TOP: Asos (only $40, wearing US4 = S) // DENIM: Agolde (run true to size, wearing 24) // SHOES: Dolce Vita (under $80, so comfy, run true to size) // BAG: Gucci // SUNGLASSES: Karen Walker (similar)
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I have to preface today’s blog post saying that I have learned SO incredibly much over the last two years blogging, and have taught myself almost everything up to this point. With that being said, if you are interested in reading about blogging 101, definitely go read. I also have a post coming next week about blogging do’s and dont’s!
Today I wanted to share my top takeaways from #rStheCon! Whether you’re an aspiring blogger or a fellow friend/fashion enthusiast, I think what I have learned can relate to you in one way or another. Some of it may surprise you 😉
Let’s dive right into my top takeaways from #rStheCon:
- My #1 tip. Be YOU. Dress like yourself, and act like yourself without trying to fit in. Last year I wore a lot of dresses and realized, that’s not really who I am, but more so what I thought other bloggers would be wearing. This year, I wore a lot more denim and more casual looks because I felt comfortable and I noticed a huge difference in my presence and confidence!
- Learn to time block and day block. This is important, especially if you’re juggling another full time job, a baby, or just life in general. They talked about the importance of using this miracle time cube throughout your day to keep you on track and manage your time during the day and week. I definitely get side-tracked super easily, and as you know, I’m currently balancing a full time teaching job AND a full time blogging job so i need to be as efficient with my time as possible!
- Find your why. Find your why for your blog, find your why in life, create a mission statement. Curate a couple sentences that really narrows down who you are, who your reader is, and what your goals are to a specific niche. This will help you target your audience and hone in on what your goals are!
- Be flexible and go with the flow. It’s a super busy weekend at #rStheCon, so being resilient and accepting a change in your schedule is a must! For example, I worked with a photographer in Dallas that was absolutely swamped with bloggers and running late, but I went with the flow and everything ended up working out okay!
- Eat snacks and drink water. This sounds silly, but it’s #reallife. Like I mentioned before, your #rStheCon schedule is extremely busy, and you get wrapped up in the experience that you forget to eat and stay hydrated. I learned to eat before the cocktail parties instead of after to give myself that boost of energy.
- Create and bring business cards and media kits. No matter how big or small your brand is, having business cards with your contact info and a media kit with brand analytics will surely impress those that you communicate with.
- Remember these tips for scoring collaborations: relevance, reach, resonance, revenue. You want to keep your content exciting to keep your readers engaged. Unique content is what a lot of brands look for! Also, brands mentioned response time being extremely important when choosing to work with influencers!
- Schedule a photographer. This year I scheduled a photographer in-between my classroom sessions, brand meetings, and networking opportunities, and wow was I busy! I talked to a few other incredibly wise bloggers who said they flew in early, to shoot all of their looks right away. This way, they could thoroughly enjoy themselves throughout #rStheCon and not have to run around like a chicken with their head cut off!
- Make strategic connections. I learned this on my own this year, and although it sounds simple, it’s so important. Connecting with brands that fit your style and your brand organically are key. In addition to speaking to the brand representatives at #rStheCon and giving them your card, you need to ask for their information in return. You also need to tell why their brand resonates with you and is relevant to your content. You have to sell yourself. Also: don’t be afraid to go up to a huuuuge blogger that has been influential to you. I spoke personally with @songofstyle, @jillianharris, @ashleyrobertson, and more which made me feel so happy and understand that they are boss babes just like me! Don’t forget to take a selfie with them 😉
- Stay positive and uplifting to yourself and encourage those around you. No one wants to surround themselves with a downer or a negative person. Be encouraging to yourself and remind yourself of how far you have come and all that you’ve achieved. Being positive will create an inspiring and motivating environment for yourself and those around you!
- Now a couple blogging tips that are SO important: migrate your website from http to https before July, use tailwind to boost your page views to Pinterest and your other social channels, create an editorial calendar, use keyword searches to boost SEO, and utilize google analytics to its full extent! Let me know if you need me to elaborate on any of these topics!
These are just a few of the major takeaways from this year’s rewardStyle conference! Like I said before, I have learned SO MUCH MORE up to this point that I could write 500 blog posts on, but these are more building blocks that I’m adding on to my foundation of blogging. Please feel free to DM me on Instagram, email me, or comment below for any other questions! I promise to respond, as always 😉