In less than 48 hours, BlogPaws 2013 will be officially underway. Eeeeppp! Are you ready? Of course you are... probably. If you aren't though, I have some last minute tips you can keep handy to make sure you make the most of your time at BlogPaws 2013. Naturally, you want to make the most of the investment you've made in the conference -- truly, it's the investment you're making in yourself and your pet blogging career. By their very nature, the humans and their pets that attend the conference are tail-waggin' friendly and more than ready to meet and greet, but here are some tips to help you break the ice and reap the full benefit:
Why are you attending BlogPaws 2013? Networking? Meeting people you've befriended on socil media? Learning how to monetize your blog? Finding a way to work with pet food suppliers or other pet businesses? Knowing why you want to go will help you focus your efforts.
What program sessions are you most interested in? Print out the program, read the descriptions and then decide which sessions you want to attend. Make the most of your time and the learning opportunities available.
In a perfect world, all of us who love pets and pet blogging would be able to quit our day jobs and simply
blog about pets all day, right? Sigh. It's not a perfect world, but you can still have it all! The reality for most pet bloggers is they have outside oblgations to work and family but they still want to mark their territory in the pet blogging world. You can have it all, it just takes some fancy footwork, attention to detail and an adherence to a schedule.
At BlogPaws 2013, Sandy Messmer will tackle the subject of "having it all." I can't wait for that session!
I have never been very good at packing for a trip. Whether I am going away for an hour, an overnight or
a week, I grossly overpack. For some reason I am convinced that no matter the location, it is in the vicinity of the moon and likely there is not a store in sight.
This year, I am carpooling to BlogPaws 2013 and know that I will likely be limited to a single, smallish bag - you know one that would be considered a carry on size if I were flying. Gulp! I've been packing and unpacking it for the past week and am still not sure what to bring and what to leave behind. Do I need three pairs of shoes -- heels, comfortable dressy shoes and sneakers? Who knows!?
Whether you're a conference veteran or a conference newbie, there are specific items you do want to bring to BlogPaws (or any conference) and here are my ideas on those:
"What do you do?" That's an easy question to answer, right? Well, maybe not so much, especially if you're at a networkign meeting or a pet blogging conference like BlogPaws 2013 conference and you want to make an impression.
When someone asks what you do you want to have a phrase or sentence or two that rolls off your tongue that lets the asker know who you are, what you do, and why you do it. If you attend networking events to garner new clients or meet new friends, you need to have an elevator speech prepared. Consider, even if you meet someone at a conference and they aren't a good fit for you and your business, they may know someone who is and if you've crafted a memorable elevator speech, chances are they will remember you later on!
Psst! I've got a secret! Truly, there are no secrets to a great blog post, but there are steps you can take
to get more eyes on your post and help bring readers to your blog on a regular basis. Settle in and check out my "secrets."
“You” is one of the most important words you will use in a blog post. Make your reader believe you’ve penned the post specifically for his or her eyes. Using pronouns like “we’ or “they” or “us” doesn’t build a closeness the way “you” does.
We all known $10 words, right? Don’t use them in your blog posts unless that is what your readers are accustomed to. Blog posts are typically written at a fifth to seventh grade reading level.
Blogging is a technology that is here to stay and in fact enhancements are made to the platform and the
way we pet bloggers spread the word on an almost daily basis! Consider that many bloggers have moved away from posts that are all words and have starrted vlogging (video blogging). A blog puts a human face on a product or service and gives your readers insight into who you are, what you do and why. A blog lets people get to “know, like and trust” you and helps the small business owner (which if you’re a pet blogger, that’s what you are) build clientele and set themselves apart from the crowd.
Your blog is your brand. Using that as your jumping off point… what will you blog about? What topics will you cover? How will you approach your blogging? What will you do to bring quality content to your readers on a regular basis? What’s in it for me? That’s what your readers will be thinking every time they grace you with their presence. Make certain you make their time worth their while. Here are some items to keep in mind when you’re blogging:
Rules for blogging? Of course! There are rules for everything, but just as that has been said, there are rules that are meant to be broken! But for every pet blogger out there, chances are you don't want to be writing in a void and these rules might just help you get more readers to your posts, and that's what it's all about, right?
While there are truly no hard and fast rules you need to follow with your blogging other than to be engaging, enlightening and to use proper grammar (!) here are ten "rules" I do try to keep in mind when formulating my posts:
There's nothing better than going to a networking event or a conference and coming home or back to
your hotel room with a stack of business cards, right? Not so much! When you break it down, business cards offer you and the person you're interacting with a unique opportunity to make an impression on a new acquaintance and offer him or her a tangible piece of real estate from which he or she can connect with you later.
Think back to your last networking event and remember the individual who walks, grabs a quick handshake, presses the business card into your hand and walks away... what kind of impression is that? Do I really want to 1) do business with that person? 2) chase her down and have a bit of a "getting to know you" talk? Not really. This person has broken the unspoken "rules" of Business Card Etiquette 101.
Many of the pet parents that attend BlogPaws 2013 do so because they want to mix and mingle with
like-minded pet bloggers/lovers, there are those though with the goal of making a pitch to a service provider, a fellow pet lover or a product provider. Your pitch could involve a guest blogger gig, having them guest blog for you, or you may be seeking a job within the pet industry. There are ways to make a pitch that may help you hit it out of the park and there are ways to make a pitch that will have you striking out.
Here are my tips for making a a memorable elevator pitch:
Present your pitch in an intriguing manner. The shorter the better. If you can’t hone your product, service, or yourself into a succinct package, the person you’re speaking with will lose interest. Know who you are so you can pitch what you do.
Can you turn your pitch into a question? What if you could shampoo your cat in a quick and easy manner with nary a scratch in sight? (as an example) Well, as a cat owner I’d be intrigued and I’d say, “Tell me more!” Craft your pitch so the audience needs to hear more!
Craft your pitch like you’d craft the subject line of an email. Be intriguing yet not vague. Make your pitch specific and one that raises curiosity.
Can you make your pitch in 140 words or less? If you’re active on Twitter, I’ll bet you can!
Remember the pitch is about what’s in it for them. You know what you can do and the service or product you can provide but how will it enhance their lives? Make it easier or more fun to own a pet? Help them spread the word about what they’re doing?
I learned years ago that a pitch is not something you can hone spur of the moment – or if you can, please tell me how! To make the most of the time you spend with your fellow pet lovers at BlogPaws, work on a pitch and use it wisely!
Creating great content for your social media pages and your
blog posts isn’t always a walk in the park so when you’re sitting down you need
to make certain you’re optimizing your time and your efforts.
Best times and days to post? Monday and Wednesdays show a higher rate of interaction and posts that go live between 10 am and noon are more likely to be read on Twitter and LinkedIn. For Facebook, engagement appears to be after lunch and late afternoon.
