ALONG COMES MARY

The SITS Girls, aka Tiffany & Francesca, have hit the road with their bloggy boot camp! These girls offer amazing tips & words of wisdom to women like myself trying to make it as a Professional Blogger. I wrote my first sponsored post last year because of them. This past weekend I got to attend this 3 hour crash course in Los Angeles & want to share with you what I took away most from this session…whether you’re thinking about blogging, are one & didn’t get to go or simply are interested in this strange, crazy, awesome world of social media, these tips are vital….

1. Over Deliver. This is especially important if you’re hoping to get paid for blogging. If a brand asks you to tweet your post 5 times, do it 8. or 10. For me, this is a no-brainer, something I have found since I began this journey is most bloggers want to help one another. We want to support each other. It means the world to me when I see friends of mine re-tweeting or helping me promote my blog. So I think it should be natural to want to get the word out when getting a paid opportunity to say how much you love a product that’s one of your favorite products.
2. If it’s not making you go, “Hell Yeah!”, it’s a no. If you blog, I am sure this scenario has happened to you! You’re all psyched up to get an email regarding a post, maybe it would be sponsored, maybe a review with a products provided, but it just isn’t for you. The SITS Girls believe in the power of “No, thank you.” I have certainly had times of feeling like, I need to do this! I need to write that! I need to make this event to make connections! But it REALLY is OK to not do everything that comes across you email.
3. Pay it forward! Tiffany had a wonderful story about getting to go to Spain for her blog when a friend recommended her for the job. I have had the same scenario happen to me….no european trips 😉 but amazing opportunities that I wouldn’t have had happen if it not been for the kindness of my friends. You know who you are!
4. Creative ways to ensure your sponsored post is still a story about you & your experience: Make it a vlog, a parody, letter, a current event, ‘Top 5 Ways…’, these gals really had some awesome ways to spin a story you may feel stumped on!
5. Create your blog title after you have written the post. This is going to be a cool exercise for me, as I always begin my process with making the title, then writing my post. It’s somewhat of a motivation to me as to where my story may go. The girls explained how making the title when its said & done is great as you can get inspired from what you write.
6. Keywords are…key! When I write, I like to say what is on my mind while explaining whatever it is on tap for the day. I learned that keywords are necessary for posts & your categories. This is a tip that I will be keeping in mind
7. Don’t post for the sake of posting. I had this discussion with some of you recently, wanting your advice on this, so it was funny to have it be at the forefront with the boot camp. The SITS feel post when it will be great, not just a post because you need to, or should, or think you need to post a trillion times a week. I am actually really enjoying trying to be on a schedule & post quite regularly, so I may stick to my personal goals on this one…
8. Google+ is your BFF. Yes, you read right. While I use G+ for sharing, there is so much more we as bloggers/social media strategists/people can be doing to utilize this network. Tech Geek, Lynette Young, is a prime example of this. She spoke at a boot camp last week in Phoenix…& as well she should, this gal has a million followers on her G+!
9. We all have a natural talent. Some you may not even think are marketable, but they totally are. Think of 5 & use them to your advantage on your blog.
10. Be in the moment! None of this is worth it if you’re all over the place. When you’re with your family, be with your family. When you’re at another job, do it. Some of the best words Tiffany said that night (& there were a lot!!) is this: You have nothing to blog about if you’re not living. Amen, sister!
    (For us wanna-be photogs!)