TWITTER CHAT FOR BLOGGERS

Hi everyone! I hope you're all well and enjoying the Easter bank holiday!

This post is all about, as you might've guessed, a new Twitter chat for all bloggers

A few months ago, when introducing the new part of #TakeBackWhatsYours campaign, I decided it would be so much fun to start a new Twitter chat for it. It's another way for us all to connect, chat and share experiences and generally help us all feel great, empowered and motivated which is the main message of my campaign. I've hosted Twitter chats in the past & really enjoyed it, so I thought to myself, why not start one for #TakeBackWhatsYours?

Some topics which will be covered each week are as follows; 

• Self-esteem and low confidence
• Setting goals and learning how to achieve them
• Turning dreams into reality 
• Taking back your life & gaining control
• Anxiety
• Motivation
• Diabetes & other medical problems
• Health, fitness & food
• School/University/Careers
• Blogging, blog tips, SEO, traffic, engagement, events, working with brands
• Beauty/fashion/lifestyle/interior/food/travel/books/tv/films

I would love for you to also tweet me topic requests to get us going and for us to have a good few weeks of chat topics lined up so we all know what's going on and what to expect!

The hashtag will be '#TBWY' instead of #TakeBackWhatsYours (for character restrictions) and the Twitter account questions will be asked from @TBWYCampaign! 

I'm still a little bit unsure of what day to definitely hold the chat because there are quite a few that go on and I want to make sure it fits in best around the other chats! Please tweet me day and time suggestions and I'll decide for sure ASAP - I was thinking possibly a Friday/Saturday/Sunday evening around 9pm! I will update you all as soon as I have set a day for sure so keep an eye on @ChloesConcept, @TBWYCampaign and here because I'll be posting about it on all three!

I love Twitter chats but I want this one to be slightly different. For example, at the beginning of the chat, the first question I might ask could be for you all to tweet a picture of your favourite quote, or of a quote you're loving at the moment. This will be just to kick things off and get everyone feeling hopeful, motivated and inspired! 

If you'd be interested in "tuning in" for this #TBWY chat, please let me know so I know how many would be keen for this and I'll get to work straight away as I'm really excited to get this going!

Get in touch! 

Twitter: @ChloesConcept / @TBWYCampaign 

Email: ChloesConcept@gmail.com / TakeBackWhatsYours@gmail.com

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Chloe x

BLOGCONF BRISTOL 21ST FEBRUARY

Hi everyone!

Today's post is all about the series of events I help organise, BlogConf. We do a series of BlogConf events around the UK and this time we took BlogConf to Bristol! The next one is on May 9th in Glasgow, so if you're around that area, pop along as we'd love you to join!

The whole ethos for BlogConf is to put on something which people want. It's pretty simple. We love seeing bloggers meet other bloggers for the first time & also catch up with bloggers they met at our last event. We always aim to make it a super relaxed, informal kind of event where people are happy to raise a hand and ask a question to one of our speakers without feeling intimidated! There is no judgement at BlogConf! The main goal is for bloggers to leave BlogConf feeling like they've gained invaluable information, advice, motivation, inspiration and not to forget new friends which they've got something great in common with!

So, onto the actual day. Myself, Emma and Kristy left Swansea around 7am and got to Racks Bar & Kitchen (in Clifton) around 8.45! We started setting up which went super quick and at around 9.30am our first guests arrived! Every single person who came through the door was so lovely and chatty - which is what we love! I'm quite shy at times so it brings me out of my shell a bit to go and talk to guests; which is great for me!

The day began with Emma (the main organiser of BlogConf!) giving a little welcome talk (which was lovely & super helpful!) and an insight into her background of running her own online boutique for the past 7 years and also about Adlet, where I also work, which is all about monetising your blog - so do check Adlet out if you fancy monetising your blog (it's super quick, easy, no hassle, no sign up fee, no contract - I have a post all about Adlet here!)

After Emma's warm and welcoming talk, we had a great session from Joe Stutter who runs Webpal, a website design and online marketing business. Joe was great and so helpful and informative. His talk was valid for all types of bloggers, whether you knew about the importance of blog design and SEO or not, Joe gave great tips about how you can improve your blog design and online presence in order to boost your SEO and website traffic. Questions were asked from the audience and Joe did a wonderful job in answering!

