BlogHer 2017
The Most Potent Blogger Situation Thus Far!
Less than a month ago, I received an email from a super nice lady inviting me to attend the BlogHer Conference in Orlando, FL June 22-24. I was caught in a battle of whether to hang out in San Francisco with my mama or hang with bloggers galore in Orlando! The decision was truly difficult as I wanted to do badly walk the San Fran hills and pose by the Golden Gate Bridge! Ultimately, I made one of the most life-changing decisions and headed to Orlando after a two week stent in Washington (Pacific NorthWest)! I was eager, excited, anxious, and ultimately thrilled especially that I would get to stay and hang with my childhood bestie, Estelle!
Hola Lovelies! Ladies and Gentlemen, my soul was truly moved! Blogging is beyond a hobby (obviously, if you haven't noticed) for me and really turning into a lifestyle for me. Now I always say, "Hello! My name is Nonee and I am a life & style nurse blogger!" I keep saying it into the universe as a spiritual manifestation that it will be soon! The opportunity to attend BlogHer 2017 came at the most opportune time. I was in a pit of despair as I relished in failed goals and just being in a blogging lag. My biggest goal of the summer was to freelance and travel and somehow that was not on the horizon for many reasons that seemed pathetic! So after I scored a ticket, it felt like a divine intervention; as if the universe was giving me nudge to get out of the pity party!
BlogHer is a sub-brand of the parent company Sheknows Media. BlogHer is mission driven community of women content creators; with a simple purpose for women to inspire women. Never in my life have I been in a room of women and feel so welcomed, supported, carried, and not judged! The creators of this conference had a large roster of speakers such as Chelsea Clinton, Cecile Richards, Serena Williams, Luvvie Ajayi, Laurie Hernandez, & Janet Mock and incredible workshops that literally were life changing. It is so hard to summarize what I got out of #BlogHer17 but I think I can try to get it all together and summarize it efficiently in a list for ya'll.
10 THINGS I LEARNED AT BLOGHER 2017
1. FACEBOOK > INSTAGRAM. According to blogger and social media expert Nathan Engels, Facebook is really where it is at for companies looking to collaborate with bloggers and also for driving traffic back to your actual site. In addition, there is data supporting the premise that in 5 years, Facebook will be mostly video. So in other words, if you are not making videos, get started ASAP! Subscribe to my email list for more info! The next newsletter will contain in depth info about Facebook.
2. Travel Blogging decoded. Being able to get expert advice about travel blogging from full time travelers was a potent experience. There are many Facebook travel groups you can join that contain incredible helpful tips and advice on how to be a success in that niche.
3. Business Cards are life! If you do not have a business card, it's easy to get them made via online resources such as VistaPrint and Moo.
4. Create a Media Kit. Thank God for my mentor in my head Jenna Kutcher for her amazing podcasts that I was obsessed with before I started my blog! Also, have your rates separate from your kit and always ask what the brand's budget is before presenting your rate card.
5. Do not work for free. As bloggers, we are undervalued even though brand's are know our usefulness. Photographing, creating captions, and posts takes time and time is MONEY!
6. Be authentic. We all hear this ally but what does this truly mean? Figure out what makes you unique and stand out of the clutter of these millions of bloggers.
7. What value are you adding to the world? People typically tend to cling longer to something that brings value to their life (hello self help lists). What about you and your brand is adding someone else?
8. Research, research, research. Learn and study your craft so that you too can be an expert one day! This includes researching SEO, how other successful bloggers are being successful, how to make money as a blogger etc.
9. Perennials. According to Gina Pell and me to be quite honest, there is such a negative connotation associated with millenials and also a very limiting age range. According to The What, Perennials,"...are ever-blooming, relevant people of all ages who live in the present time, know what’s happening in the world, stay current with technology, and have friends of all ages. We get involved, stay curious, mentor others, are passionate, compassionate, creative, confident, collaborative, global-minded, risk takers who continue to push up against our growing edge and know how to hustle. We comprise an inclusive, enduring mindset, not a divisive demographic."
10. Curiosity. Being curious is what sets us (bloggers, creatives, entrepreneurs etc) apart but curiosity isn't enough; it has to be productive curiosity. Make that thing you keep putting off happen today!
Was it worth it? Traveling down and renting a car of course was expensive! Thankfully, I didn't have to cough up the $399 for a conference ticket but I still spent a lot of money to make it down there. It DEFINITELY was worth it! One thing to consider is that if you are a student, the student ticket to most conferences is so much cheaper like $99. Anyway, the networking potential was huge and also the information I gathered was beyond what I expected! The expo hall where we could connect with brands honestly was mediocre AF however I still did manage to find a way to network with brands and get in he mix! I went down alone, nervous AF but quickly, I realized that these women were all as eager and ready to mingle and network like me. It was potent! Thank you BlogHer and SheKnows Media! I had an excellent time at my very first blogger conference!
I hope that I was able to break this down for ya'll! If you have any questions, feel free to email me at hello@noneesworld.com. Until next time, big bisous!
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