Riding that high after a blogging conference? Here is how to capitalize on all that energy and get things done!
I’m just coming off of an amazing weekend attending Thrive Blog Conference in Austin, TX. It is incredible to finally live in a city that has an active, thriving, blogging community. It has inspired me to start blogging regularly again. And, more importantly, it has reminded me that I’m not alone – that I’m part of something much much bigger. It gets my blood pumping!
What to Do the Day After a Blogging Conference
The first few days after a conference can leave your head absolutely spinning. You’ve just been hit with all of this KNOWLEDGE – all about styling Instagram photos, beefing up your Pinterest game, adding value to your social media… You’ve met SO MANY NEW PEOPLE and you want to be BFFs with all of them! I mean – bloggers just get each other. You have so much inspiration and motivation – it is more than enough to completely overwhelm you. So I though I’d share some ways to start really processing all of this information so that you can use it to benefit you and your business.
FIRST COMES YOU
The number one, most important thing to do after a conference is to take a day, or two, off to kind of acclimate yourself to your surroundings. You’ve been in this bubble all weekend and reentering the real world can be a shock to your system. You’ve been pampered for the last day or two and all of the sudden it is back to the grind of mom + wife + business owner so give yourself a couple of days of grace to get back in the swing of things.
Take a deep breath and then start tackling this list.
START WITH THE PEOPLE
Once you’re out of “conference mode” and back in to “regular life” mode, so to speak, the first thing you want to do is go through all those business cards. The connections you made with the people at the conference will be the most important thing you’ve gained from the entire weekend. Whether you were hanging out with your group of gals all weekend or you came solo (which I 100% applaud for your bravery!) you most likely connected with one person that you really wanted to meet or made a friend over coffee or lunch that you’d like to stay connected to. Even if your newfound friends are across the country, start a DM group with them on Instagram for accountability and encouragement!
Go through all of your business cards and write down something on each card that you immediately recall about this person. “She had amazing curly red hair” or “that necklace she wore to the party was gorgeous” or “We talked about how hard it is to find a good babysitter” or “she had gorgeous eyelashes!” (Which, by the way – what is your secret ladies? Everyone at this conference had amazing eyelashes! SPILL!) That will help you connect a face with that business card and remember who they are!
Take 20 minutes to send out a quick (and I mean 2-3 sentences) email or Facebook message that just says “Hey it was so awesome connecting with you at Thrive Conference last weekend! I would love to get together soon / invite you to this thing / talk about this project!” Catching people in that first week after the conference is when you are going to be fresh on their mind and it will help forge that connection in both your brains.
NEXT IS BRANDS
If you connected with any brands at the conference that you really want to work with, now is the time to connect with them too. Be sure to reintroduce yourself, remind them where they met you, and give them a quick summary of your blog to give them a frame or reference. Then issue a mini call to action, and include your media kit if you have it put together.
“Hey! I’m Skye and we met over the weekend at Thrive! It was so great connecting with you at the conference last weekend! Thank you so much for being a part of making it happen! I blog at SkyeMcLain.com about living a simple life, having sound finances, and rocking a savvy style. I would love to collaborate on a project together! Looking forward to hearing from you! Thanks for your time!”
Following up with the people you met is the absolute most important thing you’ll get from a conference so put these two things at the top of your to do list!
NOW LET’S IMPLEMENT
You just got to sit in on some amazing sessions to hear from some really inspiring women and business owners and now you are full of motivation to really perfect all of your strategies and grow your social media and learn everything you can about Google Analytics and style amazing photos or maybe actually start your blog or deep dive in to your goals after an awesome strategic planning session.
WHOA JUST STOP RIGHT THERE HOMIE.
If you don’t take this one small step at a time, you’ll just get discouraged that you can’t get it all going at once and then boom – you find yourself in front of your computer, crying, sipping coffee, and trying to figure out what happened. Well okay – it may not be THAT dramatic but it will overwhelm you to the point of just quitting it all.
The easiest way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.
Bust out your notes. No doubt you were frantically trying to write down everything the speakers said and after a while you’ll look back and wonder what the heck you were trying to write down. While it is still pretty fresh in your mind, rewrite them out in to legible handwriting if necessary and reorganize it in to an order that makes sense to you. It will help you recall the session and sort of revisit in your mind and get it all in to a format that you can use. Be sure to also write down any little “aha moments” while you’re doing this!
Figure out what is best for you and your brand. Nobody says you have to implement every single thing you learn at a conference – and in the same line of thought nobody is telling you that you can’t either. But what I am saying is that you almost definitely can’t do it all, immediately, and at the same time. So prioritize what you’ve learned by what you think is best for your blog right now and start there.
