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Blogalicious 2015 is over and I’m glad. Wait, let me explain. I wasn’t feeling well the entire time I was in Baltimore. And, while everyone else was out enjoying the city, viewing a special movie screening and eating their hearts out, I was in my hotel room in the bed fighting a cold with the dreaded scratchy throat. And, the day after I got back home, I caught the flu. Can you say misery? Ok, what about miserable? The answer to your next question is no. I haven’t been right since then.
But seriously, now that we’ve settled back into our normal routines, what are we gonna do with the great info we learned during the sessions? Everybody’s different and will apply what they’ve learned at their own pace. If you’re anything like me, you’ve decided to take what you’ve learned and apply it to solve current problems with your blogging business.
Here are 3 of my favorite takeaways from Blogalicious 2015:
1). Consistency is an important key to being a successful blogger. Why?
Consistency is important because if you’re consistently writing and posting new content, your writing and your eye for selecting great topics will improve. A desire to be consistent will also motivate you to post regularly to social media to increase brand awareness and connect with your tribe.
My Thoughts: This is exactly what I needed to hear because posting regularly as in weekly, is one of my main challenges. I really want to post weekly, but something usually gets in the way. I need to set blogging priorities if I want to be recognized as a serious blogger. And, I will. #win #postweekly #quoteswillwork
Current Results: I’ve created a new editorial calendar to motivate me to post regularly, and eliminate the guesswork about topics to write about.
2). Building a tribe is necessary and takes time. Why?
As a new blogger, building a loyal tribe takes time and effort. I should be patient with myself and not get so anxious about it; because it will happen if I’m consistently posting. I need to make sure that I have an attractive and super useful opt-in offer to make readers want to sign up for my newsletter. And, once they’ve signed up, I can focus on keeping them interested and engaged in The KD Collection.
My Thoughts: I had to stop playing around with creating an opt-in offer and making it much harder than it really is. Initially, I didn’t have a clue about what I wanted to offer to new subscribers and I was a little stressed about it. After chatting with fellow creative Julie Harris of Julie Harris Design, I decided not to worry about the opt-in offer, and to let it happen organically.
Before certain breakout sessions, and in between sessions at Blogalicious, I asked the awesome Monique Malcolm-Goal of Keep Chasing the Stars about building my tribe. Monique said not to worry about it, but just do it. She also said to at least get started with simple things like creating newsletter drafts and making sure my content was on point. Monique was right, and I’m grateful for her advice.
I also asked Siobhan Sudberry of the BeFree Project questions about what my opt-in offer should look like and she immediately said this: “don’t worry about it. It doesn’t have to be some massive 20-page document at first. Just create a useful 1 – 2 page checklist and put it out there for your new subscribers.” And, then Siobhan said she wanted to see it when I was finished. I cannot describe the warm and fuzzy feeling I got after that conversation! #supportivesisters
Current Results: Last week, about three weeks after returning from Blogalicious, I was SO happy to finish my new 16-page ebook as an opt-in offer to my newsletter subscribers: Self-care Challenge: 3 Steps to Creating the Perfect Self-care Plan for YOU!
3). Support is everything.
Although I know it’s important to be a supportive sister friend, and it’s a part of my daily stride, it’s clearly another thing to see it openly demonstrated. At Blogalicious, I didn’t see anyone competing or being nasty. I saw women learning and connecting while enjoying themselves. I also felt an overwhelming spirit of sisterhood which is amazing!
Current Results: I’ve decided to continue to reach out via email to my blogging sisters to schedule phone conversations and chats to share ideas, encourage each other and brainstorm. And, I’m even more determined to show support to my sisters by sharing articles, retweeting and buying useful products and more. On the flip side, I want that same support reciprocated. #yesss
Speaking of support
Not only was this my first time attending Blogalicious, but I also spoke on a panel about Building Your Empire with Vision and Leave a Legacy with the fabulous Mattieologie aka Mattie James, and my girl Monique Malcolm. I learned a lot about myself because I was grateful to be selected to speak, but I was also super nervous. After the fly pep talk I gave myself while Mattie was speaking about honing your process, I was good.
It’s true. While Mattie was doing her thing, I was having an internal battle with fear: I was scared that I’d do something silly like burp or fall. I was scared that what I said wouldn’t make sense. And, I was scared that no one would care about what I had to say. Despite my mini internal soap opera, I punched fear in the throat and carried on! It was amazing to see women taking notes and nodding their heads in agreement with the points I made about forgiveness and making your self-care a priority. Did I make some mistakes? Yep, definitely. But it’s all good because it was a fantastic learning experience and I’m ready for the next one. #nextplease
Attending Blogalicious 2015 was an amazing experience because I was able to finally meet my girls who I’ve connected with online, make new connections and speak on a panel. In addition, I learned the importance of being consistent with everything I do; and that if I put in the work, my tribe will come. I hope you had a fantastic time, and you’ve started implementing things you’ve learned. Hugs!