Just Heather
4
Once Upon a Fashion Disaster
Feb 24, 2010 | Filed Under: 40x40, Fashion Disaster

How Yummie Tummie is helping with my 40×40 list:

25. Overhaul my wardrobe. (Alternate: Hire a fashion consultant.)

This is one of the 40×40 items I’m working on for the year. I have come a long way, truly. I think most of my fall/winter wardrobe is pretty good but I still have to make it through the spring & summer before I can cross it off the list. Teaching Lorelai how to take pictures on my phone has been a big key. She sends pictures to MFJ for approval, and I’m starting to pick up on what looks best. I also made huge leaps & bounds earlier this month with one, single article of clothing.

Yummie Tummie poseMy Blissdom roomie won a Yummie Tummie fitting—and returned to our room looking absolutely fabulous! I was super jealous of her new Yummie Tummie and mentioned that to their PR gal when I met her at a cocktail party later that evening. She rustled up a tank top in my size, and it’s changing everything. With my Yummie Tummie, I can shop from the back of my closet or rock my favorite shirts solo instead of under a baggie hoodie.

I got so many comments last weekend about how great I looked. I finally admitted to my mom & sis that it was a bit of an illusion. I’ve stuffed myself into Spanx before (okay, their Target low-end brand) but this is much more comfortable. It’s just like wearing a t-shirt. That hides all your momma bits. It’s like dropping a size just by wearing an undershirt! Of course, this presents an entirely new problem as several of my jeans no longer fit. Are belts in style? I just never know these things—I told you I was a disaster.

I like the idea of being a size smaller, though, especially as I shop for bridesmaid gowns with my sister. (Yep, working on #33 next!) The new Slippie is coming to my fitting with me. In fact, I’m ready to buy one in every style—and my mom wants one too. The price tag no longer scares me—it will be the best $68 I’ve ever spent. But, I will definitely keep my eye out for a coupon! It’s just what I do.

I was given a free Yummie Tummie at Blissdom (because I am super charming after 2 martinis). However, I was not asked to write this review and the opinion is 100% mine.

Read the comments.
0
Project 365: Blissful Edition
Feb 13, 2010 | Filed Under: Just Because, Road Trip

It was tough to narrow down all my Blissdom photos to just one per day. I wish I could say that about the rest of the week. I completely, totally missed Monday—I was still in mourning. I questioned myself all week about how to order the photos after that. Do I skip number 39 or just keep number until I get to 365? I decided to go with good enough—otherwise, this project could last forever.

3
22. Visit Las Vegas.
Feb 09, 2010 | Filed Under: 40x40, Road Trip

I’m not much of a traveler, but when I think of places I’d like to visit it tends to be because of something I saw on television. My life is so glamorous! Of course, if I’d included everywhere I’ve seen in a movie on my 40×40 list, there wouldn’t have been room for anything else. I had to be very selective about my travel choices, but Vegas was always on the list!

When Deb invited me to join her Mom Bloggers panel at Affiliate Summit West, I jumped at the chance, especially since Vegas is on the hubby’s 40×40 list too! Combining a few days of vacation travel with a business trip sounded like the most inexpensive way to make it happen. We headed to Las Vegas a few days before the conference, got married by Elvis on our first day there, and spent the rest of the weekend exploring the strip.

Doing Vegas on a budget meant we weren’t planning to spend a ton of money on shows. I checked out a huge list of free things to do in Vegas, and discovered the popular Show in the Sky Parade is in the conference hotel. We managed to stumble on it our first night of the conference. In the meantime, we checked out the lions at MGM, watched the fountains at the Bellagio and saw the Volcano Eruption at the Mirage.

Our most anticipated—and geekiest—part of the weekend was not entirely free. It appeared on the free list because there is no admission fee, but we did have to take a cab off the strip. It was way, way worth it and the rest of our afternoon at the Pinball Hall of Fame Museum cost just one roll of quarters! There were pinball machines from the 70s, 80s, 90s and current models—play was at the original cost.

I played Star Wars pinball, Super Mario pinball, Q-Bert pinball and so many more! I also spent a single quarter playing Asteroids—and had a blast watching the hubby spend $3 trying to beat my high score. If we ever make it back to Vegas, this is definitely on the list again. Of course, a return trip to Vegas is practically guaranteed. The New York roller coaster was on the hubby’s 40×40 but it was closed for repair during our entire stay!

