64 | Brand Sponsorships for Micro-Influencers with Kelly Ballard

In 2022, more than ever, brands are looking for content creators to partner with them and share their products. 75% of US brands are using 60% of their ad revenue on social media platforms such as Instagram. Brands really need content creators! My guest today, Kelly Ballard, is here with all of the hot tips for successfully building relationships with brands, collaborating with brands, and maintaining a long-term partnership with brands. Kelly has been blogging for five years and makes her full-time income just from brand partnerships and collaborations. If you want to make brand collaboration a part of your content, Kelly shares everything you need to know from gaining the attention of brands and building a relationship with them to making a pitch and negotiating a deal. Trust me when I say you’ll want a pen and paper handy while you listen. Kelly says, reaching out to brands shouldn’t be scary and brands actually need content creators! I hope this episode inspires you to step out of your comfort zone and build some relationships with the brands you love!

Kelly has always loved using her creative side to come up with ways to decorate her space. As a little girl, she found inspiration by window shopping or flipping through catalogues. That followed her into her college and young married days. She had to get creative as a young mother on a tight budget, and her love of DIY projects was born. At age 40, she found herself wondering how to spend her newly found time when all the kids were at school. Per her request, her husband sat her down to teach her how to use a nail gun and from that day on she was hooked. Kelly committed to a project a week for the year she was 40. She slowly started to document these projects, and City Girl Meets Farm Boy was born. Kelly is a firm believer that anyone can create spaces they love to be in, that mess-ups are ok, and that things don’t have to be perfect.

In this episode, we cover:

How Kelly built her business on brand collaborations
Advice for anyone who wants to start brand partnerships
Importance of relationships with brands
How to gain the attention of the brands you love
Tips to pitch a brand
Negotiating with brands for payment and product
How many followers do you need?
Making a good impression and maintaining a long-term relationship with brands

Links and resources mentioned during this episode:

Visit Kelly’s website, City Girl Meets Farm Boy
Connect with Kelly on Facebook and Instagram
Meet Edgar | The Social Media Scheduling Tool That Manages Itself
The Social Influencer Vault
Shanty 2 Chic
Connect with Melanie on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest
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