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All images in this post are by Jaime Guthals, and used with permission.
We’ve had some discussion here and elsewhere about the big issue of bloggers and marketers, and how they need to work more effectively together. The more traffic your blog gets, the more people will email you, hoping you’ll mention their product, service, or event on your blog.
All those marketing pitches can get really overwhelming – especially because so many marketers seem to be sending bloggers these very generic-sounding pitches. Oh – and by the way, how many of these marketers are also offering us any compensation for the exposure to our readers?
I thought it might be a good idea to do a podcast with a very good marketer. Jaime Guthals is the PR Director for Interweave, and to my mind, she’s very skilled at forging good relationships with bloggers.
In this interview, you’ll learn how Jaime approaches both bloggers and professional journalists to market new Interweave releases. You’ll get a little insight into why some marketers work well with bloggers and some don’t. And you’ll find out just how important blogs and bloggers are in the media landscape for the craft industry.
This is the first of two shows I’m doing on this subject. Next time, we’ll get the bloggers’ point of view.
Biscuit, Jaime’s office dog
Some Links for Further Perusal:
• Interweave.com will take you to all the different media the company publishes, and its online communities.
• You can also start up a conversation with Jaime on Twitter or Google+. And each of the Interweave communities have Facebook pages where you can connect with their editors.
• Here’s a post I did recently on Why Can’t We Fix Marketing in the Crafty Blogosphere?.
• …And here’s a guest post I did, on How Much Marketing Should Craft Bloggers Do for Craft Companies?.
• We’re also discussing this on Google+, if you’d like to join in. What are your marketing boundaries for your blog?
Thanks for the great conversation, Diane. Now if only you could have sped me up to sound like a Yankee. I may have lost the accent, but I’ll always be a Southern gal and talk a little slow. Or, it could be because you do such a nice job of making your interviewees relaxed and feel at ease. It’s like sitting down on the porch to talk over a tall glass of iced tea. I hope everyone enjoys the chat!
I wish I could have served you some actual iced tea and cookies while we were talking! Thanks again, Jaime, for doing this with me. I love being able to share your perspectives on marketing!
Jaime is, indeed, the best in the business. She contacted me way back in 2004 about doing book reviews on CrochetMe.com, and when she did it she told me I should seek out other publishers’ books to review, too, so it wouldn’t seem like I was shilling (my word) for Interweave (which, at the time, I wasn’t). It was quick advice that meant a lot to me, and it led to me forming relationships with people all over the industry. When I have done work with or for Interweave, I’ve always felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have Jaime promoting that work.
This podcast is aces. Thanks, you two.
First off – what a cute doggie! :)
I’ve been out of the loop for a while, but trying to catch back up with all my favorite blogs. Thanks for a great podcast, it was very nice to learn a bit more of how the process works. Can’t wait for the next one!
[...] :: Craft Bloggers and Marketing Boundries on CraftyPod :: Piecing together the Online Marketing Puzzle on CopyBlogger :: Manifestation Board Making on Lusa Organics :: Self Taught is usually not a solo act on Chris Guillebeau’s blog The Art of Non-Conformity 10. A dose of amazing water color work on Urban Sketchers. Inspiring! [...]
Great podcast. Very informative about how the book review process works. I had always wondered. If only I liked to follow patterns, etc I would pursue more of this.
Off to sew.
Sister Diane, What a great podcast! Love hearing Jaime. I also have worked with her for the past couple of years and enjoyed hearing her side of the industry. Thanks again.