We did get see it, though, along with Ceasar’s Palace, Paris, Flamingo and Harrah’s. It was pretty much our goal to walk through every well known casino. We’re not huge gamblers, but it was tons of fun anyway. We did try our hand at Craps but my only money maker was the sports pit. If only the hubby had given me a larger gambling allowance in there! Next time, maybe he’ll have more faith in my sports knowledge.

Because there will be a next time! (Hopefully soon.)

Read the comments.
5
Finding My Bliss
Feb 08, 2010 | Filed Under: Making Connections

So amazing to finally meet my online friend Mindy. We've 'known' one another since Al Gore invented the internet. Huge thanks to Moosh in Indy for the pic.

I have been to a lot of business conferences in my time, and several blogging conferences over the last year, but last week was by far my favorite! Someone described it as a big family reunion, and that just about sums it up for me. It was awesome to touch base with friends, amazing to finally real life hug blog friends and tons of fun meeting new ones. I hesitate to name names because I know I will forget someone. There were tons of seriously fabulous gals at Blissdom. It was truly like a big ol’ reunion, and I’m thrilled to finally know so many of the amazing bloggers who inspire me.

Southern Fairy Tale and Moosh in Indy

It’s going to take me all week to catch up and follow the great women I fell in love with at Blissdom, but I wasted no time unfollowing those who had the opposite effect. I was really struck by how very little respect some bloggers have for others. I don’t know why I’m always surprised to find people like that. It was a teeny, tiny percentage of the women at the conference, of course. Instead of letting them ruin it for me, I choose to take another perspective. My stream is now full only of tweets & tweeps that fill me with bliss. Everyone else must go.

My roomie, Angie from Just Like the Number

Taking charge of my own bliss was my big take home from the entire event! I love a conference like this because there is no pressure or stress to cram in a ton of expertise. It’s simply women learning from other women. The sessions were spot on for me—I had such a hard time choosing between the business & writing track each hour. One of the things I always do to keep myself focused at a conference is narrow down my notes to a single action item at the end of each workshop. It’s nice to come home with a list of very specific to-do items rather than be overwhelmed with notes & lists. I live blogged each session so I can go back to re-experience them once I’ve gotten through my first round of action items.

Real life hugs from Alli! (Photo by Alli, via Whrrl)

I’m going to be streamlining how I do things. The balance session was incredibly helpful—especially now that I write for 5 different sites. I have tons of new ideas for Inexpensively. (And, I was so, very thrilled to spend some time with the team this weekend—Renae & Amee, Holly, Cherie and Melissa all made the trip too!) There’s a lot I want to accomplish this week, and more I’m being realistic about putting on the back burner. Step one—regain control of my calendar. The hubby and I have now scheduled a weekly meeting to touch base on the family calendar, our budget, paperwork and my writing schedule.

Because I am determined to find my bliss!

Read the comments.
2
Live Blogging Blissdom: The Wizard of Ads
Feb 06, 2010 | Filed Under: Making Connections

This session is on pulling back the curtain of online advertising. I’m a little worried it will be more basic than I need, but I’m interested in hearing the perspectives of the ad network managers on the panel. Everyone wants to know how to make money from blogging. This one is all about selling real estate on your blog. It is a live blog so it is completely unedited—I’m just taking notes as we go.

Speakers

Mary Anne Beasley, @thestilettomom
Melanie Sheridan, @adramaticmommy
Michelle Lamar (Gloss Inc), @michellelamar
Tsh Oxenrider, @simplemom
Paula Bruno, One2One Network, @paulabruno

Content is king.
Develop a niche. Keep it uncluttered—advertisers don’t want to invest in “real estate” on your blog when the sidebar is full of clutter.
Melanie: Give yourself permission to not write every day. When you do write, write well.

Clean up your act.
Paula: You want to make it easier for advertisers to want to advertise on your blog.
Tsh: You don’t need a lot of sidebar, chotsky widgets if you want to make money on your blog.
Melanie: Consider your theme—be sure it is advertiser friendly. Find something that is clean and supports where you want to go.

Be careful what/how you review.
Mary Anne: Advertisers want to be sure you are not writing things that conflict with their ads.

Know Your Stats
Mary Anne: Be ready to tell people how many people you reach.
Tsh: Be able to speak to your “influencer” status. It isn’t always about the numbers. If your readers are extremely loyal or you are influential in some way, be able to present that information.
Mary Anne: Talk about what kind of social footprint you have.

