Blogger Camp!

{Shirt: Target | Jeans: Gap | Boots: Chinese Laundry via Nordstrom | Belt: bp via Nordstrom | Necklace: Juicy Couture | Bracelets: Boutique and Vintage}

Yesterday was Day 2 of Retail Camp - Blogger Camp! I was so excited for this day, and was pleasantly surprised by the great information I took away from it! Now I get to share the info with you!

We began our day with a simply amazing panel - The Basics of Blogging. The panelists were some of the top notch female fashion bloggers out there - so lucky to hear them speak! We heard from:

• Erin Weinger of StyleSectionLA 
• Jennine Jacob of The Coveted, Eat, Sleep Denim, and Independent Fashion Bloggers (Oh, you know, that little button we all have in our blog sidebars? Basically a superstar in our world!)
• Valerie Elizabeth of Society Stylist
• Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista
• Mary Hall of The Recessionista
• Tina Craig & Kelly Cook of Bag Snob

Wow! Can you believe such a fantastic panel was put together? I couldn't, and when I listened to them all speak, they continued to blow me away! Four pages of notes later, I'd like to share with you what I learned from each panelist!

Erin emphasized the importance of sticking to your guns, not compromising yourself, and holding yourself to your own personal standards. She reminded us that our goal is to please our readers. She also reminded us to be discerning. Report, don't just repeat. "Quality trumps everything." Remember to add value! Honesty isn't going to hurt you. Look at advertising the same way you look at your content - will it really appeal to or benefit anyone? Erin is the absolute perfect combination of a real girl and fashion professional  - she impressed me so much!

I was ecstatic to hear what Jennine had to say, and she most certainly didn't disappoint! She brought to our attention that fashion bloggers barely make a dent in the realm of blogs out there, and encouraged us to create new niches and find our passion. She, too, stressed the importance of content. She advised us to photograph our inspiration and be aware of our surroundings and translate that inspiration onto our blogs. She stressed that we should stay ahead of the game, stay inspired, and stay relevant. Jennine is so clever and down to earth with incredibly informative tips!

Valerie (of the famed "Little Black Dress Experiment") stressed the importance of allowing readers to build a relationship with you. Following this, don't endorse anything that you don't believe in. Valerie is an elegant, poised, professional with great insight!

Marie reminded us: You need to be like you. Find your voice and passion, and your following and success will grow over time. Stay authentic, and as time goes on, you can increase your level of engagement and begin to be more personal with your trusted readers. You should always blog with authenticity and integrity - you have an obligation to be real! Marie also reminded us, that as blogging can turn from a hobby to a form of work, if you ever begin to feel stress, overwhelmed, or anything of the sort, just remember: Unplug! I loved hearing about how Marie found her niche community, and it was so nice to see her real-life success story in-progress!

Mary, much like the other wonderful ladies, stressed that we all must be authentic - this includes our communication with readers. Like Erin, she reminded us of the importance of reporting - don't use basic facts alone! We all have seen the same pictures, the same info. Add your own! She also had a hilarious quote, in reference to social media/twitter/check-ins: "Don't let people track you like a lo-jack. She was so funny! She had such wonderful and relevant words of wisdom for us!

I cannot express what an honor it was to hear from Tina and Kelly! Their words were so encouraging to up-and-coming bloggers!They said that there is always room for a fresh voice and fresh perspective. First, have passion. Second, have a great business plan. In reference to opportunities involving ads, freebies, reviews, etc., they let us know that one should not be afraid to pass up lucrative opportunities if they are not entirely you. Allow readers to rely on your opinion! The ladies shared a great quote from OscarPRGirl: "Every tweet is a press release." So appropriate and representative of our time! As far as brand affiliation, they couldn't stress their point enough: Things should be tailored for you! don't accept anything just because. Stay authentic in your voice. (Are we noticing the trend?) Don't endorse anything you don't like. Equally as important, BUILD YOUR BRAND! These women are truly professional with striking authenticity! Calling them role models barely even begins to describe their impact!

Holy guacamole! I am so lucky to have gotten to hear these fantastic women speak! I've come away with information that will be endlessly useful for me!

After the panel (and some delicious lunch from the Twist Burger food truck - yum!), we heard Uduak Oduok of Uduak Law Firm and Lady Brille as well as Staci Riordan of Fox Rothschild. They opened up a whole new realm of the fashion industry for me: Fashion Law! I have always been interested in law, and have contemplated law school, but was never positive what sect of law I would fit into - and look what I discovered! I am so interested in finding out more information from these fantastic, intelligent, innovative women in the future!

We also heard from a rep from GENWI about creating a mobile app for your blog - something that at this moment I'm far from ready for, but I'm so glad to have the information for possible future use! We also heard from a rep for ly.st - "Twitter for fashion." What's that, you say? Twitter for fashion? I can't wait to check this one out! The ly.st rep stressed to us once again - Content is queen!

Lengthy blog post short, Blogger Camp was a great experience, and I got so much fantastic information out of it!