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Last week I attended Alt Summit for the third time. For those of you who haven’t heard of it – it’s a creative conference dedicated to educating and connecting bloggers, influencers and small business owners. And for those of you who have heard of it – yes, it’s as good as people say it is. Better. And today I’m going to share what I learned and also some Alt Summit tips for those of you who are planning to attend this coming year.
What I Learned About The Future of Blogging
Here are a few overarching themes relating to the future of blogging and small business ownership that I heard over and over throughout the week:
- Be authentic. Audiences respond best to messages that are real, ones that show off your personality – quirks and all.
- This is the year of the pivot. With social media becoming more and more omnipresent, many bloggers, influencers and businesses are pivoting their strategies in one way or another. Don’t be afraid to adjust your approach… but just be authentic about it 😉
- Podcasting is the new it platform. And while actually having a podcast doesn’t doesn’t lend itself to every business, you can still use it as an educational tool… a couple of my recent faves are The Influencer Podcast and the Simple Pin Podcast.
- Optimize for mobile. We already know that people are on their phones more than ever before… but that means that all content has to be optimized for mobile – and even customized for each social media platform. That means shooting videos wide and then cropping them differently for YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.
And yes, if you’re thinking of starting a brand new blog, do it! But know that it’s a saturated market out there so be sure to choose a niche and learn everything you can beforehand if you’d like to monetize it (Alt Summit is a good way to get a crash course!). And if you’re ready to get your blog up and running, I highly recommend starting out with WordPress. I switched from Blogger (yikes… hello 2010 🙂 ) to WordPress after Alt Summit a couple of years ago and it wasn’t the easiest process. So just start out right off the bat with WordPress! The plug-ins are incredible, and you can customize the look of your site to your heart’s desire. Send me an email if you have any questions about starting a new blog!
Alt Summit Tips: Getting The Most Out Of A Conference
- Connect, connect, connect. Chat with as many people as humanly possible. And make sure you try to have a conversation with substance… see if you can find something that you have in common, and have a real, open discussion about it.
- Channel your inner extrovert. Those of you who know me know that I’m an introvert… but I sat down at random people’s tables at lunch everyday, and I always ended up meeting fascinating people. Keep in mind that the majority of the attendees are there alone, so they’ll gladly welcome someone to chat with. And if you’re nervous about walking up to a big group, choose people that are sitting alone.
- Talk to every sponsor. Sponsors go to Alt with the goal of finding new bloggers and influencers to partner with, so don’t be shy. Even if you don’t think you would ever work with them, you never know what other connection you might make. And plus, it’s good practice to chat with those sponsors before you approach the ones you really want to partner with.
- Plan your schedule. One of my best Alt Summit tips is to make sure to plan out your schedule ahead of time… there are a lot of events going on, and you don’t want to miss that one that you’re super excited about. You might even want to put a calendar reminder in your phone for particularly exciting ones.
- Pack snacks and water. There’s nothing worse than getting distracted from an interesting class because your stomach is rumbling. And there aren’t very many snacks readily available at the hotels unless you want to sit down for a meal at one of the restaurants.
- Wear really bold clothing. Yes, you read that right. The fashion at Alt is on point and a colorful, unique outfit is a great way to stand out. It’s a good conversation starter!
Here are my Alt Summit tips from last year and the year before.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of Alt Summit and I’ve gotten so much out of it… from sponsored posts to collaborations to some amazing sightseeing. I hope you’ve enjoyed my Alt Summit tips, and please let me know if you have any questions!
Also, check out more photos from this year’s conference on Instagram.
