enJOY it

I spent time last week in Salt Lake City for Alt Summit, a blogging conference.

I have heard about Alt many times over the years and it always appeared very glittery and stylish and a bit of a who's who of the lifestyle blog scene. It was all of those things for sure in well-organized and beautifully packaged event. Seriously. I was impressed and also happy to know that in real life it's also much less intimidating than it might appear.

I went because I wanted to see what a portion of this industry is doing. I went because curiosity got the better of me. I went because I had a few friends that were going to head that way this summer too.

So what did I learn?

More than anything it was a great reminder/slap in the face of what my blog is for me. At this point in my career, I am a business owner with a blog. My blog is not my business. Professionally, I use it as a resume that promotes my actual money makers – online workshops and MAKE29. I do make some money directly from this site through affiliate programs (read about that here), but that's just because I like to share what I love and affiliate programs work well with an engaged and decent-sized audience. EDITED TO ADD : I had more to say about this! I just recorded a short podcast episode that shares a few more thoughts.

So what does that mean?

I'm an idiot for trying to pursue brand partnerships and/or sponsored posts. I have a super well-aligned and profitable brand partner already, ELISE JOY, the business I own and operate. When an opportunity is perfection and allows me to spend a bit more time and money on posts that I would already be writing then yes, that makes sense. But otherwise I can cross worrying about that off the list (whew!).

What else did I learn?

How to get more from google analytics! I attended a great session on this and it was super interesting. Don't get me wrong: I think obsessing over statistics is a sure-fire way to make yourself crazy, but being generally aware is a good thing. I learned what my top ten (most viewed) posts are from the past 12 months :

1. what I am eating with gestational diabetes – I knew that would be a great google hit
2. adventures in water marbling part 2 – thanks to mentions on ABM, Poppytalk and Apartment Therapy among others
3. our DIY coffee table – old post that apparently still gets shared
4. rope plant hangers – I see this mentioned and shared often
5. adventures in water marbling part 1 – click throughs from the part two post
6. my taped table – this was recently featured on buzzfeed
7. our DIY media cabinet – haven't seen a recent mention of this, but great!
8. my big script art – I link to this all the time, it's my favorite DIY project to date
9. gift ideas for the brand new mama – totally an example of a successful "Pinterest-y" photo (taller than it is wide, has simple text that explains the pin and doesn't show faces in the photo)
10. DIY paper laterns – old post that apparently still gets shared

The best thing about seeing that list is that I LOVE writing those sorts of posts. None of them take me that long and all of those projects are things that I enjoyed making. It would be sad if my "traffic driver" posts were things I was not interested in writing about anymore.

What else did I learn?

That Joy Cho is rad. She gave the keynote Wednesday morning and talked in depth about her career path. She included that she too struggled to "juggle" – great term! – the role of woman who adores her child + woman who adores her job. She mentioned briefly that she cried every day for months after her daughter's birth and things didn't smooth back out until about 1.5 years later. I wanted to stand up and applaud. Not because I think a hard transition is a good thing but because I appreciate her honesty and LOVE that she added in that bit along with her awesome business milestones. Joy is the real deal and I wish her continued success.

What else did I learn?

That I love having friends who have similarly bizarre career paths. In the photo above Ali is talking to me about pros and cons of different retirement savings programs (no joke!). The most interesting part of being self-employed is that no two jobs are alike so there are so many things to relate about but no real competition. As always, it was so great to chat and laugh with old friends and it was awesome to meet new people and put actual faces to instagram handles.

What else did I learn?

That there was no focus (maybe due to lack of interest?) on the actual WRITING of blog posts. It wasn't until I was on the plane ride home that I made the connection and I couldn't believe it. I pulled out my program and re-checked and realized that yes…writing your own blog content didn't get a session. I don't have much to say about that except: I DO THIS FOR THE WORDS. I love the words. I love reading what others write. I LOVE writing in this space. If my writing dies, my blog dies. I hope the writing doesn't die.

What else did I learn?

Martha Stewart spoke and said many great things (like this) including "I have to teach myself something everyday." This is why I keep blogging from a personal standpoint. I could probably keep the business semi-afloat for way less time if I just used Instagram, Pinterest and my newsletter to promote. But I so appreciate that having a blog and developing content daily keeps me learning. I try more things (for sure!). I set more goals (for sure!). I work AND play more because I write here.

What else did I learn?

The value of a smashable brand. I had never heard this term before and love the imagery and message.

What else did I learn?

That every one's path looks completely different. This HAS to be fun above all else. This really is FUN above all else. (I stuck that last photo in because represents my expression in nearly every photo taken at the event. I swear I had fun but that's apparently my attentive listening face.)

