5 Things I Learned from The Blog Societies Conference
I had the pleasure of attending The 6th Annual Blog Societies Conference earlier in August. I always make it a point to attend this conference because it’s so good in so many different ways. I’ve been every year so far and have taken away such amazing nuggets of knowledge from the event each time. Last year I wrote a post on why I love to go to conferences and The Blog Societies Conference is one that I never skip! I love the conference but it always comes at such a crazy work time for me so it’s hard to come home and get right to work. BUT I’m making it a point to go back through all my learnings and put some things to work this week.
I always love reading what others take away from things like this and if you’re a blogger, business owner, or doing anything business related on social media you will be able to take something away from this post as well! Also, I’m answering a few frequently asked questions about The Blog Societies & The Conference at the bottom of this post!
You Don’t Have to Start to Travel to Get Started in Travel Blogging
Alicia, from Alicia Tenise, taught a workshop on travel blogging. I LOVED that she started off with, you don’t actually have to have done a ton of travel to get travel partnerships. But you DO need content to show. So her tip? Do some travel series from your town! You could do a staycation post on what you would do for a staycation in your city. A 5 best brunch spots in your city. Or a Top 10 Things do on a weekend. The “travel” related opportunities are endless to the town you live in or live nearby! Totally take that opportunity and run with it!
Your Instagram CAN be a Mix of Professional Photos and iPhone Photos
I think over the years of blogging everyone really preached QUALITY CONTENT! So when you’ve really worked to create quality, beautiful photos, it’s hard to post an iPhone shot every now and again! But there’s a shift happening on instagram that people are actually responding really well to iPhone photos. People are less likely to engage with the high quality, “perfect” professional photos and are loving the iPhone photos. As a blogger who is doing this professionally, your brand partnerships need to be shot with a professional camera, but weekend things and not sponsored content can easily be shot on the go with an iPhone.
When Working with Brands, If They Want the Rights to Your Photos, Increase the Cost
I never really thought of this, but if you’re charging a brand to work with you and they want to use these photos in advertisements and want the rights to your photography, you need to charge more. If they want the rights to the photos “indefinitely” you charge a lot more. The tides are turning where brands are looking to content creators to create content for them, that otherwise they would have to pay a photographer, a set stylist, models, props, rent out a space to shoot, etc. So if they’re planning to use your work for months on major advertisements for their brand, definitely charge what that’s worth. That will also cause you to have exclusivity with that brand for that amount of time and will not allow you to work with other brands in that area, so also be cautious of that as well.
Recipe Posts Do Really Well for SEO
I’ve been wanting to do some healthy recipe posts and healthy eating posts but they feel SO out of my comfort zone! I don’t know how to photograph food, I don’t have a glamorous kitchen (or cook ware for that matter!) and I don’t even really know what I’m doing ha! But I do feel like giving some good recipe posts a shot could be great for the blog, great for SEO, pinterest and you guys seem interested! So I may give that go!
Email Newsletters are the Most Powerful Way to Speak to Your Readers
I have a love/hate relationship with email newsletters. I know they’re important, but I don’t have a real strategy with mine. That’s one thing I’ve really been focusing on and planning since the conference. They’re a great way to have a direct conversation with your readers. If you do it right, it’s a personalized email straight to your reader’s inbox! So, I’m planning to send one out 2x a month. One will be a “things I’m loving lately” newsletter with books, gadgets, podcasts, quotes, shopping finds and more! And the other will be a love notes email where I just share a little more of what’s going on behind the scenes. Things I’m working on, things I’m struggling with and just a way to chat with you guys! SO if you’re interested, sign up here! My Loving Lately email is actually going out tonight so make sure you don’t miss that one! Yay!
The Blog Societies FAQ
And then just to answer a few frequently asked questions about the conference and The Blog Societies in general….
What is the Blog Societies?
It’s a network of bloggers, built by bloggers. My favorite part of this network is it’s run by bloggers, Cathy of Poor Little it Girl and Jessica of My Style Vita. They are just normal bloggers who saw a need for community in the industry. When they started the Southern Blog Societies 6 years ago I had been following both of them and immediately signed up! I went to their first event in Atlanta and met (& roomed) with 3 girls I had never met before! Those girls ended up being great friends who I still talk to and LOVE! (Shelby of Glitter & Gingham, Julie of Julie Leah and Jess of Here & Now). After that weekend I realized how important it was to network with other like minded bloggers in my area. And since then have been a huge advocate for The Blog Societies ever since! It’s the best, most down to earth event out there and I just love supporting fellow bloggers who are now friends, like Cathy & Jess!
Well, What Does the Blog Societies Do?
The Blog Societies is a cultivated community for influencers to unlock the resources, connections and tools necessary to grow their blogs.
Members of The Blog Societies gain access to an online community where they feel encouraged, supported and are connected to industry peers. This is a rewarding society where members will be exposed to prominent brands who come to The Blog Societies to seek out influencers to work alongside. Below is a glimpse of the benefits those unlock with their membership.
- Listed as an official member under our Member Directory
- Features on website and social channels
- Download free blogging resources in our Library
- Access to our private Facebook and Pinterest group
- Exclusive invites to state meet ups, workshops and annual conference
Do You Have to Be a Member to Go to the Conference?
Yes! Membership is a must, but the membership is a small fee compared to what you get. You’ll love being a member of this community!
Do You Have to Be a Full Time Blogger to Be a Member of The Blog Societies?
NO! You don’t have to be a full time or “professional” blogger to be a member. New bloggers are always welcome! But you do have to take your blog seriously. They want to see dedicated bloggers, those who post consistently and take their brand seriously. They are partnering with top notch brands and want to show them that they have a top notch community!
I also would just like to note that The Blog Societies has real, genuine, unique and NICE bloggers attend and speak at their conferences. I’m so happy I got the opportunity to meet Rachel Martino at last year’s conference. She’s killing the game, but attended everything this weekend just as if she was like the rest of us. She remembered me from the previous year and is truly so sweet. What a breath of fresh air it is to attend alongside people like that!
