This was my first year attending the Blogalicious Conference and boy was it amazing! In fact, this is the first blogging conference that I've ever attended, but I can assure you that it won't be the last. I learned way more from the conference than I expected and took home some valuable information to say the least. The theme of this year's conference was "Build Your Own Empire" (#BYOE15), complete with board style meetings and inspiring stories of how other successful bloggers built their empires through hard work, endurance and focus.
This year's conference was held at the gorgeous Marriot Waterfront hotel in Baltimore, MD. I wasn't able to attend the VIP Mastermind Day because I pretty much snatched up my ticket at the last minute but next time, I'll be making it a priority to snatch up the full VIP ticket well in advance.
The knowledge that I took from the conference was priceless. Being surrounded by hundreds of go-getters was especially inspiring and gave me the kick in the ass I think I needed to get back on track.
I put a lot of my personal projects, freelancing projects and my blog on hold for a while. Sometimes dealing with life's issues can put you into a place where you just don't have any motivation to do anything. This is how I felt, not to mention that I honestly became bored with blogging about natural hair care. I felt stuck in a box and couldn't quite figure out how to step out of that box. Honestly, I'm still trying to figure it all out, but the light at the end of the path seems a little clearer these days.
1. Build a "tribe" and actively engage
Building a network of supporters is extremely important to any brand or business. It's the key to your success and without supporters, you're brand will remain stagnant. This includes actively engaging with your audience by replying to comments, engaging on social media, answering emails in a timely fashion and networking. This is an area where I know I need to improve, especially when it comes to answering emails. Staying proactive and engaging with your audience, customers or supporters allows for trust building and building a strong community that will consistently return for whatever product or service you offer.2. Social Media is for building genuine relationships (or at least genuine conversations)
Social media isn't just about posting links to your website or blog, but building real, authentic relationships with your followers. It's about being social, period. Treat your social media like a party. Mix and mingle with members or various backgrounds and interests in order to establish an online identity. This is another area that I have to work on. I'm a true introvert at heart (until you get to know me that is) and sometimes I overthink it when it comes to the social media culture. If there's one thing I learned about social media is to dive right in, embrace it and make new digital friends who will also turn into supporters.
3. Promoting your content is great but promoting others is better
Who wants to follow someone who only talks about themselves, in real life or online? Don't be shallow, if your content is good you won't have to constantly flood your timeline with links that are all about you. You'll lose followers fast or people will just ignore you. Share valuable content not just from yourself, but other people whose content matches with your theme. Engage in genuine conversations with those who may share your niche. There is no competition when it comes to social media. People want to follow others who they can relate to and who understand the value of powerful and helpful content.4. Remain consistent in everything you do
Who is guilty of not staying consistent when it comes to their blog, business or website? *raises hand* Seriously, I've taken two major breaks from my blog without any warning to my readers including a 9-month break after the death of my grandmother and another year-long break for personal reasons. At one point, I could barely keep up with all the emails I was getting and all the comments being left on the blog. Once my readers realized that I wasn't updating on a regular basis, the fire slowly but surely died down.5. Own your expertise
Regina of byRegina.com is a phenomenal infopreneur and I had the pleasure of hearing this one-woman powerhouse speak at Blogalicious. What is even more amazing about how she runs her brand is that she gives away a ton of free, valuable content for creative ninjas that could literally change the course of your career. She is a prime example of how you can self-teach yourself anything and with enough practice, become an expert guru master in whatever your passions may be. You would thinks this woman had a Master's degree or a Ph.D with all the knowledge she confidently pours out. But you don't have to have a Master's degree in order to be an expert. Entrepreneurship is about constant learning through research, experience, trial and error. The more confident you are in your niche, the more confident others will be in your words.Attending Blogalicious was a total investment for me and if you're ready to get serious about your blogging as more than just a hobby, then investing in a conference should be at the top of your list.
