Following  (Up) Your Bliss After  BlissDom ‘11

Now that I’m back from the recent BlissDom 2011 Conference weekend in Nashville, my thoughts turn to post conference tasks. Where to start? How to get the most out of your attendance and new connections?  And what are the best steps right away to keep the blissful momentum going? Not to mention bring in a new gig or two!

Five Strategies For Post Conference Success

• Reinforce the Old and Implement the New

You spent a whole weekend cheering when you connected face to face with ‘old’ Twitter pals and gathered hundreds of new contact cards from bloggers you just met. Now is the time to sit down and follow up with as many as you can. I know it’s a lot of people, but at least follow each one on Twitter. Create a Twitter list of BlissDom people you had meaningful conversations with. (Here’s mine.)  And over the next few weeks find additional ways to reach out to via their blogs, through Facebook and Linked In.  Always remember the 80/20 rule: support, boost up and chat about others 80% of the time and about yourself only 20% (or less) of the time!

• Blog About the Conference

Think about your follow up post as a great way to introduce new conference friends to your current network. Share stories about the event and highlight several  new Twitter pals. Make a top ten list about what you learned. And as always insert your own character, conferences are a whole lot of fun as well as education events be sure to write about what you loved!

• Use FLICKR Effectively

Use it more like a social media site, than just a depository of conference snapshots. Upload your images from the weekend. Tag each with the conference title. If you know the names of the people in the group shots, title the image with their Twitter usernames.  In the description, leave your blog URL. Share the images on Twitter and Facebook, bloggers will be thrilled. They might even ask for a copy of an image, ask them to link to you if they use it! And don’t forget to add your event pictures to the Blissdom Group Pool. Thanks to @Chilihead @TheBeadGirl @JanaWarnke @JennFowler my pals in this picture! (See how I did that?)

• Connect With Brand Sponsors

Follow up with thank you emails to representatives you had real conversations with. Locate their Facebook and Twitter accounts.  After all they spent a lot of money to be part of the conference; remember their main goal is to connect with YOU! Pay attention to post conference campaigns they may be running and participate! For example: RedPlum is hosting a #TipTwist Twitter Party next Tuesday night, what a perfect way to reinforce the association. And Purex is interested in increasing their PurexInsiders team.

Consider writing a whole post about the sponsors you thought interesting or had the most creative promotions.

• Grab a New Idea and Run with it!

Scott Stratten (@UnMarketing) hit a nerve during his keynote when he said: “Don’t blog Meh”. He encouraged everyone to stop writing just because it’s a Wednesday. Instead, only write when you have ‘awesome’ to share. Great advice huh?

Another take home message during the cause writing session hit home for me. They warned us to beware there is such a thing as ‘Compassion Fatigue’.  Basically, if your whole website is about pain and suffering, good luck getting people to stick around. Treat your readers like a good friend, they suggested. At a friend’s house do you ONLY talk about your autistic child, or your sick husband, or your personal tragedy? Of course not, you wouldn’t have any friends left. That’s good advice for any blog category.

The number one way to financially benefit after a blog conference is to create real lasting relationships. With other bloggers as well as brands.

Did you attend BlissDom? What was your favorite part? What was your take home message? And how do you plan to Follow (Up) Your Bliss?