Lessons from #GBSxChi, a Pop Up by Go Blog Social

Today was a pretty amazing day - I spent the whole day hanging out with inspiring bloggers throughout the midwest at Go Blog Social's pop up session in Chicago. #GBSxChi was hosted at Workshop, a beautiful coworking space that made me want to pinterest the whole thing and recreate it at home. Far more to come on the swag, decor and bites another day, but I wanted to get down the educational highlights from today while it was still fresh in my mind. There was truly so much to learn from the presenters on everything from how to balance blogging and life to working with brands and affiliate marketing. Here were the big take aways from each presenter:

Martiza/Beauty4Bloggers: Putting Your Best Face Forward

• Be camera ready but not made up

Allison Ray/Sassy Moms in the City: Working with Brands

• Be true to your voice and passion
• Walk away from opportunities not in your wheelhouse
• Your About Me page has to have an e-mail address and social icons above the fold
• Know your worth. You bring value to the table.
• Constantly, actively create your own opportunities
• Your first question when a brand contacts you should be, Is there a budget for this campaign?
• Introduce yourself as the founder and editor of your blog when you go to conferences

Helena Swyter/Sweeter CPA: Taxes for Bloggers

• Track everything
• The best book keeping is what you do now
• Bloggers have to file self-employment taxes for more than $400 in income or $600 in product
• Save 25 percent of your income for taxes

Brian Littleton/ShareASale.com: Working with Affiliate Marketing

• Affiliate marketing maintains relevancy in your blog
• Think away from the sidebar ads - it's the difference between product placements in movies and billboards
• shareasale.com, linkshare.com, cj.com will cover the majority of affiliate marketing opportunities
• You can supplement your income with deals
• Free shipping makes deals attractive
• A blog should drive newsletter subscriptions (uh-oh) - change the subject lines every time
• Commission rates are negotiable, if you have data that makes you stand out

Farissa Knox/Whatruwearing.net: How to be #BossPeriod

• The boss doesn't know everything, and is constantly learning and investing in the future
• Irrelevant jobs still teach valuable lessons
• Be the nicest version of yourself for clients and customers
• Pay attention to details, it makes a difference!
• Being a boss isn't about how people view you, it's about continuous improvement. There is no finish line
• Don't ever get comfortable. Grow. Evolve. Become your next best version.
• There's no such thing as over communicating honestly with clients
• Separate work you from home you - cell phone goes away when you come home
• Don't ask employees/clients/whoever to do things you wouldn't
  

Cait Weingartner/PrettyandFun.com: Balancing Blogging

• Blogs are no longer journals, they are brands and businesses
• At the end of the day, there are no secrets that remove the work aspect - you still have to get shit done
• Have a point of view/mission statement/elevator pitch - it's what makes you different and keeps you true to yourself
• Write your goals every year on a post it - what did I check off, what didn't I and why?
• Define your mandatories and say no when it doesn't align
• Focus on your awesome - the things that work best for you, you love the most and provides the greatest result
• Create an editorial calendar to align with your vision and goals
• Know when to hire a photographer - she shoots once a month four outfits

Danielle Moss/TheEveryGirl.com

• Don't over share
• Your blog likely won't be a full-time gig, so it should be a passion
• Haters are part of the shin dig