I Survived Bloggy Boot Camp

One word to describe my experience; A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!

I met so many wonderful, brilliant & sweet women bloggers that just totally blew me away.  This was my first blogging conference experience and at first I was intimidated. But Tiffany {aka SITSgirl} is quit the hostess! She is sassy, funny and simply fabulous! From the moment you meet her she makes you feel welcomed and apart of her family.

What I loved most of all at Bloggy Bootcamp is the intimacy and the size of the group.  It was perfect.  I felt like I was able to speak to a lot of the bloggers {even though there were ones I missed and I am kicking myself now} and all of the women were just as excited to talk with you and share ideas.

Since my blog is only a few weeks old it gave me a lot to think about.  Who am I? In what direction am I headed with my blog? What is my brand? The information I walked away with was priceless.  I can read all about blogging but there is something about actually meeting people face to face and engaging in conversation.

A few things I learned at the conference:

1. Bring business cards.  Everyone exchanges them and it is a great way for people to remember you after the conference.  You can buy inexpensive ones at Vista Print {which I did} and I got so many compliments on them.  Be creative with your wording and design because you can really stand out.

2.  There are a few ways to drive traffic to your blog {but don’t get hung up on numbers};

A. Participate in Meme’s and if you feel creative enough start a new one – something different than what is already out there. A great example of this is Mama Kat’s Writers Workshop.

B. Twitter is a fantastic way to get yourself out there. But please don’t just tweet your blog posts. You need to engage with others, start conversations, and put yourself out there to be noticed.

C. Comments, Comments Comments. Best way to do this is by commenting on blogs that don’t have a million other comments {most of the time yours will just get lost in the mix}. Comment on a blog that doesn’t have a high volume of comments. Great way to start conversations and get visitors to your site.

Don’t comment the same thing on every blog! It is so unattractive and really turns people off. Read their post first then comment with something that is related to what you read. Don’t write “Great post” or “Thanks for stopping by my blog” over and over again you are going to turn people off! And remember it is all about give and take.  I know the more you grow the harder it is to respond to comments but try because that is how you will build your following and keep readers.

D. Start a Facebook Fan Page.  I just wrote a post about this and linked to some wonderful resources to help you get started.  Also, make sure to visit Scary Mommy’s how-to’s {by the way have I told you what a sweet person she is? Totally not scary at all!}.

3. Brand yourself. Even if you don’t think you are, everything on your blog is a representation of your brand. Think about the colors you want to use, your title and most importantly some type of tag-line.  This is your chance to be a little creative and witty. I was so thrilled to hear people say to me, “I know your blog”, “I couldn’t wait to meet you” and  “Love the name of your blog!”. Even though it is only a few weeks old and is still a work in progress it was a great feeling to know that others knew who I was. Maybe not my real name but they knew me as “Life Without Pink”, which felt so great!

4. Make a tribe. You need to form a small group with other bloggers so you can bounce off ideas, support one another and if you are feeling overwhelmed and frustrated they will help you snap back into reality.  I couldn’t believe that I traveled all the way to Baltimore to find a few girls right in my own backyard.  We have developed our small “tribe” and plan on having monthly blogging meetings which I am so excited about!

5. Learn about SEO. I had no clue about this.  But thanks to Tara from Feels Like Home, she really opened my eyes! Who knew that you should rename your photos with strong keywords or make sure your titles are really catchy? All ways to definitely increase your traffic.  To view Tara’s entire SEO Presentation click here.

6. Blogger vs. WordPress. What I have learned is if you want the traffic, to look professional, and have the ability to make money start with WordPress or move over. There are lots of designers out there that will help you make the transition.  Most of the girls at the conference that have switched had no problems and has really increased their traffic. But hey if you don’t want to switch, then do your thing! My blog, Otherhood, is still on blogger and while I LOVE wordpress it will stay put for awhile. I can only conquer one thing at a time and I am still trying to understand this whole wordpress world. Make the decision that you feel most comfortable with.

7. Blogging should not make you feel guilty. Most of us start this as a hobby or as a creative outlet for ourselves.  Eventually over time our blogs build and grow and take on a new shape. You should never feel guilty because you aren’t doing enough blogging, commenting, tweeting, etc. Tiffany says it best, “Decide what you are going to do and do it well. Don’t spread yourself thin.”

8. Know your worth. This was such an eye opener for me. I have a lot of companies contact me to do reviews or giveaways for them on my blog, Otherhood. I always felt guilty saying no but you know what? It is ok to say no and it feels good!  I was getting so many requests for reviews and I was starting to feel overwhelmed. It really took the fun out of doing what I loved and I am putting a stop to it.  I am going to be more selective on the reviews I do.  A mom bloggers’ time is just as valuable as anyone’s and we can not forget that.

My favorite part was after the conference ended in a thing called “circle of trust”.  If you were there you know what I am talking about. Enough said.

If you are looking to attend a blogging conference but are a bit hesitate, I highly recommend a Bloggy Bootcamp. Thank you @SITSGirls. I came to learn more about blogging and I have grown so much from this experience.

Meet Life Without Pink

I'm Tina, a wife and mother of two very active little boys. I'm the Co-founder of Girls' Lunch Out {GLO}, a marketing company that hosts networking events for women in social media. I'm also part of the BabyCenter social media team and the Family Expert for P&G's Have You Tried This Yet? Trend Trio.

• View all posts by Life Without Pink →
• Blog
• Twitter
• Facebook

If you liked this post, please consider leaving a comment or Subscribe to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader. Thank you!