Now you have a blogger for hire. Or at least you think you do. Once you hire someone, you need to think about creating and nurturing the relationship.
Many of my clients have become people that I can talk to about more personal things. In fact, one client that I had in my earlier days became more like a friend. I’m not saying that you have to share all your personal details and treat your blogger as a confidant, but you do need to put some trust into your blogger for hire. This is someone who has access to your site and the behind-the-scenes aspect of your business website.
Your blogger will also want to learn more about you and your business. This helps them create the perfect content for your audience.
So, who do you create a healthy and positive relationship with your freelance blogger? Here are five top tips to manage it from day one.
Remain Polite at All Times
I know this sounds obvious, but you won’t believe some of the emails that I get from prospective clients or buyers through some of the sites I’m on.
Politeness goes a long way into creating a positive relationship. Sure, there are going to be annoying people or something will happen that affects your mood for the rest of the day. The last two weeks for me haven’t gone as planned at all. I’ve been locked out of secure car parks because my keycard has stopped working, I’ve had unscheduled doctor’s appointments, and I’ve dealt with a fridge that’s stopped worked.
My days have been stressful. I’ve been behind on work (well, my own deadlines that I set to accept that these emergencies can happen) and I’ve been up late trying to get through things. I don’t want things to go into this weekend because it’s a long holiday weekend in Canada. I want to spend the time with family.
It would have been easy to be rude and annoying to clients. But I remained polite at all times. It’s not their fault that my life is messing up at the moment. Just like it’s not your blogger’s fault that things are going wrong.
Even if your blogger has been part of the cause—like copyrighted image use or plagiarised content—you want to remain polite; stern but polite. Shouting and bad language isn’t going to get a situation solved. Even when the problem isn’t my fault, I’m more likely to help a client with something when they’re polite and grateful for it.
So, remain polite at all times. It will serve you well in nurturing that relationship with your blogger for hire.
Be Open to All Forms of Communication
I love a good Skype call with a new client. In fact, I like Skype calls regularly to make sure work is on track and see how the client is feeling about the project.
If we can’t do Skype, I’ll email, IM, or find another form of communication. Trello and Slack are fast becoming two of my favorite tools for keeping in touch with clients around the world.
Be open to multiple forms of communication. Eventually you’ll find something that works for both you and your blogger. Don’t rule out Skype completely just yet and definitely consider an IM option that allows you both to take as if you’re just texting. Slack is available through a computer and phone app.
When you open up the communication possibilities, it’s easy to get to know more about you. This helps bloggers see that you’re not trying to hide something.
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Communicate on a Regular Basis
This links in with the methods of communication. Now that you’ve opened up your methods, you can keep in touch regularly.
I once had a client that just lived in the next town to me. Trying to get in touch with her was a nightmare! She barely answered her phone and emails were always a couple of days behind. While she paid on time without question, I just couldn’t get the work done to a specific deadline. If I had questions, I’d wait days to get the answers.
Regular communication is important. I don’t mean you have to be on the phone 24/7 and reply immediately. In fact, some questions can wait a couple of days for an answer. But if the question is time-sensitive then you need to reply.
Your blogger doesn’t want to spend hours finding the best way to get in touch. A freelance blogger has other projects to work on. If you’re going to be a nightmare to get in touch with, your blogger for hire will likely decide the project isn’t worthwhile for them or you.
This is why I like regular Skype calls. Just 10-15 minutes is enough to get important answers to questions and move forward with the project in the right direction.
Get to Know Your Blogger for Hire
A working relationship works better if you know a little more about the person you’re working with. At first, I stick to the business, the website, and the project. But eventually I like to know more about the client.
Likewise, I’ve found clients like to know a little more about me. They know I’m a mom of two. My clients know my days that I like to take off and some of my interests that link to work.
Keep the information professional. You can decide how much you share and vice versa. It’s just good to have some sort of idea of who the individual is that you’re working with. This helps to see the blogger as more than just a freelance. They’re a person, who has a life outside of work.
Think about the type of information you’d know about an employee. This could be the level of information you share with and get to know about your freelance blogger.
Don’t Play the Blame Game
It’s very easy to look for someone to blame when something goes wrong. Whoever is at fault, you don’t want to play the blame game with your blogger. You especially don’t want to blame your blogger when it definitely had nothing to do with them.
The blame game doesn’t solve a problem. All you do is make the freelancer feel small. While they will try to help fix the problem, they may not be as warm as they could be. They may not put as much effort into fixing something. Why should they if they’re being blamed for something they didn’t do?
No, this isn’t completely professional, but neither is the blame game. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but that doesn’t change the way your freelance blogger will feel.
When something goes wrong, you and your freelancer need to work together. In fact, everyone who is working on the project needs to work together. Once the solution is found and put in place, you and your blogger can then decide on the future of the relationship. Chances are your relationship is stronger because you’ve worked the situation together.
It’s time to focus on a healthy and positive relationship with your blogger for hire. Keep it professional but get to know each other a little more. Create a trusting relationship that allows you both to push forward with the project and create the perfect content for your target audience.
Do you want a wedding or lifestyle blogger for hire? Get in touch today about your FREE 20 minute discovery call to find out if we’re a good match.