This week my brain has been overwhelmed with so many great tips, tricks, motivation and inspiration from the Blog Elevated conference in Galveston, Texas. Not only did I make some new blogging buddies over the weekend at Moody Gardens, but I got to meet (or really just stalk) some amazing guest speakers who taught me everything from driving blog traffic from Pinterest to creating charming content in social media (btw, Marie Bonaccorse who runs Charmin’s-yes, the toilet paper-Twitter is seriously my new favorite person!).

I took full advantage of my little Blog Elevated notebook (pictured above…thanks, Tiny Prints!) and filled it up with pages and pages of notes from the sessions. I haven’t taken notes like that since I was in college!

Out of the 28 pages of notes taken at Blog Elevated, I tried to narrow it down to just five of my biggest “aha” moments. Some I knew, but don’t think about often in the day-to-day life of blogging and some things I had never considered before. Read below for my top 5 takeaways from Blog Elevated!

1. If you’re not vlogging, you’re crazy.

Yep, those are the exact words from Audra Kurtz of The Kurtz Corner. Audra created a YouTube tutorial for a scarf last year and has received more than 3.1 million views (like.. how does that even happen!?), so needless to say, I was easily convinced on the need to include videos in my future posts. Videos can get a little technical and be time consuming to create (and I think I sound like a man on camera), but a video has so much more to offer your readers than the same ole plain-text post all the time. Be creative and find a niche that hasn’t been tapped into. Embedded them into your posts along with the text and share on social media for a fresh way to interact with your readers!

2. Reuse, reuse, resuse

What if you wrote your best post ever yesterday or a year ago? Reuse it! Matt Cherry, founder & CEO of iBlog Magazine, said to reshare content on social media not just the day or week you post it, but every 30, 60, and 90 days. Keep a spread sheet of when you can fit it into your social media and share. Update old posts with more relevant content or update it with newer products. Keep tabs on your popular pins on Pinterest— keep this content fresh for your new viewers who could potentially become loyal followers!

3. Be active on LinkedIn

Ah, LinkedIn…the resume website I completely abandoned once I landed a “big girl” job. While using LinkedIn isn’t a typical marketing strategy, it can be a great way to connect with brand reps and build professional relationships with other bloggers and companies. So it’s time to update your profile and search for people in your niche! Matt Cherry recommended connecting to 30 people a day and sharing your blog content so potential advertisers can learn what you can do for them.

4. Pop-ups are your friends

No, not the spammy virus ones (and trust me, I know all about these since ALL of my 7th graders got laptops this year.. those kids will click on anything!). I’m talking about the nice, friendly call-to-action kind that pop up on your site when someone visits. But don’t just say “sign up for my e-mail list.” Instead offer your readers something through the pop-ups-maybe a discount code, free e-book, etc. Be a giver!

5. Change your attitude about your “competition” or peer bloggers

These guys or gals are really your biggest promoters and you’re theirs. Support each other by sharing content, commenting on posts, or following on social media. After all, we’ve created our own careers that didn’t exist until recent years. We all have so much to learn from each other. Learn from them, teach them, engage with them, and make them a part of your tribe.

…

A huge thank to Kroger, Moody Gardens and Blog Elevated for this weekend! I can’t wait to put everything I learned into practice! What are your thoughts on my 5 takeaways? What are your thoughts on vlogging or using LinkedIn as a way to connect with brands??