I went solo to the Military Influencer Conference. Who knows what to expect? But, I just knew I had taken my blog as far as I could without any help. It was my first industry conference, and I am not going to lie, it was awkward at first, but I had to take the pill I prescribe to all of you guys. I need to step outside my comfort zone and invest in training. I need to become a better blogger.
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The Military Influencer Conference
Investment in Blogging
I’ve been meaning to attend a blogging conference for years, but couldn’t rationalize the cost while I was living in South Korea. After moving to the Austin area, I found out the Military Influencer Conference was going to be held a few hours away in Dallas, so I registered. And I am so glad I did because the takeaway was so much more than I expected.
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1. Whova App, Military Influencers FB page & LinkedIn
This should have been a no-brainer. I should have installed the app and interacted with the people in the Facebook group. I got there and stumbled around, wondering why everybody else seemed to know each other. Some of them did. But most of them connected via Facebook and the app.
Everyone had a LinkedIn page. I did too, but I barely looked at it. In the last three days, I have connected with a lot of the people I met, and I have two job interviews this week alone.
2. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
I am a night person, but I should have forced myself to go to sleep because I dragged both mornings. That was prime time to network with people one-on-one before the seminars began, and I didn’t take advantage of that.
3. You Can Never Go Home Again
Military spouses are members of a greater community. You never leave. I need to get my sh!t together as Heather Dobson, one of the speakers bluntly put it. And reach out to other military spouse content creators for inspiration and collaboration. I met some pretty remarkable people. Some of them knew me from my blog. And those that didn’t make a concerted effort to help me become a better blogger. Now I have people who will mentor me so I can reach my blogging goals.
4. No Question Has to Go Unanswered
All the speakers made themselves available for additional questions. I appreciated the opportunity to hone in on why my Pinterest Page was not working for me. Lauren Tamm gave an excellent presentation on Pinterest and sat down with me afterward to look at my account. I have a lot of work ahead of me with that platform, but I feel like it’s well worth it after her advice.
5. Military Spouse Content Creators
It’s a small world. When I sat down on the bus, I had no idea that the lady who sat next to me was Jen Pilcher. I knew what Military One Click was, but we had never met. We talked about paid sponsors, affiliates, and how she eventually sold her business. But the honest and personal insight she gave me about what it took to succeed and how it impacted her marriage helped me the most.
6. After the Military Influencer Conference
Follow-up Lessons Learned
If I thought I was going to come back home and continue to work on my business alone, I was wrong. I was dead wrong. I am overwhelmed by the follow-up from some of the military spouses, Veterans, and sponsors I met over those two days in Dallas. We have built some robust networks, and I know that when its time for #milblogging18, I’ll be ready to roll.
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Comments
It sounds like you really learned a lot at the Military influence conference. The app and the facebook page is something you know about for the next conference you go too. These conferences are always awesome for making connections with others. Thanks for sharing sharing your awesome experience and the information.
That is so cool you have such a great support group! We all need to surround ourselves with people who have some type of understanding what we do and have similar interests.
Having a support group who is within your niche makes all the difference in the world. It sounds like you picked up a lot of inspiration!
I could not agree with you more. None of can do anything alone, its nice to have blogger friends who are willing to share their knowledge and best practices without fearing they’ll lose something. We are all have something to teach and something to learn.
Wow…I don’t know how I have never heard of this conference before! And it’s here in Texas? I’ll have to check it out next time. Glad you went and had a great time!
What nice is that everyone can appeal to the military community, you don’t have to be a Veteran or a military spouse. That market is huge and looking for diverse products and services.
Attending events is always such a great learning experience. I have yet to attend a conference though!
It’s still very difficult for me to get out of my comfort zone. I hope that I will soon decide on something like that and maybe I will visit a conference that interests me.J
I’ve learned getting out of my comfort zone is key to growing! Looks like you had a great time and made a lot of new awesome contacts!
I saw this trending on Facebook. Seems like a wonderful conference to attend.
This sounds like a very useful and fun seminar/conference. I hope you can use what you learn here in the future.
I’m glad you had such a positive experience at this conference! I’ve never attended one, but it looks like there’s tons to learn, even when you think you know it all haha
Sondra xx
prettyfitfoodie.com
I’ll be attending a Marketing Unconference in November 27 and as early as October when I found out I was chosen, I’ve been feeling nervous. It will be my first time and I don’t know anyone else attending. But you are right, we should step out of our comfort zone.
Stepping outside of my comfort zone is never easy for me either! Sounds like the conference was great for you in many ways!
This sounds like it was a great event. It is a great way to network and make new friends.
Having this community must be such a great feeling.. So glad you stepped out of your comfort zone and made connections! 🙂
Ido love going to these events every so often because I love meeting people – especially the people I have connected with through the blogging world!! They can definitely be a bit overwhelming and intimidating, but the whelm will calm down soon enough!
I had no idea that there was a conference like this. What a wonderful opportunity to meet others that are in the same situation. It sounds like you really made some great connections.
Wow you’re so blessed to be part of this community of military bloggers that have your back! To a great 2018 of blogging ahead!
This sounds like an amazing conference. I’ll have to see if they ever come to San Antonio. I might check it out though I’m an introvert 😉 And I just love Military One Click! So cool!
He Amber, next year it’s going to be in Orlando, but I’m sure if you do a search you can find something else closer to San Antonio. And Jen is amazing… imagine creating a website that two major players ended up fighting over?
Sometimes when you can jump over your shadow and step out of your comfort zone then you can achieve so much. Great that you got good feedback.
Thanks Sheri and you’re right, sometimes it’s just a matter of getting out of your own way.