After Joe, we were lucky enough to have Lottie Storey, who talked to us about taking a huge step where she quit her job to pursue a career she was most passionate about. Lottie also creates features for Mollie Makes, an amazing craft magazine. This is where Lara Watson comes in. Lara is the editor of Mollie Makes and spoke to us all about how you would go about contacting a brand you'd like to work with! Both Lottie and Lara shared their views on working with magazines and told us all about how to approach magazines if you want to contribute. They advised us to learn how to pitch ourselves and really sell ourselves to whoever we're contacting because they and everyone else (brands) get hundreds of emails a day from bloggers wanting to work with them. 

We then had some scrummy lunch which was delicious! This also allowed us to network and make friends! 

Next up, we have photographer, Danny T! Unfortunately I missed parts of his talk as myself and Kristy were in the back room putting the finishing touches on the goody bags! And we were jealous, I might add - at both the goody bags and the fact that everyone was listening to an amazing photographer talk about how we can all improve our blog photos. Even though I missed parts, I could hear the whole thing, and I learnt so much just by listening so I know everyone would have really benefited from Danny's talk! At one point, I could see Danny picking members of the audience to come and pose for a photo so he could show us all in real time how to adjust the settings to make it look amazing! If anyone is on the hunt for a wedding photographer and you live in Bristol, definitely check out his work because it's truly wonderful.

We also had a superb panel session held by Gemma from Hello It's Gemma blog and Mel from Trunki. This session was fantastic because it felt more like a discussion between Gemma and Mel as well as the attendees. It was amazing to see guests raise their hand to ask questions and put their experience forward which is exactly what we want. We love when bloggers actually get involved because everyone can learn from what that blogger did right or maybe did wrong once or twice! It's all about the learning (not always the bass!).

We were so lucky to arrange Will Guyatt who is the Communications Manager at Instagram to come in and talk to us all about how Instagram works for bloggers and which way we can all use Instagram to benefit us the most. Will explained to have specific hashtags rather than a whole lot of unnecessary ones in order for people to see it. Rather than hashtagging #London for example, think of something more specific as your post might get lost in the thousands of photos uploaded every minute with the #London hashtag! 

Now nearing the end of the day, we had Olivia from Just Olivia TV who told us all about getting into the world of YouTube. This is fascinating to me as it's something I would love to do but always thought I would never have the actual confidence to. In fact, Olivia even spoke about confidence and how everyone who puts a YouTube video out there is just a normal person at the end of the day - no one is above anyone else, we all have opinions and we have the right to share them! Olivia also spoke about how you do not need a huge budget to make YouTube videos. She even spoke about making thumbnails for her videos using Paint which I find so refreshing as usually everyone advises Photoshop or something similar!

Last of all we had the creator of the amazing blog Pale Girl Blogs, Sophie. I love this blog name, as being a pale girl myself, I automatically feel we have a lot in common! Sophie talked about her blogging experience and how she changed blog names a couple of times until she found the name that suited her best. This just proves that re-branding your blog doesn't have to be that horror story you assume and imagine it to be, it can actually be super successful, as Sophie proves! Sophie also talked about where and who she gets her blog inspiration from. After the event, I had the chance to chat with Sophie which was really lovely as she's so nice and down to earth! 

I love being one third of the BlogConf team. It's so rewarding to see everything come together and know it all paid off. I loved being able to catch up with bloggers like Rosa, who I made friends with when she came to our last event in Swansea! Myself and Rosa now keep in touch regularly so it's lovely to know that you'll make friends for life because of attending an event like BlogConf! 

We even put some (if I don't mind saying so myself) amazing goody bags together with products and vouchers sent from some awesome brands such as Lush, Mollie Makes, Salcura, Kettle Chips, Bounce Energy Balls, Benefit, Instagram, Your Tea, Ji Ji Kiki and more!

The next BlogConf event will take place in Glasgow on May 9th, but we're heading all around the UK this year! There's a mailing list on the website where you can be contacted prior to when the early bird tickets go on sale!