Give yourself a timeline of all the practices you want to implement and set yourself a couple of goals to help get them done. If you want to start with Pinterest, bust out those notes, make yourself a to do list, and say “In 30 days, I want to have this list finished and then spend the next three months really implementing these tips” Take a quick look at your stats where you start so you can measure your progress and write those on your list too. Tack that to-do list up on your desk and set yourself a daily calendar reminder to check it and make sure you’re doing something on that list.
Move on to the next thing after those three months. Rome wasn’t built in a day, darlin!
SHOW GRATITUDE
If you haven’t already – be sure to take the time to thank the directors of the conference for all of their hard work. Or, even better, if you already have, thank them again! I can’t imagine the work that goes in to one of these events and pulling it off successfully is no easy feat. They deserve a week long vacation and an hour long massage after these things are over! If you can send them a card in the mail or a follow up email after the conference I have a feeling it will be much appreciated! Same goes with the speakers – if someone had a profound impact on how you look at things – make sure to let them know!
Then, as the ultimate thanks – buy your ticket for next year if you can! 😉
What are your tips for recovering from that conference hangover?
All photos are courtesy of Thrive Blogging Conference and copyright 2019 Mandi Roach Photography, used with permission.
Gosh this is such good stuff! I always feel so overwhelmed (especially in my position when i was running around like crazy snapping pics)! Thanks for helping me organizing myself to organize myself 🙂 It was really great meeting you! Thank you again for the great info here and at the conference!
I get overwhelmed at conferences, so I tend to avoid them. When I do go, I need a few days to recover 🙂
I have yet to attend a conference and I wanted to this year but decided to dedicate this year to me and traveling. Maybe next year I'll do one.
I haven't attended a blog conference yet, but I'm so curious about them. If I ever do attend, I will absolutely incorporate your tips.
I love this! I would love to go to a conference one day!!
HI Elizabeth,
I just found your blog the other day and still had it opened on my computer when I clicked on Skye's post! You have a lovely blog.
🙂 Jessica @ Petal + Ply
This is such a great post! I'm dying to go to a blog conference, but living in Hawaii, the closest conferences are usually California and it's still quite a haul to get there (over 6 hours and more than $1K — bleh!). I live vicariously through some of my favorite bloggers who attend and share what they've learned 🙂
Great tips Skye! Hopefully I can make it to a conference next year!
I am so new at this blogging thing, I have not yet attended a conference. These are amazing tips for the new kid on the block such as myself. Bookmarked this for later!
These are all such great tips! I love going to blogging conferences and meeting new people!
A Blog conference changed my whole blogging experience. It helped my find some great friends that "get it" Now I don't feel all alone!! These are some good tips Thanks!
These are great tips. After you get home from a conference it's all so overwhelming and trying to figure out what to do next.
Blogging conferences are one of the best parts of blogging. It's super easy to hit information overload and want to take it ALL on as soon as you get home. It only took once for me to learn that lesson. Great tips!
I love this post! I hope I can get to a blogger conference one day! I like your pic of the notes you took. It shows that successful blogging takes work and it isn't a get rich over night project.
I've never been to a blog conference before. I've never heard of them either. Very informative post.
Great tips! A blog conference sounds like a wealth of information all of us bloggers could use. Following up is key with anything.
I agree I had a two day one and as soon as I get home I need to email brands and bloggers. This was a really useful tool.
Going to camp used to feel the same way when I was younger. When I got older and became a counselor, I always had to recoup myself afterwards. It's a heavy thing to be in a "bubble" and then have to hit the real world again!
Thank you for this! I always come back with my mind whirling of things I need to do, and if I slow down and catch my breath, I can implement everything I've learned.
This conference was amazing both years. I couldn't agree more with you on your tips! My favorite part of blogging is our amazing community we have!
I wish that I could go to a blogging conference, but there never seem to be any remotely close to where I am (in Maine) and we unfortunately don't have a big thriving blogging community up here. There are a few of us, but the state is so large we are all hours apart! It looks like you had fun!
Next year I am going to a blogging conference. For sure!
what a great post full of even better tips. i am not sure if i will be able to go to a conference this year but man do i love going to them. i always get so much out of them and am really needing to get to one soon.
I really love this idea of attending a bloggers conference. Keeping in touch with the people you have met is definitely a good idea. Good luck with new collabs.
Such a great idea and conference! The attitude about showing gratitude and understanding the community and people in it is so important! Great fun post!
I haven't attended a large enough conference where I'd get a 'hangover' lol. But, I love your tips, especially the one where you say to take time to regroup for a few days before tackling all of the information and contacts you've made.
OMG! Your head must be spinning. Looks like you walked away with great information. I 100% agree – take the time to follow up! Sort through your info and follow up! I have gained profitable connections with every conference that I have attended.