GigCoin was founded by two gals who have had plenty of experience hiring bloggers for gigs. Between Ana and I,  we have probably hired more than 200 bloggers for various gigs over the last few years, including:

• writing blog posts on everything from frugal living to social media (from $20 to $150)
• participating in focus groups (from $10 to $100)
• being community managers for businesses ( $250 to $4,000 a month)
• helping with SEO  ($250)
• testing iPhone apps : ($15 to $50)
• serving as brand ambassadors ($100 to $1000 per conference)
• answering surveys ($2 to $25)
• hosting or helping with twitter chats ($50 to $250 per blogger)

We have firsthand experience with the talent, dedication and professionalism offered by top bloggers. So, it was pretty easy to come up with our top 5 reasons to hire bloggers to get the job done:

1. seen that been there:  Bloggers are power users of the Internet, mobile apps and social media tools. Most have the same lives and needs as your target but they live online,  spending hours tweeting, blogging and interacting.  If you ask them to participate in a campaign, or give you feedback,  they can easily reference other sites and campaigns. They have first hand seen what works or doesn’t. Just ask a blogger about bad pr pitches if you want an ear full.

2. the art of story telling: Bloggers know how to engage audiences, and know how to use a story to draw in your target. They know it’s about community not selling. They’ll find different story angles and ways to sell your goods and services without the hard sell. They are pros at using video and pictures to spark the interest of readers.

3. natural community builders: Bloggers are regularly engaged with their audiences.  The top bloggers are usually part of a larger blogger tribe that  supports each other, with comments, rts and likes. They can expose your brand to thousands quickly through their networks.

4. care about their brand: Bloggers are the dream contractors you have been searching for. They care about their reputation and work as much as you care about your business. Most of what a blogger does is highly visible and so their is built in incentive to perform well.

5. online footprint: You can fully check out a blogger by visiting their blogs and social media accounts. You can check the content quality, tone and personality fit with your businesses. This is way more than you can usually get from only looking at a resume and having a quick interview chat with someone.

Bloggers are a great resource for businesses but make sure to do your homework first.

• Find the right bloggers: check metrics, read their blog and understand what they are doing with their social media accounts.
• Use bloggers wisely: even the best of bloggers can’t do much with a bad campaign. Bloggers are more effective when they are talking about a topic rather doing a hard sell. (e.g., effective= tips for quick baking versus not as effective= buy this great baking tin from company x).

Check out our how to get started on blogger outreach post to get more tips on how to find the right bloggers.

If you are still not sure how to use bloggers but are intrigued, contact us at info@gigcoin for some help. Or go ahead test hiring a blogger on GigCoin today by posting a gig or buying a pitch.

Have you hired a blogger? Share your experiences.