This post is part of the "Erin's Guide to Better Beauty Blogging" series.
Well, it's 10:43pm. I've been up since 3:30 am, and for some reason I just can't sleep! My eyes are glazed over in exhaustion, but I had to give you the details because this is insomnia is kicking my ass while they were fresh! Be sure to join the IFB community online, it's one of my favorite sites!
10. As I watched the Twitter chat from the Lucky FABB conference, I realized that it was mostly a guide to brand's success. Not bad at all, but I was looking for insight on blogs. Not entirely sad that I missed it, but glad that I got to follow it.
9. You need to wear your outfit, don't let the clothes wear you! I know many people were excited to be in a room full of fashion bloggers, but many were trying too hard to look different. This is one of my fashion pet peeves. Be the most outstanding you that you can be, not what you think others would swoon over.
8. Don't over edit! @Latherblog says "Personally, I love style blogs that allow me to get to know a person...thoughts, quirks, flaws and all! That makes me come back." She also says "Don't get caught up editing your blog posts too much, the whole point is to be authentic. Let your thoughts flow."
Aldo was a sponsor for the event, and I was in love with the shoes there! I was looking for these loafers in a suede or anything matte (they only had the glitter and patent leather black as of this weekend).
7. Aimee Song of "Song of Style" doesn't just work with any brand. Even if the money is amazing, her readers would know if the content wasn't genuine. I totally agree. I get emails from plastic surgery companies all the time who are ready to shell major dollars for a good mention. I highly doubt most of you are into regular nip/tuck sessions. 6. Someone also mentioned that you should always contact PR companies back to accept and decline offers. I almost never do this. I kind of felt like a jerk when the panelist said this. One person said she ignores those messages (also my method of choice), but another says she always writes back. You never know the connections you lose due to being "rude". 5. Social Media reigns supreme. Besides using just Twitter and Facebook, get out to other communities! Platforms like Tumblr, Instagram, Viddy, lookbook.nu and Youtube, are supplemental ways to build your brand and build traffic. Stumbleupon can be a huge source of traffic! I personally hate Stumble Upon, mostly because I don't understand it. Nobody seemed to care about SEO, but agreed to tag everything with relevant words to your content.
4. When you're in a room with a bunch of like minded individuals, don't stay to yourself! Mingle! My friend Justin wrote an awesome post with great tips about it on his blog. Too bad I couldn't use those tips to talk to The Fashion Bomb. I was so nervous!
3. Speaking of The Fashion Bomb, Claire told us how she used to blog about only things she was interested in. Now, she focuses on her readers. She does this with the help of contributors like Danielle Gray, whom Justin and I hung out with all day. She rocks!
2. Joe Zee, Creative Director of ELLE Magazine, was the keynote speaker. He told us that bloggers are the future. I asked him if the thought the beauty blogging world would be as big as fashion, and he said it's already huge! The cited blogs like Into The Gloss as major players. 1. Whatever Ari Goldberg tells you to do, just do it. Ari is the creator of Style Caster. He even shared his Media Kit with us and told us to learn from it and use it as a guide. I could seriously do a few weeks worth of posts on his outbursts of vital information. He told us how it is, and didn't give fluff. I hate fluff. Bullets, anyone?
- Your social media streams put brand "you" out there. Twitter rants, Facebook albums of you taking shots with friends and other unprofessional acts are sure to land you out of the new job spotlight. Be professional! Employers will Google you.
- Create a branding plan. State what your brand is, what you want it to be, who you want it to reach.
- Find a brand that you love, study the brand, understand how it works. Nike is a brand for athletes by athletes (as is Under Armour) and will reign.
- There's only one Man Repeller, Lebron James and Marc Jacobs. Learn from them, but don't try to be them.
- High quality content and amazing imagery is a must. Hands down.
- Use your blog as your resume. All resumes look the same, make yours stand out.