five ways to get the most benefit from a blog conference {elevate thy blog!}

September 23, 2013 by

Blog conference.
 

Two words I’ve read tons about, dreamed about doing, and completely thought that I wouldn’t be able to go for a very long time.

But. About 2 weeks ago, my friend and fellow blogger Amanda asked to stay with me while she attended a conference in Houston- which I previously knew nothing about! I told her sure, and oh, how I wanted to go too. But it just wasn’t in the budget.

Then, a few days later, the tickets went on sale for just 13 bloggers. Like waaay, way on sale. And I was so fortunate to snag one! I am so incredibly thankful to be able to go and meet friends I’ve known through blogging for a while, and other new friends who are so incredibly talented and helpful. If  you’ve not yet been to a blogging conference, I thought I’d share a few things I learned at my first one.

5 ways to get the most out of your blog conference- don't miss these tips!

1.) Meet people whose blogs you enjoy reading. You just might make a new friend or two!


Paula, who blogs at Beauty through Imperfection, is about the sweetest person ever. We met through our blogs almost a year ago and I was so glad to finally be able to meet her in person. Her writing is thoughtful and honest, and she shares lots of great parenting tips.

Amanda from A Royal Daughter is one of my very first blogging friends. I got to meet her in February and was so glad to be able to see her again. She really is the most inspiring blogger I read!
Heather! If you know me in real life, you know what a fan of The Pioneer Woman I am. Well. Heather is the contributor for the homeschool portion of PW’s blog and I recognized her as soon as I saw her. I was a little star-struck but am so thankful I talked to her. She gave me lots of encouragement in homeschooling and such a genuine lady. Besides writing for PW, she also has an incredible homeschool blog here.

 

Teressa is also a minister’s wife and such a sweetheart. Amanda, Paula and I had a great time getting to know her. (also? She sells super cute clothes on Instagram. Check her out at @shoptjane)

 

2.) Network with potential sponsors
At most conferences, companies who are looking for bloggers to represent their company will be milling around. I was fortunate to meet a few this weekend.

Dustin from family-owned Lemi-Shine was so fun to meet. I am trying out Lem-Shine dishwasher products as l speak (is the inside of anyone else’s dishwasher as yucky as mine?) and hope to do a review soon!

 

It was so fun to meet James, son of legendary Mattress Mack from Gallery Furniture in Houston. He and his employees were so friendly and hopefully there will be some Gallery Furniture fun going on (think giveaway!) soon right here!

 
3.) Take notes, and lots of them
 
 
I took about 20 pages of notes, and I was only able to attend one day of the conference! I knew there was no way I’d be able to remember a 10th of what I learned, so I wanted to be able to go back and reflect and put things I had learned into action.
4.) Order and bring business cards with you.
 
 
About 2 weeks before the conference, I decided to take the plunge and order business cards from Vistaprint. I felt a little silly, but I am so glad I did it. For one reason, I met another pastor’s wife, homeschooling mama of lots of kiddos (not even at the conference!) and I was able to hand her my business card with my e-mail address so she could contact me for a play date! I also gathered business cards from many other bloggers that I wanted to remember and contact later.
5.) Connect, connect, connect
Take those business cards you collected and connect with those people! It’s fun to keep in contact after the conference, plus you never know when you’ll find something in common with another blogger later on! {I’ve already gained over 60 twitter followers since the conference.}
So, am I glad I went? Absolutely. The ladies who put this conference together were amazing. Oh, did I mention this was the very first Blog Elevated Conference?

 

And one of the founders, Lisa, is about to have her tenth baby? And she homeschools? Not real sure when she schedules time to breathe in there! (The other founder, Bobbie, also homeschools, by the way. Super exciting for me!)

 

 

 

If you are a blogger and really want to take your blog to the next level, I highly recommend attending a conference (and move to WordPress, I hear!). And if you can get your ticket on sale, even better!

 

 

 

Happy Monday!

PS  a huge shout out to the sponsors and volunteers of the conference!

Filed Under: blog conference, other blogs
About Kelli Hays

Kelli Hays is a wife, mother, writer, and friend. She has been blogging since 2008 and loves sharing inspiration for the everyday woman!

Comments

  1. Kelli H says
    September 23, 2013 at 3:24 pm

    Yes! Homeschooling moms for the win. 😉

  2. Kelli H says
    September 23, 2013 at 3:45 pm

    WHOA when did you find time to write a recap already, my head is still spinning. Also, had no idea that was Mattress Mac’s son! Great photos, sorry we didn’t meet!

  3. Kelli H says
    September 23, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    Angela, you better be glad you live far away from me or else I’d be stalking ya! 🙂
    Thanks again for a great workshop!

  4. Kelli H says
    September 23, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    ha Kristin, I stayed up WAY too late last night. I would blog a little, do a little laundry, repeat!
    Sad we didn’t get to meet either. Are you part of the Houston Bloggers group? I plan on going in October!

  5. Kelli H says
    September 23, 2013 at 7:35 pm

    Great post! I’m going to my first blog conference next month 🙂

  6. Kelli H says
    September 24, 2013 at 2:33 am

    Oh fun Michelle! Which one are you attending?

  7. Kelli H says
    September 24, 2013 at 2:53 am

    Thank you for the kind words! We hope to see you back next year.

  8. Kelli H says
    September 24, 2013 at 4:08 am

    Great job! I’m so glad that you were able to make it.

  9. Kelli H says
    September 24, 2013 at 5:13 am

    Well, now I blew my cover. I’m no star at all…just a simple gal with a perpetual stain on the front of my shirt (I blame it on the breasts – they’re hungry too, after all.). It was FANTASTIC to meet you; you’re so precious and genuine. Thanks for sharing a bit of your story with me!

  10. Kelli H says
    September 24, 2013 at 3:02 pm

    Glad you were able to make it. I am bummed we didn’t get to meet. See you next year.

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