My mini guide to advertising your blog

Have you ever thought about sponsoring another blog? A lot of well established blogs now offer advertising (for newer bloggers who are unaware of the term, you pay the blogger to place an image that links to your blog, on their blog) and it's becoming commonplace to see a host of buttons filling up the sidebars of your favourite blogs. 

I've advertised on a number of different blogs. I'm not currently sponsoring any blog, but that's mainly because I'm not updating frequently enough to make it seem worthwhile, rather than because I think it's a pointless endeavour.

1. If you're willing to spend a little money on your blog it can absolutely be beneficial. But it's going to be more beneficial to stick to blogs within your niche. Sure, you can sponsor a cooking blog when you like to blog about your daily outfits, but who's to say the people who are reading the cooking blog are going to be interested in fashion? If you sponsor a fashion blog, and you are a fashion blogger, it's more likely that the people who click on your button will enjoy your content.

2. Do your homework. Compare prices of advertising spots with bloggers of similar sizes. Compare the benefits you get - a shout out on twitter, a dedicated post about you and your blog, ability to contribute to a giveaway etc. You're parting with your pennies so you want to be getting the most you can with the money that you're spending. 

3. Like the blog and the blogger. Of course you want to be getting a good deal, but I think it's also important to enjoy the content of the blog you're sponsoring and to have a good rapport with the advertiser. 

4. Create an eye catching button. Ok, so now that you've paid for the spot, you want people to click your blog button. It's pretty difficult to create an eye catching button, as you want to get across the feel of your blog in a few pixels! Maybe you could incorporate the colour scheme of your blog into a button, or include one of your best pictures that you've published on your blog. 

5. Make your blog the best it can be. You've paid for an advertising space, you've created an eye catching button that people are clicking on, so you want people to stick around. Put your best blogging foot forward and show your blog in the best light possible. Publish some great posts and make sure everything on your blog is linking to where it needs to link to, so that people can follow you and find out more about you. 

6. If a blog doesn't have their stats on their 'sponsor' page, e-mail them. You're paying for a button, so you have every right to be told the blog's statistics.

Finally, my advice (which I know some disagree with) is to purchase a few smaller spots on a couple of blogs of a similar size and see which ones works best, before buying a bigger spot. The main reason for this is because if you find it doesn't work out for you, you've not spent too much money, and also you can compare which blogs worked out better for you at the end of the month.

What do you think of my tips? I'm by no means an expert and I'm not one to tell other people what to do on their blogs, I just wanted to share what I've learned from my experience of advertising so far.

Spitalfields Market

Can you believe I've never visited Spitalfields Market before? Usually my Sunday mornings are a lazy affair. Sleeping in until ten, a coffee whilst catching up on some blogs and maybe a spot of light baking and kindle reading are my favourite past times. I'm never usually one to make lots of plans but when Liverpool Street is a mere ten minute bus journey away, there really is no excuse to visit Spitalfields Market. 

I'm sorry that there are only a few photos to show you. I didn't realise that Spitalfields have a rather strict 'no photography' policy and I was even made to delete some of the photos I had taken. It's a great shame really because I think it's helpful to share the photos with others who might have been considering going, and the way they went about making me delete the photos put a downer on the whole experience. 

The market is a few minutes walk from Liverpool Street station, and there's a stark contrast between the suited and booted businessmen rushing to work and the patchwork coat clad hipsters weaving in and out of market stalls a few minutes down the road. Equally as contrasting are the chain restaurants and high end cosmetic shops that line the market. The market itself sells an eclectic mix of jewellery, scarves, printed t-shirts, incense sticks and burners, artwork, cakes and other various bits and pieces. Despite being busy it seems to have a fairly laid back atmosphere, but if like me you're put off from browsing because of the massive crowds I'd suggest arriving early. I know that the market is open for the majority of the week, but Sunday is supposed to be the day to go. 

 Have you ever been to Spitalfields Market before? What did you think?