If you're a little hesitant about attending your first BlogConf event because you're planning on coming alone, please don't hesitate to contact me and I'll be happy to reassure you and give you many examples of how the majority of our attendees come alone and leave making a heap of friends who they share something in common with. You can either get me on Twitter, email or my BlogConf email which is Chloe@blogconf.com. Also, being a blogger myself, I'd be happy to chat with you before the event and obviously at the event if you're still unsure about coming yourself - sometimes it's safety in numbers but I assure you with BlogConf, it can be just as safe and rewarding coming alone! As well as these contact details, you can also contact us on hello@blogconf.com! 

Here are a few reviews from our Twitter hashtag #BlogConf!

If you'd like to see some more photos from BlogConf Bristol, check this out!

Thank you for reading and hope to see you at a future event!

Get in touch! 

Twitter: @ChloesConcept / @TBWYCampaign 

Email: ChloesConcept@gmail.com / TakeBackWhatsYours@gmail.com

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Instagram : @ChloesConcept

HOW TO: USE ADLET TO ADVERTISE ON YOUR BLOG

Hi everyone! 

If you haven't heard of Adlet yet, where have you been? Adlet is an amazing blog advertising site which makes the process of setting up ads and selling them on your blog, an absolute breeze! Adlet launched last May and has grown rapidly in the blogging world ever since! It's completely free; no set up fee, no contract, no anything. You might as well give it a try because you've got absolutely nothing to lose.

This post shows you all about how you can sign up and exactly what to do in order to set up selling ads on your blog. It literally takes about ten minutes... at most. You don't have to wait for it to be verified or anything, just ten minutes and you could be selling your first ad. 

 

1. First, of course, sign up! If you're a brand, you change your account type to Advertiser rather than Publisher, but bloggers, don't worry about that - just choose Publisher :) 

2. Okay, so here's your Dashboard. First of all, set up your blog profile. 

3. Now that you've clicked on that (Set Up Blog Profile), you'll see this screen below. Pretty simple, fill out your details - you're going to want to put as much information about your blog in the Full Description part as this is what brands are going to see so make it eye catching and impressive!

4. Now you've done all of that, click on create an ad space. 

5. In this post, I'm going to be concentrating on Image Ads. 

6. Okay, so now you're going to want to name the ads you sell. As you can see, an example would be Top Dog. You can have anything; Gold, Silver and Bronze... One, Two and Three... anything - be as creative as you can be! As you can also see, there is a drop down menu on many options below, so you can have your choice on the size and positioning of the ads you'll be selling! 

In the description, you might want to put what this ad space will provide for the brands. For example, possibly Twitter mentions, a featured post... you get the idea!

7. Now here's a technical looking part, but it really isn't! When you save your ad spaces, click Install Ad Shop on the Dashboard.

 All you have to do is take the top code (Code A) which I've blurred so you don't get confused about your own code (not all codes are the same obviously!) and copy and paste that code into your desired sponsor/advertising page on your blog. To do this, you'll have to go into the HTML version (on Blogger, it's just next to the undo/redo button!

Now, take Code B and copy and paste that into the Layout part of your blog where you want the ad space to be displayed. For example, if you've chosen to have it in the right hand side bar, add a new HTML/Java Script widget and copy and paste the link into there and save.

There you go, all done and dusted and now you can get selling ad spaces straight away. I told you it was easy!

Hope this helps! If you have any questions, leave a comment, tweet or email me! The links are all below! 

CALLING ALL BLOGGERS

Before you go, I'm running a campaign called 'Take Back What's Yours' - if you follow me on Twitter, you probably have seen me mention it. I tag you to take part in this campaign and here's how you can get involved! I really appreciate everyone who is involved in my #TakeBackWhatsYours campaign. You can get involved in this if you're a blogger OR even if you don't have a blog and you just enjoy reading them - in this case, all you need is an Instagram account and a Twitter account! Please check out the link I've put above because all of the information is included!

Get in touch! 

Twitter: @ChloesConcept / @TBWYCampaign 

Email: ChloesConcept@gmail.com / TakeBackWhatsYours@gmail.com

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WHY EVERYONE IS USING ADLET TO MONETISE THEIR BLOG

Today's topic is all about monetising your blog by accepting advertising! This can be a daunting thought as there's often quite a lot of confusion surrounding the topic. For example, a common question is "how do I advertise on my blog?" or "how can I turn my hobby into my full-time job?" 

