BlogPodium 2014

You guys, I had the most amazing weekend. But, I’m sure that comes as no surprise. After all, it was BlogPodium weekend! If you were around this time last year, you may remember my gushing recap. Although I didn’t get to have tea with Sarah Richardson this year (I still can’t quite believe that happened), BlogPodium 2014 did NOT disappoint. The day was full of inspiring talks, helpful tips, fun contests, and tons of connections. It’s a surreal experience to finally meet someone you’ve known electronically for months or even years. Although I could gush about the people and experience for ages, I thought it might be more interesting for YOU (Possibly? Maybe? I don’t know) if instead, I recapped what I learned. I know I said I don't blog about blogging, but we'll just have to make an exception for today. So, without further ado, here are my main take-aways from BlogPodium 2014:

The importance of a personal brand. What do you stand for? What are your pillars? What's that one thing instantly reminds people of you? Figure out what that is and capitalize on it. 

Treating brands as partners, rather than paycheques. One of the speakers suggested that each engagement should be approached as if it were  a long-term relationship. That made sense to me on multiple levels. Beyond relationships with brands, relationships with readers should also be treated as the beginning of something more long-term. More than just responding "thanks" to a kind comment - starting a dialogue builds a rapport and encourages the reader to return.

w/ sarah & lindsey

Don't do social. Be social. Be authentic in your interactions. Be kind. Remember that you never know how important someone may be (not that that's any excuse for treating someone poorly) so you should always be aware of how you treat others.

jen (founder of blogpodium), scott, monika, & leigh-ann

Know what your goals are. Set them. Set them high. - direct quote from one Scott McGillivray, maybe you've heard of him? I'm so guilty of not setting goals with this blog. It can seem like just one more thing to add to an overly full plate, but really, it might help me to trim the plate down. Figure out what really matters to me and help avoid some of the clutter.

Be a visual pro. Especially in the design industry, aesthetics matter just as much as words, if not more. Although my photography skills have certainly improved over the last 2 years, I still have a LONG way to go.  I've hit a bit of a plateau recently and I really need to keep pushing forward to bring my abilities to the next level.

It's 20% what and 80% so what. Too often, we focus so much on creating the content only to let it languish once published. Last year's BlogPodium really helped to reinforce how important sharing posts across social media can be - but this year, I realized that I could be doing so much more. It's definitely a goal for me now. I need to focus not just on creating something I care about but on why other people should also care.

w/ hailey & erin

I learned so much at this year's BlogPodium but I really do think that my favourite part is still connecting with other bloggers. There's such an amazing and supportive Canadian community out there. It's pretty phenomenal to meet people, essentially for the first time, and instantly feel like old friends. This blogging world is pretty great. I'm so happy I stumbled into it. 

If you write a design or lifestyle blog - or if you're thinking about starting one - I can't recommend BlogPodium enough. If you want to know more, just let me know. I'm always happy to chat about it! 

All photos courtesy of the uber awesome Flow Photos & Snapshot Photobooth.