5 Lessons Learned at the Digital Leaders Boot Camp

Last week I blogged about being given a chance to attend the Digital Leaders Boot Camp by Janette Toral. I was so happy to have been given the opportunity because I’ve been wanting to join Janette Toral’s sessions for so long but have been unable to do so. Even if this session was just going to be a half day one, I knew I will be learning very valuable information that will help me become a #DigitalLeader.

So, off I went to attend the event last Saturday, July 26, at the Best Western Antel Hotel in Makati City.

I have one main reason why I want to be a digital leader and it has to do with blogging. I’ve been blogging for almost four years now and over the years my followers have grown, which is something I didn’t expect when I first started to blog. It also surprises me to study my stats and see that my page views have increased and that there are posts of mine that rank high on search engines. What’s even more amazing is the fact that brands are actually interested in partnering up with me.   All these, of course, are blessings for me. But it comes with a huge responsibility.

I’m not just blogging for my personal consumption now. I actually have an audience. I also have a responsibility to the brands who trust me. And if I want to grow that audience and work with more partners, I better make sure that I learn how to be an effective influencer. One of the best ways to that is, of course, to learn from the experts, which exactly what Janette Toral is.

At the event, you can see that there are numerous people eager to learn as well.

The group was composed not only of bloggers but also of professionals, entrepreneurs and other digital media enthusiasts.

Now, I’ve learned so many valuable insights that day but let me share with you the top 5 that resonated with me.

1. To be an effective influencer, don’t just aspire to be better. BE DIFFERENT.

When I first started blogging, I looked at other blogs to see what they were doing and what made them successful. I admit that because I admired certain bloggers, I took some inspiration from their blogs and tried to apply them into mine, making sure that it will stay true to who I am and what my blog is all about. People hate copycats and I do too. Plus I wanted to be better.

Eventually though, I stopped just getting inspiration from others and started to make my blog more ME.  I started blogging more about what I love most. Because just being myself makes me different. Nobody in the world is like me so there’s no other blog in the world that’s also quite like mine.

One of Janette Toral’s last messages during the boot camp was this:

Use the REBEL in you. Lead and think differently!

2. It’s not all about the numbers.

According to Janette Toral, there are 3 pillars of influence – Reach, Relevance, and Resonance. Reach pertains to how many people follow you or read your posts. Relevance has to do with you building authority. Resonance is all about your frequency and method of communicating and connecting with your readers.

In the beginning, I thought that in order to be a successful blogger, my blog should have a really high number of subscribers and that I should have thousands of followers on social media. But I realized, even if I have those numbers, it doesn’t really matter if I’m not really connecting with them, right? Of course, reach still matters, especially when you’re working with brands. However, it’s not the reach that will make your blog last for the long haul.

3. Begin with the end in mind – FOCUS! Share your passion.

This was something I had trouble with in the beginning. I started blogging only because I wanted to document my third pregnancy and our life as a new blended family. But then opportunities came and we experienced several life changes as well, which all led me to become confused as to what my blog should focus on.

I’ve seen other blogs that have a very particular niche and wondered whether I should do the same. But I figured that would limit me to write only about certain things and would thus prompt me to create other blogs with a different niche just so I can write about other topics. I didn’t want to manage more than one blog.

There are others who have encouraged me to focus on our blended family story. But because I refuse to spill very personal information about my family online, I didn’t think it was the way to go. And where would I write about the other stuff I want to write about?

In the end, I decided to maintain this blog and focus on it being a family lifestyle blog wherein I can write anything I want about three main things, my life as a WIFE, WORK-AT-HOME MOM and WRITER.

4. Be SOCIALLY INTELLIGENT. Now how to handle your relationships in love and in life. 

As a blogger, I can’t  help but expose some parts of my life to the public. But that doesn’t mean I should do so without regard for the privacy of my family and friends. There are things I refuse to blog about because they’re too personal. Although I post photos often on social media, I choose which ones to post and don’t post anything that would reveal anything too personal as well.

Most importantly, I don’t air my dirty laundry in public. While I might rant every now and then, they never divulge any personal details nor do I mention names. I never involve myself in arguments on social media. Not that I don’t like healthy debates. I just prefer to do it in person. Doing so in public is just not my style.

5. If you want to be at the top, you should be a SERVANT.

If your blog is not just for personal consumption, then don’t ever forget about your audience. You’re writing for them too. It’s not all about you. Therefore, you should make sure that have something to offer your audience all the time. Try to understand them so that you will , get a better handle on how to be of service to them.

At the end of the day, if you want to become a successful digital leader influencer, you have to be able to build a community.

It was really such a fun day of learning for me and the other participants. I think Janette Toral is a great mentor to have. Even during the event itself, she made sure that all of us got to participate in one way or another.

Oh and along with my friend, Millie, I won in the raffle too! I won a voucher for a complimentary facial worth Php 1,800.00 courtesy of Shinagawa Lasik & Aesthetics Center. Thank you so much!

Special thanks also go to Sherlane Fortunado for inviting me!

To learn more about the Digital Leaders Boot Camp, do visit the links below.

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Digital Leaders Boot Camp

Website: www.leaderbootcamp.digitalfilipino.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/digital.leaders.boot.camp