Well, let me introduce you to Adlet.

Adlet is a UK ad based platform which provides a service to bloggers and businesses to allow advertising on their blogs and websites or allow them to put an ad on someone else's site to advertise their blog or business.

It's actually really simple to set up and it doesn't cost you a penny, which is awesome. Unlike other sites that provide this sort of service, for example Passionfruit, Google Ads and many more, Adlet doesn't charge a thing for creating your account, nor does it keep you to a contract so you have total freedom. 

You also have total freedom in what ads you allow on your blog/website whereas other sites don't tend to give you the option to choose whether you approve them or not. This is great because you don't necessarily want an advert on your blog that doesn't fit with your blog's theme.

Adlet charges 10% of whatever ad you sell, which is tiny compared to, again, other advertising services. No money comes out of your bank account at all (unless you are paying for an ad to be shown on someone else's site), it is taken before it enters your bank account. For example, if you have a jewellery boutique wanting to advertise their necklaces on your blog and you decide to sell an ad space for £10, Adlet will take 10% of this so £9 will enter your bank account. I know you probably guessed that after the first sentence but it's worth explaining it a bit more just for you to be sure!

When you sign up though, make sure you complete all steps of the process as you'll want to set up your profile on their site so that you're put on their Marketplace which is how brands will find your blog! The installation process is really simple and straightforward and help is always at hand if you ever get stuck or have any questions - you can contact them by email but they also have Twitter!

Do you use Adlet? What do you think? 

Thanks for reading!

Chloe x

WHAT EVERYONE WANTS IN A BLOG POST: BOOST YOUR TRAFFIC

Everyone is definitely different so what you consider to be a great blog post, someone else may think that it's mediocre. That doesn't mean that it is mediocre as someone else could think that it is the best blog post they've read in awhile.

I'm no professional in this sort of thing at all, I'm purely going from my own experiences so what may work for me, may not work for you. The truth is, I could do the exact same type of post that had a great amount of traffic on, but then only get a quarter of views on it. I think I'm only just starting to realise you have to work really hard to get the amount of traffic you desire. 

By the way, a great amount of views and a hike in traffic isn't the be all and end all of blogging. Blogging should be about having fun with writing about your interests and hobbies, reading other blogs, learning something and applying it to your life - whether that's learning about a new product, a DIY post, a health post, an advice post, a school/university post, a career post... whatever it is, you get the idea!

                                                                                                                                                     

CONTENT IDEAS

However, in my opinion to create something that everyone will want to click on, it's a good idea to create content about a topic that will apply to a wide range of people but by still managing to keep your target audience priority. Here are some ideas:

• A topic that is personal to you - Make sure you know why you're talking about it though. Are you wanting to change something? Discuss something? Get opinions on something? 
• A post on blogging; blog tips, tricks, things you've learned through your experience of blogging
• Bucket List
• Interesting and helpful facts - an infographic is a good option!
• A film/TV review
• To-do list for going on holiday or moving house

                                                                                                                                                      

     CONTENT ACCURACY

The most important thing is to make sure you know what you're writing about. Whatever it is you choose to write about make sure you have a good amount of knowledge on the topic so you feel you can write about it with confidence. Not only that though, you want to make sure the content you're writing is correct and accurate - you don't want to mislead your readers in any way, shape or form. 

                                                                                                                                                           

IMAGES

I probably don't have to include this section because it is common knowledge how important good photography is for bloggers. When I first started my blog, my photography was awful and I'm still learning. I haven't got the most expensive or professional camera, when I first started I used my iPhone but then moved onto my camera which is a Samsung... but I don't think I could give you the exact name of it because I don't know it. Being a student in university, I can't really afford to go out and buy a top of the range camera so I do my best with what I have. Just make sure you learn the basics of photography, try and incorporate the rule of thirds, make sure the background isn't busy and ensure that it doesn't feel uncomfortable to look at - for example, make sure you don't cut a corner off what you're taking a picture of unless it's intentional - the image below is a prime example of intentional adjustment to make it a bit more fancy, if you like! Everything I've mentioned is basic stuff, I know, but very important!

