By COLLABORATION OVER COMPETITION.
This is one of the purposeful phrases and key objectives for the meet-up series The Blogger Xchange founded and spearheaded by Nashville bloggers Leigh Love of Love Leigh Love and Kay Elle of I Am Kay Elle. Launched in Fall of 2017, the Blogger Xchange meet-up has been held in cities like Nashville, Minneapolis, and now Memphis, TN.
What a lovely coincidence it was that I happened to be looking for ways to link up with other like-minded bloggers because after asking around, I was pointed in the direction of The Blogger Xchange. Once I introduced myself, then the ladies sent over an invite and the rest is history.
The Memphis Blogger Xchange event was held at the Old Dominick Distillery, which is located at the heart of Downtown Memphis, only blocks from the infamous Beale Street. This week happened to be knee deep in Memphis in May activities, which only served to make the night even more exciting. Earlier that day, Mother Nature presented the city with lots of rain, but by the time the event started, the sun emerged victorious and the turnout was a reflection of how dedicated bloggers were to interact with one another under a common cause.
The night began with a tour of the Old Dominick Distillery, where bloggers were able to learn more about the history of the company and see firsthand how the products (whiskey, vodka, etc.) is made. Not only were there tours, but the staff of Old Dominick put together a few signature cocktails that were a big hit throughout the night. I was supremely impressed with the quality of the drinks and would definitely visit again and bring friends.
After the tour and a period of mingling, all the attendees sat down for a 2-hour in-depth discussion of all things blogging. The panel included Paris Chanel – Makeup Artist and YouTube sensation, Bianca Gale of Curvaceously Bee, Holly Whitfield of the I Love Memphis blog, and Blogger Xchange co-founder Kay Elle. The other half of the Blogger Xchange duo Leigh Love served as the panel moderator and did a fabulous job. All the ladies were quite marvelous and good times were had by all.
THREE GEMS THAT STOOD OUT TO ME
1// DO NOT COMPARE SOMEONE’S CHAPTER 18 TO YOUR CHAPTER 7
In the age of social media, it’s so easy to play the comparison game look at someone’s feed, follower count, or number of brand campaigns and immediately want to second guess yourself or ask why you aren’t on that level. Everyone has a humble beginning and starts from zero. In the age of highlight reels, we look at a person’s glory without fully understanding their story. And some people do not share the many rejections that they experienced, the hard times and setbacks, or even the fact that they still have challenges. Because of this, you must concentrate on your lane and improving your craft with patience and trust that success is inevitable with hard work. In this microwave society, the idea of crawling before you walk is sometimes forgotten. The ladies all shared their humble beginnings, and how they managed to stay focused on their goals. Staying on their own path paid off for all of the ladies on the panel.
2// CREATE A PITCH THAT SELLS.
It boggles my mind how in 2018, people still defy proper etiquette when it comes down to reaching out and prospecting for professional purposes. Despite the popularity of DMs, there is still a protocol that should be following if you want to collaborate or do business with another person, business, or brand. Be intentional about professionalism when you pitch to brands, respond to inquiries, or receive any types of products or campaigns. The panelists discussed the importance of confidence and how that plays out with creating a pitch. Lots of bloggers (especially those with smaller audiences) are afraid to put themselves out there, which results in selling themselves short. A lot of times we miss opportunities because we simply do not ASK for them. Also, when it comes to pitching, make it easy for a company to get in touch with you. Do not make companies jump through hoops to reach you. The panelists also agreed that designing a dynamic Media Kit is a must, no matter how many followers you have.
3// BE CONSISTENT.
Consistency is single-handedly one of the most essential aspects of being a blogger or a YouTube video personality. I’d venture to say that whatever you want to be recognized for in life, make sure that you are honing your skills often, especially if you want to monetize it.
As a blogger, being consistent is key because in building an audience, your readers will expect you to be present in their lives – otherwise they will not give you much of their time and attention. If you are only committed to blogging once or twice a week, fine. But try to keep that up and a great way to do this is through batch processing your content. Do yourself the courtesy of using an editorial calendar and plan out your content. Create a system that will make your blogging process more seamless (editing, graphics, scheduling, etc.). But also, if you want to take a break, DO SO! What you don’t want is to find yourself burned out and stressed out attempting to create content. Find that delicate balance and thrive.
The Blogger Xchange meet-up (Memphis Edition) was a rousing success. The lovely ladies of the Blogger Xchange laid out a spread of refreshments and gifted bloggers with a lovely swag bag courtesy of sponsors like Dollar General. The bag included a 901 hat from Code Word which I absolutely love, deliciously fresh soaps from Bluff City Soap, and extra moisturizing liquid soap from Caress and Dove. I was supremely satisfied thankful to them for their generosity. All of the ladies had wonderful gems of wisdom to share with the audience about their own blogging experience and the journey of becoming an influencer. Till next time.
What do you think?