How to Keep the Pet Blogger Momentum Going
by: Carol Bryant
If you attended the BlogPaws Conference in May on Lake Las Vegas, chances are you might be affected with the pet blogger post conference blues. Chances are you aren’t alone. We feel the same way here at the BlogPaws offices, but we are doing something proactive to combat those blues.
Consider this: Planning a BlogPaws Conference for hundreds of people from all over the world along with speakers, brands, and media is huge undertaking. We all put our time, efforts, heart, and soul into making the conference go above and beyond the previous year’s event. And then on day three, the curtain closes, so to speak, we all go home, and we sort of feel in a vortex.
Did that really happen?
A year of planning and whoosh just like that it’s over?
Technically speaking, yes, it is over, but if your glass is half full, like ours is, the journey has just begin. Here’s a BlogPaws list of 20 things you can do to keep the pet blogger momentum going whether or not you attended the conference. Any blogger at any stage or direction of their pet blogging goals can utilize these 25 tips.
20 Network with the brands you met at the conference — and the ones you wanted to meet but didn’t get around to it. If you want to get to know a brand better, when is the best time to do that? The way to form a relationship with a brand is the same way you would with a person: time, effort, dedication, and making it a 2-way street. Go through those business cards, drop them a line, and even better, write about the experience and why you like the brand. Tell your readers about a new product line or a discovery you made at the conference. No matter your skill set or expertise in the blogosphere, this is a home run for anyone at any blogging level. Just do it.
19 Start saving now for BlogPaws 2015, taking place in Nashville. Don’t wait until a month before the conference and wonder why you are having a hard time getting there. Make a savings plan. If you want someone to sponsor you there, start planning and engaging now with brands. Be selective and be prepared.
18 Start an Instagram account and follow @BlogPaws there. We’ll follow you back.
17 Attend Twitter chats with BlogPaws on Tuesday evenings from 8 to 10 pm est (except the third Tuesday of the month). The hashtag is #BlogPawsChat.
16 Be active in the BlogPaws Community. “Friend” people in the BlogPaws Community so you can grow your network. You know how you can LIKE people on Facebook? In the NING BlogPaws Community, go to FRIENDS – Invite on the upper left menu of your profile page and start friending!
15 Looking for something to blog about? Whether or not you attended the 2014 BlogPaws Conference, check out the Pet World Insider video series. You can watch these videos and form blog posts around them. We’ve got pet industry pros with one video after another: https://www.youtube.com/user/petworldinsider
14 Join the Pet Blogger Influencer Group in the BlogPaws Community. Our weekly surveys resume this week and our infographics will be back in action, too!
13 Pay it Forward and share links about pet rescue groups you met. If you attended Meet the Rescues on May 9th, connect with one another and keep the networking going.
12 Guarantee you’ll get the latest BlogPaws news as soon as it hits our “presses:” Sign up for the BlogPaws newsletter. On the BlogPaws homepage – can’t miss it.
11 Visit the blogs of folks you encountered at BlogPaws. Leave comments, get to know them, and build on existing relationships while forging new ones. Put the “social” in social media.
10 Learn how to engage in our weekly blop hop aka Wordless Wednesday. If you already engage, comment on other blogs in the hop. https://www.blogpaws.com/2012/09/how-to-join-a-blog-hop.html
9 Email the speakers you connected with or perhaps wanted to – let them know what you liked about the session and if you have any questions.
8 Gain new traffic and shake things up: Ask a fellow blogger if they’d like to guest post on your blog
7 Organize the contacts you made – whether you have a business card scanner, key the names into Excel, or whatever method: Just get them set up somewhere for future reference.
6 Do something. It is a lot to take in and there is a lot to learn when attending a BlogPaws Conference. You can see why it takes a year to plan. Take one small step once a day for a week and connect with someone new each day. Friend someone on Facebook whom you sat near at a session.
5 What is one of the biggest problems/concerns your readers face? Did it get answered at BlogPaws:? Blog it!
4 Go through your notes while they are fresh…and legible. Put at least 3-5 things in action a week until you complete them all. Make them doable and achievable. Nothing puts a damper on dreams like an unchecked list.
3 Enter the Photo Contest held monthly in the BlogPaws Community with prizes! http://community.blogpaws.com/page/photos-and-videos
2 Follow BlogPaws.com and visit our blog twice a day if you can. We update at least twice daily with everything from social media updates to blogging news to industry information.
1 Want to be a better pet blogger to your pet parent audience? Try the petMD University online courses, which are free of charge: http://petmdu.com/
Are you in a rut or need some post conference motivation? How can we help?