                                                                                                                                                     

PROMOTION

It is also common knowledge that promoting your post is essential and a great way to drive traffic. Social media, social media, social media. It should be the first thing you go to when you've published your post. You can't assume people will just randomly go to your blog a couple of times a day to keep checking if you'd published a post. You need to tell them but without coming across to forceful. Twitter chats are a great way to network with other bloggers and spread the word about your blog. If you struggle to keep up with all the different chats that go on, check out this Twitter calender made by Elaine from XOMISSE! 

Have you got any tips on how you can boost your traffic?

Thanks for reading!

Get in touch! 

Twitter: @ChloesConcept

Email: ChloesConcept@gmail.com

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Chloe x

. 

Where have I been? Update!

Hi bloggers!

This is just a little update post so please have a read!

I haven't blogged in two weeks as I've been on holiday to Florida. It's my favourite place on earth and that's why I absolutely love going on holiday there! It has everything you could possibly want; the best shopping experiences, the best weather, the best sunbathing, the best theme parks... you name it, it has it! I'll be doing lots of posts of the next few weeks which will be a series of its own, specifically dedicated to my trip, including beauty hauls (yes, I went to Sephora!), clothes hauls, interior inspirations, restaurant and hotel reviews and general information about Florida, so please look out for that!

I'm currently in the process of making all these posts happen so please stick with me whilst I get them all ready! I hope you enjoy this series as I'm really excited to share it with you all!

Hope you're all well and enjoying this last little bit of Summer!

Chloe x

Sisterhood Of The World - Blog Awards!

Thank you Beck from Revior blog for nominating me in the Sisterhood Of The World Blog Awards! Beck's blog is such a great read! Beck is a beauty blogger who also has a passion for cats (just like me!) so we have a lot in common! Why don't you give her blog a read? You won't regret it! :) Thanks again, Beck!

The Rules:

– Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.
– Put the award logo on your blog.
– Answer the ten questions they have set you.
– Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.
– Nominate ten people

Here are Beck's questions for me!

1. Which celeb do you take your fashion or makeup inspiration from? I love Lauren Conrad, Lily Collins  and Rachel Bilson's fashion sense and for makeup I love Lauren Conrad (again), Selena Gomez, Camilla Belle, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Minka Kelly! There are loads more for each but those are my top!
2. Would you rather wear lipstick or eyeliner? Lipstick! If I can put on some liquid eyeliner on the top and my mascara, I could do without eyeliner!
3. Are you a skirt or trouser kinda person? I like the thought of skirts and wearing them but I'm definitely more of a trouser kind of  person!
4. Bold lips or eyes for a night out? Bold lips! I like a bronzed smokey eye all the time as a staple look which is more natural than bold so I'd definitely go with bold lips!
5. Do you have any beauty products that you use every day? My Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation and my Got2B Freeze Spray!
6. What are your top 3 makeup products? Philosophy 'The Present' Primer, Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer (couldn't recommend this more!) and my Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel!
7. Do you match your lipstick with your outfit? Nope! I always go for a pink, orange or I mix both to make a coral colour!
8. What's your favourite item of clothing? I love scarves and bags but as for actual clothing I do love my leather jackets and parka coats! 
9. Have you ever been disappointed with a makeup product? Yes! I'm usually disappointed with lipsticks I buy if they're not a matte finish! I don't really like glossy lipsticks! I'm trying to think of a specific product but I've gone blank!
10. What's the worst hairstyle you've ever tried? I've always had really long hair and when I was about 13 I got my full fringe and hair layered and feathered but the hairdresser used a razor instead. What a disaster!

My Questions:

1. What inspired you to start blogging?
2. Where do you hope to see your blog in the future?
3. What do you love most about the blogging world?
4. What are you top beauty tips?
5. Where do you get your makeup/style inspiration from?
6. Where do you love to shop the most?
7. What are you most proud of in relation to your blog?
8. Which do you favour: bags or shoes?
9. How much would you spend on a beauty product?
10. What is your top blogging tip?

I nominate:

• Funsize Beauty
• Realm of Beauty
• SarahSmilesxxx
• Dino's Beauty Diary
• Pretty and Polished
• LaLaLovesChic
• Tie-Dye-Eyes
• Aspiring Londoner
• Letters To Antoinette 
• Hannah Rambles Blog

Thank you again to Beck for nominating me!