The other night the wonderful ladies at Blissdom announced the location for this year’s Blissdom Canada event. It will be in October in Toronto. I don’t know the exact dates but it’s all a buzz on Twitter already! I’m sure you’ll get as excited as I am and not just because my photo appears on the front page of their site {twice}! 🙂

CL Buchanan Photography – Blissdom Canada 2010

Blissdom Canada 2010 was one of my first blogging conferences {even though I’ve been blogging since January 2006} and it was an incredible experience. One that STILL makes me smile when I think about it!

Why? Because it was, to me, about community and not just an event. I met the most incredible bloggers women and we bonded – it went way beyond simply exchanging our twitter handles and recognizing people from their avatars. A sisterhood emerged. Deep friendships were formed and yes, business deals have been made. After all… that’s what good networking does!

I had a few sponsors help me get to Blissdom Canada 2010 and for that I am extremely grateful. One paid for my hotel and Blissdom ticket, another supplied my skin care and another my clothing. People have asked me how did I get sponsorship, everyone is looking for sponsorship, and who wouldn’t be… these blog conferences can add up!

The thing I see online though… that I thought I’d address here… is the majority just tweet out that they are looking for a sponsor in hopes that the magic sponsor fairy will see their tweet and send them what they need. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way for the vast majority of bloggers in the bloggerverse.

Getting sponsorship for a blog conference takes some work! If you’re willing to do the work, it’ll pay off. It did for me. There are no shortcuts in this world… not even in the blogging world.

Here are some tips for getting sponsorship:

1. Put together a “Media Kit” or press/pr kit. It should list a description of your blog, your stats, samples of what you’ve done, companies you’ve worked with and of course the reason others should work with you. 
2. Don’t just leave it there. Start reaching out to brands! As Adria from GM Canada said in my interview with her a couple of months ago. Send them an email, give them a call… send them a vlog – make an appointment to meet them! Be proactive and do something.
3. Consider partial sponsorships from multiple brands/companies. I had more than one company help me get to Blissdom Canada 2010. They each covered a portion of a need I had. And don’t just think “BIG”! I’ve had more success with smaller, local businesses that need the social share lift and friendly PR.
4. Consider partnering up with another blogger! Have you heard the saying, one is a lonely number?! 🙂 If you’re just getting started, this may benefit you big time. Tara’s View of the World and I teamed up and put our combined stats, social influence, experience and skills to work. We were able to go to brands as a team and both get to Blissdom Canada 2010.
5. Along with your Media Kit… send them a “Sponsorship Package”. Tara and I did this very well. We put together a powerpoint presentation with various tiered “packages” that a business could “partner” with & left room for some bonuses like clothing for our “red carpet” moments. The amount of PR coverage and work was determined by the level of business the brand/business was willing to pay for. **If you promise it…. DELIVER it!** If you don’t follow through with what they’re expecting, you’ll ruin it for the rest of us.
6. Follow up a few weeks after you send your pitch off! It’s a good way to remind them who you are and why they should respond but don’t stalk them! Brands are busy so be patient and kind! Remember… you’re basically applying for a job/position within their company.
7. If you’re turned down, don’t get nasty! Send them a “Thank You” note either way – always leave a good impression. You never know what the future may hold.
8. Be positive! The old saying goes, “You can get more bees with honey than vinegar!”. If you’re looking for sponsorship, watch what you say online! Don’t be negative, a nag or a grump all the time. 
9. After the event is over and you’ve done the work that you promised… send your sponsors a link to the posts or even better… put together a presentation of the event with screen shots of the responses you got from it. They’ll love it!
10. Have fun! Never take yourself too serious or think more highly of yourself than you ought! 🙂