10 Blogging Lessons I Learned From #TBSCon

So I’m a little sad about these photos. I love this romper and I can’t find it online anywhere. It’s from Francescas and I’ve seen it in stores still but it’s not listed online so I can’t link it for y’all. I wouldn’t give up hope though if you really need it, just go check in your local store. I always linked a ton of others similar and that I tried on when I was looking for my party outfit for #TBSCon. Hunting for a dress/outfit for the first welcome party was soooooo not easy. I looked for weeks with nothing. I think it was hard because July is not the time to look for a summer party dress. Stores are starting to change over their clothes for the season and most stuff is picked over. After looking through everything online I ended up in my local mall and found this romper and another that I didn’t wear but still bought too. I was so relieved once I found something to wear.

Another bummer about this outfit is these shoes. They are freaking adorable and I saw them bought them wore them. End of story. I wish…they hurt so bad! I have a very high pain tolerance and pride myself as the girl who doesn’t end up barefoot by the end of the night. I’m talking I’ve freaking helped clean up and move heavy tables after a wedding in heels before. That’s how high I hold the bar of not being “that girl.” Oh honey I was that girl though in these shoes! The little strap that goes over your toes like cut into my baby toe by the end of the night. I think I have wider feet and so once my feet swelled the strap got so tight and I just couldn’t handle it. I took them off before going back to our room and you could visually see the indent and it was like purple. It hurt so bad! Now I’m not saying don’t buy the shoes. Because I mean pink, bows…adorable! Another blogger Jen is who I originally saw wearing them and she didn’t tell me anything about them hurting. So hopefully it’s just me and you can your adorable bow shoes will live happily ever after.

Now onto the stuff this blog title promises. The tips and lessons I learned at The Blog Societies Conference. If you missed it you can check out my recap of #TBSCon here. I think these are great lessons for a new blogger or an old seasoned one. So here’s some ways you can take your blog to the next level!

Cultivate Community

This was literally the point of the conference and something I also feel strongly about in life. Community is necessary and so so good! Everyone needs community in their life, people who know you, and people who come along side of you in support. The conference and the leaders Cathy and Jess do such a great job of building a community of bloggers who support one another. Networking is a big part of this, and I don’t even think you have to go to a conference to network or build a community. Some of the bloggers who I know live right near me. Simply reach out on instgram and ask to get coffee or lunch. I love when bloggers have done it to me and it’s been so great when I’ve done it to others. Not to mention it’s a perfect way to exchange outfit photos!

Be Yourself!

This sounds so basic but I think it’s important to reitterate. Don’t copy someone else. Grace Atwood from The Stripe said ” There’s already a Julie Engel.” Not all of us can be Gal Meets Glam. Each of us have our own personalities and our own styles. So offer that to your followers. If they wanted someone else they’d go follow them and not you. So be you!

Have Something To Give

With that being said your readers want something from you. Offer them advice or tips or some knowledge that you have. A quote that stuck with me was “They can see your outfit on instagram so why would they come to your blog?” Ouch! But it’s true. If you’re just shooting outfits and there’s nothing in your blog post than your followers can stay on instagram and never leave. They’ll get their outfit inspiration from there and need nothing else. So you (and me too) have to give people a reason to click on over here to the blog.

Make It Mobile

My website is viewed 49% of the time on mobile. The majority of people who visit are visiting on a mobile device. Do you know what that means? My website better look dang good on a phone! So you’re probably should too. Make sure your website is mobile friendly and easy to use there just as much as on a desktop.

Revamp Old Content

This was something I had never thought of before. Lindsey stressed the importance of updating old but good content. You can add in better photography, update your affiliate link, and make the SEO better all so your content is working for you.Why write a whole new Nordstrom Anniversary post this year when last years is still amazing? You can go through and update it. Make a new collage update old links and boom you didn’t even have to write a new post. For me that means updating old travel posts and making my most read and visited posts better.

Pitch, Pitch, Pitch!

Pitching myself is an area I really need to work on. Practically every speaker and blogger on the panel talked about the importance to pitching yourself. I heard multiple times over the weekend “The worst they will say is no.” And it’s true. So why am I not doing it more? I have a lot to offer and I need to not sell myself short. Start with small local boutiques you could partner with and then expand from there.

Know Your Worth

While pitching though don’t give up too much. Know your worth and don’t settle. You don’t need to take every collaboration. Make sure it fits your brand. Also know you don’t need to work for free. Any collaboration should be mutually beneficial.

Go Above and Beyond

When you do collaborate with a brand make sure you do your best! Show the brand that you care and that you work hard. If they ask for one social post give them two. If they only want a blog post give them some social exposure as well. This will show the brand you mean business and they’ll want to work with you again.

Start In Your city

As far as travel blogging goes Alicia Chew really shed some light on this. In her workshop she really showed us her process from start to finish when it came to travel collaborations. Something she shared though was that you need to build a portfolio of awesome travel content first. How do you do that? Start where you are. You can create travel guides or day trips right from your own city. Share the best local coffee shops or how to see the closest major city in a day. You can do this really well and share that with others to show the type of travel content you can produce.

It’s Suppose To Be Fun

Last, but not least, enjoy yourself! Don’t forget why you started blogging in the first place. This started as a hobby and you are meant to enjoy it. While yes it can turn into a job and collaborations are contracted work you should still have fun with it!