All images in this post were taken by Justin Hackworth and Brooke Dennis. You can see thousands of photos from this event here.

Other posts you might enjoy:

• on motivation
• how I tackle huge projects.
• time spent consuming vs. creating.
• how I keep my daily tasks organized.
• why I set goals
• the difference between goals and to-do list items.
• tips for success with long-term projects
• more thoughts on "balance."
• creative books I always return to. 

I LOVE INSTAGRAM.

If I only got ONE social media outlet, I'd pick the blog. But if I got two, I'd pick the blog and Instagram, no contest. It's just so easy. And clean. And simple. And functional.

I use it to connect with people I haven't seen in years (like people I went to high school with or cousins who live out of state). I use it to share photos of Ellerie with the grandparents (and aunts and uncles). I use it to make friends with other bloggers around the world. I use it to document our lives. I use it to get feedback on something I am working on or considering. I use it to share the best TV clips ever. And, yep, I use it to promote my business (which right now is this blog, my shop, podcast and workshops).

I don't think there is a single winning formula for successful self and/or brand promotion that isn't annoying. There just isn't. It's a balance between keeping people interested and informed without over-doing it – but you're always going to bug some people and leave others wanting more. I'm in an odd position where my life and my brand are sort of blended. I share about (some of) my life on the blog and that (sort of) supports the business. I also have a genuine personal interest in my shop and branding. Because the line between personal and professional is faint, my Instagram feed is sort of a mish-mash and looks something like this :

photo of Ellerie, photo of food, photo of Ellerie, photo of project, photo of garden, photo of coffee, photo of Ellerie and coffee and project in the background, video clip of Ron Swanson, photo of coffee and garden, photo of Ellerie, photo of shop item, photo of Ellerie, shop item, coffee and waitforit, food.

But guess what? That's because my life looks like this :

Ellerie, breakfast, Ellerie, work on a project, look at the garden, drink some coffee, Ellerie, watch Parks and Rec, work, coffee, Ellerie, look at garden, work, Ellerie, work, dinner.

I'm not ashamed of that…it's a pretty rad life.

Running this business blends right into my daily life and so it just blends right into my daily Instagraming. But that doesn't mean I am not deliberate about how I share photos and promote my business. Below are some things I have learned about promoting through Instagram.

Consider the medium. Most people (if not all) are going to be scrolling their feed on their phone. They are most likely engaged in something else too (watching TV, on a coffee break, waiting in line to checkout at the grocery store, waiting for the microwave to beep, etc.) They are not settling into your feed the way they would be curling up with a blanket and your blog post. Because of this, I like to provide QUICK, bite-sized bits of info like…"sharing XXX #ontheblog today" or "XXX just launched at elisejoy.com!" Highlighting the blog works because people can click through my profile if they're actually interested. Elisejoy.com works because it's easy to remember and just eight characters to type in. A long hyperlink (which works on Pinterest or Twitter when shortened) or a long paragraph (which works great in a blog post) might not be as successful on Instagram.

Do something special. A random pet peeve of mine is graphics or screenshots getting posted to Instagram. I think it's because FOR ME, Instagram is an inspiring place to share photos…so when I scroll my feed I want to see PHOTOS! I try to take another photo on my phone in addition to the ones I take with my big camera to promote a blog post. I have been playing with paper and pen to promote my podcasts. It's just as easy to write something and snap a photo as it is to play with an app to create a graphic PLUS it's a slightly more interesting way to share your message.

Let it spread. I personally use hashtags in three ways. First as sort of like an under-the-breath comment for the real comment. (#likeajokebutnotalwaysfunny.) Second as a way to create a collection of my own photos so I can see them all in one place (like #eliselovesmornings or #eliselovessummer). Third as a way to share business product photos AND encourage others to do the same. I do this with #make29 (and LOVE seeing others tag their photos when they receive their packages) and with the podcast (#elisegetscrafty). I feel like these days everyone and everything has a hashtag but it's still rad to see it spread.

Take a good photograph. I know, hit you over the head obvious. But whenever I am sharing behind the scenes or peek at a new product I make sure the light is right and the framing is decent and the image looks good. Just because it's not the "official" product image doesn't mean it shouldn't look awesome. My friend Marta says it best here : "when you sell an item online, you are actually selling your clients a picture of the item."

This week on ELISE GETS CRAFTY, I'm having another small business discussion with Ann-Marie Espinoza and we're chatting about…you guessed it!…social media. How we use it, what we consider "best practices" and more. Subscribe on iTunes or stream the episode here.