is worth its weight in gold (or shoes)!  Thanks Princess!” – IfTheShoeDoesntFit.com

“I would sum up my sponsorship of The Weekly Shoe Giveaway with one word…PHENOMENAL! This was the perfect collaboration and the much needed boost in recognition and awareness to my brand and business as a whole. Princess Dominique offered the perfect platform and ideal audience. I saw a significant increase fans and followers across all social networking avenues! I would sponsor the weekly shoe giveaway WEEKLY if I could!” – CuteStylz.com

Not all bloggers are the same. Some have major influence, some have minor influence and some have NO influence at all either because they’ve just started out or don’t know how to grow their readership. As a business who is seeking a blogger to host a contest, review a product or create a buzz, here are some things you want to assess before you just blindly send out merchandise to anyone with a domain name and a catchy Twitter handle:

1. What kind of readership do they have and is THEIR audience YOUR target audience?

2. Have their reviewed products similar to yours that have gotten great exposure?

3. Are they actively engaging their readers via their blog, Facebook and Twitter and getting feedback from their readers and followers?

Hopefully this will begin to assist with bringing brands and bloggers together. Now share this link with a brand you’d love to network with and possibly review or a blogger friend. Thank you in advance.