This past Saturday I had the opportunity to attend my first ever Blogger & Influencer networking event in San Marcos, Texas. The event Cocktails and Collabs and it was hosted by fellow influencers Danesha Calloway and Oyin Edogi. I met so many lovely fellow bloggers & influencers! I also had the opportunity to listen to a panel of influencers Kyra Knox, Jessica Milligan, and Sara Wadud discuss topics such as content, growth, and consistency. Also, thank you to Undecided Photography for all these photos.
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| The theme of the event was a pop of yellow! You can shop my dress here. |
I learned so much that afternoon so I thought that I’d do a quick recap of what I learned that afternoon:
1. Socialize! Socialize! Socialize!
What is the point in attending a networking event if you have no intentions of being social? Being a business student and currently working as an marketing intern, I am constantly meeting new people.
You would think that by now I would be used to it by now! However, as an introvert I will say that I have no problem introducing myself to people, but afterwards I sometimes struggle to keep the conversation going. That being said, I really made an effort to engage with everyone.
After going around the room and meeting everyone, I realized that it is only awkward if YOU make it awkward. The best way to eliminate awkward pauses is to continue asking questions such as what they do, how they got started, what motivates them, etc. By that point, the conversation will grow organically and BOOM! you just have now made a new connection. After the event, I definitely had to go home and re-charge my social batteries for the rest of the day, but it was great practice and so worth it!
2. Come prepared with your elevator speech!
Ahh the lovely elevator speech! I believe that a solid elevator speech should range from 25-45 seconds. Imagine you are actually in an elevator and have to pitch yourself as your brand to someone. You don’t have much time! I met so many amazing women and hearing their “elevator speech” was extremely fun as it opens to the doors to questions, more conversation, and maybe if you are lucky and keep in contact, future collaborations! While I learned that it is important to cover the basics such as your name, where you are from, what you do, how long you have been doing it, what inspires you, and your future plans. I also learned that you have the ability to make it fun and unique!
3. Bring business cards
We live in a day and age where technology and social media play a large role in our lives. For bloggers and influencers it is our platform that holds our brand. Without it, I do not know where we would be! With it being so common, after mingling with everyone at the event I can confirm that 99.9% of us use Instagram. I can’t blame us as it is a great app that is visually based and holds so many opportunities!
Exchanging Instagram’s is definately a good way to keep in touch and view each other’s content. However, life happens and as the event progresses sometimes phone batteries die. This is why business cards extremely important! It also allows you to share multiple ways for others to connect and keep in touch with you.
Your business card does not have to feature a lot, just keep it simple and make sure the design is align’s with your branding! My business card features my logo, my photo (sometimes faces are easier to remember than names), my name, email, website url, Intragram Username, and Facebook page.
4. Ask questions and take notes!
It is important to be present and pay attention! Also, do not be afraid to ask questions or take notes! After meeting everyone and listening to the speakers on the panel, I learned a lot on the “do’s and don’ts” of blogging, new photo editing apps, the proper way to handle collaboration/sponsor deals and more!
5. You aren’t alone!
I attended this event alone and did not know one anyone prior to the event. I mentioned above that I am an introvert, so being reserved you could imagine how nervous I was! However, it didn’t take me long to break out of my shell because I realized that I had something in common with every woman in the room. We were all bloggers, influences, or business women in some way, shape or form! As the afternoon progressed on, I found that it became easier to strike up conversations. I truly met some amazing and creative women! I even met some of my sorors (sorority sisters) and the five of us had the opportunity to take a picture with them at the end!
All in all, I had an amazing time at the event and am so happy that I was able to attend because it gave me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. Everyone was so sweet and it felt amazing to be in a room of so many beautiful, creative, and talented women. I learned a lot and made so many new connections and can not wait till the next event!
