Thought We Had A Thing?! #BrandsandBloggers Expectations & Disappointment

Brands and Blogger Relationships: Dealing With My Disappointment 

Hey! Over Here! Remember Me?! I thought we had a thing.

It's not often I question a brand's choices when it comes to who they pick as influencers, ambassadors or to work on a given campaign. Each brand has a vision for their overall branding, specific campaigns, and targets they want to reach. I understand that many factors go into each campaign, and there is no shortage of great bloggers who bring impressive skills to the table. But every now and then I feel disappointment in a brand which I find hard to brush off. 

This post is not about a single brand or campaign. I can count on one hand the number of times I have felt this way about a brand in relation to my blog and blogging. It is not a rant, but rather a personal reflection and a statement that "it's just business, and not personal" isn't true for me. It is personal for me with each post, or decision to share content. 

I find it hard not to feel snubbed, if after willingly supporting a brand, sharing their content, and working with them more than once on a specific campaign I discover by way of social media I have now been overlooked for that campaign. It could be that the brand is looking to a whole new group of bloggers, or influencers in a specific niche. But Nope, that was not the situation in these cases. It could be they didn't think I was a good fit, but I have had nothing but positive feedback about my participation in the past. It could be that a different PR team is handling the campaign, but it's the brand that hires the PR team., surely there is some conversation about who has participated in the past. So I can only assume they have simply failed to see me, or my value. While for the brand this choice may be for a single campaign, my feelings about being included or excluded last much longer. 

Realistically the bloggers participating in these campaigns or ambassadorships are successful, with a proven track record, and numbers I only aspire to have, but even so I think my long-term value makes it worth including me in select and specific campaigns. I don't begrudge those chosen to participate. I'm at the same time both happy for the bloggers' success, and disappointed in the brands short sightedness. I'm small but not invisible or insignificant, and besides I thought we had a thing.Wait! Did I just get the brand equivalent of being dumped by text message?! 

So I respond in the only way I can. I simply stop sharing or engaging with that brand. They won't notice, nor will the PR firm for the brand that has made the decision not to see me. It's unlikely that the brand or the PR firm will ever read this, or know I feel this way, and that's okay. The posts I write aren't about getting something or getting back. Writing it down helps me to take a critical look at what I'm feeling, and gives me a place to file those feelings, and move on. Plus it helps me to better manage expectations for future brand relationships, and these are all good things.

Blogging is similar to being a stay-at-home mom, in that it rarely comes with the clear and easy to interpret feedback regular performance appraisal provide. I do wonder if others feel this way, or am I just being too sensitive. I try not to think out loud about this type of thing because I don't want my expressing these feelings to be misinterpreted as whining or having entitlement issues. Although I'm quite capable of both of those it's not the case today. Well enough of that, time to file this under Blogger Issues and move on, because tomorrow is another day filled with possibility.

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about my #BloggerIssues

Five Reasons for #Brands Businesses & #Bloggers to Participate in Twitter Chats @turnipseedtravel #SocialMedia

5 Reasons Brands, Businesses and Bloggers Need to Start Participating in Twitter Chats.

The first people I started following when I signed up for a Twitter account were Kim Kardashian and Justin Bieber. No offense to their fans, but UGH! Was this really what made Twitter so popular, spying on the lives of celebrities? It just didn’t feel like the network for me and it took me a long time to get into the Twitter grove. (And, no, Kim and Justin never did follow me back – the nerve!)

I now know I’m not the only one who’s struggled to get excited about Twitter. One of the most frequent comments I hear, from private individuals and business owners alike, is that they just don’t “get” Twitter. They’ll say things like it feels as if they’re shouting into a void and they want this to change. They know that Twitter is too massive a network to ignore and they don’t want to be left behind. They just don’t know where to begin.

My number one rule for surviving and thriving on social media is that you’ve got to be social and, fortunately, Twitter makes this easy through Twitter chats. Twitter chats are regular, reoccurring discussions (using in a question and answer format) that center around a general theme, with a different focus at each new chat.

For example, the #foodiechats chat that occurs every Monday at 8pm EST, is perfect for anyone who loves food. Isn’t that all of us!? Each week, there’s a different focus, be it California cuisine or French wines, with people around the world chiming in as the moderate presents a different question to the group. That’s all you have to do. Just follow the hashtag and speak your mind! Like most Twitter chats, it’s non-corporate in nature (though there may be sponsored prizes), distinguishing it from the one time, promotional Twitter parties thrown by businesses.

If the idea of drooling over great food isn’t enough of a reason to dip your toes into the Twitter chat waters, here’s five great reasons to participate.

1.)    They’re fun! There’s little point in being on social media if you’re not enjoying yourself. And I can’t think of a better way to spend 30 minutes than talking about travel, or fashion, or wine. There’s a chat – or a few dozen chats – for literally every topic, interest, and hobby you can think of so there’s no excuse not to treat yourself to a relaxing, engaging, fun conversation with friends around the world.

2.)    They help you gain more followers – and a bigger audience. Everyone loves to see their social media numbers soar but the truth is that those numbers are meaningless unless you’re attracting the right kind of followers, people who will support and share your content. The connections you make in Twitter chats are with the kinds of followers you want. They’re active, engaged, and share your interests.  

3.)    It keeps you in the loop. Twitter is a fast paced network in a fast paced world. There’s no better way to keep tabs on your industry and community than to dive right into a chat with participants from around the world. If there’s gossip, news, or developments that you should know about, you’ll hear it here first.

4.)    It establishes your credibility. Want to prove you’re a chef who really knows their cheese, or a writer who always has the best insights? Short of inviting everyone to your house for a meal or sending everyone a copy of your latest book, you need to build up online credibility. A Twitter chat is a great place to make that happen. You can share your expertise in a smart, savvy forum and even post photos and video clips.

5.)    It inspires and advances your career. Every business is really a global business these days. A Twitter chat can help you connect with peers in similar fields from all around the world, allowing you to make the informal connections needed for networking. They’re a great way to form new collaborations with similar businesses and brands in different jurisdictions. Imagine being able to swap ideas with a fellow personal trainer, home organizer, or animator in Rome or Rio or Los Angeles!

I’ll never have Kim or Justin’s social media success but I can confidently say that Twitter is now my best performing network – and also my favourite one to hang out on. And Twitter chats have played a huge role in that. I’ve connected with amazing people and clients, learned so much, and have had a great time chatting with like-minded people from all over the world. Give them a try and see how it changes how you feel about Twitter!

I'm thrilled to have Vanessa Chiasson guest post here at Cathy Thinking Out Loud. Thank you Vanessa for your insight into what makes twitter chats so great. Whether Vanessa is sharing travel adventures on her blog, speaking at BConnected Conference, or hosting a Travel Massive Ottawa event she's always inspiring and engaging.
Be sure to follow Vanessa on twitter.

Vanessa from Turnip Seed Travel 

Vanessa Chiasson crafts content and strategies that inspire people to connect to their clients, to the web, and each other. She believes that social media and online content is an integral part of every successful small business and can walk anyone through the process, making it fun and empowering. See more of her social media tips at SculptSocial.com