SoFabUOTR NYC Recap 

I was was provided a free ticket to attend SoFabU on the Road by Collective Bias, Inc. All opinions are mine alone. #SoFabUOTR #CollectiveBias

I woke up around 2 a.m. Saturday morning beyond excited to get my day started with SofabUOTR. I was so happy I didn’t have far to travel being a few stops away from We Work at the Bryant Park location. I had about an hour to spare so I sat in the lobby and met attendees on their way in. As we made our way up the stairs there was a table full of cute lunch totes filled with goodies. I found a table and the breakfast found me. Fresh fruit, bagels, pastries, muffins, coffee, juice, etc. 

After the Sofab introduction and review from Debba Haupert (Senior Manager, Education & Development Sofab University & SofabU on The Road) the first panel discussion of the day was “How to excel with Sponsored Posts.” Kim Janoko (Senior Director of Community), Kristin Wheeler (Senior Manager Community Programming & Engagement), Diane Nassey (Social Party Coordinator), & Dania Santana (Community Coordinator, Colectiva Latina) led this discussion. I appreciated this topic a lot. Who doesn’t want sponsored posts? Whatever I need to do to increase my sponsored posts I’m all ears. There was so much great information told. 

There were a few favorite tips by Monica Pruitt on Landing a Campaign. 

*Share awesome existing content. When applying for a new campaign make sure to share links for similar posts. 

*Photos are extremely important. Make sure to take courses on Sofab University to increase your skills and expertise on photography. 

* Create content that is going to bring traffic to your blog. 

*Network. Make sure you join the Facebook group for Social Fabric. 

*Bes ure to visit Sofab University regularly and take classes to improve your skills. 

Next up, Phil Hollows (CEO,FeedBlitz) Growing your Influence, Traffic, and Making Money with Email Marketing. A few of my favorites from the slides he showed. 

  
Jessica Woodbury (dontmindthemess.com) discussed How to Use SEO to Supercharge Your Posts. With SEO there are more blogger opportunities, more traffic and new readers. Make sure your blog is mobile friendly. Think beyond keywords, organic content, higher word count sends stronger signals (700 + words). Check spam score in Moz. (https://moz.com/researchtools/ose/) Having a 4 or less spam score is great! I have a 2. I’m very happy. Loved all these tips. 

  
After break and a delicious lunch provided by Panera we continued with Part 2 of How to Use SEO to Supercharge Your Posts. 

  
Ice cream from Graeters was sooo delicious. get ready NY they are coming. Muller Yogurt was very creamy and delicious. So many choices to choose from. Kind bars were on all the tables for a quick healthy snack. Noble Juice naturally pure juices came in amazing flavors like Apple Mandarin Chai, Tangerine Ginger Pomeganate, Honeybell Blueberry and Royal Mandarin Greens juice. They also provided cute lunch bags with goodies inside. IBlog Magazine, Coty, Kraft and Liberty Science Center were also sponsors. We also participated in contests. 

Josh Hicks from Mitsubishi (Drive Shop) taught us Video Tips, Tricks & Tools. Before he started his presentation he went Oprah on us and gave everyone a selfie stick. That made my day. 

One of my favorite tips: Storyboard. Make a visual plan of the shot list. This will help you get all the shots you need and streamline editing. A little extra time here will save hours later.

  
 We divided into groups and headed outside for an Afternoon Education Adventure with NYC Photo Safari. I chose the food group because I wanted to get extra tips on how to work the camera on my food photos. We started at the NYPL on 42nd and 5th Avenue then worked our way over to Penn Station and from there we met everyone at the Strand Hotel for Happy Hour. Once again, I learned so much how to take pics in certain light, up close, and tricks with the filters on the iPhone. I don’t own a DSLR but hope to one day. Happy Hour was great with SoFab attendees, food, drinks, gifts and socializing. 

It turned out to be a great day andthese tips will come in handy and be put to good use. I can’t wait for the next one. Slides provided by Debba Haupert.