Blog Elevated was the first blogger conference that I’ve ever been too, and it certainly won’t be my last. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you probably saw some of the fun things going on at the conference in Grapevine, Texas.
The Swag
I was really impressed by all of the free stuff we received at the conference! While I came to the conference for all of the information I would learn to grow my blog, I was more than appreciative of all the goodies they had for us! Not only did I get all of this swag…
…but I also won this gorgeous Lily Jade bag!!
That is the picture I submitted that won me the organizing bag. If you are familiar with Lily Jade, you probably know that these bags were made to be stylish diaper bags. While I don’t have any reason to use it as a diaper bag, I did find that it is perfect for carrying my laptop, planner, and everything else I need! Plus, I can stay organized! Not only that, but it easily converts from a backpack (pictured above) to a purse (pictured below).
Beauty, Bubbles, and Bites
Beauty, Bubbles, and Bites was a super swanky afterparty they threw after the sessions on Saturday. There was food and wine….
…jewelry cleaning….
…and even beauty stations (Not that I was about to put them through the torture of fooling with my hair!!)
It was a really fun night and I met a ton of inspiring bloggers.
In addition to meeting so many amazing bloggers and receiving more swag that I could have ever dreamed of, I learned a bunch of tips to help grow my blog! While I could talk all day about the abundance of knowledge I gained at the conference, I figured I would sum it up into my top 5 takeaways.
5. When working with brands, remember that you are a business.
If you take yourself seriously, others will too. While it can be easy to send emails with the same type of speaking that you use to text your friends, it is important to remember to be professional. Also, make sure you are following up on everything you agree to doing.
4. People buy from people they know, like, and trust.
Make sure that in every post you put into cyberspace is written with integrity and speaks on your personality. If your blog is about being vegan and someone offers you a campaign for leather purses, it is probably not a good idea to accept. Your bloggers won’t trust you and that is the last thing you want!
3. Know your audience.
This is important because they are the ones you are writing for. It’s good to know what they are more likely to be interested in. If the majority of the people reading your blog are 50 and older, they probably don’t care to read about your 10 tips to getting through your first pregnancy. That isn’t something they are going through.
Also, brands want to know who your audience is so they can be sure that you are a good fit for their campaign! One of the speakers said that sometimes they are looking for people who live in a small town because they are more likely to have readers who are from that particular area.
2. Have a social media crisis plan.
This was something that I’d never even thought of before coming to the session. You never know when something you meant as harmless and funny may go viral and effect your image. Make sure to have one of these!
1. Find balance in .logging by taking off the scale.
IDK about y’all but I get stressed out if I have way too much on my plate! Well one of the bloggers who spoke had this brilliant idea about how to make that easier. Stop doing so much! It is really that simple. The reason for this is because it is better to do a great job on a few things than to do a bad job on just one. Brands are going to want your best and when you go above and beyond for them, they remember that. So its okay to focus on just a handful of things.
Well those are the top 5 takeaways I took from the Blog Elevated. I learned a ton of information from each of the speakers and I can’t wait to go to my next conference!
Let Me Know:
Have you ever been to a blogger conference? Which one, and what was your favorite thing about it? Let me know in the comments below!
**I almost forgot to mention the book I won from Abbie Unger! Its a super helpful book about making money through Facebook Groups! You guys should definitely check it out! Her session had some of my helpful tips!
