What I Learned at FoodBlogSouth

Oh, how I love the South. The people and the stories that come with the food is what I am really in love with.

Jennifer Cole, editor at Southern Living, said it best during her opening speech at FoodBlogSouth: “Southern food has a soul and a story.”

FoodBlogSouth was my very first blogging conference when I attended last January. I had such a great time and met so many wonderful people, I knew I had to go again this year.

So back to Birmingham I went, this time to Old Car Heaven – one very cool event facility.

What other event space includes old cars?

Instead of trying to summarize the conference – I barely has the chance to pull my camera out! I was having too much fun chatting with fellow bloggers and event sponsors (Quick shout-out to our Atlanta favorite: High Road Craft. Everyone, and I mean everyone was gushing about the ice cream at the conference)

Here are a few takeaways from FoodBlogSouth (I learned so much, I hope this helps/inspires/intrigues you too)

On Recipe Development:
- Be consistent with the style of your recipes.
- Use an encouraging and approachable voice. But also be authoritative and an expert.
- Use titles that are straightforward and practical for SEO purposes
- We were crazy lucky to learn from an accomplished chef & author.

On Monetizing Your Blog:
- Focus on your passion and eliminate the noise. What are your goals as a blogger?
- Produce quality content with clear & concise writing, photos and video.
- Build brand awareness and traffic by posting frequently (3 to 5 times/week)

On Marketing Your Brand:
- Brand = Value + Perception
- A brand is a promise.
- A tagline is as much for you as it is for your customers/readers. It will help you stay focused.

Additional Thoughts:
- The most talented people are also the friendliest and most humble.
- FoodBlogSouth consistently has some of the best conference food I’ve ever had, hands down.
- If giving presentations that include video, don’t rely on streaming from the internet. The internet will let you down 99% of the time.
- Vibram five finger shoes make for great ice breakers.