When you have a little blog it can feel like big bloggers get all the attention, but if you give your little blog a chance it can make big things happen in your life! Today I’m going to share what marketing and PR specialists already know and love about little blogs like yours, that you might overlook.

A small, low traffic blog holds an incredible amount of possibility.

Before I became self employed to work with bloggers and small business owners like you, I worked behind the scenes in entertainment marketing for theatre and music. I designed posters, hosted events and worked on six figure national advertising buys in web, print and television.

Having been behind the scenes in that world, I know that brands ask for your traffic information when they want to purchase advertising.

But if you’re interested in getting amazing experiences and products – like most bloggers I talk to are – a low traffic blog with an audience that isn’t being pummeled with sponsored posts is an incredibly attractive partner for brands.

As I’ve written about before, lifestyle bloggers who make their living on advertising income are a dying breed.

That being said, there’s still a surprising lack of bloggers who are brand friendly and also create valuable content regularly. That happy middle ground between “After a lot of helpful ideas, here’s one neat thing that addresses an actual need in your life,” and “Check out my latest tattoo sponsored by the last brand that emailed me.” is still under served.

What that means for you is that savvy bloggers who only promote products and services that make sense for their audiences have an opportunity to really win.

And I’m all about helping you win, so let’s get to that!

Why Would Someone Want To Work With My Little Blog?

It’s natural to wonder why a big brand would be interested in working with you, and if this is even worth your time. (Hint: it is!) Let’s dive into the why:

Your posts and links matter.

When you blog about a service or a product there are things you’ll naturally do. You might use its name, or the company name, or link to the website in your post. To a blogger that might feel like nothing, but it’s valuable!

When someone searches for that product, service or company, your blog will pop up, even if it’s tiny. Your post and links tell search engines that the other site is real and trustworthy, and it helps the company’s potential customers or clients figure out if the company’s services are a good match.

If you’ve been blogging for a while, Google knows you’re more important than you might think!

As you blog, participate in link parties, and make friends who link to your site from their blog, Google is learning that your blog is important. That’s because search engines like Google, are engineered to find and reward websites with new content written by a real person. To Google, if you’re not spam then you’re important.

Pretty much everything you do naturally as a blogger will feed search engines more evidence that you’re important, so your site will start to float higher and higher in search results. This can give brands access both to your audience, and make it easier for their potential customers to find their brand naturally through a trusted source through search, social media or Pinterest, from the time you post until… the end of the Internet, your blog, or time. Whichever comes first.

Do you see how working with you is a steal? :)

Everyone loves to trade, but no one loves it more than marketing departments.

You’re usually more excited to trade services or products than you are to pay for them, right? Well, people who work in marketing and public relations are all about trades. These departments of most companies have very tightly controlled budgets for online advertising, and it all needs to be measured and tracked for return on investment. A lot of what they do on a daily basis is aggressively negotiate deals.

While they might be cash poor, brands tend to have a huge amount of flexibility with event invitations, merchandise and free access.

In marketing insider speak, this is called a “contra” deal. The marketing department will trade the retail value of a product or service instead of paying in money. The neat thing is that when you start trading with brands their behavior becomes much more generous.

The difference is that the total value of a contra deal isn’t as firm as when they pay in cash for page views. The prices often include a mark up for profit margins, what you’re receiving may not be in their budget at all (so it doesn’t matter to them) and depending on the brand there may even be an infinite supply. The aggressive negotiation often stops completely, and suddenly you can have a shiny new something you love.

If you’re interested in writing a review for trade, there are marketing managers for hotels, events, museums, theatres, and even tourism board who are trying to get their message out and would love to connect with your audience in a meaningful, non-salesy way.

Want to take the next step? Brainstorm companies and services you love, and then email them. Ask for someone in marketing and say you’d like to discuss if they work with bloggers as partners and that you’re interested in discussing a trade, and see where it takes you.

The best part is that once you start, more brands will contact you with other neat opportunities that are right up your alley.

Have you ever worked with a brand? What was your experience like, or what’s holding you back?