Key words you need to know
CPM: Cost per thousand pageviews
Market averages: Widely varies, typically higher for a niche. This session is using a $5 average CPM.
Uniques vs. Pageviews: Unique is number of individual people coming to your site. Pageviews is how many times your site was viewed total. You sell pageviews, but advertisers typically want to know about uniques.
CTR: Click Thru Rate—the percentage of pageviews that actually clicked to the site.
CPC: You only get paid when someone clicks.
Comscore: The Gold Standard among ad agencies, but you have to be a big site to be measured. Also use Quantcast.

What do you do when your stat counters are so different?
Mary Anne: Use the one that makes you look better and see if you can get away with it.
Tsh: Most companies understand Google Analytics better so I just use that.

What is an Ad Network?
Mary Anne: Sell ads for a group collectively. (Glam, BlogHer, Juicebox Jungle, etc)
Pros/Cons: You get big brands advertising and it makes your site look good. You also have less control, though.
Expectations: You need to stick with your content niche. Most will require above the fold placement. Some won’t let you have reviews on the site.
Different ways to make money: Some will offer editorial integrations.
Melanie: I have to weigh how much I want to write about the topic vs. how my readers will feel about paid editorial content.
Read the fine print!
Mary Anne: The devil is in the details.
Paula: Think about what you really want to do over the course of the contract.

Tsh: Runs only private ads for complete creative control. More time consuming.
Michelle: Be very specific about your audience to filter out ads.
Mel: “This is why I go through an ad network.” Willing to give up 50% of revenue to ad networks in exchange for extra time to spend on content & community.

How much should be charging for CPM ad?
Tsh: Works with small businesses who can’t afford higher rates, but that’s who she wants to support.
Audience: Federated sells mom blog ads for $10-15 CPM, and pays us half.
Mary Anne: It depends on the blog, the niche and the market.

Final Thoughts:
Michelle: Keep track of your stats. Don’t sell yourself short.
Mary Anne: It’s a business. You have to treat it as such.

Read the comments.
2
Live Blogging Blissdom: Niche Blogging
Feb 06, 2010 | Filed Under: Making Connections

Once again, Alli Worthington is in my head as she plans these things! I have a couple different niche blogs, actually, with 2 more on the way later this month. This is a live blog so you’ll see my unedited notes as we go through the session.

Speakers:

Heather Solos, @heathersolos
Nester Smith, @thenester
Jennifer Schmidt, @beautyandbedlam
Sommer Poquette, @greenmom
Rachel Matthews, @sthrnfairytale
Audrey McClelland, @AudreyMcCellan

If you have a lot of frugal aspects on your blog. How does that affect your PR?
Jennifer: Doesn’t shop at a lot of stores so it makes it tough to find sponsors. Goodwill loves her but she’s learning to work with brands, not stores, that have lasting value.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room—money.
Sommer: Be strategic. Think about your niche. Think about your
Rachel: Makes money with ads but only because she likes the content in them. Works as a spokesperson for some foods, but only when she can support it.
Nester: Think about things that are a great fit for your niche instead of chasing everyone.
Do you see other blogs in your niche as competition or community?
Huge round of absolutely not!
Sommer: Help others in your niche, they’ll help you and it all comes back to you.
Audrey: There’s power in numbers. People get caught up in traffic numbers, but when you come together with 4-5 other women, you can approach a company together.
Sommer: Reading other blogs in your niche can give you inspiration on another post.
Rachel: There’s power in your community. You are a family. Support each other, love each other, share.
Nester: Recommends Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin: Know your tribe and get to know them.
Jennifer: If we drop that competitive edge a little, we’ll all succeed.

Community: How do you define your niche with your readers?
Jennifer: Be specific with your readers in your about page. Define you terms. Use a tag line.
Rachel: Your tag line is powerful. It can lead people into wanting to know more. You can rebrand yourself at anytime.

Can you rebrand yourself and refocus your niche at anytime without losing your readers?
Rachel: They’re going to come or go, regardless. Write for you. Write what you know.
Audrey: People read because you have content they want. The people who will leave aren’t the ones you want anyway.
Rachel: Be you. When people meet you in person, they should already know you through your blog.

Writing in a niche can lead people to view you as an authority. How do you feel about that?
Nester: You should become an authority in your tribe.
Rachel: Own it. If you aren’t entirely sure about something, write is if you are. When people ask you questions about something in your niche, you have a blog post right there. If one person asks, ten more want to know.
Sommer: You do have to be careful, especially when you are writing about products or ingredients. If you don’t know, send your readers to someone who does.
Jennifer: “I totally share that I screw up a whole lot.” This question depends on what kind of voice you want to share.
Audrey: The beauty niche is very subjective. It’s more opinion than fact.

