ShareASale had the pleasure of heading to Focused Blogging Conference in Richmond, Virginia on May 18-20th.
As the Blogger Liaison, I went to the conference with high hopes of making new blogger connections, promoting the brands on our network, and providing tips for using Affiliate links.
It was a busy three days, but I accomplished these goals and then some! I had a wonderfully successful time at Focused – all thanks to the founder, Dollie, and her team.
The bloggers that attend Focused Blogging Conference are really just that – FOCUSED! They were there to learn and eager to take their blog to the next level. As a sponsor, I can really appreciate that sort of engagement.
Read on to hear more about my time spent at Focused Blogging Conference, broken down by day!
Thursday
The first full day of the conference started out with registration and a Welcome Mingle. I already had our exhibit table set up, and was prepared to start greeting the attendees. They all came around and met the sponsors before the opening keynote. It was a great way for me to start the show, breaking the ice with bloggers I’d be spending the next couple of days with!
In the afternoon, I led a 2.5 hour long workshop: ‘Creative Ways to use Affiliate Links on Social Media.’ Although 2.5 hours is a long time, it went by quickly. My allotted time was broken up into a 45-minute uninterrupted presentation and then, the remaining time dedicated to Q&A and implementation. I talked about how to grab the right Affiliate link and effectively use it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. I also provided techniques and tools to make the process as easy as possible, while not coming across as ‘salesy.’
Focused gave out a notebook to all attendees, where ShareASale had included notes (prior to the show) and a checklist for my workshop so that bloggers could not only use it to guide them at the conference, but also to help them when they got home. I loved this idea – everything from the conference in one place!
Just when you thought the day was over, Thursday night ended with a yummy dinner and a brainstorm panel, where we discussed Affiliate Marketing some more. What a busy first day!
Friday
Because my workshop was out of the way, Friday proved to be a little more relaxed and laid back! I had quite a few bloggers sign up for one-on-one meetings, which is my favorite thing to do! Being able to sit down face-to-face with one blogger at a time allows me to dive deeper into their unique content and recommend specific Merchants that may be a good fit. It also give me the opportunity to have a more personal conversation about how they are currently monetizing and what’s already working for them.
I opted for a night on the town that evening, treating myself to dinner and doing a little sightseeing in downtown Richmond. I had never been! The travel blogger in me needed one night to explore. I grabbed some sushi and walked around the Virginia State Capitol Building before heading back to the hotel for another day of being FOCUSED!
Saturday
On the last day of the conference, I had a few additional one-on-one meetings scheduled and was sure to make myself available to anyone that I didn’t get the chance to speak with. The Dove Chocolates at my table enticed attendees over to my table (chocolate always works!) and by the end of the day, I had handed out the last of my business cards and ShareASale eagles.
On Saturday afternoon, I led a mini workshop on ShareASale to all the attendees. I touched on the ins and outs of ShareASale, our blogger-friendly tools, and most importantly, our new Merchant Discovery Box program.
At the end of the day, a ‘Social Focused’ was hosted, where attendees worked in groups to come up with a 30-60 second promotional video to advertise what I discussed in my mini workshop. The winning team put their names in a hat to win a ShareASale giveaway, which include products from our Merchants Minted.com, 100% Pure and Green Kid Crafts. We also gifted one of our own discovery boxes!
Congrats to Sara, blogger at HappyBrownHouse.com
on being the winner of the ShareASale givewaway!
And that’s a wrap on Focused Blogging Conference!
The three days were jam-packed, but it went by quick and impressively smooth. It’s always great to spend time educating and networking with bloggers that are eager to learn more about Affiliate Marketing, and Focused was just the place to do it!