Networking is Crucial to Succeed

by Courtney Velasquez

It’s not like the 90′s where there were only a handful of bloggers on the web.  Today, there are thousands of  millions of blogs and standing out from the crowd is really tough.  You need to network to succeed as a blogger today.

I just got back from a bloggers conference called Gleek Retreat where I spoke with Sandy Jenney about Social Media In Real Life.  The topic couldn’t have been more perfect for me because my story began with the friends I met in social media when I started a review blog and was like a needle in a haystack of review bloggers.

What made a difference for me and has helped me to stand out from some of the rest, is my ability to be social in real life.

I started my first blog, Giftfully Simple, in February of 2009 and then 4 months later I had secured 7 sponsors who payed my way to BlogHer 09.  Since I had only been blogging for four months and did not have brand relationships yet, I had to be creative and reach out to Mompreneurs I had built relationships with on online forums.  I also had to put together a plan of what I could do for a company and why it would be beneficial for them to send me to a conference.

I went to BlogHer 09 knowing who I wanted to meet and had no expectations.  I also knew there were going to be around 1000 bloggers attending the conference, so I had a great chance of making some connections.

By going to BlogHer 09 and meeting the friends I had made online through social media, I solidified friendships and made them “real”.  Those relationships have led to some of the most rewarding opportunities I have ever experienced as a blogger.

About 2 or 3 months after BlogHer, a local meetup surfaced where I got to socialize with some influential bloggers and some great companies which have led to some more really great opportunities.  This event is where I met John Andrews and where Jyl Pattee from Mom It Forward asked me to be an Office Max Max Mom.

Each and every “in real life” meeting or event I go to has opened the doors to new and exciting opportunities for me.  I have been invited to blogger immersion events, lead campaigns for Collective Bias and so much more and I credit the face to face interactions for my opportunities.

So, whether you have the chance to go to a conference like BlogHer with 1000 attendees or a local conference like Gleek Retreat that is more intimate with 30 or so attendees, a connection is a connection and they are all important in building relationships and succeeding in the vast sea of bloggers.

Courtney Velasquez is the ultimate, multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies, is a Social Media Marketing Strategist and has 3 girls under 6 years old.

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