How do you deal with the issues involved in being an expert?
Sommer: Get an LLC and insurance. You can also hire an attorney to help be sure you’re protected.
Jennifer: Also has an LLC. (Me too!)
Heather: Sometimes, it’s okay to say you can’t help.

How do you overcome outside perceptions of your niche?
Jennifer: Do a survey, get some demographics to show potential advertisers.
Rachel: Your social footprint is huge and they should look for that.
Heather: Some of it is on us to know our readers and our numbers to share with them.

What do you do when you don’t want to post in your niche?
Sommer: Ask to guest post with someone in another niche. Write a blog post on a Ning network—it can be about anything you want.
Nester: You can also post unrelated things on your Facebook page, where the fans are more interested in community.

Read the comments.
0
Live Blogging Blissdom: Getting Published
Feb 06, 2010 | Filed Under: Making Connections

Considering the fact that I’ve been writing no less than 3 books, and officially added “Write a book” to my 40×40 list, this was another must attend session. Alli sure knows what she’s doing! I am live blogging the events so you’re reading completely unedited notes as we go through the panel. Sometimes I miss things, sometimes I commentate but mostly I just jot down what I can along the way.

Speakers:

Sharyn Rosenblum from Harper Collins, @sharynrosenblum
Kristen Welch, @weareTHATfamily
Alicia Ybarbo, author of Today’s Moms: Essentials for Surviving Baby’s First Year, @todaysmoms
Tsh Oxenrider, author of , @simplemom
Erin Chase, author of The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook, @5dollardinners

Sharyn: Decide what it is you want to write about, and the supporting materials (photos, etc). Is it book worthy? Publishers are looking for people who are strong writers and have good interaction with their readership.

Once you have your concept, how do you go about developing it and putting together proposal?
Kristen: The proposal was very intimidating. Non-Fiction Book Proposals are, on average, 10-20 pages. She highly recommends Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents. (specifically the chapter titled Knock-Out Non-Fiction Book Proposals)
Alicia: There are elements you need in a proposal: a pitch letter (1 sheet about yourself & your idea), market comparison (similar books & what makes yours better), author bios, Table of Contents (will take the longest to do since you’re outlining the book without having written it), sample chapter—add photos, include graphics, make it aesthetically pleasing. Make it professional, but interesting enough to get read by an agent or publisher.
Tsh: Used an outline/template to write her proposal, but tried to find ways to make hers personal. Looked at books that would be sitting next to hers on the bookshelf and included information about how hers would be different.
Erin: Read Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody can Write—and did it.
Alicia: Your first draft is also not going to be your last.
Sharyn: It’s a case by case basis. There isn’t one way to do it but there is one way that’s write for you. Presentation is crucial. Swag is also good—if it’s a cookbook or art related, send a sample along with it. Your blog following is important but the book has to be able to stand on its own. Don’t oversell yourself, but don’t sell yourself short. You should have a reason why your book is a great idea. The editors want to work with people who really want to develop the best book they can.

About the process:
Tsh: Editor asked to see 2 chapters per month. It wasn’t in the contract but it helped to keep on track and stay in touch throughout the process. One of the reasons my editor picked my book is that I already have an eBook on my blog so they knew I was familiar with the writing process.
Kristen: “I really thought once I landed an agent that I was going to be a millionaire, but that is just not happening.” You don’t need an agent. They are a great go between but you can do it on your own.
Alicia: Don’t think you need to go to a big box firm. Meet with smaller, boutique literary agents. Go with your gut & choose a person who will ultimately be the one to take care of you.
Erin: “I really had no clue. I got the proposal thing figured out because there was a book.” Wrote all of hers in 2 months, but had most of the content (recipes) already on her blog.
Sharyn: Ask about the editorial process & schedule in advance. You’ll know what to expect & have the chance to choose someone who will be attentive. Know the kind of book you have & where you want it to land. If you compare yourself to someone or has a similar audience as another book, go to a similar publisher.
Tsh: Found her agent by asking another online friend with a similar published book and asked who she used.
Kristen: Knowing what you want to write is important. Hone in on what you want to write about. Editor told her only 50% of her book could come from her blog. You can’t just make your blog into a book, but you can’t hold back from your blog either. They want you to continue being active on your blog.
Tsh: The blog writing process is different than the book writing process. You can still take your blog posts, but expand on them.

What happens when the book comes out? Do you have to do a lot of publicity or tours to promote it?
Sharyn: Publishers put great efforts into getting into social media but book publicity is still very traditional. We use traditional media—television, radio, print.
Alicia: The publicist can only do so much. You’ll have to do a lot of hustle — connections. Take advantage of your own communities—local media, etc.
Erin: In the middle of publicity for her new book. There is a lot of work involved—interviews, book signings, etc. She actually asked to do the book signings just in locations she would be traveling already. Book reviews, giveaways have been huge since her book came from her blog.
The rest of the session was Q&A. I don’t do great at catching those, and I’m really freaking hungry. Also? My laptop needs to be charged so I’m all done here. If I catch something interesting along the way, I may come back & add it later. Sometimes, I also tweet random quotes.

1
Live Blogging Blissdom: Leveraging Social Media to Build Your Business
Feb 06, 2010 | Filed Under: Making Connections

With live blogging, I simply blog throughout the session. You may find my personal comments, direct quotes or quick notes. It is unedited and, therefore, not always cohesive. I do promise to come back later to edit spelling & grammar. One quick note—Kim & Kris are identical twins. Their responses may very well be reversed & I sincerely appologize if they are. I’m sitting too far to read the nametags.

Speakers:

Amy Turn Sharp from Little Alouette, @dooblehvay
Julie Cole from Mabel’s Labels, @juliecole
Kimba from a Soft Place to Land, @kimbaASPTL
Kim Christopherson from You Can Make This, @youcanmakethis
Kris Thurgood from SWAK Embroidery, @jessekatedesign
Lisa Leonard from Lisa Leonard Designs, @lisaleonard

Steps to take (the 5 Bs):
Build the Buzz: You want people to start talking about it now.
Be yourself: Don’t worry about it being perfect—just be you and real.
Be specific: Be specific about what action you want your readers to take.
Bring on the bookmarks
Be appreciative: Thank your readers/customers for everything they do—they don’t have to give you their email address so thank them when they do! Give them something as a thanks for signing up—a free eBook

What social media tools have been affective?
Kris: Get to know your audience. Find out what tools their using! You’ll learn where to focus your efforts.

How do you manage social media?
Lisa: “I do all the social media for the business myself.” It’s more genuine & personal than if it were hired out. Give your readers a sense of who you are. Network like nobody’s business—people are really open to getting to know you, especially if they love your product. Build relationships for the relationships not just to sell.

How much time do you spend and how much is right?
Kimba: Spends several hours per day, but understands each person needs to decide what is right for them. Make decisions about what you will and won’t do.
Julie: Building social media for Mabel’s Labels is actually her full time job so it’s 9-5. However, social media is 24/7. Focus on following up with people who are talking with you.

What campaigns have worked for you?
Amy: Get your name out there. People find you, fall in love with you and tell everyone.
Kate: You have to be passionate. If someone responds negatively in public, respond publicly. Loyalty is key—just because someone is small doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work with them. You could be building a relationship & loyalty with someone who will be bigger later.
Lisa: Network up, down, side to side. Just network a lot, and consistently.
Amy: Treat everyone the same with kindness & love because you never know who is buying your product, or who they know.
Kimba: A single campaign isn’t necessarily going to turn things around for your business, but it’s worth it for building buzz & relationships.

Do you have any personal rules with social media?
Amy: Has a personal account that is truly just her, but still has to be careful about what you say since you’re connected. Kris: “Don’t drink & tweet.”
Amy: Keep the biz account business focused. Don’t get involved in things that are hateful & heated. Uses UberTwitter to keep them separate (I use Tweet Deck with multiple accounts).

Kim: If you can be helpful, you’ll become an expert in your field. Even if you drive people to someone else’s posts, you start to become a resource.
Amy: Uses Tumblr to share photos that inspire her as she’s creating toys.
Julie: Know your readers, your target.

The rest was an audience Q&A. I didn’t always catch the questions but I did my best to write the important points from the answers.

What tools do you use to stay up on your competitors?
Amy: Google alerts.
Lisa: My readers keep an eye out for me. It can drive you insane trying to keep up on what others are doing. Put your energy into being creative instead of trying to police the internet.
Amy: Setup a Google alert for your name just to see what people are saying about you.
Julie: Don’t waste your time & energy worrying about it.
Kris: Just play your own game. Blogosphere has enough room for everyone.

How do you sell your business when it’s you—a service, not a product?
Lisa: You have to find a way to separate it. Define what you do and sell that.

Julie: Branding is important. Make sure your Facebook fan page looks like your website. The content doesn’t have to be identical but the sites should be the same.

Read the comments.
« Older